what was your favorite food when you were a kid?

When I was growing up, my mom would make us whatever we wanted for our birthday dinner. For 3 years in a row, I asked her to make homemade fried chicken... for some reason that really appealed to me. And for 3 years she made it for me.



And for 3 years I got S-I-C-K. I don't know if the fried chicken made me sick, or if I was already sick to begin with...to this day, the idea of fried chicken is better than the actual idea. But that doesn't stop me from eating it every once in a while...



At Thanksgiving and Christmas my mom always made Drinking Custard ~ a recipe your great-great-grandmother gave her. I still get cravings for it sometimes, but since I'm the only one in the family who likes it, I don't make it.

Drinking Custard

14 - 15 eggs, beaten lemon yellow 1 c. sugar (to taste)
1 gallon whole milk 1 t. vanilla or so

To beaten eggs, add sugar and beat in; gradually add to milk in a large double boiler (I use a 6-quart Dutch oven in a canning kettle). Water in bottom of double boiler should be hot, but not boiling. Cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally and keep a watch on the pan. Continue cooking until mixture coats a spoon. If it is stirred often enough, it will not form lumps with the eggs. When it coats a spoon, remove from heat and add vanilla when the custard cools some. Keep refrigerated. Great-Grandma Sackett

Other foods I loved: spaghetti and homemade spaghetti sauce with hot garlic bread; chili-mac; casseroles ~ just about any kind; Godfather's pizza; McDonald's french fries dipped in a McDonald's ice-cream cone; Taco Time Mexi-Fries; mexican food; stir-fry; etc., etc. I just loved to eat...and I still do.

tell me about a time you got in trouble...what was your punishment?

In between 3rd (Sandy Elementary) and 4th grades (Bonneville Elementary), our family moved from Sandy, UT to Orem, UT. It was only about 30 minutes away, but it seemed like another world to me. I really missed my friends (especially Lori Adamson who lived across the street from our old house) and I was always asking if we could go visit her, and drive past our old house.

One day my mom told me to do the dishes, and some other chores so we could do something. Instead of obeying her, I found a million excuses not to do the dishes and the other chores. When my dad got home he saw that I hadn't done what I was supposed to do. So he and mom hired a babysitter to stay with me, Cyndie, Karen and Sheila. They took Lisa and Julie with them ~ to SANDY. I was crushed and I cried and screamed and told them how unfair it was. but they left me at home anyway.

I'd love to say that I learned my lesson and from then on I did everything I was asked WHEN I was asked, but that wouldn't be the truth.

when you were my age, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I don't remember what I wanted to be in Kindergarten. Aubrey thought that perhaps I wanted to be a Mommy. She might be right.

By 2nd grade, I had started to think about being on TV like my Dad. And in 4th grade, that was definitely my "life's ambition" ~ that desire lasted through most of High School.

After I was a nanny I decided that I would get a degree in Early Childhood Education so I could run a preschool from my home (work without being away from my kids).

I do have a lot of experience working with and teaching kids. But so far, I have no college degree. When I do finally go back to school, I think my major will be something other than early childhood education...maybe pottery or photography.

what was your favorite thing to do after school?

I actually don't have a lot of memories of "after school." I liked to ride my bike, read books, play games with my friends, and just be outside.

When I went to Bonneville Elementary, I remember walking home and talking to my friend Aimee. I don't know what we talked about, but it seems like there was always a lot to say. The 5 or 6 block walk would take me far too long ~ I'm sure my mom wondered where I was and what was taking me so long!

who was your best friend when you were my age? what did you like to do together?

sometimes I get jealous when I hear about people talk about friends they have had their whole lives. We moved around so much when I was growing up that I had to make new friends all the time. At the time it was really hard and I was always so sad when I moved. But looking back on it now, I feel like I was always blessed with good friends along the way...

in Kindergarten (Cold Springs Elementary ~ Missoula, MT) I had a friend named Jennifer. She had a horse collection and I loved going to her house to look at them. I moved away after Kindergarten, but moved back at the beginning of 1st grade; Jennifer invited me to her new house for a sleepover. I took my blue-flowered slumber party suitcase. We read Ranger Rick magazines, and danced to her big sister's Captain & Tennille records...we especially liked "Love will keep us together."

in 2nd grade (Adams Elementary ~ Spokane, WA) my best friend was Kimberly Wheatbrook. She had beautiful long brown hair. I really liked a pretty, green, long polyester dress she wore; it reminded me of the Pioneer dresses. During recess (as I mentioned before) we liked to play Star Wars on the big toy on the playground. At home we rode bikes. One weekend we spent a lot of time burying leaves that had fallen off a tree in our backyard...they had strange spots and we thought the tree was dying.

in 4th grade (Bonneville Elementary ~ Orem, UT) my best friend was Aimee Howlett. Kuipo (Ipo) Sing was also my very good friend (she had a friend named Hokulani Aikau who was her best friend, I think). Aimee and I both liked to read. She had a great poster collection on her bedroom walls. We liked to play SPOONS ~ a card game that I've forgotten how to play; it would make us laugh and laugh and laugh. We stayed best friends until I moved from Orem in 7th grade. In 6th grade we rented a movie (My Bodyguard) and sold tickets to kids in the neighborhood. While the movie was playing we also offered babysitting for younger children. We heard that we could get arrested for breaking copyright laws, but since her Dad was a cop and he knew what we were doing, we felt pretty safe. We each made about $7 that day.

what is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?

In 2002 we were invited to a summer birthday party at Rye Playland for a little girl. Aubrey was still nursing, so I found a quiet corner of the Picnic Pavillion to feed her. Laurel and Malcolm came with me...we sat and watched the Go-Carts ~ something that fascinated Malcolm. After a few minutes, he said he wanted to go see Daddy. I watched him walk toward Daddy, and then turned back around with Laurel to watch the cars some more. When Aubrey was done nursing, we walked back to Daddy...but Malcolm was not there.

The Picnic Pavillion was attached to an arcade, so we started the search there...after Park Security was called, the adults in the party spread out and started searching...we were all calling his name. I started to get frantic, thinking of all the horrible people that might want to hurt my boy.

We opened the swing-gate to the pavillion and headed back on the path toward the rides. We had to pass through 2 more gates. He wasn't at the food vendors we passed. He wasn't in the bathrooms. He was standing in line with complete strangers waiting to get on the go-carts. It turns out that the people he was standing with all thought he was with someone else, so nobody thought that he was "missing."

That weekend we bought Malcolm a leash. I had always thought they were cruel...until that summer. Playland was the 2nd time he had escaped from me in less than 2 weeks ~ and I didn't want to lose my adventerous boy!!

this is a picture of Holly "walking" Malcolm to get Laurel from her first day of Pre-K. He was calling out, "Hold on Laurel. I'm coming to get you!"