Sibling From Saudi...

We returned from our road trip Monday evening, August 2nd around 9pm.

Tuesday we got Katelyn off to work at 9am. Started laundry going. And just generally started to get our world back to it's normal working state. What is normal anyway???

Papa had been practicing and would help some of the residents sing for the other residents Tuesday afternoon. This was the day Papa and Claude usually go to the Family History Center in Lexington to help patrons as they come to work on their family history. Since Papa couldn't go, Claude took Katelyn from work and she helped him cover their shift. While there he taught her how to do indexing. Now she is an indexing whiz kid.

I kept that pile O' laundry going and preparing for my sister, Neffie, and her hubby, Mike, to visit that day. They now live in Saudi Arabia and they must come home once a year for a specific period of time to re-patriate. Sounds almost painful doesn't it!!!

Neffie and Mike arrived in the afternoon. Papa finished helping play guitar to accompany the people on the program at the nursing home and came out to the house.

Then I got a call from a sister that I visit teach from Church. They have a huge garden and she had a lot of extra cucumbers and wondered if I wanted some. I assured her I did. I told Linda I would be right out to get them. Mike accompanied me on this little ride further into the Kentucky countryside. Neffie stayed to visit with Papa. We came home with 3 boxes that canning cars come in full of cucumbers. Mike was more than willing to help me can these but I really just wanted to visit and besides I needed some ingredients before I could start the canning. I wanted to make dill pickles and pickle relish.

Claude and Katelyn got home from the Family History Center and we had a good family dinner with corn-on-the-cob that Mike purchased in Indiana while they were visiting his parents. It was a wonderful meal. I have to say I love the fresh veggies of summer.

Wednesday, August 4th, we had invited the missionaries out to give Katelyn another discussion and have lunch. Papa brought them out. While they taught Katelyn and Claude supervised, Papa, Neffie, Mike and I headed to the basement and the piano. Papa would be singing at the nursing home that afternoon and he wanted us to sing some hymns he had chosen from the hymnbook. We practiced and sounded pretty good if I do say so myself. Neffie sang soprano, I sang alto, Mike sang tenor and Papa sang bass.

Then we all had lunch. This was a fun lunch for Claude and me. When I was a teenager, Burl and Charlotte Wolfe were our youth leaders. We often met at their home for activities. They had a big living room and a big family room and we would square dance and other things. Usually Charlotte made this dish that all of us kids loved. So, since we had a crew of people to feed, it was a good time to get out that recipe and make it up for all of us for lunch. Just in case you are interested, here is the recipe:

FRITO SUPPER: Yield: 12 - 15 Servings

Cook together:
   3 large spaghetti mixes or 5 small ones
   Canned tomatoes
   3 cans tomato sauce with mushrooms
   3 cans refried beans
Brown hamburger with:
   Garlic salt
   Onion salt
   Celery salt
   Broiled steak seasoning.
Combine Hamburger and sauce mix. Heat in oven 2 double bags of fritos.
For Each Serving: Fritos topped with chopped onion, lettuce, chopped tomato, cheese and hamburger.

Honestly, there is no way to mess this one up. If you have something, use it. If you don't substitute or don't use it. You don't have to make as much as this recipe calls for. It was fun to eat it again and remember fun times as a kid.

Papa took the missionaries back to Georgetown. Katelyn went to work at 1pm.  Mike, Neffie and I went in to Georgetown and sang with Papa in the afternoon and visited Mimi a bit.

Thursday, August 5th, I fixed muffins with bacon and eggs for those that wanted them. Mike and Neffie can't get bacon in Saudi so we had a few meals with it for them. Katelyn worked in the morning. Papa came out in the afternoon. Then Claude picked up Katelyn took her to LaGrange to have dinner at Taco Bell with Andie, Hayden & Bailey. Katelyn was going to help watch Bailey so Andie could take Hayden for an appointment.

After Papa left and after Claude returned, the weather cooled off a bit outside. It has been miserably hot here like it has so many other places. Neffie and Mike were fairly used to it as compared to Saudi. We were able to actually sit on the deck and enjoy a nice evening of conversation. It was fun to learn more about Mike & Neffie's experiences living in Saudi Arabia.

Friday, August 6th Mike and Neffie left around 10am. Claude and I were just beat. After a road trip that was very full and then company for a few days we were very tired old people. That is when we really feel our age. We just took the rest of that day to rest a bit.

Saturday, August 7th, we got up really early to get to LaGrange. Hayden had his Open House for Kindergarten. Michael and Andie were both going so we hurried to play with Bailey and then with Hayden after he came home and before quiet time. Claude sprang for Subway lunches for us all so we could dine together. Then we headed back to Sadieville.

We got home just in time to make our salad and gather our folding chairs. We drove back to Georgetown and picked up Papa and then headed to the Sir Barton building in Lexington for the High Priest Social. It was a fun evening and the weather actually cooperated, the humidity was gone and we had a nice spot in the shade to sit and visit with friends while we ate our dinner. Katelyn and Claude played a little corn hole. I met a new couple that has moved into our ward and got to know them a little better. It was just a pleasant evening.

That ended a full week of company and friends and family.

I just remembered something Katelyn said as we finished our road trip. (This is what happens when it takes me forever to get to my blogging.) We were heading home and she said, "So, Nauvoo and Carthage are like the small plates of Nephi and St. Louis is like the large plates of Nephi." I was so proud I could have popped!! If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), you will recognize the reference immediately. If you are not, let me explain. The Book of Mormon is a compilation of several records. Some of those records were the small plates of Nephi and the large plates of Nephi. They are called plates because they were literally metal plates that writing was imprinted into. Nephi kept the things of a more sacred nature on the small plates (hence Nauvoo & Carthage) and the things regarding history and other things on the large plates (hence St. Louis). Gotta love the girl!!