West Coast Shorter Wife

The little gal from Montana, Sylvie Coston, that lived with us this winter makes about every potato dish possible.  She stayed with our family while skiing for Mission Ridge Ski Team to pursue her dreams.  Sylvie makes a mean Au Gratin Potato dish passed down from the ladies in her family that I...
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Do you ever have those days (or weeks) when you feel overwhelmed by being a mom and having to juggle it all? Sometimes I feel that way.  Right now for me the big stress is toilet training.  My son, Carl, is 3 years and 9 months.  We have been hitting toilet training hard since he turned 3 years ...
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"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman." - Coco Chanel Having basic items that pair well with your outfits make it a lot easier and stress free to get ready in the morning.  It is important to have items that coordinate - that way you can use pi...
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My mom always made this cucumber salad growing up.  It is a really yummy, a healthy side on hot summer nights that pairs well with any grilled meat.  My dad would make BBQ chicken with so much sauce on it the sugars would caramelize - he would brush layers and layers on while grilling.  So for ...
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I love to make a naked potato salad to pair with salmon, venison or flank steak for summer dinners. My mom, Cecelia Otto, taught me this recipe - it is easy and fast.  I love how light it is unlike a traditional potato salad it is made with olive oil instead of mayonnaise. Ingredients: - green...
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Dear Friends, Mother's day is THIS Sunday, May 10th. I did not understand the power of Mother's Day until I had my son, Carl Shorter. Once I was pregnant, and when he was born, I was overcome with emotion and respect as I began to understand what mothers go through for their children. Carl was ...
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My mother-in-law, Mari Shorter, is out visiting us this week so we teamed up today to share some table setting ideas.  I have found that many people are not learning how to set a table properly before entering the adult world.  It is a good skill to have when entertaining or helping a...
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If you know my mother-in-law, Mari, you know that she knows all things about proper house keeping and entertaining. This is something I really admire and strive towards. Mari just showed me a great trick on how to fold a napkin so you can grab the corner, lift it up and spread it across yo...
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For the past 6 months we have had 4 teens ages 17 to 19 living with us.  So our little family of 3 has been a big family of 7 all winter.  The kids are each from different states: Montana, Utah, Michigan and Washington - all with one thing in common - the pursuit of excellence through ski racing...
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I love old fashioned customer service. There is something about feeling like someone wants to help make your life easier. I often have wedding, shower, birthday, teacher, just-because and the list goes on gifts to give - my go to move is to call Grandpa Shorter's.  I really enjoy callin...
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