THE SUPREME SAGERS

A Rootin' Tootin' Good Time!

2012-02-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Sean helped me make the following recipe of Baked Buffalo Chicken Taquitos for that "big day" of watching awesome television commercials which were, unfortunately, interrupted by that pesky Super Bowl game thingy. Sheesh, must they do that EVERY year?

When Dave asked me last week who I was favoring to win the Super Bowl, I told him the Saints--not that I particularly like the Saints, its just that I thought they were one of the teams playing in the big game, and I wanted to sound like I was hip with it all. Dave paused, blinked, then gently said, "Wellllll, that's too bad. The game is between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants." Oh. See? I'm only in this thing for the commercials and to possibly heckle the lame-o half-time show. (As if I could do any better myself.) (Oh. And, what did you think of that "salute" from MIA, btw? Hellohhhh!)

As it turns out, I ended up rooting for the New York Giants because that's who the rest of the gang was rooting for, and a family that roots together loots together. No! That's not right. It's a family that roots together hoots together. Right? Aw, gee. What is it? A family that roots together toots together. Oh, bother. Our team won, and that means we're champions cuz, well, our team won! Am I right, you super-intense armchair quarterbacks who did absolutely nothing to help your team win, but will now brag for the next 365 days about your team winning?

Anywho! The taquitos turned out great! Try these. Right away.

BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN TAQUITOS
TasteandTellBlog.com

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup buffalo sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1/8 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 can (12.5-ounce) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
8 8-inch flour tortillas*
coarse Kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and buffalo sauce. Mix well. Stir in the Monterey jack cheese, blue cheese crumbles and chicken; mix well.
Place 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll up. If needed, microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds to make them soft and pliable enough to roll. Place on a baking sheet. Spray the taquitos with cooking spray, then sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with blue cheese dressing for dipping, if desired.

*If possible, use uncooked flour tortillas. Just throw the raw tortillas in a hot, dry skillet for about ten seconds on each side to cook them up before filling them. (You'll feel like you're working at Cafe Rio and might even picture yourself basking in the warm sun south of the border. ¿Qué pasa, dude?) Sean and I used both kinds, and the raw tortillas, as always, were so much, much, much better than regular flour tortillas. Try these. Right away.

And now, here are a few of my favorite Super Bowl commercials. Please enjoy:

Which Super Bowl commercials float your boat, darlin'?

Extra! Extra! Harry Fix! Get Your Harry Fix Right Here!

2012-02-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

And, for my fellow lovers of Jane Austen, here's a fix especially for you:

Lucky you, there's more! Click here for Firth of Forth!

Cookie Monster In the Raw!

2012-02-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Don't look now, but Sesame Street's Cookie Monster just went commando! And, nobody got arrested! And, people actually liked it! See for yourself in the recipe below which calls for raw cookie dough (get it now?) which graces the top of a pan of fudgy, chewy, chocolatey brownies.

I think the only obstacle you might encounter is hefting these awesomer-than-awesome brownies into the fridge for setting up and also for safe keeping. Ahem--you know who you are. Well, flex those biceps and heft away, because this mess-o-goodness/badness is about as heavy as that nearly 14 lb. baby born in Iowa just the other day! Didya hear about that? And, the mom went all natural! That's just plain cray cray!

The only change I made to this recipe is I didn't use the 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped. Or the 1 cup butter, at room temperature. Or the 2 cups light brown sugar, packed. Or the . . . oh, alright! I used a brownie mix for the brownie part. Other than that, I stuck to the plan, Stan. The cookie dough (egg free!) which goes on top of the brownies was a cinch.

You should make these. Right away. (Who am I semi-quoting here?) Whether you are red or blue, you should make these. Right away.

chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

Yield: 32 brownies

Prep Time: 30 min + cooling time

Cook Time: 25 min

These brownies are a major treat for cookie dough lovers...

Ingredients:

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don't over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It's okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

4. If you'd like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Were you paying attention just now? Yup. You caught me. I am guilty as sin of trying to curry the favor of my kids by unloading a dump truck load of these brownies onto them and their roommates. So, uh, yeaaaaah. I'm one to always think that it never hurts to stay on the good side of the people who may have to spoon feed me one day. Okay, okay! I'll spill the truth: I am an adoring fan of my kids. There. Are we all happy now? I know I am.

Forewarned Is Forearmed, I Always Say

2012-02-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Boom, goes the dynamite.

The F.R.I.D.A.Y. Hooligans Just Earned Some Street Cred!

2012-01-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

After the F.R.I.D.A.Y. hooligans ate our way through a lovely lunch buffet at Magleby's on a Thursday {gotta figure out a new name if this Thursday gig keeps up much longer--I mean, F.R.I.D.A.Y. just doesn't come on a Thursday no matter how desperately you wish for it to be so}, Mom decided she would take Aldolpho for a joy ride and give him the thrill of his life. By the look on Aldolpho's face, I'd say he had the SCARE of his life! At least he had the sense to pack his Samsonite suitcase (see it?) with all of his toreador essentials (they barely fit!) just in case Mom was struck by wanderlust and took the bike on the open road to far flung places like Koosharem or La Verkin or even that thriving hotspot, Panguitch!

I know! Can you believe it? Ninety-four years young! Go, Mombaby, go!

I think the prudent thing for us to do at this point is to just make sure Mom gets some leathers and a lid just in case she ever has to lay that CX500 Custom down, cuz I don't think she's ready to give up her biking days quite yet. Give her another decade, then maybe she'll hang it up. I'd bet my bottom dollar that Aldolpho's hair will soon be the color of my mom's after a few more of those trips with her taking the bike out on "the big road," aka the interstate, at full throttle . . . .

Hey! Who spotted Aldolpho from our previous F.R.I.D.A.Y. fiesta? Doesn't he look as snug as a bug in a . . . jacket?!!!

A Momentous Day!

2012-01-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

Photo taken November, 2011

I love my mom so much that words cannot even come close to conveying my absolute adoration, affection, and respect for her. She has accomplished so much in her life, all with a positive attitude and a cheerful countenance and faith in our Heavenly Father. She has always put her children first and is forever expressing her love for all six of us rascally kids and her many rascally grandkids and her many rascally great grandkids. Her family means EVERYTHING to her. How did I ever get so lucky as to have such a lovely, loving, lively, witty, and wonderful mom, I'm sure I'll never know, but I hope that someday when I grow up, I will be just like her!

Mom (Beulah Ricks) as a student at

Madison High School, Rexburg, Idaho

Mom on the faculty of Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!

I AM ABSOLUTELY BURSTING WITH LOVE FOR HER!!!

Extremism

2012-01-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

My awesome friend, Lisa, asked who in the world we roped into taking our photos for our Christmas card. Well, the fact of the matter is that we used Christian's SLR camera set on a tripod for all but the Bob Tail shots, and either Christian or Sean would set the timer and lunge into the shots just before the shutter clicked that fateful click. I like to call it "Extreme Photography." Sorta like "Extreme Ironing." (See videos below.)

I love the following quote (pronounced with a sexy British accent) from the first video:

"Extreme ironing . . . combines the thrills of an outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt."

Behold:

I'm thinking that Extreme Photography is much more likely to see us successfully make it to the old folks home one day as opposed to Extreme Ironing which may succeed in seeing us to the local undertaker.

In a hurry.

Without passing "go."

I'm going for the photography. Cuz, I'm smart that way.

Slip Slidin' Away . . .

2012-01-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sure a bunch of you have already seen this video on Facebook, but for my Facebook-less readers (and huzzah to you guys! I greatly admire your restraint at not kowtowing to social trends that completely SUCK UP YOUR TIME AND MAKE YOU WISH YOU HAD THOSE LAST TWO HOURS BACK!!! {And, believe me, I know whereof I speak, unfortunately}), I thought I would put this up on my blog. Just for you guys.

This video was shot in Bountiful, Utah, last Saturday. Be patient with the video; it ramps up as it goes along, and I gar-own-tee you'll laugh out loud, more than once, which is kinda sad but still kinda funny--sorta like when you see someone trip while going up a flight of stairs and you know you shouldn't laugh but you just can't help it so then it makes it even funnier and then you feel sadistic for having laughed in the first place and then you calm down a bit but then you replay the image in your head again and again and you start laughing harder than before even to the point of spewing your drink out of your nose and then before you know it you're writing a blasted run-on sentence with inadequate punctuation.

Just watch the video. (Make sure your audio is up; the sound effects are necessary in order for you to immerse yourself in the full, laughing-at-others'-expense-but-feeling-sorta-bad-about-laughing experience.)

Yup, this is why we choose to live in Utah. I'm bustin' a gut here, people . . . .

Anything For a Buck

2012-01-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

I had to drive around the block and come up on this sign a second time so I could snap this pic. Too good to pass by.

Honestly people, should we really be encouraging this type of behavior?

Your Smile Could Go Further Than a Toaster Oven!

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

We've all heard over and over that one of the best gifts we can give to strangers is our smile. You've heard that, right? Of course you have, you killjoy.

In the video below, it is fascinating to watch how the demeanor of most of these mall shoppers suddenly shifts from a ticked-off look because the small appliances department didn't happen to have the Breville Stainless Steel Toaster Oven Item No. BOV800XL that they had a hankerin' for, to a genuine grin of mirth and pleasure, all due to one little Cindy Lou Who who looks no more than two. To me. I'm not sure. She could be three. But, whatev. Take a look:

(If the imbedded video doesn't work for you, copy and paste this to your browser: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/adorable-girl-waves-goodbye/1jr0xl1ac.)

If her little pocket-sized smile and wave could blast through the hardened hearts of most of those wasted shoppers, imagine what a smile from us giant people could do. I'm going to try it out on Old Man Geezer in my neighborhood. (Name has been changed to protect . . . ME!) I'm going to get him to crack a grin or else die trying! Who's with me?! Yeah! I'm pumped!

Addendum to Our 2011 Christmas Card or How To Dash a Dream

2012-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Oooh, sorry to break it to you, Dave, but this is just not gonna happen. It just isn't. So sorry. But not really that sorry.

But!!! I'll be happy to make an 8x10 glossy of this impressive and striking photo for you to hang on your office wall at work. You'll be the envy of exactly, uh, nobody, I'm guessing. But, on a brighter note, you'll certainly be the talk of the town!

I. This van's back nameplate reads "Gladiator." I'm still not sold.

II. Oho! Now that this van is super famous (by virtue of my extremely popular blog, yada yada, blah blah), my adorable friend, Melissa, has "kopped" (whoo boy, bet she never got that as a kid) to owning this spectacle! (See her comment on my previous post.) Sorry, but even if the van is owned by someone with such impeccable taste as Melissa (she's lying, people), I'm still not giving in to Dave's begging, no matter how many Aston Martins he offers me this time around.

What Fun It Is To Ride and Sing a Sleighing Song Tonight!

2012-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes of Our 2011 Christmas Card

Part V:

While cruising along State Street of a neighboring town one day, this "VANSTROSITY" caught my eye (how could it not?), and I just couldn't shake it out of my head. My first thought was, "Oh. No. Dave's going to be all over this like a van is all over a snow tread." Which doesn't make a whit of sense, but neither does this:

What the whaaaaa? Hands down, this . . . this . . . this THING (I don't even know what to call it) reigns supreme out of all of Dave's vehicular cravings.

(Okay, everybody. Now, when you saw this in our Christmas card, you didn't really think this was our, er, vehicle, did you? Um, no. {And, I thank my lucky stars for tender mercies such as this. And, that's a huge understatement.})

If you don't mind, let's take a moment to reflect on the transportation purchases Dave has previously considered. Remember this, and this, and this? Well? Well? Did I call it, or did I call it? This vanstrosity definitely takes the air out of all of those other cars' tires, does it not?! The train of thought going on here simply escapes me.

But, whatev! It made for a great backdrop for our final pic for our Christmas card, so I'm chalking this one up as one of those gurus of the power of positive thinking win-win dealies!

Even though I was directing the whole affair, somehow I missed the memo that said we should all pretend to be singing the exact lyrics to Glória in excélsis Deo, instead of grinning from ear to ear as I did. Oh, bother.

Grinning . . .

Gri . . . oh, never mind.

Yes! I know, still grinning . . .

Christian was the man with the fleet feet who set the timer on the camera and literally flew into the shot. You'd never guess that he helped himself to a burger and some fries along the way. That kid is a gazelle!

And now, I'd like to offer up a ginormo "thank you" to my long-suffering fam for indulging me in yet another one of my shenanigans featuring the Sagers clan. I bow at their feet with much respect for their restraint in not completely throttling me at my every whim. I love my family!

(I'm also hoping to curry a little favor with Dave for my next post coming down the pike. Just wait. It's a beauty.)

Bells on Bob Tail Ring, Making Spirits Bright!

2012-01-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes of Our 2011 Christmas Card

Part IV:

Grandpa Richard was beyond patient with us while we dilly-dallied behind his back. Bless his heart, his Ph.D. and former university associate dean status brought a decided bit of dignity and decorum to this bunch of nonsense. We're forever in his debt. And we promise to never call him "Bob."

Grandma Pauline manned the camera for these particular shots and deserves a boatload of applause and a plate of cookies for her spectacular photo skillz!

Ehhh, not quite right.

Take three!

Take four!

We'll get it right, just be patient with us!

Ooh, so close. So close!

Ding, ding, ding!

Thank you, Professor Sagers and Grandma Pauline, for making us look better than we have a right to!

But, what about Bob?

Love that movie :D

O'er the Hills Fields We Go, Laughing All the Way!!

2012-01-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes of Our 2011 Christmas Card

Part III:

In my quickly scribbled down outline for our 2011 Christmas card, I had written "o'er the hills we go" as opposed to "o'er the fields we go." Did ya catch that? Give yourself a gold star if you did because not one of us did. Not once. During this whole ordeal. Not one of us scratched our noggins and said, "Hey! I think the song says o'er the fields we go, not o'er the hills we go. We're looking at you, Mooooooommmm!" Oopsie.

Not until after the pictures were shot and we were adding the text did I finally slap my forehead with the realization. Ah, well. Hills. Fields. They both look kinda the same in photos, don't they? For our purposes here (and so you don't hurt my feelings), the correct answer would be YES.

We were originally gunning for a hill here. It subs as a field, no?

Testing, testing . . .

Bingo! O'er the ~~hills~~ fields we go!

While we're on the subject of "o'er the hill," does this hold a strange appeal for you too?

In a One-Horse Open Sleigh!

2012-01-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes of Our 2011 Christmas Card

Part II:

See that good old Radio Flyer sled attached to our handsome Dobbin? That sled has been in my parents' garage long enough to have seen decades filled with Richard Nixon, Laugh-In, Led Zepplin, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, mullets, macho 'staches, big shoulder pads, stretch-stirrup pants, yuppies, Sun-In, "The Rachel" haircut, popped collars, Crocs, Harry Potter, Uggs with short shorts, Facebook and (shudder) Twitter. I think this mighty little sled could be rightly deemed a precious museum piece for having out-lived all of that mess of good and bad, don't you?

And now, that sturdy little sled has successfully survived this particular ~~humiliation~~ honor!

Poor little Dobbin has no clue what's awaiting him.

Testing out the lighting as well as Dobbin's patience level.

Uh, yeah, it was just a touch bright!

In this shot, I'm just trying to concentrate on my driving skills as I ignore Dave's constant reprimanding of the boys while he threatens "to turn this sled right around if they don't stop bugging each other!" jk.

We eventually had to ask Sean to sacrifice his knees being scraped along the ground as we sailed onward, but we finally managed to snag the shot, and Sean's knees seemed no worse for the wear.

And, speaking of mullets (and we were, and you'd know it if you were paying any attention at ALL), there's this:

If you are not able to play this video straight from my blog, just click where it says, "Watch on Youtube." It'll give you your mullet fix for the day, so you're going to want to be sure to click that extra click, dude. Dude.

Dashing Through the Snow!

2012-01-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes of Our 2011 Christmas Card

Part I:

What a gorgeous day in December for a jog! No dashing through any sort of snow for us, and I was more than pleased as a pickle about that!

Dave was especially excited to get out in the fresh air to test out his super-duper, high-tech, moisture-wicking, black trouser socks and to pair them up with something other than his stuffy banker's suit. What d'ya think? (Please keep those comments positive, right? I mean, I still have to face Dave every day, so I can't really afford to tick him off too much. Cuz, I know the temptation is there for you, isn't it. Believe me, I hear ya.)

I'm undecided about whether I should tell you that I changed into my running gear for this shot while standing behind a little shed just off to the side of the somewhat occupied football stadium. Yeah, I guess it's better that I don't tell you that. So I won't.

Oh.

Darn.

Testing the camera angle . . .

Dave doing his warm-ups

Sean's a bit out of sync here--kinda like the Abby Road album cover?

We've aaaaaalmost got it

Set the self-timer! Cut! Print! We've got a winner with this one!

A Few Footnotes . . .

2012-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

The process that went into making this year's family Christmas card was not completely filled with precision or exact planning. Uh, obviously. I mean, just LOOK at the chaos going on here. You see, I get these very distinct visions of the end product in my head and then make up the innards on the fly as I haul everyone hither and yon, crossing my fingers that something takes.

On the other hand, it sure was a hoot and a holler to set up all of the photo shoots while my family good-naturedly rolled their eyes and heavily sighed, "Okay. NEXT." Everyone was truly a good sport about engaging in yet another hare-brained idea of mine--even old Dobbin stifled his complaints about having to lug four good-sized adults on his rickety little Radio Flyer.

My family is simply stellar in indulging me time after time whenever I fling another loopy adventure at them, but I just know they've gotta hate it when they see that lightbulb click to the "on" position over my head. They roll with it anyway, and I love them for it.

Over the next few posts, I'll treat you (yeah, right) to a few behind-the-scenes photos of our Christmas card exploits of 2011! I know! You're so excited! Right?

Freezing F.R.I.D.A.Y. Festivities!

2012-01-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Where is Aldolpho in this pic from our most recent F.R.I.D.A.Y. foray out on the town? Hint: This restaurant was crazy cold, and Aldolpho sought refuge in the warmest place he could find. Kimball thought the whole thing was pretty ridiculous . . . .

So, how many of you spied Aldolpho hanging out at Gandolfo's? Aldolpho at Gandolpho's. (Kinda has a certain ring to it, doesn't it.) Anywho, Aldolpho looks like he is gearing up to jump right into the middle of the Sagers family's wild and crazy mosh pit, with his specific target being the top of Christian's head. Our mosh pit is not quite the same as the mosh pit we survived at that one Wolfmother concert (whooo doggie!), but it's close. Grandma Bea can get worked into a frenzy with just the right music, dontcha know.

Puffs Plus, Please!

2011-12-31T20:54:00.000-08:00

This little firefighter drove away yesterday leaving me with a major heartache and a very empty and quiet house. Oh, and he also left me with one lonesome Papa. (Dave says that after having so much fun playing Ants In the Pants and the Cootie game with Kimball, playing these games all by himself just doesn't seem to cut it anymore . . . .)

Somebody grab the Kleenex box, will ya? Both Papa and Deedee might need one.

Or two.

Or three.

*Sniff, snifffffff*

How could you not love this little man?

*Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh*

It's a Pirate's Life For Me!

2011-12-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

"Ahoy, look and see,

Now me be turnin' three!

And, so that be a-meanin',

It's a pirate's life for me!

Yo-ho-ho,

It's a pirate's life for me!"

Kimball's most excellent pirate mommy put together a rip roarin' pirate party in honor of Kimball's third birthday!

Pirate Ashley the Clever decorated . . .

and crafted . . .

and baked and iced!

Meanwhile, Kimball the Redbeard ate some great pirate grub, opened a bunch of loot, and entertained his guests with his shanty jig!

What decent pirate party is complete without that old classic, "Pin the Parrot on the Captain's Shoulder" game?

We be wearin' eyepatches instead of an old, ragged blindfold, ye understand.

(Me be fearin' one or two of this crew of scalawags should have been forced to walk the plank or had been keel hauled due to some nefarious cheatin' a-goin' on during this contest of pirate skill.)

Happy, happy birthday to our'n

beautiful little three-year-old grandlad,

Kimball the Redbeard!

Better 'n a chest full of gold ye be, arrrg!

Blimey, me LOVES ye soooo much, matey!!

This Warmed My Heart If Not My Toes

2011-12-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

This video, from the small Eskimo village of Yupiq, was a school computer project intended for other Yupiq villages in the area. Just imagine the videographer's amazement that his little homemade video now has over a million views on YouTube; these little kids are practically rock stars! Let the celebrity contract demands begin! (Ooh! Speaking of celebrity contract demands, here is an obnoxious bit of side note trivia: What celebrity demanded – and reportedly got – a white room stocked with white flowers, white curtains, white candles and white couches, a variety of complicated foods {including apple pie with ice-cream} and a 45-foot long trailer at one of her appearances? Hint: The answer* rhymes with "say no.")

Anywaaaaaaaay, back to the real world, and this sweet vid. My teeth were nearly chattering from the cold while I watched this because of all of that wicked wind and snow up there in that tiny remote village, but my heart was definitely warmed through and through from the very st-st-st-st-st-art!

I don't even know these people, and I love them.

Brrrrrrrrrr! Who's got a spare Snuggie they can throw my way? But not a leopard print one. I don't look good in leopard print. It makes me look like I'm trying too hard . . .

*Supposedly, J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez) is the celebrity with the, "Oh, except for all of those white things I listed and the big hunkin' trailer, please, please, please don't put yourselves out for little ol' me!" attitude.

A Much Needed Reminder For Me

2011-12-20T02:57:00.000-08:00

‏

This Week's F.R.I.D.A.Y. Follies!

2011-12-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hey! Yoohoo! Anybody remember this? The F.R.I.D.A.Y. Hooligans decided to return to the scene of the crime to wreak more havoc on the premises and at the same time lend a hand to the very worthy cause of the American Fork Marching Band's appearance at the 2012 Rose Bowl Parade. For those of you too overwhelmed with holiday prep to take the time to click on the link in flaming bright pink up above, the lowdown is that:

Foreverypurchaseof"TheMr.MillerSandwich,"aportionoftheproceedsgoestowardfinancingtheband'striptosunnyCaliforniafortheparade.ThankstoChristian'sandmygrovelingatthefeetoftheownerofthisfineestablishment,"TheHamptonSandwich"wasrechristenedwiththenameofChristian'sformerbanddirector,Mr.Miller.

Whew! It would be so much easier if you would just click on that flaming bright pink link up above to get up to speed. There. Just there. Just click on it. Thanks ever so much.

Now, as I was saying, um, what was I saying? Haha, ahhhh, I don't seem to remember . . . what? what? what? Oh, right! Who cares about finding Aldolpho this week, although he is tagging along as usual, so you can scout him out if you want the extra practice. What I really want you to do is see if you can scout out the cutest little redhead this side of Opie Taylor. CHECK. HIM. OUT! Couldn't you just die?

Who found Aldolpho from our last hoohah? Of course! Aldopho is the one standing front and center; would you expect anything less from this self-obsessed Casanova dude? You just know he loves the attention.

Glorrrwwwy!

2011-12-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

In case you aren't already feeling all sparkly and Christmas-y, have a listen to this rendition of a worshipful Christmas carol and hopefully it will help you get that special holiday glow burning in your heart. I'm sure that people everywhere can relate to this scene, either by having watched their own precious offspring shine as this little angel did, or by having witnessed with awe as some other "lucky" (yup, I just typed that) parents watched as their own kid stole the whole ball of wax:

Perhaps that pre-show hot toddy was not such a smashing idea?

Hey! Is That Mom's Good Waterford Crystal?

2011-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going to go out on a limb and state unequivocally that my five siblings and myself could have been every bit as polished as the duo in the video below had we only put a bit more elbow grease into our glass harp skills while dining at our Sunday dinner table. As it was, I think my mom breathed a huge sigh of relief whenever she got lucky and was able to retrieve her goblets intact and all accounted for after a particularly lively crystal clear (ha!) session. Mom got absolutely NO help from my dad--he was the worst offender of us all and, if memory serves, was usually the one to start the whole crystal chorus each Sunday. Or, perhaps it was YOU, Gwyl?!!!

Do ya know that ear-piercing sound of fingernails running down a chalkboard (made ya shiver, didn't I :})? Sadly, that's about the same rating level our family achieved on the ol' MPM (Musical Pleasure Meter) with our finger/water/goblet efforts, so, by all means, please enjoy this instead:

You should have seen some of the glares we would get from the hoity-toity waitstaff at restaurants whenever we decided to take our show on the road. What bee got into their bonnets, I wonder?

Santa Came Early This Year!

2011-12-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus made a delivery to our house last night, and look who he left under our tree!

Let the eggnogging, mistletoing, caroling, storytelling, crafting, gaming* commence!!!

*Wait. Is gaming anything like, you know, um, gambling, and is that an age-appropriate yuletide activity to do with a not-quite-three-year-old? Give me some direction here, people.

Mr. 19!

2011-12-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO OUR EXTRAORDINARY

19-YEAR-OLD!

Christian has always been a beaming ray of sunshine in our home, always looking at life with a "cup half full" mentality, always making lemonade out of lemons, always bringing into our hearts nothing but pride, adoration and infinite love for him! Oh, how lucky am I to be his mom! How blessed am I, when so many clamor for his attention, to know he will always clamor for mine (if I play my cards right :}). I feel that I have learned a bazillion times more from him, even in his mere 19 years, than he has learned from me. This boy is truly God's gift to me, with great and wondrous things in store for him--mark my words.

And, I ask you, what better son is there than a boy who will give in to his old, decrepit mama's wishes when she says, "Eh, Sonny! Howz about a ride on that thar adorable scoot-scoot thingy of yours? Jes' a quick trip 'round the block with your old lady?" With a smile and no complaint from Christian, off we go. Join us on our jaunt, won't you?:

Like I said, this is one extraordinary young man, and, jeepers, I love him so!

Trivia question: What is significant about this series of numbers: 20, 12, 12, 2012?

It Was a Graveyard Smash!

2011-12-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

We interrupt our regular Christmas programming at the Supreme Sagers to bring you a post harking all the way back to Halloween. The executive management at this here little wacky blog believes in preserving and archiving important events which may or may not be used for future blackmailing purposes, and it's always nice to retain that, ahem, "insurance" as it were. Cuuuuuuuzzzzzz, you just never know when some good, solid blackmail material might come in handy-dandy . . . .

We did the monster mash!

Thanks to Grandma Pauline and Grandpa Richard, we were treated to another stellar Halloween frenzy at their home, allowing all of those skeletons in the family closet to show up front and center! And man, we have some lulus! (Just kidding.)

I was in charge of helping everyone make as much of a fool of themselves as possible, so I provided a bunch of Minute-To-Win-It games. I would humbly say that my mission was accomplished. *cough*

This party is a highlight for our family every year, and we thank Grandma and Grandpa for all of the toil and trouble, effort and energy, blood, sweat and tears that they put into making our Halloween a SCREAM!

Dave flipped his wig (see it?) when this skeleton sassed him but good!

Hey! Is that Cary Grant there on the left . . .

. . . or is it George Clooney?

Either way, this guy obviously has that sophisticated, suave, and debonair thing down pat.

And now, here are a few of the other family skeletons popping out of the closet:

If you think this group is dressed to the nines in these pics, you should see them when they decide to get dressed up in their actual Halloween costumes! Whoooooo, boy! Believe me, you DO NOT want to miss that!

The F.R.I.D.A.Y. Hooligans Host Distinguished V.I.P.s!

2011-12-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Last week, our F.R.I.D.A.Y. frolics included a bunch of venerable V.I.P.s this go round, and to that we say: "THE MORE THE MERRIER!" And, "A PARTY AIN'T A PARTY WITHOUT YOOOOOOUUUUU!" And, "IF TWO'S COMPANY AND THREE'S A CROWD, THEN EIGHT MAKES IT PERC-O-LATE!" Ah, well, you get my drift, right?

A fabulous time was had by all, including Aldolpho. Oh, snap, I forgot about Aldopho! I suppose this means that technically we were nine not eight, so I guess I need to change the above to read, "IF TWO'S COMPANY AND THREE'S A CROWD, THEN NINE MAKES IT, um, er, PERC-O-LINE?" Say wha . . . ? Somehow "percoline" just doesn't seem to have the same ring-a-ding-ding to it as "percolate." Eight=percolate; nine=percoline.

Hmm. Whatev. I've just lost you all, haven't I. :(

Okay dokey! Let's see if you can spy the always swingin', tight pants wearin', gold lame' shod, be-caped wonder boy! Noooooo, not Dave. You guys! I mean Aldopho! (Do we need to go over this yet again?) So! Where is swingin' Aldopho in this festive photo?

In our prior episode with Aldopho, you can see where Aldopho had jumped onto a huge jar behind my mom's head (did you find him?) and ended up giving her a head massage and a new 'do. I think he wanted to make up for that one surprise kitchen cupboard "remodeling" incident which required the hiring of a professional carpenter to undo ~~an extensive amount~~ a wee, tiny, teensy, itty-bitty bit of damage that was done. (Oh. That was actually me.) (And my brother.) (Another story, another time.) (I am so done here.)

Almonds. It's What's For Dinner!

2011-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

In an effort to curry the favor of my Thanksgiving Day dinner guests (I'm such a pleaser) and to gloss over the fact that I may not be the most accomplished chef to come out of Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School of Hicktown, Utah, (understatement {kitchen fires! smoke alarms! black ash wafting out of pans!}), I roasted up a bunch of almonds and brown sugar and cinnamon and vanilla, and foisted them upon my dinner guests with a big smile and a warm howd'ya do.

No one ate them.

But they sure LOOKED cute! And, I suppose I would say that they were enough of a distraction from the actual dinner that my guests could say, "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job!", which may or may not be a compliment now that I think about it . . . .

Anywho! I have a spiffy little trick to share with you which I used to make these "GOBBLE, GOBBLE" labels without running my computer ink cartridge completely dry. I'm so sensitive about that. Are you? It seems that it is almost more cost efficient to buy a brand new printer rather than refill my gas guzzling printer with ~~liquid gold~~ ink. Sheesh.

I found the labels on this awesome website, downloaded the file as a jpeg and shipped it off to my local Wal-Mart to be printed as matte photos. Voila'! (Or as some have written, waaalah! I know.) For as little as 19 cents each (technically 9 1/2 cents each since two tags made up one photo) at the one-hour photo rate (you could do it cheaper if you were more patient, unlike me), I had an adorable little tag for each bag of nuts. All I had to do then was snip the tags in two, fold them in half, fill the bags with nuts and give them to my own family of nuts.

Thank you. My job here is done. Now, time to go scour a charred pan or two.

Snip the tags in two

Cute, huh!

Fold the tag in half

More cuteness

Fill bags with nuts and staple tags over opening

Candied Cinnamon and Sugar Almonds

from melskitchencafe.com

*Makes about 2 cups of candied almonds

1 egg white

1 teaspoon cold water

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups unsalted almonds

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large (11X17-inch) rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Add the water and vanilla and beat again until stiff. Add the almonds to the mixture and stir gently to coat the almonds with the egg white mixture. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the almonds and stir gently to mix well. Pour the almonds out onto the prepared baking sheet and carefully spread them out into a somewhat even layer. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about an hour, stirring/flipping every 15 minutes, until the almonds look and feel dry. To check to see if the almonds were done, I carefully picked one up in my fingers and when I pressed around it, I didn’t get any wet sugar on my hands. The coating on the almond felt hard and crunchy. Cool completely before serving or packaging.

The Annual Ricks Cousin Roundup at Christmas

2011-12-03T20:59:00.001-08:00

Right off the bat, let it be known that I am not in this photograph. Sad, I know. I had yet to burst onto the scene and reek havoc in this huge family. This photograph was taken circa December, 1959, at the home of my maternal grandparents, Peter and Emily Ricks, in Rexburg, Idaho. If you squint very hard and cover your left eye and crank your head just so, you can see my grandfather and grandmother peeking out from behind their grandchildren, just right of center. The rest of this crowd consists of four (possibly five) of my siblings, as well as a mere fraction of my Ricks cousins. (This is just the very tip of the Ricks cousins iceberg, FYI.) My oldest sister is the big-grin girl standing second from the left in an orange top with three buttons and a plaid skirt; my oldest brother is kneeling near my oldest sister's knee wearing a plaid shirt and holding some sort of toy in his mouth (what IS that?); my other older sister is two kids to my oldest brother's left and is wearing a light blue collared dress and sporting big, wide, brown eyes; another older brother is on the front row on the right with his head turned looking with great concern at some whiney kid; and, yet another older brother quite possibly could be that curly-headed baby in blue on the front row, second from the left, looking at my oldest brother who is holding that odd toy in his mouth (what IS that?). But, we’re not really sure that's him. Could be, but, nobody’s willing to swear to it on the Ricks Family Bible.

Just a guess, but I would venture to say Buddy Holly eyeglasses were all the rage that particular year . . . .

No names have been used in order to protect the innocent. Or the guilty. Whichever the case may be. :D

Al Gore Finally Got to Us--The Sagers Family Decided to Go Green!

2011-12-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Taking a cue from these tags that I made (sorta made, er, kinda made--more on that in a later post) for my Thanksgiving Day table's color scheme, I decided to use the gold and green from the tags as accents to tie everything together. I was good on the gold front having amassed plenty of gold tableware (tragically, it's not 18k {frowny face}), but the green was a new one on me. Soooooo, I just made stuff up as I went along.

Alarmingly bright green napkins? Check.

Sugared and alarmingly bright green apples that should have been pears but I was too cheap and/or lazy to go to the store to buy so I just used what I had on hand which happened to be apples? Check.

Alarmingly bright green hand-written (due to that all-too-common ink deficiency of my printer) place cards which are taped to spindly little toothpicks which are impaled into alarmingly bright green apples? Check and check.

Alarmingly bright green candy? Check.

(Can you find it?) Cute, huh.

Green fire hazards? Oh, yeah baby! This IS the Sagers house, after all! We have a very rigid and storied tradition of starting our home on fire during parties. Ask around, you'll see. In fact, after one of the many blazes at our home, I had to replace the sweater of a man *coughbobcoopercough* who didn't particularly like the new burnout look of his sleeve. Odd.

And, here's the lineup of gluttony. If we went green here, we would all be paying a little visit to our local insta-care facility, I fear.

So, cheers to Al Gore! Thanks for the green inspiration! (And, for inventing the Internet! Where would I be today without it?)

Hey! Wait! How'd this picture get on here? Blast that Al Gore and his fancy schmancy Internet allowing pictures like this to go public!

(Considering the juxtaposition of the foreground and the background of this photograph, I think I'd better be much, much more charitable toward Al Gore. And, I will! I am! I do! I promise! So sorry, Al! So, so sorry! I'll never do it again! I'm sweatin' bullets here, people. Help?

The Wall, cont'd . . .

2011-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Just check out this year's "Wall O' Gratitude"! As my fabulous friend, Lisa, might say, BOY HOWDY! (Thanks for letting me borrow that, Lisa.) As you can see, I had to build an extra wing onto our "Wall O' Gratitude" this year because of the many, many grateful hearts who entered our home, either physically or via this nifty wifi doodah, and wrote on that awesome wall!

Every time I looked at or wrote on our wall, I received an overwhelming feeling of warmth and gladness and, well, uh, surprise, surprise!, GRATITUDE, for all that I have and especially for all of the people in my life whom I love and adore.

Thank you, everyone, for contributing to my "Wall O' Gratitude." For, in doing so, you have contributed to brightening my soul and adding to my renewed realizations of the endless blessings that are ours to receive and to acknowledge if we but will.

"Hem your blessings with

thankfulness so they don't unravel."

--Author Unknown (but I wish it was me, because this is some kind of awesome)

Thanksgiv-mas?

2011-11-25T19:23:00.001-08:00

Oh. This is NOT a good look, is it. Look at that sturdy Christmas bugle boy watching over that Halloween/Thanksgiving door decor as if it was completely overstaying its welcome. Which it was NOT. It's just that "Winthrop," our bugle boy, just somehow jumped right into my car (true!) while I was out shopping last week, completely unannounced and unplanned, and he just had to go somewhere, didn't he? I couldn't just make him hunker in my car for another week until Thanksgiving was over and the guilt I always feel when I decorate for Christmas too early went away, could I? That would just be downright inhumane. (I think our Thanksgiving Day visitors thought he was the butler. Fine by me.)

If there was such a thing as "What Not To Wear" for houses, I suppose this would be it. Stacy London would be so ashamed.

My First Born

2011-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

Couldn't you just devour this little face?

My beyond beautiful daughter, Ashley, is all grown up!

She is a loving, caring wife . . .

. . . and a loving, caring mama . . .

. . . and, it's her birthday today!!!

Sorry, Ash--I made Jordan suffer through it, and now it is your turn (lucky you!):

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ADORABLE, LOVING, CARING DAUGHTER!

WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS!!!

Where Are the French Fries, For Goodness Sake?!

2011-11-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Christian and I had a wickedly fun time at BYU's basketball game Tuesday night! Christian totally got into the game, and I totally got into watching the crowd. In fact, two of the reasons why I buy our mini-season basketball passes each year are: 1) the game is played INDOORS!!!* and, 2) I can't get enough of people watching. A cherry goes on top if BYU wins the game, but I'm not there for the basketball, people! Seriously? No. I go because there are about 20,000 (give or take a few) people who are just begging to be studied and admired (uh-huh).

Compared to the rest of the world, BYU draws a pretty tame crowd, what with its no beer policy and the like. Smoking anything is also slightly frowned upon. Slightly. But! All the better! People have to be pretty creative to stir things up when fellow attendees are completely sober, so creativity rules the day! I just love it.

Now that you've come with me this far, will you stay a while longer and play a game I like to call, "Spot the . . . "? It's fun! It's educational! It's a big fat time waster! Heeeeeeere we go!!!

To get you started off on the right foot on today's "Spot the . . . " we'll go with a very easy challenge harking back from last year. The challenges will get progressively ~~dumber~~ harder. See if you can:

SPOT THE JIMMER!

Yeah, easy, right? OK, that was soooo last year.

Now, try your hand at this year's crop:

SPOT THE GREEN ANTENNAED BUMBLE BEE

SPOT THE SLICE OF PIZZA (Really?)

SPOT THE BANANA

(Of course there would be a banana, why wouldn't there be?)

SPOT THE TWO BLUE MAN GROUP GUYS WHO GOT TIRED OF BREATHING THEIR OWN GARLIC BREATH UNDER THEIR FULL-HEAD HOODS, AND EVENTUALLY DID THE UNTHINKABLE

BONUS:

SPOT THE GUY WHO COULDN'T MAKE UP HIS MIND ABOUT BEING A CONSTRUCTION WORKER OR A REDNECK

AND, WE'LL END WITH A DIFFICULT ONE--

SPOT THE OSCAR MEYER HOT DIGGITY DOG!

Raise your hand if you were able to spot every challenge! Rah, rah, rah! Sis boom bah! You guys are such good sports! Awwww, I love you guys.

Ah. I suppose somebody out there would like to know if BYU won the game. Give me a minute. Let's see . . . . Um, yes. Yes, I do believe they won, but you better ask Christian just to double check; I was too busy scanning the crowd looking for a double cheeseburger. With pickles.

*Dave and/or Sean and/or Christian are the ones who always put our football season passes to good use. But then, they don't mind four hours of sitting in drizzle, and 40 degree temperatures, and complete miserableness. In fact they say they like it! Me? I would put those football season tickets to good use, actually. I would light them with my Bic and warm my fingers by their flames. That's what I would do. Good thing Dave keeps those tickets under lock and key.

He Puts a Smile On Her Face . . .

2011-11-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

. . . and that puts a BIG smile on mine.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!

In case ya'll missed it the first time around:

Thank you for being the perfect husband to our little Ashley and the best daddy to our little Kimball!!!

WE LOVE YOU, JORDAN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Moonlight Serenade

2011-11-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Do you see that full moon above gorgeous Mount Timpanogos in this photograph?

This is a beautiful view from the top of that mountain in its autumnal splendor.

(Wow. Just listen to me, would you!)

This is what Sundance and the back of Timp look like in the nippy winter.

This is what the owner of Sundance and his buddy look like, which I'll take any season of the year.

(Miss you, Mr. Newman.)

So! I convinced Dave to go on a wild and crazy adventure with me to see that full moon above gorgeous Mount Timpanogos.

On a coooooold autumn evening.

Up at Sundance Ski Resort.

Which is up a winding, meandering, narrow road.

A short 25-minute drive from our house.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump, really. And a twisty turn or two.

Dave was skeptical. This was so out of character for 90-degree-weather me. I mean, I'll lug a huge snowflake motif blanket with me to the movies, especially in the dead of SUMMER because it gets so frigid at our local Cinemark. (It's the summer, people! I shouldn't have to be lugging a snowflake motif blanket with me wherever I go! In the dead of SUMMER! Man, those theater guys get that A/C jacked up somethin' fierce. I think they do it for sport.) And, while we're on the subject, I've also had an absolutely brilliant idea (don't steal it, anybody!) to design a Sunday-best Snuggie, complete with pearls, which I could wear to church along with my high heels. I just may actually enjoy my worship service if I wasn't turned into a living, breathing Otter Pop each and every Sunday. I swear, there are days when I can see my breath during Gospel Doctrine class. Well, nearly.

Anywho. Tangent. Sorry. Where were we? Ah. Doubting Dave. I'm quite certain Dave thought I had lost all of my marbles by the sideways looks he kept giving me and the question in his voice when he said, "Okaaaaaaaaay?" after I ~~dictated to him what we were doing~~ suggested we give this a go. But, I showed him! I think Dave found that he doesn't know me quite as well as he thought. See for yourselves (be sure you have your sound on):

(You may want to make sure your curser isn't bringing up the video controls or you will miss my inane scrolling commentary at the bottom of the screen. Just an FYI.)

The Wall

2011-11-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

We Give Thanks, 2010

Tacka dig!

¡Gracias!

ありがとう！

Thank ya, kindly!

No matter how it is pronounced or in what language it is spoken, "thank you" is one of the most powerful, poignant, and uplifting phrases we can let loose on the world. And, I really believe that. With all of my heart. And soul.

Remember this beautiful wall from last year's "We Give Thanks" hoohah? Every day during November, each member of our family wrote a note of thanks on the wall, and every visitor who entered our home contributed their own thought of gratitude to the poster. Lots of you guys wrote on my poster too via of this here cool Internet thingy, right?!!! Remember? Remember? (Go look!) I just loved reading all of the things for which ya'll were very, very grateful, whether they were small or large, mundane or important, specific or general, all of which I happily added to our wall.

I thought of you guys every time I walked by that big, messy, awesome poster, and it made me feel really great inside. I guess it made me feel so fabulous because I so loved having a bit of my wonderful friends and family in the form of grateful words right there in my kitchen with me (while I burned that darn meatloaf yet again and again and . . . !), and it also made me feel so fabulous because no matter where I looked on that big ol' poster, something very positive and cheerful and perky was staring right back at me. I loved it. Just loved it. Made my day. Every day.

So! Will you pitch in and help me fill my house with warm and grateful thoughts again this year? Okay, let's hear it, everybody! Just post a comment by finishing the phrase, I am thankful for _______, and you will land a big, primo spot on the famous "Wall O' Gratitude!" You can even go incognito with your comment if you happen to be in the Witness Protection Program--I don't care, just gimme some grat. it. tude, dude! I'll post pictures so you too will feel your heart swell, and you may just very well find yourself quite verklempt (just like me *sniff, sniff*)!!!

My bounty is overflowing with gratitude because of the people in my life. Thank you all for being so dear to me.

Wall O' Gratitude, 2011

Gratitude is the fairest blossom

which springs from the soul.

~Henry Ward Beecher

I just couldn't resist . . .

From Our Spooky House to Yours . . .

2011-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!!

Number of trick or treaters tonight: 133

Number of showings of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" through our window: Five

Approximate percentage of "thank you's" received: 80% (not bad!)

Number of doorbell rings: Only one, the rest were knock, knock, knocks

Number of kids wearing the supposedly "it" costume of 2011 (angry birds): Exactly zero

Most popular candy choice: Starbursts followed by Twix, then M&M's, then Milky Way, etc.

Number of candy bars left over: Only two Snickers bars. Whew! We barely had enough, and even at that, I did have to raid an old stash in our pantry for the last few candy bars. Dave decided he needed to test one (solely out of the goodness of his heart--yeah, yeah) to make sure we wouldn't be known as the "stale candy bar house" of the neighborhood. Heaven knows, we'd never be able to live that down.

Funny aside: One year, Sean rigged up a walkie-talkie under my little ghost who stands guard at the bottom of our walkway. Needless to say, Sean scared the living daylights out of our trick or treaters when they heard that ghost moaning out to them when they walked by. Perhaps Seanie thought they would drop their loot and run for the hills leaving him with a boatload of candy???

The Land of Ingmar Bergman, Swedish Meatballs, and ABBA!

2011-10-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

The big reveal at Grandma and Grandpa Sagers' house . . .

Christian will be serving his two-year LDS mission in . . .

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN!!!

We are beyond thrilled for Christian, and he, and I, and Dave, and all of the rest of the family agree that this is just perfect for him. We are completely ecstatic and as pleased as a smörgåsbord of pickled herring!

Vi älskar Christian!

With all of our hearts!!!!!!!!!

Where In the World . . . ?

2011-10-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

Looky at what is sitting on my kitchen counter this very minute! Right now! Even as I hyperventilate over my keyboard! Do you see it? Look! Are you looking?

See it???

Honest to pete, I can't believe this day is here. I've been pretty weepy these last few weeks--weepy in a proud, pleased, wonderful way, but also weepy in an I-know-how-much-I'm-going-to-miss-my-darling-boy way too. This is probably the ultimate in human emotional conflict, or some such thing as that. I know I didn't say that very well, but give me a pass here, people. I can't think straight to save my life.

But, oh, what a happy day! I am so proud of Christian for choosing to serve a two-year LDS mission, but I am even more proud of the man of character and integrity that he has become. That's my boy! That's my boy, and I feel like the luckiest person on this earth!

So! Are you braced to hear where Christian will be serving so faithfully and gladly? Are you? Huh? Huh? Well, get ready . . .

Are you ready? Are you psyched? Are you stoked? Okay, get ready . . .

. . . to check back tomorrow night. *Groan* Are ya kiddin' me? No kidding. Sweet, patient Christian won't be opening his call until tomorrow night after Dave returns from an unfortunately-timed trip to Chicago. Chicago? Seriously? At a time like this? Ah, well, it gives us time to ~~place bets~~ speculate about where Elder Sagers will be spreading glorious words of hope and truth and love for our Savior.

Okay! This is where you guys take over. Just take a look at this handsome, handsome boy and tell me: Where in the world will Christian be serving?

Now, where did that box of Kleenex go? And, I'm not just whistlin' dixie here. Tears.

The (Scaredy) Cat and the Canary

2011-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

One can never go wrong with Bob Hope. And, just for the record, I was not that certain member of our group who got up and left the theater because the movie was scaring the pants off of him/her. Was. not. me. (Um, . . . this time, anyway.)

Personally, my endorphins don't really enjoy that jolt of terror which a truly scary movie so rudely whacks upon my pitiful little heart. I can honestly say that I seriously detest all of those jump scenes, paranormal activities, clueless, ditzy girls walking into ridiculously obvious danger, etc., etc. That's why my very favorite "scary" movie of all time is none other than the classic, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." Top that one if you dare!

"Shears! In! The! Throat!" So classic. You've just gotta watch it.

Now, lay it on me; what is your favorite scary movie?

Chariots Ostriches of Fire!

2011-10-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Let's bring the lights and the mood down a little bit for this next post. I want you to put your cares and your worries away. Let the music in the video take you to a deep, contemplative place in your mind. Reflect on your goals, on your desires, on your dreams. Relax and meditate. Are you there yet? Relax some more. Aaaahhhhhhhhhh, that's it. Just go with it, and don't try to fight it. I guarantee there will be a lump in your throat and tears glistening in your eyes as you view the following presentation.

Now that you are in the proper mindset for some very serious pondering and ruminating, I proudly present:

OSTRICHES OF FIRE!

This is deep.

Oh, so very, very deep.

Be prepared.

Director's note: My favorite moment of the movie is at the 2:08 mark where Kimball simply throws back his head in sheer gladness and joy, confident that all is right in his world. Be sure to catch the bonus reel at the very end; you won't regret it . . . probably. Well, maybe. Okay, I'm taking the fifth on this one.

For those of you who may be of a certain youthful age and may not fully appreciate the not-so-subtle reference, go here so you can realize that this post is coughcoughbrilliancecoughcough--times three.

That One Blog Post Wherein Mindy Gledhill and CJane Make Me Famous

2011-10-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

I totally ripped off this video from CJane's blog, but I figure I have a bit of ownership in it since, well, ahem, I am mentioned within the video for a whole nanosecond at the 3:47 spot. See? I am famous now. Told ya.

If you haven't heard of CJane, you may have heard of her sister, Stephanie Nielson, the plane crash survivor and author of NieNie Dialogues. Here, Ashley and I are chatting up Stephanie Nielson and her husband, Christian. They were lovely.

If you have a hankerin' to hear more from Mindy Gledhill, you can go here--although I'm not sure why you would need to do that since I don't think we'll be hearing my name in any of her other songs. Not positive about that, but I kinda don't think so. And, that would just be one ginormous let down, if you ask me.

Zero to Sixty in Ten Seconds Flat!

2011-10-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

Can I get mine in bright Ferrari red . . .

with cup holders?

Well, They Do Look Cozy and Warm, So Maybe . . .

2011-10-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

My older brother, Gwyl, with his wry sense of humor, said that he thought of me when he saw these boots.

Said he knew how much I love my heels.

Which is true enough.

I admit, I do love my heels.

Wasn't that nice of my big brother to think of me? So sweet. What? Am I missing something here? The fact that Gwyl thought of me when he saw some boots? Um, . . . hey! Whoa up! Wait. just. a. dingdong. minute. . . . GWYYYYYYYYYYYYYYLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

Who, Me?

2011-10-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

These are for all of you ~~old fogeys~~ er, "more mature" readers. (I am not pointing fingers at anyone in particular, so don't assume I mean you, unless, of course, I really do mean you . . . .)

Ode to Riley Nelson's Hair

2011-10-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

A little background, if you will: BYU's starting quarterback position has been a back and forth, tug-of-war type of thing since last season. Coach Mendenhall finally settled on Jake Heaps over Riley Nelson as BYU's starting QB. In my very humble opinion (but what do I know?), Jake Heaps is all hat and no cattle, if you get my drift. In fact, I've very often chanted out in despair, "Yank that Heaps dude! We want Riley! We want Riley! We want Riley!" Finally, and not a moment too soon, Coach Mendenhall sat up and took notice of my begging and groveling.

During last Saturday's electrocuting er, electrifying (oops) game against Utah State, Heaps had put too many bees in Coach Mendenhall's bonnet, what with all of his ~~stinking~~ less than stunning passing/non-passing, etc., etc., so in went Riley Nelson. YEEHAW! Riley to the rescue! And rescue he did, because BYU pulled out the win thanks to Mr. Gorgeous Hair. (Check it out for yourself in the video below.) Take note that Riley is #13 and Heaps is #9. With that in mind, pay special attention to what happens at the 1:36 mark.

I so love this. Be sure to watch to the very end:

Epilogue: I heard Riley (we're on a first-name basis dontcha know; I am his champion, after all) say today in a press conference that he has since cut his hair. He graciously apologized to any who may have been offended by his gorgeous, flowing, silky, delicious hair. Maybe he didn't use those exact words, but it was something along those lines . . . .

Dee & Dave's Monthly Dessert Doodah! (October Edition)

2011-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

FAMILY!

FRIENDS!

SCONES!

BUTTER!

HONEY!

SUGAR!

CINNAMON SUGAR!

POWDERED SUGAR!

RASPBERRY JAM!

NUTELLA!

CANDY CORN CREAM CHEESE MOUSSE!

CANDY!

Oh, and, shhhhhhh . . . did I mention

*C*A*N*D*Y*?!!!

Let's Get It Started, Ha!

2011-09-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

This particular post about Christian whooping it up at his high school's homecoming dance has been sitting in my draft file for like, um, forever. Er, one year to be exact. But, since this time of year brings that annual homecoming hoohah around once again for those young'uns in this neck of the woods (Christian excluded cuz, uh, well, he DID graduate after all), I decided to FINALLY unleash this post from last year's dance and raise your blood pressure just a touch with the video below. Besides, I poured a bunch of sweat and tears into the video, and I'm not about to let it linger in obscurity forever. (Ah, so the truth finally comes out.) I only pray that you sync up with my off-balanced sense of humor, otherwise you'll have even more concrete evidence that I truly am a couple of bricks shy of a full load. So, here we go . . .

Last fall, Christian and his pals went to a sweaty! crowded! stuffy! suffocating! smelly! loud! greasy! confining! jam-packed! blazingly hot! school dance.

Yes? Aaaaaaaand?!!!!!!

They loved it.

Huh.

Anywho! They decided to cool off afterward in our kitchen. I think they were instinctively drawn to the embarrassingly large amounts of ice cream we forever have on hand in our freezers. I took the liberty of playing paparazzi for a bit and pretended that I knew what I was doing while behind the camera as I shot a few pics. I didn't really know what I was doing behind the camera, as it turns out. But, lucky you guys! I put together a little video demonstrating that I didn't really know what I was doing behind the camera, and I'm going to share. See? Lucky you guys!

Now, regarding the video and, in Christian's defense, I do 'fess up and admit that I was the one directing that whole fawning thing (you'll see). Well, sorta it was me. Kinda it was me. Well, it wasn't really me at all. Actually, those girls kind of took things into their own hands after a while, and I just kept clicking away like a good little photog. Like I said, lucky you guys!

Whoa up, boys and girls! Before we get to the video (eventually we will actually get to the video, and you're going to love it, I promise), I want you to humor me and play a variation on that ol' popular parlor game, "Where's Waldo?" In this rootin' tootin' version we're going to be playing, "Where's Dave?" And let me tell you what--it won't be all that easy. Dave makes three cameo appearances, two of which will be super-duper obvious, one not so much. Oh, and you'll want to be sure you have the volume cranked up. Things get really ~~bizarre~~ interesting around the 1:48 mark and onward.

Lucky you guys.

Don't you envy this type of genuine fun and friendship? What an awesome, awesome gang of good pals!

Lucky them.

No, seriously. Lucky them.

Which sharp-eyed shooter out there found all three Daves on the first go-round? Yay for you! For those of you who have actual lives to lead and are far too busy doing important junk instead of having a go at my silly "Where's Dave?" nonsense, I'll keep your resentment of me to a minimum by helping you out just a touch: Dave pops into the party at the :48, :56, and the 2:13 marks. He's such a party animal, that guy.

Hey! Got a Minute?

2011-09-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

First things first: Don't forget to look for Pete Best in the latest F.R.I.D.A.Y. photo! Just look over on the right sidebar for the photo. Scroll down, down, down. BINGO! Pete decided to be a bit more obvious in our photo this week because he relishes the spotlight that way; if you can't find him this time around, then I suppose it's time for glasses for you, Mr. Magoo. Just an FYI. Oooh, you'll also get to see if you were right about your guess from last week's pic. Fun, huh! We're all about fun over here at this little blog thing. (The fact that I have to tell you we're all about fun-ness probably isn't a good sign though . . . .)

Now! Check out this cool video--it will only take you a minute! Some sciencey guy pieced more than 600 satellite photos together tracking the earth's circumference or radius or cosine or vectors or velocity or some such ridiculousness, and this is what he came up with. Pretty spiffy. (Be sure to watch for me waving to you from my front lawn! Don't blink or you might miss me!)

To read more about this video, go here.

Chicheroo?

2011-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

I think Ellen Degeneres totally ripped off this idea from Late Show with David Letterman and Dave's sidekick, Rupert of the Hello Deli in NYC, but whatever. This is still great for a laugh, and I, for one, need as much tom foolery in my life as I can get.

Tale of the Troll

2011-09-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time we threw a big, hunkin' party. We had all sorts of fun at this party (and several other parties like it), including the always wild and crazy white elephant gift exchange game. One of our party-til-you-drop attendees received the sweetest little gift you would ever hope to see: a troll doll. Say it all together now, "Awwwwwwwww, soooooooo cute!" (with the "soooooooo" spoken with a bit of a lisp and the "cute" pronounced "keeeeeyuuuu-tah" {it's a Utah thing, trust me}). Maybe the troll isn't all that cute. Whatever. Anywho. Apparently Uncle Jim, the lucky recipient of the cute/ugly troll doll, decided he would ditch that little thing in our basement refrigerator and walk away without so much as a child support check or a proper, "See ya later alligator." Hmmppphh.

When we discovered that little fuzz top in the fridge, we decided to adopt him and make him our basement refrigerator mascot. You can only imagine the sideways looks we would get from guests of our kids who would help themselves to our basement fridge and all that was in it as they saw the troll starring back at them whenever they reached for a cold one. (Soda. It was soda. You guys!)

Our little troll dude has lived with us in his basement refrigerator home for nigh on four years now without so much as a whimper or a complaint. That probably says more about what a 40 degree environment will do for one's ability to move one's mouth than anything else. Ooh. That reminds me, would someone PLEASE speak to Bishop Flinders about the icebox he likes to refer to as our chapel??? I mean, seriously. Are they conducting cryogenics research tests in our church building these days? I'm telling you what, my toes don't thaw out until I've been home from Sunday services for approximately two hours. Never mind that I continue to wear open-toed shoes in the colder months; that shouldn't make one whit of difference, and you better not use that argument against me you, you, you wearer o' the sensible and thick wing-tip shoes! And, you wear socks too?! Sheesh.

Meanwhile, back at the fridge . . .

I decided it was high time to let our little basement refrigerator mascot see the world! Experience life on the outside! Explore bigger and better freezers! As a result, ol' fuzz head has become the fifth member of an awesome group I recently formed which we call F.R.I.D.A.Y.* Never heard of it? The formation of F.R.I.D.A.Y. is really just a lame excuse for me to drive on down to Cougartown {go BYU! rah! rah! rah! siss! boom! bah!}, snag my mom, Sean, and Christian, drag them hither and yon, and basically wreack havoc at a local restaurant every Friday afternoon. POW! It's a winner, right?! Yep, indeed. Now that our little troll dude has joined the band as its fifth member, I decided that he needs the dignity of a real name, so I christened him, appropriately enough, Pete Best. Whoa! Ha! (Sorry, but sometimes I crack myself up.) Unfortunately, poor Pete missed last week's hoohah (and he's now sorry he did), but he did make the jaunt this time. And, jeepers, he had fuh-uhn! (Two syllables there on fuh-uhn. It's a Utah thing, trust me.)

Now! Your mission, if you choose to accept it (and, in so doing you consent to getting sucked into another one of my hare-brained ideas, I hope you know), is to find Pete Best in the weekly picture I'll be posting on my sidebar. Over there ----------------------------------------> Somewhere. Over there. Just look. Keep looking. It's gotta be there somewhere. Find it? Scroll down, down, down . . . uhhhhhhh, keeeeeep looking. Ah. Great! Now, search the photograph high and low for that little troll. See him? He's hidden pretty well, and the photograph is kind of small, so you might get frustrated and become tempted to punch out your computer screen. Please don't. You'll regret it. I'll try to have Pete be a little bit more in-your-face next week, because there's nothing worse than not being able to find a troll. Believe you me. Now, did you find him? Yay for you! I'd love it if you'd let me know when and if you spy our drummer Pete.

Synchronize your watches to check back to see where the fab four (and don't forget about Pete!) hang out next week. And, for the record, NO, I do not appreciate the comparisons between my hair and the troll doll's; you KNOW that my hair and humidity have issues. So just stop.

*F.R.I.D.A.Y.:

Friendly

Rallying

It wasn't me-ing*

Dining

And

Yapping

*Explanation soon to be coming down the pike. Keep a watch out for it; it's a lulu.

Mmmmmm, Ashy!

2011-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

I hosted a little afternoon social for about a dozen girls ages 10 and 11 in my backyard. We went on a treasure hunt. We roasted marshmallows. We made s'mores. We played "Red Rover, Red Rover." We danced to "Rock Around the Clock." We laughed. We cried. (jk about the crying part. It's just that I was on a roll there and . . . .)

As their lovely parting gifts, I stuck with the whole s'mores theme and whipped up a sticky little concoction straight from my smokin' oven for each of those adorable and old-enough-to-be-respectful but too-young-to-be-snarky-and-have-a-sassy-attitude (in other words, just the perfect age) girls. I give you my very own, one and only, original:

RED VELVET S'MORES CUPCAKES!

Red Velvet S'mores Cupcakes

24 red velvet flavored cupcakes, baked and cooled

(I used a box mix; call me lazy if you want)

24 strawberry flavored marshmallows

24 graham cracker quarters

24 chocolate bar pieces

Cream cheese frosting

(I used a tub of Pillsbury; call me lazy if you want--I'm getting used to it)

Frost completely cooled cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Place the marshmallows on a foiled lined cookie sheet and broil in oven about 8" from heating element until the tops of the marshmallows begin to poof (just like my hair does on a very humid day) and they turn a beautiful golden brown. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE BROILER OR ELSE YOU'RE SURE TO BECOME VERY CHUMMY WITH THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. Just FYI. When marshmallows have cooled, wedge one marshmallow, a piece of graham cracker, and a hunk o' chocolate into the frosting of each cupcake. Ta da! Yeah, it's a beautiful thing.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

2011-09-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

If there's something strange

in your neighborhood,

who ya gonna call? . . .

GHOSTBUSTERS!

I ain't afraid of no ghosts . . .

And, speaking of ghosts,

Q: What do you call a ghost with a torn sheet?

A: A holey terror!

Rimshot!

READER'S POLL

In the above photos, Kimball is channeling:

a. Bill Murry aka Dr. Peter Venkman

b. Dan Ackroyd aka Dr. Raymond Stantz

c. Little Ronnie Howard aka Opie Taylor

d. A very pushy and assertive door-to-door vacuum salesman who stops at absolutely nothing to be the top salesman (including sucking the brains out of his potential customers, thus leaving them powerless to say no to his oh-so-very-subtle sales pitch) enabling him to bump up to the next tier of the marketing food chain and snag that dangling carrot of either an all-expense-paid trip to exotic Plaster City or a complete set of vacuum accessories--including the much coveted Airsweep 6-piece VAC011 Nozzle and Wand Kit!!!

Same Difference

2011-09-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that local early morning television is a very different dog than the stoic 6:00 p.m. newscasts where the anchor's hair is either as white as a sheet or shellacked into a perfectly shaped sphere surrounding said anchor's head, and where the mere twitch of a smile would be grounds for immediate dismissal?

Yes, you could technically call the early morning broadcast a newscast, but it is a completely different monster than the gravely serious evening newscast--sorta like Kraft's boxed macaroni and cheese vs. homemade ooey, gooey macaroni and cheese. Not. even. in. the. same. food. group.

So, I'd like to see stuffy evening anchors Brian Williams or Scott Pelley or Diane Sawyer try to man-up at the anchor desk during this loopy early-morning broadcast that Fox News aired several months ago.

Oh, and, haha! Funny thing! You'll never believe this. Christian just happens to show up in the video. Not surprised? (That boy does get around.)

(You have to really focus on Big Budah's opening remarks to be in on the joke that he perpetuates throughout the whole segment. Pay close attention, boys and girls. I do offer my sincerest apologies in advance.)

You may recognize Big Budah from the film, "Forever Strong." Then again, you may not since the character he plays in the film is so much more copacetic than the Big Budah we see freaking us out each morning. He must have really sucked it up for the movie because, honestly, this guy's real personality is bigger than life. (And, his belly too. HEY-YO!) Big Budah would definitely give Brian Williams and/or Scott Pelley a run for their serious anchor money, don't ya think?!

FYI, Christian (wearing the green shirt) is NOT the offender Big Budah is calling out; let's just clear the air (groan . . . but funny, no?) on that front, shall we?