Life Long Friend

This is my 4th Birthday Party.  I am in the middle with the
patchwork dress on. Stacy is in the green dress with pigtails.

Some people are lucky enough to have a life long friend.  I am one of those people.  Stacy Miner Pratt and I have been friends ever since we were 4 years old.  I have always called her "Red." She is a red head, but recently went blonde.  I love her with either hair color.  But, I still call her Red.

Stacy Miner Pratt

Most of my memories from childhood involve Red. We are both the youngest in our families and we spent a lot of time together.  One of my earliest memories is Stacy and I going to her Grandma's farm and picking Corn on the Cob.  We would then put the husks of corn in a little red wagon and go door to door in our neighborhood selling the corn.  Who could resist two cute little girls selling corn from a little red wagon? I'm sure we made a fortune.  We had so much fun playing at both of her Grandma's House.  Grandma Helen's house was on a farm and it had a great barn.  We would spend hours out in the barn climbing in the rafters and swinging on the rope swing.  Grandma Helen made one of my favorite things, Chocolate Sour Dough Cake.  I can still picture sitting in her little kitchen eating that cake.  I can even smell the smells of her kitchen and picture the paint colors as I write this. Grandma Harriet had a pool table at her house and we would sharpen our pool skills there! Stacy's family has a ranch up Spanish Fork Canyon.  I would go with the Miner family quite often.  Some of the memories on the ranch involve riding three wheelers, wrecking a three wheeler into a bunch of thistle and having Red pull the thistle out of my backside, riding on the three wheelers and pushing over hay bales so they would be easier for the boys to pick up, riding down the canyon in the back of a pickup,  catching frogs at either the upper or lower ponds, cutting firewood,  swimming at Clayson's pond, having to use the outhouse (scary), shooting pot guts with our bb guns, tying quilts,  Red almost dying when she fell out of the back of the truck but somehow was able to grab on to the tailgate ( she is very athletic and everything turned out fine),  eventually being old enough to take dates to the ranch, being scared out of our wits at the ranch by a group of young men, laying out on the upstairs deck, playing cards, riding horses with our husbands when we were both first married and thinking I might die on Shooter the race horse that took off across Spanky's flat!  It was so much fun at the ranch. That place created the most amazing memories for me, I can't believe we survived some of them.  I wouldn't have had them if Red wasn't my friend.  I will be forever grateful to her and her family for letting me play! I have laughed out loud and teared up a little while writing this.  I can't believe how lucky I was to have a childhood with such a friend.

Stacy is the kind of person that isn't afraid of much. In high school she would hook up the snowmobile trailer all by herself, load up the snowmobiles and take us snowmobiling up to the ranch.  She didn't need any help from her dad or brothers.  Our sophomore year of college Stacy took off for New York City to work as a paralegal.  She spent a year working and living in The Big Apple. No big deal for Red.  After all, she  saved herself from falling out of the back of a moving truck. I think she would have made a great stunt actor!  This past year Stacy has opened up her own clothing store called Big Bratt Boutique.  It is a darling store on Spanish Fork Main Street.  She has made a success of this store because she is not afraid to succeed. Red is one of the hardest working people you will meet.  She is a goer and always has something going.  I used to tease her that she would wake up in the middle of the night stirring and mixing with a pretend bowl and spoon! I have always been in awe of her energy.

Red at her store-Big Bratt Boutique

Red married Casey Pratt.  They are the parents of three beautiful and talented daughters.  Stacy has a wonderful home.  You could drive there today and I bet she would feed you.  Red is an incredible cook and can feed an army without batting an eye.  She is just one of those talented people that could do most anything.  She can sew, paint, create, organize, play the piano, cook, play just about any sport, run a business, cook, raise three daughters,   Did I mention that she can cook?  Stacy is an amazing cook.  The Pratts  have quite a few visitors to their home and there always seems to be enough food to feed everyone!  She can cook anything.  The recipe she choose for The Good Blog is a simple recipe but so, so yummy. She says this is her most requested recipe.  It is almost as good as Grandma Helen's Chocolate Sour Dough Cake!

Sausage Dip

Brown Sausage

Add Salsa Verde-Let simmer for 20 min.

Add 1 Cup Sour Cream and Block of Cream Cheese

Serve Warm with Tortilla Chips- It is delicious.
As Steve and I were eating it we both said it reminded us
of Stacy and Casey's first little kitchen in Brookside!

Stacy's book she wanted to put on The Good Blog is
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
I haven't read this.  It looks good and I am excited for a new book to read!

Thanks Red for being on The Good Blog.  I have loved going back down memory lane.

I will be forever grateful for our friendship!  You know I left quite a few stories out.  We will have to go to lunch to laugh and cry about those stories!  I also refrained from putting some of our awesome high school pictures on!  Some were very tempting.  You are the best life long friend a girl could ask for!

Love ya, Molly