Heidi: Hostess and Treasured Guest

 Heidi has been very busy raising Audrey and learning to be a mom since last October.  Dave and I were flattered, on January 7, 2020, when Heidi texted us that she was cooking soup and steak and wondered if we would join Mike and her for dinner.

The food was delicious.  The soup was chickpea, carrots, and fennel from famous chef Ottolenghi's book, "Plenty," and the steak was from the Bastians' own cow.  Mike and Heidi had kept their Christmas decorations up a few extra days, so we even got to eat on the festive faux fur place mats!  And, for dessert, Heidi let us raid her stash of homemade candies--lemon truffles, chocolate-dipped caramels, and raspberry chocolates.

Heidi also came to dinner on January 5, 2020 and brought Audrey.  We oohed and ahhed at the cute baby, and tried to decide if she looked more like Heidi or Mike (most people say Mike, but Janice said Heidi).  We have been keeping track of Audrey's progress through Mike's videos.  He plans to make one of Audrey every month during her babyhood.  The latest one showed Audrey at three months, with Mike speaking to her exclusively in Spanish and Heidi singing lullabies with the help of a giraffe puppet and an elephant puppet.  Fun!

 I served my Norwegian menu, with roast pork stuffed with prunes, a potato gratin made with Jarlsberg cheese, cucumbers with dill, and homemade rye bread.

It is a treat to have Carol Garza, from across the street, eat with us.

New Year's Morning

Waffles with berries and real maple syrup, hot chocolate, bacon, and orange juice--that roused even tired revelers on the morning of January 1, 2020.  As we ate breakfast, we shared stories of our New Year's Eve escapades and our hopes and plans for the new year.  Jonny and Jenny go home to Iowa this Saturday, but will squeeze in a bit more skiing and good family time before they leave.

Grant and Meg are planning an overnight stay at our Oakley cabin this month, chaperoned by Spencer and Naomi.

Grant and Spencer have been good friends since they were little, and they are now enjoying being together at BYU.

Most of the Eberts slept in this morning, but Camille texted that the "true party girls"--Mia, Emilie, and herself--would join us.

 There will be plenty of drama in the world this year, even if the only momentous 2020 events are spill-overs from 2019.  We will be watching the protesters' uprisings in Hong Kong.

 We will follow President Donald Trump's impeachment.

And we will keep our eye on the great race of the year--the 2020 presidential election.  It's amazing, how much the slate of candidates has already changed, from this CNN debate list from earlier in 2019.  More surprises to come.

While the Cat's Away

Camille and Steve took Sophia to New York City over New Years, to have some good times before her cancer surgery in January.  Dave and I usually spend New Years Eve at the Eberts' house, with whatever family members are still in town.  Camille invited Dave and me to come even in their absence, and to celebrate with the remaining Ebert children.  Annelise and Emilie took charge of the party plans, and the event was on!

We began the evening with Italian cream sodas and all-you-could eat pizza.

 We then moved into the Ebert game room, where Jonny and Jenny joined us for a couple of hours before leaving for their friends' party.  Emilie spent the evening as co-chair with Annelise.

 Annelise and Emilie had assembled our game options on the table, together with the all-important treats--cinnamon bears, red licorice, and Rolos.

Jonny and Jenny rarely let six-year-old Sam go to slumber parties, but they made an exception tonight.  He got to stay up till midnight playing games and toasting in the New Year, and then he slept over with Ezra and Mia.  Big time!

 We played Connections, then the rollicking charade game, "Rollick."  The kids laughed as they acted out "cobra" with lots of body twists and flourishes, and I guessed "skinny dipping."

 Mia's favorite game was "Exploding Kittens."

 Mike grinned with satisfaction at his good hand.

 And Sam was thrilled to be in the thick of things.

 That's a "head scratcher" on Ezra's head--a relic of Christmas tables past.

 I brought with me the 36" sparklers I bought for Mike and Heidi's wedding reception five years ago.  They were greeted with delight!

 And, as we gathered in the middle of the street with all our sparklers, Steve, Camille, and Sophia drove up in an Uber.  They were tired from their flight from New York, but not too tired to give hugs all around and then toast the New Year, 2020, as we watched a two hour late replay of the glass ball dropping in Times Square.

Sophie gave Sam a big hug.

 Steve relaxed on the Ebert couch with Sam and Ollie, the new family hunting/running/cuddling dog.

As midnight approached, the Ebert girls lived it up in the front yard with bottle after bottle of bubbly--Martinelli's bubbly apple juice, that is!

A good time was had by all.

"My Food"--Fejoida

Jonny describes Brazilian cuisine as "my food."  Jonny lived in northeastern Brazil for two years on his LDS mission, and he has traveled back numerous times, both as a tourist and as a John Deere manager.  A good time for Jonny and me is cooking a Brazilian feast, with fejoida (black bean and meat stew), rice, pao de queijo (cheese rolls), grilled pineapple, spinach or kale, sliced oranges, and flan for dessert.  And, of course, Jonny makes a fabulous fresh Brazilian limeade.

 For our last Sunday dinner of the holidays, on December 29, 2019, Jonny and I cooked up our feast.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Brazil.  I once got the "Brazil discount" on a speeding ticket by the policeman noticing the Brazilian flag on a purse I was carrying. (He had been a Brazilian missionary, like Jonny.)

 I love the gorgeous beaches, the views of the ocean, and the prevalence of religion throughout Brazil.  It was common to see business names like "Messiah Auto Parts."

 I love the warmth and high spirits of Brazilians, which leads to their excellence at soccer and the flamboyance of Rio's Mardi Gras celebrations.

 And I love Brazil's wildlife and natural beauty, from this toucan to spectacular Iguassu Falls.

 Jenny and Henry enjoyed our Brazilian feast, eating it off of my bright, tropical-patterned plates.

We invited Jenny's parents, Shelly and Dave Leatham, to join us.  They lived in Argentina and love Latin America.  At Christmastime, Shelly wins my adulation by bringing me my very favorite candies, the chocolate-covered cherries, made fresh by Shelly's friend.

 The party is raised a notch by the presence of the Eberts. 

 And by Mike and Carol. 

Sam and Henry: at Their Resort

 I asked my granddaughter, Annelise Ebert, how it felt to move back to Utah after having lived for five years in Boston and Columbus, Ohio.  "Of course I was glad to move back," she said.  "Utah is where I vacationed.  It's where I went hiking and skiing.  It was my resort."  Jonny tells me he is trying to create the same love of Utah in his little boys, Sam, Henry, and Thomas.  "Then someday, when we move back to Utah, they'll want to come," he says.  Jonny's boys stayed with us over Christmas, and Jonny and Jenny shared with them all Utah had to offer.  They boys hiked up "Sugar Loaf," behind our Salt Lake house, and looked out over the entire, beautiful Salt Lake Valley--a better view than Brigham Young had!

They lay on our couches, playing with iPhones and iPads and watching unlimited Netflix cartoons of Superdog.

 They visited "Scales and Tails", where they got to hold and look at creepy, crawly things.

 And they took skiing lessons.  That's Henry, inside all the gear.

Sam went skiing several days with his dad, and became good enough to ski down the blue (moderate) runs, and not just the green (easy) ones.  I am very jealous--Sam is already a better skier than I ever was!