Guitar Hero

Since the inception of The Garlick Press blog I have referred to this guy as" The Boy".  However, "The Boy" is morphing into "The Teenager" at warp speed. 

All summer he has been diligently mowing lawns and saving the cash for a special purpose.  Side note... his feet seem to be growing faster than the lawn. 

And today was his payoff.

Meet "The Boy" and "The Beast."

The dudes at the guitar store told him that he could be the next Chet Atkins or maybe even Jack Johnson.

When he speaks, I have to look around to see who else is in the room...or is he just catching a cold as his voice deepens daily. 

I am pleased with The Teenager's new discovery of himself in music.  The Boy has been my hero for quite a while now, and it seems The Teenager will now be my Guitar Hero.

Rock on Dude!

Consider Her Nest Feathered

Birds of a feather, celebrate together!

Decorations...

Invitations...
 

Party Princess...

Yummy treats with eggs and nests...

Cabbage nest filled with blue cheese crumble dip and garden veggies...

Pretty girls who couldn't wait to meet Olivia...

 Beautiful gifts wrapped so perfectly...including some handmade red shoes with a sweet note...

"Because every girl needs a pair of Red shoes."

 Aunt Jiggy's friends...

Family and friends flocked from near and far...

Mommy opening gifts...

Baby girl cousins, Kate and Autumn with their Mommies...

Autumn and Baby Autumn, Oh my, how sweet are they...

Baby Lola (who is not a show girl)...

Miss Kate watching videos...

Auntie Lori snuggling...

Trying on those magical red shoes for the first time.  There's no place like home...there's no place like home...

Checking out a new blanket, appropriately called "The Jocelyn...

 

The baby bird quilt...

with the red snowflake tree...

Post Party Princess and that Grandpa guy.

***

Thank you all for coming and playing with Olivia and her Mommy.  It was a joyous day and a fabulous way to celebrate little Olivia's arrival. 

Cassandra's nest is definitely feathered! 

Baby Love...

This is what kindles my soul these days...

Sometimes, a photograph speaks volumes!

He's an Official Smoker Now...

He caught the smoking bug...

Every now and then our super awesome friend Dave brings us delicious smoked ribs. Note... Dave is not the Dave from "Famous Dave's Ribs" but his ribs are still famous at our house.  Izzy gets so excited when she sees him she practically knocks him over. 

Dean decided this was a game he wanted to play. 

Say hello to the smoker...dun...dun...dun!   Dean has named it "The Cuban."

Delicious meats smoking away inside The Cuban. Are you drooling yet?  The ribs were drizzled with a little honey from Lady GaGa's hive.

 

 Please notice the naughty look in that dog's eye.  Kenya is a clever girl, you have to watch her closely or she'll run off with an entire rack of ribs and never look back.  Clever girl...like a velociraptor!

We invited some friends over for the maiden voyage of  The Cuban.  Kelli (from Colorado) and Jocelyn and Lindsay (twins from Texas) are freshmen at USU.  I promised their Moms I'd take care of them...which includes a home cooked meal every now and then.  The girls are adorable and so excited to be starting this new chapter as USU Aggies.   

Our good friend Craig brought his twin sons Travis and Tony and daughter Kim along.   We really didn't plan the "twin paloosa"  it just sort of happened.  So all together we had 6 college kids hanging with us for the evening.

At one point we asked Jocelyn and Lindsay when they stopped dressing alike, at exactly the precise same moment they replied...

"last week!"

It's definitely a twin thing.

Kelli shared some funny roommate stories with us.  That is one of my favorite things about this age...the laughter.  We sat back and listened to the conversation among the 6 college kids and must have counted the word "like" mentioned about 20 times a minute.  "I was like...oh my gosh..I couldn't like believe it." If you want to frustrate this generation, ask them to speak without saying the work "like" in their conversation with you. 

Impossible!

We adore these girls. 
They have this energy and charisma about them that is infectious.  I knew I needed to meet the twins when I learned their names...Jocelyn and Lindsay.  We were destined to know them!  Kelli used to be in a book club with our Jocie years ago when we lived in Colorado.  I think "Harold and The Purple Crayon" was the first literary masterpiece they tackled.  

It was such a fun evening.  I baked and cooked and Dean smoked the afternoon away.  And the dogs...they drooled the entire time, thinking of the rib bones that were coming their way.  Plus any rolls that Kenya could steal, which by the way she did steal Jocelyn's freshly buttered/honeyed roll. 
She's naughty that way!

What teenage boy doesn't love 4 beautiful college girls hugging him.

A very happy Chet!

***

So listen up Moms... (Traci and Janice) here's the report.  The girls have been doing their own laundry, brushing their teeth, and doing their homework.  They are involved in soccer games and 1 has even joined the Rugby team.  They have been out on dates, but none of them are engaged yet.

Phew!!! 

And they miss you...they just don't know it yet!

To My Granddaughter... Miss Olivia Jocelyn

Dearest Olivia,

Wow...I can hardly speak your name without pinching myself to believe you are truly part of our family. While holding you in my arms tonight I heard your Daddy say "Olivia you are the most loved baby in the world." And I know he is so absolutely right.

You came to this family in the most amazing way...in such a miraculous way!  I know this is where you were meant to be.  The beautiful, young, red-haired mother that carried you for 9 months and just gave birth to you... made the most loving, unselfish, and motherly choice anyone could ever imagine. 

She has so graciously given you to your Mommy who has wrapped her heart around your tiny little self. 

And now that you are finally here, as your Grandmother I must tell you I have big plans for you and the thousands of moments we will spend together. 

I can hardly wait to show you how to stitch and create beautiful things with your hands. 

I will teach you to bake delicious pies, and how to eat them just as well!

When it is time for prom dresses, I've got you covered. 

 And when it snows, we will gather in the mountains with our skis... 

where we will play in the sunshine and powder and tell fun stories about your Aunt Jiggy who shares your name.  

Then we will laugh together...because that is the way she would want it to be.

 And while we dance and giggle our days away, I will remind you of all the people in this world that love you and can't wait to see you grow and reach for the sky with all your might.

And when you come to visit our house...we will be sure to have brownies for breakfast and wear our pajamas all day, just because we can.   

Little Olivia, I fell in love with you from the moment I found out about you...we all did. 

You have brought bundles of joy and hope to our tender hearts.

Now let's discuss the name Grandma...I think we need something different...more hip...more modern...more edgy...

We are going to work on that you and I.
Because you are my first grandchild I think I'll let you decide.

While you are dreaming away your newborn days...I want you to know how many wonderful things are ahead of you.  Be true to your heart and love those around you deeply. 

Little one...you are a gift.

Always remember that your Mommy and Daddy love and adore everything about you and are completely thrilled about being your parents. 

All my love,

Your hip, edgy Grandmother Lisa

PS...And just wait until you get to met your Auntie Didi...

you are going to love her!

Every Good Cook Needs a Good Hot Pad

Saturdays in the summertime almost always include a weekly trip to our local Farmer's Market.  You'll find the usual ingredients of any Farmer's Market there plus some added specialties.  This year I have been fascinated by a beautiful, seasoned little lady.  Every week in 90 degree weather she sits at a small card table under a shade tent dressed in her warmest winter sweater selling hot pads she made herself.   She has a simple sign printed on an 8x10 sheet of paper that says "Every Good Cook Needs a Good Hot Pad"!

 

iphone pic...left my Nikon at home

Her booth is not far from the busy lemonade stand where they squeeze nearly 300 glasses of lemonade every Saturday.  The first time I saw her she captured my attention sitting quietly, almost still... waiting for a customer.  I decided to "make her day" and buy a pair of her hot pads. For $6 I became the proud owner of paisley print hot pads.  I thought I'd probably never use them since they were so thin and most likely offer no protection from my tasty hot items coming from the oven.  As we completed our transaction she said "If you like them, tell your friends."   

Fast forward a few weeks and to my surprise, these have become my favorite hot pads in the kitchen.  I'm not sure what she uses for batting inside that paisley print.  I could easily unpick them and find out...but I'd rather leave it a mystery.   

Today while ordering our freshly squeezed strawberry lemonade I saw my hot pad friend selling her wares again.  She was still wearing her winter sweater safety pinned together to hold it on her frail tiny frame.  I decided I should buy a few pairs of hot pads to give away to friends.  To my surprise, her supply was almost gone!  It seems she might have a thriving business and never needed me to "make her day".   We chatted for a bit about this and that, and I purchased a set of brown calico hot pads.  I learned her name is Marion and I asked if I could snap a quick picture of her with my phone.  She asked "What for, I'm 98 years old.  I'm an old woman." 

I adore her...98 years old...gets around with her trusty walker...selling hot pads to good cooks.

If you would like to purchase a pair of her special hot pads, look for Marion when you go to the Farmers Market next week.  If she's not there, most likely she will be having eye surgery.

But not to worry, I have her business card...oh yes Marion has a business card!