Tuesday, April 29, 2008


Don't you just LOVE Grant Hill?

Here he is prior to game 3, receiving the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner. And this is the 2nd time he's won it too. He just comes across as such a class act both on and off the court.

Read more about it here.

Well, I can't spend too much time on line right now because game 5 of the Suns/Spurs series starts soon and we are praying that the Suns can win this one and go on to make history by winning the next 3 games after being down 3 to zip in the series. I know that they CAN do it. Question is: WILL they do it?

I have lots to post about our (24 hour turn-around) weekend trip to So Cal. I realized that we have made that drive across the desert somewhere between 50 and 100 times over the last 30 years and there are lots of memories tied up in that drive. more to come on that...

...I hope to be back online celebrating a Suns victory in the coming days.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Baby Shower & Brunch recipes:

I went to a wonderful baby shower brunch yesterday for our dear friends, the Thompsons. Check Linda's blog for more pictures and news about it. Linda did an amazing job on these sweet little lemon cupcakes. The presentation was so beautiful too! We celebrated the birth of Linda's granddaughter, precious little Emolyn Kate. She is a true miracle of God and we're so blessed to be a part of her little life.


I had the privilege of bringing a couple of hot dishes for the event and a few people asked for the recipes, so I decided to post them here. I'm also posting a 3rd recipe that's also one of my favorites for any meal. I hope you enjoy them. I mostly cook without recipes, but for some reason, I feel the need to use a recipe when it comes to egg dishes or baked items, especially so the consistency comes out right. The first two below are from the shower. The third one is another favorite of mine. Sorry, I don't have any photos of the hot dishes.

Eggs Fantastic
(this recipe is courtesy of my mother-in-law, so I don't have the original source of it. It's a great one for larger groups, very quick and easy)

1 lb bulk pork sausage (add more if desired)
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped (add more if desired)
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 eggs
3 Tbsp sour cream
6 Tbsp salsa
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
8 oz Velveeta cheese (grated or cubed)

Saute sausage, mushrooms, onion until cooked. Drain well. Season with salt & pepper, if needed.
Grease 9 x 13" baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine eggs and sour cream in blender. Whip 1 minute. Turn into baking dish and sprinkle parsley into egg mixture. Bake until eggs are softly set (4 - 7 mins)

Remove from oven and sprinkle salsa evenly over eggs. Add sausage mixture layer to top of eggs, then top with all cheeses.

To serve now - broil until cheese is melted.

Or to serve later or next day - refrigerate until 30 mins before serving, then bake at 325 degrees until cheese is melted.

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Peaches 'n Cream Stuffed French Toast

I found this recipe online, so I'll just give you the link to it. It comes from Central Park B & B in Louisville, Kentucky. Here's the link. I thought the flavor was good, but I think if I made it again, I would double the filling and peaches and try to figure out something to top it with that would make it look a little nicer...maybe drizzle berry syrup on top...not sure. By the way, I added the blueberries in the little spaces on top myself. That wasn't in the recipe.

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Easy Quiche

I have made this recipe for years and I don't remember where it came from. It is the only quiche recipe I've found that comes out with perfect consistency every time. (I hate runny or overcooked quiche.) The secret is tossing the flour and cheese together.

You can also substitute like crazy in this recipe to come out with flavor combinations that you love - make it vegetarian or not. The possibilities are endless! It also reheats very well for a quick meal later, so feel free to make a few extras...you'll be glad you did. I'm pretty sure that you can freeze it too, although I haven't tried that.

1 deep dish pie shell (use your favorite crust recipe or buy the frozen or packaged ones at the store)
8 oz jack or swiss cheese (reg or low fat)
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 to 1 lb meat (chopped cooked bacon, crab, shrimp, ham - your choice)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reg or low fat)
1/4 cup milk (reg or 2 %)
2 eggs
Optional-- choose one or more - 1/4 cup fresh green onions, herbs, parsley, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
salt to taste

Toss cheese w/flour in large bowl.
In separate bowl, combine mayo, milk, eggs-stir until mixed, then add to cheese mixture.
Fold in meat and optional items (if desired). Salt to taste. Pour mixture in pie shell.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy these!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Check out these photos of my "big" (well...older) sister at work.

She was taking inventory
at the microwave tower sites for Central Arizona Project. She went to 4 mountaintop sites with two electronics techs, the photographer and of course the pilot.

Pretty cool, huh?

Sunday, April 13, 2008


I LOVE this Bathroom!!!

I happened to be at the house of an old friend the other day and besides the rest of her home that's totally cottage-style inside and out, I had a chance to visit the master bathroom, and happened to have my camera with me. (don't ask)

I just had to take these pics. Her home definitely belongs in Cottage Living, especially for the fact that this house started out as a typical tract home, smack in the middle of the Phoenix metro area and they have transformed it into this beautiful cottage style home with brick patios and gardens and all. It's gorgeous and comfy and feels like you're in the country. That's the dream I have for our home some day, but we have lots of work to do on the yard.
Belated Easter Decorating:

So here's the next version of my branch on the living room wall with Easter Eggs. Sorry it's late, but I wanted to post it anyway. As you'll soon see, I'm behind on my posts, so be sure to scroll down if you haven't been back in a while. There may be several new posts since you visited last.

I know that the pastels don't look great against the red sofa. I have a white slipcover that I need to try on the sofa, which I think would look much better.

Enjoy!

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Merry Christmas to Mom and Happy Birthday to Amy - and a great excuse for Terry and I to go to a Suns game!!!

It's so fortunate for us that so many of our family members are Phoenix Suns fans because then we get to find reasons to go to games. This year for Christmas we gave Terry's mom a personal gift certificate to either go on a weekend trip with us or to go to some kind of show or event and we would pay for it. After several months of debate, she decided that she wanted to go to a Suns game. What an awesome grandma is that, huh? It turns out that she had NEVER been to a regular season game even though she has been in the Valley since the franchise started!!! Can you believe it? We couldn't either. So we were very excited to fulfill her request. Also, since Amy's birthday was this week and she's moving to L.A. and won't have a chance to see her "Sunnies" very much any more, we asked her if she'd like to go to the game with us as her birthday present and, of course she said yes.

So, off we went to see them play. We were in for some extra treats as well! First of all they won by a huge margin. Then we got there early and were able to see Amare, Boris and Gordon Giricek warming up. And while we were wandering around before the game we walked by the stage where they tape the pre-game show and got to see some of the announcers doing the show. We also got to see my all-time favorite player, Kevin Johnson who just happened to be in town for a fund-raiser for his campaign for mayor of Sacramento. Awesome!

We all had a great time and got to see ALL the players contribute, which is amazing since they don't always get to play.

By the way, I started my "Bucket List" and one of the things that I want to do before I kick the bucket is see a Suns game from seats on the floor. Can anyone help with that?

Wednesday, April 02, 2008


I also wanted to add that we're very proud of where she is right now in life. I love that she's using her creativity in photography and trying to build up her business doing weddings, portraits, etc. She has a great eye and we look forward to seeing where the Lord leads her in that area.


Take a look at her Teegan Photography website.

Check out her photography blog too.

And after finishing up her Master's degree, she's got to have the BEST JOB ever! She works about a quarter of the time and gets paid to read books the rest of the time. Talk about being spoiled.

Oh well, she does enjoy being a princess...and we love her all the same.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Happy 26th BirthdayAmy!
It's hard to believe that it was 26 years ago when we were at Good Sam Hospital on April Fool's Day, watching a Phoenix Suns and Lakers game, waiting for the delivery of our first child. She was two weeks overdue with no sign of coming any time soon.

Fortunately for me, the doctors decided we had waited long enough and Amy was delivered the next day, April 2nd. I was so glad she wasn't an "April Fool's" baby, but we were so excited to finally see her and hold her! Terry almost didn't make it to the delivery and we lost all the pictures from the day she was born, but that's a story for another time. This is about our Teegan and how special she is to us.

There are so many things that I love about our gorgeous daughter. She's beautiful inside and out and here are just a few reasons why I think so...

I love the confidence she shows in everything she does and the fact that she's not afraid to try new things and take on new challenges, even if it means she might have some set backs to overcome.

I love her independence. She's always been very comfortable being on her own. Even as a baby she didn't mind us leaving her in the nursery and she was content to play by herself a lot. She loved to look at books and read. She still loves that. And she has never been a slave to fads. She likes what she likes and doesn't really care what others think about her choices. What a blessing!

I love the fact that she's so creative. Now she shows it in her photography and scrap booking mostly, but when she was younger she showed it in her drawing, writing, decorating, fashion and just a myriad of ways. I'm sure all those areas will raise their heads again someday. It's fun to see where her creativity takes her as time allows.


She has been blessed with lots of talent. Besides her creativity, God has gifted her with a gorgeous voice and a talent for acting too. She was always so fun to watch on stage during her teen years, no matter what she was doing. I'm planning to do a scrap book someday of all the different characters she's played and costumes she's worn. Great memories!

God has also blessed her with a heavy dose of intelligence. I'm convinced that she could do pretty much anything she wants to do (with God's help, of course.) Although, she did tell me in high school when she was taking Anatomy that if she ever said she wanted to be a surgeon, not to let her. She also used to say that she wanted to be the General Manager of an NBA basketball team, and I think she could do it. She recently said that she wanted to be a movie director and I'm sure she could do that too. Besides, they call her "The General" you know. Or maybe someday, she'll draw on all that reading and English Literature training that she's done and become a writer herself. There are so many directions that she still could choose. How exciting to see where the Lord takes her in her career and life.

I also love that she cries easily (just like her mom). She used to make fun of me, but now she's almost as bad as I am. I guess it's just a sensitivity to the hearts of others.

Terry and I both love that she (and Andrew) are Suns fans. It's fun to share that with them. In fact, her birthday present this year is that we're taking her to a Suns game with her Grandma Irish (who also requested to go as our gift to her). We'll have 3 generations of Hann girls at the game with Terry. What a blast! The Suns better win.

We also love the husband that she chose. Andrew is a sweet, sensitive, smart and creative guy himself and we're so happy that they're together.

Amy, we hope that you have an extra special birthday. We're going to miss having you around to play cards and games with and go scrap booking and do laundry and just hang out. We love you forever and will miss you terribly! I'm already thinking about planning a trip to the Hollywood Bowl this summer. Wanna go?