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Chateau Sainte Sabine 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Chateau Sainte Sabine

Experiencing French Elegance: My Stay at Chateau Sainte Sabine

My travel experiences have taken me to many corners of the globe, but my recent stay at the Chateau Sainte Sabine in France stands out for its unique blend of history, elegance, and natural beauty. This hotel, nestled in the Burgundy countryside, provided a magical retreat that was much more than just a place to rest my head at night.

Setting Foot in a Historical Marvel
As I made my first steps into the Chateau Sainte Sabine, I was immediately struck by its majestic grandeur. The castle, a testament to centuries past dating back to the 16th century, was as awe-inspiring as one could imagine. Its careful restoration has managed to strike a delicate balance, offering modern conveniences while maintaining the castle’s original charm and historical authenticity. The castle exudes an enchanting fairytale-like ambiance that is palpable the moment you step foot inside.

This feeling is further heightened by the stunning grounds that encircle the castle. An immaculate lake reflects the beauty of the chateau, creating a tranquil, serene atmosphere. The grounds are home to a herd of deer, providing a rare sight and creating an experience that is both surreal and soothing.

As I moved through the castle, I could almost feel the stories of the past coming to life, providing an intimate glimpse into the people and events that this castle has witnessed, a journey through time.

A Warm Welcome into French Hospitality
Upon setting foot inside the Chateau Sainte Sabine, I was instantly greeted by the friendly and approachable staff. I had been on the road for about six weeks at this point and it was so welcome to be welcomed. The team at the Chateau Sainte Sabine were helpful and welcoming, with a commitment to offering the utmost comfort to their guests. From the moment I checked in, their attention to detail and commitment to exceptional service was clearly evident. They extended their support and guidance in various ways, including providing recommendations for local sights worth exploring or the best dining options nearby, one of which was Le Lassey, which is onsite and is a Michelin-mentioned restaurant.

A Luxurious Retreat in the Rooms
Each room at Chateau Sainte Sabine is an expression of timeless elegance with an unmistakably French touch. They epitomize luxury and comfort, blending the castle’s historic charm with modern amenities seamlessly. Each room has a distinct design, making it feel like a bespoke living space rather than just a hotel room. These spaces beautifully merged the castle’s grandeur with luxurious comfort, offering a tranquil haven after a day filled with exploration and discovery. Our room had stunning views that stretched out into the horizon, offering a panoramic display of the stunning Burgundy countryside. For me the rooms at Chateau Sainte Sabine were more than just a place to unwind. They were an extension of the castle’s historical charm, offering guests the opportunity to live, if only for a short while, within the pages of a rich, fascinating past.

Exploring The Surrounding Serenity
Staying at the Chateau Sainte Sabine isn’t just about relishing in the luxuries within the castle, it’s about embracing the serenity of the natural beauty that surrounds it. Although the chateau is conveniently close to historic places like Dijon, Beaune, Chateauneuf, and the lovely Pouilly-en-Auxois, the castle grounds were truly a charmer. Taking a leisurely stroll around the pristine lake and sitting in the lawn chairs that dotted the perimeter, watching the deer grazing peacefully, and soaking in the tranquility of the unspoiled landscape created a magical ambiance. You are also in Burgundy, so there are many vineyards around to set up a tasting.

A Gastronomic Journey Through French Cuisine
The culinary experience at Chateau Sainte Sabine’s Le Lassey restaurant was a true celebration of French gastronomy. The menu was focused on local specialties, showcasing the rich flavors and culinary techniques that the region is known for. The ingredients were fresh, many sourced directly from the bountiful Burgundy countryside. The restaurant also offered a superb selection of wines from local vineyards. We’re not drinkers but I noticed that the staff was suggesting pairings to complement the dishes.

Unwinding
One of the highlights was the heated pool. I enjoyed lounging poolside, with the historic castle as my backdrop. I hope to visit in the summer and take advantage of cooling off after a long day of…maybe doing nothing. But I’m a wimp and October was not the month for me to enjoy the pool, even if it was heated. There is a lovely changing/bathroom area by the pool and a kitchen area stocked with beverages, at a cost of course, but so handy to have right there without having to walk back up to the chateau if you feel the need. I could probably do that for days.

Reflecting on a Memorable Stay
As I prepared to bid farewell to the Chateau Sainte Sabine, I was more than a little sad to be saying farewell. This hotel was not just another stop on my travels, but a dive into the timeless elegance that epitomizes French charm. If only I’d had a 1700’s ballgown, the castle stay would have been complete. The Chateau caters to a wide spectrum of guests; whether you’re passionate about history, a gastronome, or simply in search of a unique and enchanting escape, and whether you alone or traveling with friends, the Chateau Sainte Sabine possesses an allure that is sure to captivate you, much like it did me. I would definitely come back for a stay. We were there in the fall, but I would love to see it when the flowers are in bloom and it’s warm enough to dive into the pool! Maybe they’ll invite me back!

So 2020…What a B!+c# 860 460 Mari Bickmore

So 2020…What a B!+c#

Hey there, so how’re ya’ll doing? I haven’t had anything to write about, because there is absolutely nothing going on in the world right now….uh, maybe that’s not entirely correct. So what’re your thoughts on 2020 so far? I read that there were asteroids heading toward earth but that they are going to miss us. I wonder if they’ve calculated 2020 into their equations yet? I refuse to say “well what else can happen.” Does it count that I wrote it?! I hope that in the future when they invent time travel, they purposely program it never to go to this year. Reminds me of a piece out of Ghostbusters:
This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
What do you mean, “biblical”?
What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Exactly.
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

But coming to the point – I do hope that we, as an entire nation, work most diligently toward equality and being color blind. Everyone should be free to live without fear or discrimination, to be able make the choices best for them in their lives without having to ever think of that. If they have to protest I’m here to stand with them; however, to riot…destroying or defacing public or private property or harming anyone does no one any good and actually harms the cause and should be stopped wherever it is happening. Those who are suffering the greatest losses right now had nothing whatsoever to do with the horrid death of George Floyd. I do wish I knew what would magically, overnight, change all of that! I think we all do.

However, no one is ever going to be economically equal. Not only are we all born into different families (we were barely middle class, though I didn’t realize it at the time), we are born with very different talents and aspirations. So those who study hard, work hard, and strive are going to be more successful than others, as it should be. So I’m not saying the government should make us all economically equal…far from it. But no matter what your race or gender, you should be able to make what you want of yourself here in this day and age, in this country. And you shouldn’t have to fear being out at night because of the police or anyone, any more than anyone else fears being out, ‘cause there are places I wouldn’t go at night…or in the day…I’m just saying. You get my meaning–Equality. I like this quote by Obama (not my favorite person but he can certainly give a speech), “This is a moment, and we have had moments like this before where people are paying attention. And that doesn’t mean that everything will get solved, so don’t get disheartened, because this is a marathon, not a sprint. But the fact that people are paying attention provides an opportunity to educate, activate, mobilize and act,” Obama said. “And I hope we are able to seize this moment.”

Again I didn’t talk about design, but right now, today, this seems to be the most important topic to discuss, and I didn’t do it justice. Love you all!

Quaratine Can be Dangerous 480 640 Mari Bickmore

Quaratine Can be Dangerous

Day 432 of my quarantine. Oops, got that wrong again. Heck, I don’t even know what day of the week it is. I thought it was Saturday all day on Thursday, but I think it really is Saturday now. Wait…I’m not quarantined anymore, but I don’t even think I hated quarantine…am I not supposed to say that?

What new things did you do during quarantine? Well, I should really ask, are you still quarantined? I think some places still are. The first few weeks I did a lot of things: reading, playing the piano, painting, and genealogy. That was the first few days anyway. Then, since it was almost spring, I took advantage and did some deep spring cleaning (hahaha…as if I do spring cleaning every year). As if. I tried to have projects everyday. We just moved into this house at the end of August. Then I was gone all of September, most of October into November, and then there were the holidays, so all those boxes that I just unpacked and put the contents somewhere I thought they should be…sort of willy-nilly…actually got put where they should go. My husband is super weird and wants all those moving boxes unpacked and taken away pretty much immediately. So it seems like you have a lot done, but in the end you just have to organize it twice.

So the first project I had was to organize the pantry. I got a little kick in the butt to do that first, as my children had gone together and given me some organizational items for the pantry for Christmas. Is that like getting a vacuum cleaner as a gift? In any event, I must’ve ordered more bins, food storage containers, and spice jars, etc., from Amazon; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and the the Container Store a dozen times, just ordered three more, but now I’m just about done…still waiting for my last order to arrive.

Then I started working on sorting my huge boxes of photos, at which time I whacked my head on the lowered ceiling under the stairs and received a pinched nerve/bulging disk in my C-spine. I still haven’t figured out how I could have hit my head that hard! May I tell you that pain is more than excruciating. For the first two weeks I just tried to find a position that would alleviate some of the pain. I gained a whole new understanding and empathy for those who have chronic pain. By day 22, although I still had residual pain and two fingers on my left hand were numb, I was able to do some small things, albeit on medication, and started working on some client’s projects thank goodness. Had an MRI which wasn’t so good, so I had to get a C6-7 spinal injection. What fun! Top that off with my mother-in-law passing away (not from coronavirus) and slicing a bit of flesh off my thumb with a mandoline (and leaving the bandage on too long so it stuck to the wound). Suffice it to say January and February were just as bad, so 2020 can just….

In any event, that was 3-1/2 weeks ago and and you can imagine how immensely grateful and blessed I feel that I was able to start playing tennis again this past Monday. I’ve been able to stay on top of design projects, even though providers are not working or working more than before, or hard to get in touch with, which has been an issue and still is. Life goes on and I hope that we get back to normal soon, even if has to be a new normal for a little while.

No exciting photos this time, but nothing exciting happened. Certainly didn’t get anyone to take a photo of me when they were sticking needles in my neck, or during the worst of the pain. So…this is what you get. It doesn’t look like an ad for pantry containers, because this is a real, working pantry and everything is not all the same color.

Shaking but not Moving 1024 683 Mari Bickmore

Shaking but not Moving

Well, I guess it takes a pandemic and an earthquake to get back on track! Luckily I’ve been keeping busy whilst sheltering in place! I’m going to have this hermit thing down pretty soon, but I can do without another earthquake! My first one and I hope my last. Nothing last being shaken awake in the morning by your house!

So, so many things have happened since I last posted to this site. Where to begin? OMG…for one thing, how could it have been almost THREE years since I last wrote? Like water going downhill. At the time we were living in El Dorado Hills, CA, and in the summer of 2018 we moved to Holladay, Utah. Now I’m living by my daughter’s family with two of the most darling grandchildren possible. Can’t get much better than that, other than all of my children and grandchildren moving here. If I could pull that off, nothing could ever be better.

Circumstances involving our move were not ideal, but so many great things followed. Like my daughter, Amanda Bickmore Crane, and I get to work together. How fantastic is that!? We already had formed Bickmore Design, LLC, and have renovated many houses over the years. Prior to this I was the owner of Posh Interior Design in Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis, MN, switching names to Bickmore Design in Kansas City, KS. Gosh I know right!…following a corporate husband sure does have its ups and downs.

Keeping busy with renovations and design work, I’ve also completed the state real estate course, tested, and obtained my Utah State Real Estate License. What a difficult profession. I’m with Equity Real Esate – Solid in Sandy, UT. Those two professions should go hand-in-hand and I’m working to make that happen. Not sure how that’s going to work going forward after this pandemic crisis. My heart bleeds for those who are losing their jobs and for the economy in the short-term. I hope and pray that we will all recover quickly, both physically and economically. What a difficult time for our governments dealing with something no one expected. I am not happy with the people pointing fingers as if our leaders caused this. It seems to me that they are dealing with it as best as they can under the unfortunate and adverse conditions. I feel so blessed to have safe shelter and food to sustain me. If you live near me and need anything, please let me know.

Just dropping a few photos of a renovation and design project that are full of color and make me happy.

They do walk among us! 1024 576 Mari Bickmore

They do walk among us!

(If you aren’t interested in hearing about Zion and hiking, please skip down to the third paragraph and start there…I promise you will be amused by the short story afterwards – well I hope you’ll be amused.

But really folks, hiking in Zion National Park is soooo beautiful!  My husband, daughter, her then almost 2-month-old baby, and I went hiking in Zion back in mid February.  Perfect, sunny weather for hiking…high 60s!  I’d be crazy to come here to  hike in the summer as I’d swelter and/or die of heat stroke.  Also, in this winter/spring time there are hardly any people here, so no crowding on the trails.  It’s got some green going on too, as opposed to the dry, tan plants due to summer drought.   We did have some gorgeous hikes though, Emerald Pools being one of them.  I got double points for carrying the baby (in a pack) on the way up!  We did encounter a man on our way down clinging to the side of the mountain whilst his wife was  urging him up.  The hike hadn’t even gotten bad yet.  I’m pretty sure she should have been urging him to go back down.   He surely wasn’t looking too good.  Luckily, the trail was wide enough at that point for us to pass.  This was the second leg of a three-location trip, and, unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to give us two days of hiking.  However, I will return…in the winter, unless we decide to do the narrows and for me to get wet it’s got to be hot.  In any event, this park is magnificent.  Here are a couple of videos I found for Angel’s Landing…so now I don’t know if I will go or not.   Just Look at This.  (If you aren’t interested in hearing more about the area, please skip down past the next paragraph…I promise you will be amused by the three short stories afterwards.)

I will have to say that the little town  of Springdale, which is directly adjacent to the entrance of Zion isn’t completely open in the winter.  The first night we were there we left for dinner at 7:00 and the place was just closed.  We ended up at Blondie’s Diner, which is a retro-feeling diner in an old house and was just steps from where we were staying.  All I can say is don’t get the fish and chips.  Maybe that was just an error on my part.  There are several businesses that are only open in season, so that’s a bummer.  However, we did eat at two really good places.  Oscar’s Cafe (Mexican) for lunch was great and King’s Landing for dinner was outstanding.  The stickie toffee at King’s Landing was divine!

So here’s the oddball story.  On a post I read on Facebook recently, there was a  9/11 Truther spouting some fun things.  Believe or not, I didn’t realize that those planes were holograms!  Wow!  That technology must be better than I thought to fool people who were right there on the ground watching!  I did mention that to him.  I also asked him about the people on the third plane who were calling their families.  Did you know that those calls were preprogrammed?  Wow again!   That was way back in 2001.   Start talking to total strangers!  You never know what great stories you might end up with.

They Walk Among Us!

A Perfect Day in L.A. 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

A Perfect Day in L.A.

Well, actually another perfect 10 days in LA.  It’s like deja vu there!  Sunny in the 70s everyday.  I was in the South Bay Area visiting my son and his family…mostly to see my AMAZING granddaughters.  No really…they are amazing.  So sweet and cute.  My older one told me one day that I was always in her heart and in her brain everyday.  That just rips your  heart out when you only get to see them every 3 or 4 months.  I got to take them and pick them up from school almost everyday too.  What a change from when you have your own children and sometimes you aren’t savvy enough to know that you GET to take them and pick them up from school as opposed to having to do that.   That older child would wave to me for quite some time when I left her in the morning, until she turned the corner and could no longer see me.  I would have stood there all day long to see that wave and that smile!  Just getting to go to their swim lessons, ballet lessons and violin lessons was a treat.  I even lucked out and was there for my youngest granddaughter’s field day at school!   I did an art project with them everyday and didn’t care about the mess.  Grandchildren are the best and being relaxed as a grandparent is such a release.

We always eat out far to much when I visit, but getting to try new restaurants is a great thing too.  Just a couple of good places in the area that I haven’t tried before:  Brio Coastal Grill at Del Amo Mall (tied for the best Shrimp and Grits I have ever had) and Mama Terano in Rolling Hills Estates (OMG – I had the special:  Veal Sweetbreads Linguine.  I’m telling you, you should call them and have them put you on a contact list for when they have this special again.  Not kidding.).  Those two are my standout restaurants.   Oh wait!  Shrimp By You in Torrance was a winner too!  We shared a Big pot with a whole lobster, shrimp, snow crab, crawfish, and clams (we substituted the mussels for crawfish).  Choice of sauces.  Really, really good; we ate the whole pot.   Hermosa Beach Fish Shop is always good:  Great fish tacos, but their Fish Shop Shrimp is outstanding.

HOWEVER, we went to Smorgasbord LA, which is like a food festival but there every weekend, and had a great time.  There are around 50 booths/trucks, a mix of both, with so many selections.  The first one was Smogasbord New York and that guy opened on here.  A venue for up and coming chefs.  I think I walked around it twice before even attempting to make a choice.  I’m sure so much of it was really good, but the absolute best thing there has to be the Ugly Drum Pastrami Sandwich!!!  I know, if you had said that to me I wouldn’t have believed you either…but it’s undeniably true.  I was standing in the line for a pork belly taco from Goa Taco (truly yummy), and this man started talking to me.  Said this taco we were about to partake of was really good, but that I had to try the pastrami sandwich.  His son, right on cue, walked up with said pastrami sandwich and the dad made him give me a bite of it.  Heaven.  I didn’t even have the taco yet and my plan  was to immediately go stand in another line for that heaven on a slice of homemade rye with a little mustard.   There were seven of us, so I had little bites of a few things, but none any better than these.

We did go home and try to fly a really, really big kite..but after all the wind we had that week the wind gods left and it didn’t get off the ground.  That was the day before I left.  I am pining for another bite of the pastrami!  But truly, I miss the girls more than the sandwich.  They are living it up in London this week for Spring Break and aren’t giving me a second thought…as it should be.

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Our Sausalito Sojourn 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Our Sausalito Sojourn

SUBTITLE:  Things you should never do

Just last October, my Texas Travel Buddies and my Norwegian daughter took a little trip to Sausalito.  May I just say that I LOVE Sausalito.  Always have, always will.  I would retire there if funds were not an issue.  By the way, I identify as a wealthy woman.  Will the government supply the funds to ease my identity crisis now that we are dealing so positively with these crises?  Or perhaps making an undocumented withdrawal from the bank would be looked upon favorably?  I’ll have to make enquiries.

In any event, what a lovely trip.  We rented accommodation from an AirBNB owner that had a fabulous view.  It was actually in Mill Valley–Suki’s Mountain Retreat.  I’ve driven all over Europe,  more than a few places I shouldn’t have driven, but that driveway that night scared me.  I didn’t know if the car was going to make it up such a sharp incline without rolling backwards.  Okay, not as scary as Paris in the afternoon when the sun is truly blinding you and you don’t know where you’re going, but fairly scary.  Anyway, it was an interesting place.  Kind of like staying at your grandmother’s if your grandmother had a fantastic view and fruit trees that you were allowed to pick from and bougainvillea dripping off the house.  Those oranges weren’t perhaps the best oranges I have ever tasted. They WERE the best oranges I have ever tasted.  And it was quite near Muir Woods which is a magical and wondrous place to take a hike/walk.

My first story about the trip falls in the category of:  THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO.   It was my friend Beverly’s Birthday and we went to a lovely place to eat, Buckeye Roadhouse. As you can see, they have wonderful food.  Seated next to us was a nice-looking family…mom, dad, son, daughter.  Somewhere along the way my friend whispers “can you hear what they’re saying?”   The conversation was really unbelievable.  Mom and dad proceeded to tell their children, In A Restaurant, that they were splitting up but that things were going to be wonderful!   They tried to make it sound like they would live in a perfect world now.  The daughter, around 8-10 years old, was crying and the 14-year-old boy was trying to keep a stiff upper lip.  THEN…get ready for it…they pull out a birthday card for the little girl!  No really…it was her BIRTHDAY.  Those chose to impart this bitter message in PUBLIC on her BIRTHDAY.  I see a lot of therapy in her future.  So I’m just telling you, this is something that you should never do.  What ever possessed them to think this was a good idea is beyond me.  It has just occurred to me that it was the little girl’s birthday and Beverly’s birthday.  Maybe I thought about it at the time but that’s a little foggy.  I’m not too foggy about the food…it’s a definite return again visit and that was a return visit itself.  The empty plate was the dessert..enough said.

My second story is much better.  Next morning we drove down our steep driveway (much easier on the way down) to spend the day in Sausalito–art galleries, cute shops, and lovely food spots.  Looking for a place to park we saw a young woman go to her car so we put our blinker on to wait for the spot…and waited…and waited.  My brave friend Beverly decided to very nicely ask her if she was leaving or not, so out she jumped.  Then they started talking…and talking.  I saw another spot just up the road slightly and took it.  Turns out the poor girl had just been dumped–and had a baby.  She was looking for God and had went to a church the night before and sat in the back but no one had approached her.  My friend had kind words and counsel and had come along at just the perfect time to a perfect stranger to be a shoulder to cry on and some help along theis journey we call life.  I cried, she cried.  Maybe you  had to be there, but it was truly inspirational.

My last story is just a series of disjointed events really.  Next day we went to San Francisco and had great tacos, but I don’t remember the name of the cafe.  We shopped around awhile but had to leave in time to get my Norwegian girl to the airport.  We got to our car in plenty of time to have her there a few hours before her flight, or at least we thought we did.   In two hours we went maybe 4-5 blocks.  Needless to say, we never even got out of the city in that direction, gave up and went back to our little house in the sky.  She is fairly sure her boss never believed that story.  But I’m here to tell you its true.  It was a week before she went home.  So she got to go with us to St. Helena the next day.   Oh, Bev got that genuine fox coat at a Buddhist Temple Rummage Sale for $5!

This is a seriously cute little town.  There is even a castle there…Castello di Amorosa.  Well here’s another little story.  We had just gotten out of our car here at the castle and there was a couple there who looked pretty serious, so we walked really slow so we could eavesdrop (just being honest).  He was proposing to her with a ring and flowers  and everything.  Oops!  She said no.  At least he didn’t do it on the screen at a hockey game!  Yet they stayed and walked around the grounds, but they looked so sad after that.   He did take the flowers and everything and put back in the car, probably so we wouldn’t have to look at them and stare.

On a brighter note!  I would highly recommend that you all visit Farmstead in town, on a warm day so that you can eat outside.  The food was oustanding.   I wish I had filmed us eating so that I could post it like a travel show.  You would be salivating and wishing you were there, kind of like I do when I watch “I’ll have what Phil’s Having.”  Why was there only one season?!?!  I plan to visit next month with a friend who is coming in from Ohio.  Perhaps I will film it then.

RIght now I’m in the D.C. area for  my daughter-in-law’s baptism and feel so blessed!  Planning on some Maryland Crabcakes.  Tata and Happy Trails!

Texas Clam Chowder – The Best 1024 727 Mari Bickmore

Texas Clam Chowder – The Best

Well this beginning has nothing to do with Clam Chowder, Texas or otherwise (that comes later).  In the middle of the night, many times, I have thought about topics I wanted to write about and none of those times did I follow through; they’re now like the misty stuff of dreams.  Here’s one I remember though…A couple of weeks after the inauguration I had a great conversation with a friend on the wrong side (oops).  We disagreed on many things, agreed on some, and did so amicably.  One of her big problems was the theory that Trump had some connection with Russia, still unsure as to what.  I don’t buy into any of that, nor do I think Trump has a man crush on Putin.  Anyway, as it turns out everyone and their dog has had a meeting with the Russians…on both sides of the fence…except, it seems, Sarah Jessica Parker, if you follow that sort of thing.  I recall a statement by Obama before the last election when he thought the mic was off that goes like this:  “After My Election I Have More Flexibility.”  Did you see the MSM go after that?  None of them seemed to have a problem with that…but now it’s like they’ve all went CRAZIER.   Also, how can they say the Russians interfered with the election exactly?  Even if they did hack the DNC and reveal things that they had done…then the DNC did those things.  Somehow the real “criminals” are  made to be okay just because their crimes were revealed by the Russians (if that is even true).   I know, we’re living in the Twilight Zone.

And now we see the true (tolerant HAHAHAHA) Alt-Left…breaking private property, impeding regular people’s road right-of-way, beating people up, acting like idiots, and trying to stop the free speech of others with differing ideas…the list goes on and on.  I’m glad we didn’t act that way when the travesty that is Obama was elected.  Sure, I complained, and hopefully so did millions of other people, but that was mostly words on a screen and not looting and assault.

Finally, I’m moving on.   I’m still looking at those resolutions and my work on them is a bit stifled, so I went to the gym yesterday for the first time this year.  And today I was shamed again, so I went on a 2.5-mile walk.  Who knows, maybe it’s a trend!  However, I have been playing tennis a few times a week.  Does that count?  First time playing on a mixed doubles team and it’s fun!  I was always intimidated about playing with guys so I always turned down the invites to play on those teams.  We are in second place.  Bummer.  Maybe that will change.  In any event, I had to make food to take to a match the other day and remembered how yummy my recipe for TEXAS Clam Chowder was, so I made it.   Instant hit!  I’ve been perfecting this one for many years.

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Mari’s Texas Clam Chowder
TEXAS CLAM CHOWDER — ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVS
1/2 pound smoked peppered bacon, chopped into small pieces (I chop it small before I fry it, but you could just fry it and crumble later; it’s just easier to put it all in the pot to fry chopped small)
3  jars or cans baby clams and/or minced clams (I actually buy fresh clams if I can find them but that is unusual)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
4-6 medium red potatoes (peeled or unpeeled), diced
6 medium carrots peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp Tony Cachere’s Creole Seasoning (you can try jalapeno pepper too)
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
6-8 ounces large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, minced
Whipping/heavy cream about 1-3 cups depending on the consistency you want, I’m usually at about 2 cups.
In a large pot, fry chopped bacon until crispy browned; remove and drain on paper towels.  Drain off all but about a 1-2 Tbsp of the rendered fat.  Mix the cornstarch with a little water and mix until smooth.  Add clams w/juice and water to the pot along with the cornstarch mixture.  Add chopped potatoes and carrots, white pepper, parsley and seasoning to taste (I usually use about what is listed above).  Add chopped celery and mushrooms, then onion.  Crunch bacon into small pieces and add back to pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until carrots are done.  Add enough cream to achieve desired consistency.  I serve with oyster crackers.
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It’s A New Year! 768 1024 Mari Bickmore

It’s A New Year!

…as if you didn’t know–but who’s still writing 2016?

I was thinking about resolutions again, so I looked back at a post from New Years two years ago and still have a lot of work to do on those resolutions, namely:

1. Try not to waste so much time; i.e. watching too much TV, spending too much time looking at random things on the internet.
2. Focus on learning, expanding my base of knowledge, self-improvement; i.e. really learning a second language, scripture study and spirituality, take new design classes, or find an entirely new business to try.
3. Make a bucket list and start marking them off; even things that seem unrealistic. Go big or go home, know what I mean?!?! Someone told me that dividing it into categories, such as weekend-type items, week-long items, month-long items, etc. might make the list easier to use.
4. Try to have a healthier lifestyle; i.e. eating, exercise, work hard with physical therapy to get my gimpy foot healed enough to jump back into tennis.
5. Work at relationships; expand my circle of friends, let my family know how much I love them all the time. As an aside to this, I want to perform some type of service for random people as often as possible…I am not great at thinking about this, so it will be a definite process for me. I know “pay it forward” is an old cliche now, but that probably sums it up.

I told my daughter yesterday that I was just going to try to do something constructive every single day.  There are so many options that I should at least be able to do that.  I’m thinking that just getting my to-do list done for the day is something constructive!   I started painting a few months ago for the first time in my life, after years of wanting to try it, and it is my obsession right now, so working on a painting would be constructive.  Here’s what I’ve done so far over the past few months…so you see I’m just a beginner; therefore, taking some art classes would be constructive.

Helping someone, working out, making a new recipe…anything from the above list.  See how easy that is going to be?  I’m fooling myself, right?  Maybe I should revisit this philosopy at the beginning of each month and see how I’m doing.  Onward and Upward!  I wish I had had this mindset years ago.

Right now I’m doing something constructive everyday just by helping to take care of my new grandson and my daughter.  He just gets cuter everyday!

But that will end before I know it and I’ll be back in the real world.

My oldest granddaughter just turned SEVEN this week.  I can’t believe she is that old! I soooo wish I could have been with her on her birthday!  Right now I believe she loves me and likes to spend time with me…but how many more years do I have with her like that?  or with her younger sister?  They are are the apples of my eye are more beautiful and amazing everyday. And they all live so far away.  THANK GOODNESS for FaceTime!

 

Obviously I need to make sure to contact all of my family often.  I also need to try doing things that are out of my comfort zone.  I will work on figuring that out.

Just get out there and live and do good!

Winter Wonderland 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Winter Wonderland

Have I written more about renovations? Did I finish my Gram Camp saga?  Did I write about the outcome of the presidential election?  About those great new cookies.  About my last trip? About all the atrocities Islam continues to commit Every Single Day. Anything?  No, no, no, no, no and no.  (I did do a little victory dance on election night that the barely-human Clinton woman didn’t win and I think I’ll wear my Adorable Deplorable T-shirt for months to come.)  I would love to say that it’s a new year and I’m turning over a new leaf for blogging, but I just can’t commit because I don’t want to mark that in the failure column.  I will say that I have every intention of writing more.  Not just intention–I want to write more! and that is probably something I can succeed at since I’ve written so rarely; more could be not very much at all!  Truly, it doesn’t matter because hardly anyone reads this so it is really just like journaling and that’s just fine.

Well, Christmas is over for another year and now we can start counting down for next Christmas – 354 shopping days!

Backing up though, we spent Christmas in Salt Lake City in a really nice, newly and tastefully renovated townhouse we rented just about three blocks from Temple Square and another block to City Creek shopping mall.  (Great location and if you’re looking for a spot in downtown SLC it is VRBO #4053608.)   The owner had even put up Christmas lights outside…it’s the little things!

I LOVE spending Christmas with my grown children and their families, who doesn’t?  But I’d rather do it at home where all my cooking utensils and food are right where they should be and I have everything I need to prepare a huge holiday dinner and all the dinners in between.  If I could just let that go and eat out when I’m out of town I’d probably be better off.  Anyway, this year was different…my youngest child and my only daughter was expecting my third grandchild, so everyone had to be there to welcome our new grandson to the world!

Utah was so kind in delivering us a white Christmas wonderland.  It snowed most of Christmas Day, which made me feel like I was right in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting.

My fabulous granddaughters got to play in the snow and make snowmen, which they don’t get to do often in SoCal…well ever.  My oldest son got to go up to Brighton to snowboard a couple of days and the girls got to take their first ski lessons.  We all got to walk Temple Square at night, which is even more amazing at Christmas than any other time of the year. Christmas lights virtually covering everything, twinkling in everyone’s eyes as they walked the grounds that were more than magical.  Just being at Temple Square gives you that warm feeling that makes you remember what Christmas is all about. Makes me want to sing Christmas songs right now (trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear that!!! hahahaha).

Hot chocolate at Godiva afterwards just topped it off!   We had hot chocolate two or three times after that at other places…just a disappointment.  Godiva hot cocoa is maybe the best ever, but when I think back to the hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans I’m not sure.  We also saw a couple of movies, one for the girls (Sing) and Stars Wars: Rogue One for me.  That was my favorite Star Wars since the original ones.

When the fam all comes together, it is sometimes hard to entertain everyone over a several-day visit.  Don’t you hate it when everyone just sits around the house and you know they are bored, but you don’t know what to do?!?!   Or you plan to get up and out early but with that many people it just doesn’t happen?   I tried to find things to do.  The day after Christmas, the day my daughter went into the hospital to be induced, we went to Park City.  I mean we couldn’t just sit in the room and stare at her, right?  I love to walk around Park City and have lunch at one of the cute little cafes.  Well, we missed the cute cafe (hint: don’t eat at the Blue Iguana).  But we did get enjoy Park City and peruse the cute shops and galleries for a couple of hours afterwards, so it eased the pain of driving all the way out to Park City and having a barely mediocre lunch.

Time to go to the hospital and drop everyone else back at the house and let them figure out how to entertain themselves.

Without the gory details…We have a new, beautiful, fabulous grandson!  Mother and baby are doing fine and the baby LOVES his Mimi!  I get to stay on for a few weeks to take care of mother and child while everyone else returns home.  I know it’s going to rip my heart out when I have to leave…but that’s another day so let’s not dwell on it.

I already miss having all of my family all together at the same time.  I will miss them for a long time…forever until I see them again.  I hate it that everyone lives so far away from each other.  We did miss having one child with us at Christmas this year as he decided it would be more exciting to go to Thailand for Christmas then be with us, especially when he is working on Kwajalein and I never get to see him normally.  I mean who would choose Thailand…Bangkok, Chiang Mai, beaches…over Utah and me?

That is not going to play out well for him though!  I talk big, but when he comes home again I’ll be so happy to see him that my ire will probably go right out of the window.

It’s time to get ready for the day.  Lots of errands to do and a baby to spoil.  Cheers and Happy New Year!