Arturo and our Asado

I hosted a family dinner party for Jonny and Jenny's exchange student, Arturo, on November 27, 2022. Arturo is from Santiago, Chile, and so I served South American food.  “This ice cream is amazing,” Arturo said about my dulce de leche ice cream, and Sarah agreed.  “Your pistachio ice cream and this one are my favorites,” she said. The empanadas were another favorite.  Heidi, the baker, said they were delicious, and even Jonny agreed that they were spiced right, although, “They just need a little cheese.”  

This party was an “asado,” or barbecue.  No matter how many times he cooks meat on my Traeger grill, Dave swears he doesn't know how to use it.  Dave Leatham, Jonny's father-in-law, has a Traeger grill at home, and he came to my rescue.  Shelly Leatham also helped to roll and frost the distinctive altafores sandwich cookies.

It was a delight to have Jonny's family here in Salt Lake.  They go back to Bettendorf, Iowa, one more time to finish out the school semester.  And then they will come home to SLC permanently.

Thanksgiving

I handed Michael K my camera, on Thanksgiving morning, November 24, 2022, and he captured great photos of the family effort to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table.  Lisa had to leave for the airport at 1:30 p.m., to work at the hospital in Seattle Thursday evening, so we were moving fast on Thursday morning.

The Flindts were our houseguests, so they were my primary workers.

I was in the middle of wrapping my 3000 caramels, on Thanksgiving morning.  Just as helpful as cutting the turkey or mashing potatoes was Kirsten, Alyssa, and Spencer wrapping the last batches of caramels.  I then sorted them into dozens of plastic bags filled with 15 candies apiece, and stored them in Mike's freezer, ready for Christmas giving.

Eliza likes to help.

Michael K specializes in delicious mashed potatoes.  Naomi can do anything--I hand her a recipe and the dish appears!

A critical job, on Thanksgiving morning, is keeping the little kids entertained while the grown-ups cook.  Thank you, Bryce!

Even my best workers take a break, now and then.

The minute Rebekah enters my house, she is in the kitchen, asking, "What can I do?"  I appreciate her willingness and expertise.

And, finally, the guests arrived.  Camille brought a specialty of her Ebert inlaws--raspberry jello salad with pomegranate seeds.  It has become our favorite, too!  Camille and Heidi also brought delicious homemade pies.

Audrey is already a young lady, at three.  She borrowed her mom's eyebrow pencil and put on some makeup!

At last, enjoying our labors!

After dinner, Lisa rushed for her plane and the rest of the Flindts hurried off to Huntsville for Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma JoDee's family.  The Eberts settled down with Mike for a laugh-filled game of Bad Landlord.

Flindt Family Retreat

On November 23, 2022, the day before Thanksgiving, Lisa planned a day-long family retreat in Salt Lake City.  Kyle, Lisa, and Alyssa flew in from Seattle, Grant and Meg flew in from Dallas, and the rest of the family gathered from around Utah.  

Grant and Meg were welcomed warmly, since Grant has been hunkered down in medical school since August.  The Flindts started the day with family pictures at Busath, and then ate lunch at our house.  After lunch, they spent several hours at an entertainment center, playing laser tag, bowling, and arcade games.

Eliza is an adorable toddler who was the star of many photos. She is beloved by her parents, Naomi and Spencer.

In the evening, the Flindts invited their Spendlove and Flindt grandparents to join them for dinner at the Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant in Bountiful.  It brought back wonderful memories of when my mother treated the family to Mandarin dinners, way back when.

Lily, the daughter of Michael K and Rebekah, was fascinated with the Christmas lights decorating the restaurant.

Meg tended Eliza while Naomi got her Ph.D, and Eliza adores her.

Happy 110th, Grandma Rose!

On November 20, 2022, my brother Scott's family joined us in celebrating Mother's 110th birthday.  This is one of my favorite photos of Mom--Sophie was a beautiful baby and Mom was a beautiful great-grandmother.  I remember sitting in the backyard of Camille's Holladay home, watching Jono's elementary school friends frolic in the grass during his birthday party, and thinking, "This is as good as life gets."
 

This is another of my favorite photos of Mom.  Until the day she died, Mom was a patriot.  She loved America and never failed to vote in elections.  She also studied the election booklets and learned about each candidate before she voted.  There she is, in the photo above, holding onto her walker with one hand and trying to figure out the new-fangled voting machine with the other!

It is a treat to get together with Scott's family for at least two events per year--Mother's birthday and Christmas Eve.  I cooked the dinner Mother would have served—ham, sweet potatoes with apples, consommé rice, green jello, and hot rolls. “Some of this is better than Grandma Rose would have served,” I opined.  “She wouldn’t have bought an expensive honey-baked ham, and the rolls would have been out of a can, rather than home-baked.”  Scott brought fresh fruit and dessert—pies and cakes from Costco and several flavors of ice cream.

            

 The guests included Camille, Steve and their three children, Michael K and Rebekah, and Spencer, as well a Scott and Jean, David, and Grant and Jamie, with their three children.  Truman, above with his father Grant, is a bright and spunky fellow.

Jamie and her daughters, Marlowe and Lulu, are favorites.

Planning a dinner with Scott is as easy as saying, "Let's do what we always do."  He appears with many bowls of fresh fruit, pies, and ice cream.