TRICK or TREAT

While we were in Illinois a couple weeks ago, my sister made some vinyl letters for me. Our neighbor Jason cut some blocks for us. Thanks Jason. This weekend I painted them. Here's the finished product. I especially love the spider and pumpkin. I can't decide which way I like them set up, I am leaning to just the one row, but let me know what you guys think.

He's Got My Vote!!!

Have you ever seen one of these?

This last weekend we were able to go out and visit my sister in Effingham, Illinois. My nephew, Spencer was baptized-we are so glad you made this choice in your life and so proud of you. We had so much fun hanging out with family.(Thanks again Krista for the plane tickets-you are great) While we were there, my sister showed us a mushroom that she has in her backyard. I don't know about you, but none of us had ever seen a mushroom like this in real life. We have just seen cartoon drawings that look like this. To be honest...I didn't think they were real. Check this out. We also helped to dig a couple of window wells. They are going to grade(I think that is what it's called) my sister's backyard today, and she needed to have the window wells in place before they came. I know, I have great shoes for shoveling, but it was flip flops or my new white tennis shoes.

Mom and me

My cute sister, Denise

I just thought this next picture was so cute. My niece and nephews love Night at the Museum, so Patrick brought it along for them to watch. This was the second time that day, and Patrick was plum tuckered! We had a really good time. Thanks for letting us come and stay with you Denise and Scott.

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Two weekends ago we spent some time at my parents house. We went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple on Saturday morning. It was so beautiful. That is the very first temple I went to, and it was fun to go back. We also tried some new recipes

Luscious Lemon Fruit Dip

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups heavy shipping cream, whipped
• Fresh Fruit

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-hgih heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes onger. Remove form the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentl boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Cover surface with waxed paper and refrigerate until cooled. Fold in whipped cream. Yield 5 cups.

Cherry-Chicken Salad Croissants

• 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2/3 cup dried cherries-I used craisens
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped apple
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons buttermilk-I used regular milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• croissants

Combine chicken, cherries, celery, apple and pecans. Combine mayo, milk, salt and pepper. Add to chicken mixture and mix well. Spoon into croissants. Makes 7 sandwiches.

Russian Cream

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 10 oz frozen raspberries, thawed

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 min. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside. In another saucepan, heat whipping cream and sugar over meium heat until sugar is dissovled and mixture is lukewarm. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. In each of four parfait glasses, place a scant(that is my new favorite word) 1/4 cup of cream mixture; top each with a rounded tablespoonful of raspberries. Repeat layers. Top each witha scant 1/4 cup cream mixture. Cover and refridgerated for 3 yhours or until set. Just before serving, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint if desired. Yield 4 servings. I really enjoy trying new recipes, especially with my mom because I know she enjoys it too. We had a great weekend. The three recipes were from the Taste of Home Magazine.

Snug as a Bug!

A couple days ago, it was pretty cold outside. I decided to bring my big fluffy down blanket downstairs. I left the room for a few minutes and came back to find this. He is definately snug as a bug in a rug. I just thought he was so cute and had to take a picture.

Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

On August 4th we set out for our summer vacation to Yellowstone National Park. We actually just kind of picked and left one day with only a few preparations behind us. We camped just outside of West Yellowstone in a KOA where there warned us constantly that we could be dead at any moment at the hands of a bear. It was surprisingly really nice because there were showers and bathrooms! After setting up camp and building an anti-bear environment we started our search for great scenery, adventure, and animals. Here's what we found: 1st Day: Geysers and Mudpots

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At every entrance to a geyser or paint pot there was a sign posted warning parents to watch their children and to keep off the hotspots. We couldn't help but laugh at the sign though. The following picture is just plain funny. It's definitely a clear warning that death looms for the disobedient. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Perfect Smores We discovered some information right before we left on our trip that has led us to the path of the perfect smore. The discovery is that of the chocolate marshmallow (chocomallow)! When in proper use with the fudge shoppe cookie the chocomallow can create amazing sensations in one's mouth. Here's a quick model for proper usage. mmm! mmm! Good! In this next picture Nicky was done with pictures being taken of her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Day:Little Grand Canyon and Lots of waterfalls

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Elephant Graveyard While visiting one of the paint pots, Nicky noticed that there were a plethora of dead trees that were plastered on the neighboring hill. She quickly referred to them as an elephant graveyard like the one Lion King. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jenny Lake and the Bar J Wranglers I need to thank Spencer Holmgren who was insistent that we visit a place just outside the south entrance of Yellowstone called Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake sits right at the base of the towering Teton Mountains. There were a lot of activities offered there but the hike to the waterfall caught our fancy and we indulged. Well worth it! We then visited the Bar-J Ranch which is always a good time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only bear we saw the whole trip Although Nicky didn't get to see a bear or moose we still enjoyed the trip. It's was a nice excursion away from civilization and to view some of this beautiful country around us.

Projects! Projects! Projects!

A few weekends ago while I was home visiting my parents, my mom and I made some bird baths. My Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Gene showed my mom these and we had to try it ourselves. First you take a really large leaf(we used rhubarb leaves). Then you make a cement mixture with less water than you would use for normal cement. On top of a table that you don't care about you dump out a bag of sand. Place a large garbage bag on the sand. Then arrange the leaf on top of the garbage bag/sand, this gives the bird bath depth. The cement goes right on top making sure to have it cover the entire leaf with no wholes. It needs to be pretty thick. Ours is between 1/2 and 1 inch think. You have to let it dry for a few days. After that you can turn over the cement and remove any pieces of leaf that may be stuck in the crevice. My mom painted the leaves(I am not sure with what), it has to dry again. Before you seal the leaves it needs to sit for about two weeks. Last time I was home we sealed the leaves with 3 coats, top and bottom. Here are the finished products. I love it! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week I spent a couple of days at my parents house. My parents have always had a fluorescent light in their kitchen that is not really very pretty-you can see the rectangular area of different colored paint where the light was. One of the bulbs burned out and my brothers were going to fix it before they left. Eric is a carpenter and Gary is and electrician, they decided they would redo the lights in my moms kitchen-something she has wanted done for a long time. Here's a picture. They did almost the whole thing in a couple of hours. All that is left is one light(the pipes need to be moved first), and painting the ceiling. I had to leave before they finished, but I will put another picture later on. Doesn't it look great!?!

This one's funny too!

Sorry for another clip, but we really liked this one too.

Need a Good Laugh?!?!

Short, but not too Short

I finally did it. I have been thinking for a very long time about cutting my hair, and today I got the guts and chopped it all off. Nine inches later, and here's what I look like.

Nothing New

I know I haven't posted anything lately and believe me I have been hearing it from everyone:) The reason is just because we haven't really done anything out of the ordinary lately. So, here are a couple of yummy dinners we have made. Salmon We were shopping the other day and they had fresh salmon on sale. I have never ever cooked salmon, but decided to give it a try. Thanks to our great neighbors, I got a really good recipe for grilled salmon. Lemon Grilled Salmon 3/4 tsp dill weed 1/2 tsp lemon pepper 3/4 tsp garlic salt 1/4 cup brown sugar 3 Tbsp chicken broth 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 Tbsp soy sauce Juice of 1 lemon Put Salmon in glass pan, sprinkle dill weed, lemon pepper and garlic salt on top. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over. Refrigerate over night. Grill time depends on size of salmon. Steak and Potato Kabobs 1 boneless beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick 1/4 cup bottled red wine vinegar and oil salad dressing 2 Tbsp snipped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp garlic powder 2 medium green peppers, cut 1 inch pieces 1 medium red onion, cut into wedges 1/2 or a 20 ounce package refrigerated potato wedges-about 32 wedges For Marinade: Mix together-salad dressing, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder Marinate in fridge 4-6 hours Put kabobs together leaving 1/4 inch between pieces. Grill kabobs over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side. Half way through grilling brush with left over marinade. Makes 10 skewers. Well, that is all for now. Hope you enjoy these delicious recipes.

Murder Mystery Dinner Party!

I know, I know, it's been awhile since my last post. A few weeks ago we were invited to a 70's themed dinner party called "Stayin' Alive, Disco Fever." Patrick was Bruce Leap...aaaiiieeeee!!! I went as Liza M...the famous broadway actress Brad & Katie, the notorious painter Andy Warthog and Gloria Stunnem...aka Jimmy The Hosts: Jason & Michelle, John Revolting the disco star and Diane the lip-syncing singer Can you guess who the murderer is... We had a great time at the murder dinner party and can't wait to do another one. Thanks Jason and Michelle.

The Golden Glove

I don't usually post things but I had to brag about my wife for a second. We've started playing in a co-ed softball league for Logan City and it has been a lot of fun. Nicky played softball growing up but likes to pretend that she isn't good. Don't let her fool you. Tonight she was playing 2nd Base when this monster of a man came up to bat. I shall call him 'Godzilla'. Godzilla had all ready scored twice and had done so by hitting the ball so hard that I was waiting for the skin to come off the ball like on Sandlot (I can't post a blog without mentioning a movie). Anyway, Godzilla hits this ball at Mach 3 speed directly at my precious wife. Much to our disbelief, Nicky reaches out across her body and the ball smashes into her glove releasing a cloud of dirt. Godzilla couldn't believe it. If that wasn't cool enough, she then quickly throws it back to first base for the double play. It was amazing. The only other time I've seen a catch like that is in Major League Baseball. She definilty has the play of the game. Reason number 1,205,201 why I love her!

Mom's are great!

A couple of weeks ago we went down to visit our families for Mother's Day. We spent Saturday at my parents house. My mom and I decided to go to 'The Holy Cow Boutique.' We found a really great sign that says Spring. I love the bright colors, it really makes it feel like Spring, even if it isn't quite like that in Logan yet. I had such a great time hanging out with my mom. Patrick says all the time that we are so much alike and I am really glad for that. I love hanging out with my mom because we like to do many of the same things. I know that she will always have the answer and she is there to listen to me...even when I have nothing to say. I love you more than...

Kung Fu Panda

We just watched this clip and thought it was pretty funny...enjoy!

Good Times at Work!

We always have fun times at work, but Friday was a little different. Dale and Dusti were cleaing up some items in a field behind the building I work in when Dale found a lovely garden snake. Thinking he could come in and scare all of us girls, he brought it in...little did he know we would all be fine and even want to hold it. It was nice to have a little break from actually "working" and play around. Here's a picture of me...thanks Krista for having your camera all ready:)