Thankful Me

This fire was the closest to our house I've seen--about 1 mile west and 1 mile south. It's hard to see, but helicopters dipped buckets into the aquaduct to gather water to put out the fire.  What looks like smoke in the photo is actually water spraying from the breeze of the helicopter. Thanks for a fantastic fire crew, who had the fire out quickly, and contained it to only 10 acres.

Last Saturday, I attended a "Super Saturday" event at the church.  The women met together to spend the morning doing crafts.  I made something that I hope will encourage me to have a weekly meal plan.

The visiting teaching message for August is about welfare.  Click here to read the message.  One of the scriptures quoted is one of my favorites, so I used it for a handout.  Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the perfect example of love.

I was MIA from the blog over the past few days, as I helped my parents move my grandma into their home, but I'm happy to return for another week of Ten Things of Thankful.  This post reflects the change of scenery I had over this past week.

I was not expecting to see this so soon: A hen's first eggs often are weak-shelled or otherwise weird.  I'm curious to figure out who laid this; future eggs (with more of a shell) should be a bit more colorful and will make that job easier. Thanks for fresh eggs.

By the time you are reading this, I will have left on a jet plane (Unlike the song, I do know when I'll be back again.  And no need to check on my house; this is a solo trip for me, so the house is lived in and looked after while I'm gone.)

Summer demands cool salads.  This recipe uses fresh-from-the-garden produce.

It's week 7 of the Ten Things of Thankful, but week one of me being a co-host.  To say I'm excited is putting it mildly.  I'm so honored to be part of this hop, which not only gives me a chance to reflect on the positive things of the past week, but also gives me a chance to read your list.  You will participate, right?  If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave your list in a comment.

As I was scanning old photos this week, I came across a photo of my great-aunt which immediately reminded me of a photo of me.  I'll let you see if you can spot the similarities.  Actually, spotting the differences would be more challenging.

Today, I thought I'd share the talk I gave in church on Sunday, but first I have some exciting news:  I'm going to co-host the weekly "Ten Things of Thankful" blog hop!  Every weekend, bloggers take a moment to reflect on ten things for which they are thankful and share them with the world on the "Ten Things of Thankful" blog hop.  I've been participating in the hop, but now am delighted to also be co-hosting.  To add icing to the cake, this week Considerer is spotlighting me in her "TToT: Meet the Co-Hosts" blog post .  Click on the link and go explore other pages on Considerer's blog . (Then please return and finish reading my post, if you wish.)

I love it when my kids come to visit! Thanks for youngest son, who surprised us with a weekend visit.

What a blessing we have to live in a land of plenty!  Not only that, we live in a location which is conveniently located to shopping.  Anything I need can be easily obtained.  Of course, the downside is that anything I "need" can be easily obtained. 

I love the ease of crisps.  "Easy as pie" should be replaced with "Easy as crisp." 

Joining up again for the 10 Things of Thankful blog hop.  Click on the Ten Things of Thankful photo below to go read the other entries, and feel free to write your own post to link up.  This is really one of my favorite blog hops!

Last night, when I realized I didn't have a post ready to put on the blog today, I sat down to collect my thoughts.  At 10 p.m., all I could come up with was, "Kristi, go to bed."  I did not think that would make for a very good blog post, so I just went to bed.  I knew that I would be refreshed in the morning and could easily and quickly compose a wonderful post--at least that was the plan.

Thanks for sweet baby smiles.

Every year, Brigham Young University holds  Education Week, where thousands of adults and teens from all over the world come to attend classes, hear performances, and generally be inspired.   I attend as often as I can, and I will be there this year.   OK, so it wasn't taken at Education Week, and it's nowhere near current, but it was taken on campus!

While slow cookers often simmer hearty soups and stews in autumn and winter, they also provide a way to keep the kitchen cool while cooking a summer meal.  This BBQ chicken recipe makes a delicious filling for sandwich rolls. 

With Independence Day celebrations still fresh in the memory, I thought I would compose a "10 Things of Thankful: Patriotic Edition."

I've started a huge undertaking; I'm scanning my old photos, organizing them, and storing them on an external hard drive.  I'm going to keep the hard drive in our fire-proof box.  If we ever needed to evacuate our home, I could grab the box and not worry about the photos.

Barbeques, parades, fireworks, get-togethers with friends and family--for those of us here in the United States, today is a day to celebrate.  Have a happy and safe Independence Day!  

"OK, I'll wear them, but I won't sit up straight in them." Thanks for whoever dreamed up shoes for dogs.  It's a great idea for tender puppy pads on  scorching pavement.

Yesterday morning, despite having the swamp cooler on all night long, we woke up to 81 degree temperatures inside the house.  John went outside to inspect and announced that the swamp cooler pump had stopped working. Fortunately, replacing the pump is a quick and simple do-it-yourself project. 

Summer has arrived, bringing with it yummy stone fruits.  Some of the fruit in my produce box on Saturday was a bit bruised.  I decided to use it up right away in this delicious smoothie.