Best Tatoes Ever!

So my good friend April, has gotten me addicted, hooked, obsessed, etc. with The Pioneer Woman. This mostly started from April giving me The Pioneer Woman's cookbook. Her pot roast is indeed the best pot roast I have ever eaten and it was the only reason I had to get new pots and pans. Her online recipes are fun to look thru and I seem like I've discovered something new and interesting in my life - cooking! This potato recipe was online and was truly delicious. It may have been so delicious because they accompanied baby back ribs that were truly to die for that Paul grilled up and roasted asparagus! ( Does anyone besides my family say Asper-grass?) At any rate, here is an easy and delicious way to cook potatoes:

12 or however many you want WHOLE red/yellow/new potatoes.
12 fit on the cookie sheet.
Boil whole until fork tender.

Spread some olive oil on a cookie sheet. Take a hand masher and squish them one way and then the other. It's important to have enough oil so the potatoes don't stick. Then brush with olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh chopped rosemary. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes or so. Oh and my...............

Let me know if you try it..........

And by the way, kosher salt is my new 'thing'. It is so tasty and pretty forgiving. It just is different than plain old iodized salt! You should go out immediately and get a box of it for your tasty cooking!

Arghhhhhh....................

Carter turned 4 while he was here in Klamath. No 4 year old party would be complete with out pirates. Here is a look at my pirates - notice that Carter has a hook! They all had an earring on as well. Most of you know my oldest son Ben so this story will make you smile. We made a treasure hunt for the kids and the adults just followed along behind them as they figured out where the pirates treasure would be. As we were walking out of my bedroom I heard Ben say to his youngest Calvin 'Calvin, just leave your earring on!'. I never thought I would hear those words come out of my son's mouth!

I can't be outdone!

I just couldn't be outdone by Nikki's rat story! I was out in the horse shed to get some high fat oats for our horses this morning - they just seem to struggle with weight in the spring - and I saw the saddle move. I just froze and thought 'Well it's probably a pack rat if it was big enough to move the saddle'. I eventually unfroze and opened up the plastic garbage can we keep the oats in and there were two mice in there just stuffing their faces with the high fat oats. I think they looked up at me but I'm not sure because I'm pretty sure I was screaming in a high pitched girly scream and running out of the shed. I'm so NOT girly in any way, shape, or form except when it comes to the mice. Then when I turned back around to look at the shed a wild cat came running out! Glad it wasn't a pack rat. I came and told Paul my dilema and that he would just have to deal with it. So he pulled on his work gloves and went out to the shed in his beautiful suit and scooped them out and threw them over the fence. It just got him a laughin' because as he threw them they spread their hands and feet out and just sailed. Mountain living I tell ya!

On another note, pictures have been found (okay, they were sent by Dani) of the other grandkiddies that didn't seem to make my first post very much. Here are a few other looks at my beautiful babies!


The new family - Sam, Nikki, and Jay



Chito, Carter, and Andi



Carter took this picture of the grownups at the Aquarium!



Deej and me....



New daddy Sam and his boy, Jay



The kiddies at the aquarium!



Happy Happy Tay



G'Nite Carter............

Bubba Jay.......presh.....



Jay curled up sleeping



Sisters Reece & Remi........can anyone think of a third girls 'R' name? (and no, this is not an announcement!)



Carter, Reece, and Andi in their Easter duds.....Andi thought Carter should NOT be in the picture - "It's just girls Carter!"



I did a lot of this with ms. Remi...............yum for my Gramzee arms!



Good looking husband makes good looking kids which makes good looking grandbabies!



Newbies Jay & Remi



I love this picture of Taytum - Tay Tay - TayWa - Tater Tot - looking interested in ms. Reece!



Easter dresses.......Reece and Andi.........total girls the both of them!



Gramzee and Reece - we got to be best friends while I was there. Grandbabies are so good for the self esteem - they are soooo excited to see you when they wake up in the morning - when they wake up after naps - when you leave and come back - just about anytime.



Somehow I can't seem to find pics of me and Bubba Jay...hmmmmm..........oh where oh where have the pictures gone.....and Tayter Tot was there too! hmmmm.......... And Carter?

One week in Palm Springs with my dear friend Judes, one week in Utah with Summer and Reece and Josh while Summer cooked the baby til perfectly done - one week in Utah being best friends with Reece, one weekend with all but two of my grandbabies, one week with Dani, Carter, Andi, and Taytum, one weekend with Ben, Sharon, Grayson, and Cal added to the mix = happy Gramzee arms, happy Gramzee soul, and happy mom! I sure had a good time. I love you all! mom, z, zan, gramzee, tink............