Utah Republican Party!

Yep, It was a party. DH and I took three of our dd's uptown to the campaign headquarters to mingle with the excitement. We arrived there with the momentum headed Gov. Romney's way and then walked out with a Pres. Obama guaranteed win.  We enjoyed seeing neighbors there and visiting with some in the political circles. (The cookies and nachos were a hit too.) One nice guy, we assume was a lobbiest, took time to explain campaign strategies and battleground state thinking with the girls. Excitement was there as each state was projected Romney territory but soon the party went somber as Ohio was announced for Obama.  Sad night!!!

Grateful Days-Music

     My Musing on Music
   
     This time of the year comes daylight savings time, yard work and music recitals. All teachers want to showcase their groups before the big Christmas concerts start.  This year we only had two concerts to attend. #3dd's was two weeks ago and #5dd's was last week. I continue to be so impressed by the talents of the choral teachers.  Of course, I am grateful in knowing my girls are in good hands and really enjoying singing like I did when I was their age.  I am grateful that my parents never discouraged me to sing. I am so grateful mom allowed me to take voice lessons. My choir teachers were so wonderful. It is so true that those we interact with become apart of who we are and what we become.  I remember having many inspiring experiences with choir groups.


Concert Choir- with #5



     Something should be said right here about piano lessons. Yep, I did that too....just yesterday I was the accompanist for primary. I have been substituting  for awhile until they find someone permanently. While I was playing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission," I thought about the blessings I have been given, using my talents in this way.  I love the way I can be thinking about the words, feel the spirit and listen to the kids sing while my hands move over the piano as if I had the music memorized.

      Next, just want you to know that I turned my radio on the other day and  Christmas songs are now playing 24/7 on a local station.  It's funny how certain songs bring back so many memories. One in particular, I remember playing Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" record album on Grandma's big white record player. I remember Gene Autry's "Rudolph" album and Christmas with the Chipmunks. When on my mission, mom and dad sent me a tape of our family favorites. Our most favorite was Charley Pride's "Christmas in my Hometown" album.  That album brings back memories of decorating the tree and wrapping presents....enough musings for now...........
      Today, I am thankful for music!

Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween Everyone!
 

In our area, we heard that Halloween night would be the hottest ever on record...weird! It was. With it being so warm, I went out and purchased more bags of candy for the trick-or-treaters. The amounts of kids at our door didn't change. If anything, there were less. One small bag of candy would have handled the crowd. Monday night, we had a birthday bash for my dear #3's 18th birthday. We all dressed up and ate a wonderful dinner. DH took any of the kids that wanted to go, to a local haunted house. Meanwhile the faint of heart stayed home and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  After returning, we all carved our pumpkins to scary music wafting in the background.

Here are pictures of my girls! Cute!!!


Ketchup, Teresa Caputo, Cowgirl and Princess



Fall Vacation!

Our fall getaway this year was to Las Vegas! We haven't been there in quite awhile so we decided to drive down with dh's brother and sister-in-law.  They were so kind to let our whole family tag along while he took care of some work related meetings. We checked into the Westin Resort, just outside of Las Vegas in Henderson, and we felt like royalty. There were kyacks, paddle boats, a beach, pools and so much more.

It felt like we were at an exotic location because of the palm trees, blue skies and warm weather. (Of course, we just had to discover the local quilt stores for the local slant on some creativity.)  We took time to go to the strip one of the evenings to see the water show at the Bellagio. We also took pictures at the popular "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign where we spotted Elvis getting ready to serenade a couple that just got married right there under the sign.

We assumed that there may be some issues with being on the strip but it wasn't as bad as we thought.



The Bellagio fountains



 My favorite part of the trip was walking around the Las Vegas temple. It was so beautiful! I think I was expecting a southwest/desert feeling but it was so white against the sand colored homes around it. One could certainly feel the spirit there as we walked around the perimeter of the grounds. What a stark contrast to what lay a few miles away on the strip.

Las Vegas Temple

Homecoming Dance

One evening, a few weeks ago #4 dd answered the door after the doorbell had rang. There it was; an invitation to Homecoming. Screaming and jumping up and down could be seen and heard inside the house after the door was shut......There was honey dripping on a paper plate and a card that asked her to the dance. She, of course, said "Yes!" right back in a cute way. This was her first date after turning Sweet 16! She had a great time!  My kids are growing up way too fast!

ENGAGED!

It's Official! I'm gonna be a mother-in-law. I am so very excited that my sweetheart met his sweetheart and they are going to be a new forever family. Both sides of the family met at Leatherby's for ice cream, he dropped to his knees and proposed. You will just have to read all about it on her blog:tiffsmomentsinlife.blogspot.com. She wrote a cute entry about the fun night.

Roamin' Wyoming

Got back last week from Wyoming. The fam had a fantastic time. I didn't want to come home. I LOVE being in Wyoming.  Grandpa and #3 had a bear walk right in front of them at the Colter Bay Campground visitors center. While setting up our tent, the ranger told us of a  bear sighted in our unit just twenty minutes before we got there. I lay my head on my pillow that night with faith that we would be safe. Needless to say, Gr and Gr had their doors closed on their van where they were sleeping.

    One of the evenings, we went to the Bar J Chuckwagon. We were there for a dinner and show. We were not disappointed!  Our family always enjoys going there and singing along.

    On one of the days, we drove the lower loop of the park. A bison walked way too close for comfort right next to our truck. They are huge, but man, they can really move out when they want. Maybe it was just me, but I thought the attractions were not as active as I thought they were when we were younger.

    We drove to Garden City towards the end of the week to be at Raspberry Days. We went to the Pickleville Playhouse one evening to see "The Hanging of El Bandito". It was hilarious!  Of course, we had to see the parade, the craft fair and get a raspberry shake. 

    Being with family was the best part of the week! So much fun!

  

A Hello and Goodbye Month

Wow, This month has zipped by way too fast!  First things first!  Happy SWEET 16 to my sweet number 4 kiddo. We were going to have a plan to take her and her friends tubing but all of her friends are working and have many things going on in their lives to get together.:(    She wanted Hawaiian haystacks for dinner and a fancy lemon cake for dessert. 

    We have been on some quickie trips around Utah and stayed in forest service cabins here and there. My dh has taken pity on me several times to let me rest my head a little more often on a real bed and not the ground.

     While up at Hyrum Lake, we heard that Grandma B had been taken to the hospital. We packed things up quickly and drove home. We spent much of the night at the hospital and then she died the next afternoon. It was a surreal experience for all of us. A few days later was her funeral. All of our neighbors were so kind to us during that time. DH did a beautiful job with all the preparations and speaking at the funeral.

     We went to her home last night to make sure everything was out of her refrigerator and cupboards that were perishable. It was so strange not to have her wobble around the corner of the front room and say hi to us. It still had her smell, her sweaters hanging in the closet and her cute little purse still where she left it. I will miss going over and taking her out for lunch or going on an ice cream run. She was very kind to me and I miss her terribly.

      On a lighter note, my three sweeties and I just got back from girl's camp last week. I was in charge of the crafts and spoke at one of the morning devotionals. I have never laughed so much in such a long time. We made new friends and strengthened the friendships of others. I was renewed and refreshed.

Missionary is Home!

What an awesome experience. I was so thrilled to finally see him face to face. Two years went really fast for us. The times when it slowed the most was during holiday times. Looking back, there were a lot of things that happened while he was gone.
   It was funny that we drove into the driveway from the airport and told him we wanted to take him out to eat for his first lunch back. He asked us if we could just stay home and eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches with milk. He said that he really missed them. Note to self:  return to buying an additional two gallons each time we go to the store. 

   Yesterday we went to buy him some new clothes and toiletry items. He was shocked at the lack of fruits and veggies in the grocery store. Much of his food on the mission was fruit.  He loves to talk with anyone remotely looking latino. He still can't get used to the airconditioning. Tomorrow we will zoom up to the University and check on a place to live and get registered for classes.  I won't say too much more here because my dd echoed much of my feelings about his return on her blog. (cupcakes&jellybeans) We had a great homecoming party for him on Saturday night and a very nice report of his mission on Sunday...so grateful for everyone that sacrificed to drive long distances to come. Families Are Forever!

Our Missionary!

FOUR MORE DAYS!   We can't hardly wait to kiss his neck! What a great time for all of us. Lots to do before he comes down the escalator. We have been preparing all month. We are thrilled to see all the relatives and friends this weekend. More pictures to come so stay tuned.

A Great Getaway

Last week my dh and I went to Island Park for a few days with a few of his co-workers. The boss rented a beautiful cabin/mansion there. Every day we set off on a four-wheel adventure to somewhere. Unfortunately, many of the trails were snowed over or washed out. It was still fun! The best part of the trip was when we hopped into some canoes and floated down the river. Many parts of the stream were so shallow, dh had to get out and push us out of the rocks. We saw four moose grazing on the side of the bank and they allowed us to get quite close. It was a great few days to relax. It is so beautiful up there in the Yellowstone area, wished we lived closer to take advantage of it more.

Happy Graduate!

Our sweet #2 just graduated from the small college in the southland. She is so excited that her general ed. requirements are fulfilled. She can now get down to business, so to speak! She is headed to that dairy capitol university up north, in August. For now, we wish her a fun summer. We are happy to see her excell!

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday this year was a total blast! The fam took me uptown to a wonderful bakery/deli named Gormandise. I had a very wonderful berry salad, the others had paninis. Fresh berries...a total nutritional shock to my system. We then headed over to the local Smiths grocery and we splurged on some ice cream and my favorite moist chocolate cake. This picture is of us girls goofing off in the hat section, on the second floor of the marketplace.

Holy Cow!

The great "opening" of missionary papers is the funnest time ever! Our sweet cousin will be turning the magical age of 19 in a week and will be headed off on a wild two year adventure!
Wait for it....
The India Bangalore mission!!!How exciting is that!! The look on his face is priceless. We wish him the very best on this new journey. Love You!!

Friday Favorite

For today's favorite, I have been watching all over quilt-blog land the little house block frenzy. I discovered the blog for the quilter that started the pattern. She quit emailing everyone the pattern so it has to be purchased. I asked my computer literate daughter to make me a paper piece pattern just by looking at the block. She made it look just the same. I made one....wow....is it ever small! Three inch blocks....It is cute but I don't really want to make 365 of them like many in blogland are doing. Here is a picture from one of the blogs. It is a work in progress from Annette at sunshineyellow-stitches.blogspot.com....Darling huh! I love putting cute little images in the windows.

Friday Favorite

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Friday favorite

Super Easy Microwave Caramels
adapted from: A Pretty Cool Life


5 Tbl. butter
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 oz. sweetened condensed milk (about 1/4 cup + 2 Tbl.)


Put all ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Spray an 8''x8'' dish with cooking spray and pour mixture in. Let cool and cut. Wrap in wax paper.


Jenn's Notes: Seriously AMAZING! Eventually it will spread (it takes quite awhile for this to happen). If you individually wrap them and are planning on taking them somewhere, I would keep them in the fridge and bring to room temperature just before serving. They will hold their shape for several hours, before they start to flatten.

Friday Favorite

I went to buy groceries at WinCo this afternoon. While bagging my groceries, a nice woman was bagging her things across from me. I noticed she had a mondo bag of Rice Krispies and several bags of marshmallows. She said that I just had to get on a website named cookingclassy.blogspot.com and look at a Rice Krispie recipe. It uses one pouch of the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix. She says it's divine! SO....I am totally going to try this recipe out and make them for my sweeties on Valentine's Day. TGIF!

Sugar Cookie Rice Krispie Treats


Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 (10.5 oz) pkg miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix (unprepared)
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1 Recipe Sugar Cookie Frosting, recipe follows
Sprinkles (optional)


Directions:
Butter a 9 x 13 dish, set aside. Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in salt. Add marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in Sugar Cookie Mix. Fold in Rice Krispies Cereal and stir until evenly coated. Pour mixture into buttered dish. Using a buttered spatula, spread mixture evenly into pan. Allow to cool slightly, about 2 minutes, then cut into 12 squares. Using your hands, round edges of squares by cupping your hands and gently pressing on corners (I also flattened them a bit but not necessary). Frost each "cookie" with Sugar Cookie Frosting and sprinkle with optional sprinkles. Store in an airtight container.


Sugar Cookie Frosting


Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch salt
2 cups powdered sugar
Food coloring (optional)


Directions:
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together butter, milk, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar until fluffy and smooth about one minute. Mix in several drops optional food coloring, stir until well blended

Goodbye to Grandma

It happens so fast. You are here one minute and then gone. It has been a whirlwind of a week. I am so grateful to have known her!
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own; the cars...the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
--Linda Ellis
>

WE LOVE YOU! It is always a good feeling knowing we will be together again. We will think of her often with special thoughts of fun times and wonderful examples of courage and service.

Friday Favorite

I serve this at our Christmas brunch. I rarely get a spoonful. So yummy! It doesn't have to be Christmas to make it!

Chocolate Cloud Trifle
1 Box Chocolate Brownie Mix
1 6 oz. Box instant chocolate pudding
2 containers of Cool Whip (thawed)
2-3 Heath Bars (crushed up)Holiday time may have bags of crushed bars.

Make brownies according to instructions on box. Cool completely and into squares. Make chocolate pudding according to instructions on box.

In a tall trifle-style glass bowl, make a layer of brownies on the bottom, then layer with about 1/3 of the pudding, sprinkle on some of the crushed Heath Bars. Layer about 1/3 of the cool whip. Again sprinkle with some crushed Heath Bars. Repeat layers until the bowl is full up to the top. Top with the remaining Heath Bar crumbles.


You should get the first spoonful because it is guaranteed not to last long.

Favorites on Friday

While waiting to be invited on Pinterest, (been waiting for months) I thought I would just post my own favorite thing on Fridays. Today my favorite thing is Pam Kitty Morning fabric. The designer's name is Pam Vieira McGinnis. The line is from Lakehouse fabrics. I am so excited to have this yummy fabric in my stash. It will have to be an awefully cute pattern before I cut into these! Saw these cute ditties for inspiration. If I were to create my own fabric line, this would be it!

Get out of the Smog!

My sweet dh asked me to take a quick trip with him to Cortez, Colorado. It was to take some"body" to their final resting place. I don't think I was much company, for I slept much of the way! We thought about touring Mesa Verde this morning but decided to drive down again with family to experience the ruins later this year. It was so good to get in a good breath of fresh air for a change.

177 DAYS

I haven't put the Christmas decor away yet. I am stalling! I love Christmas decorations. I think the other reason is because I have nothing cute to put in the place of nativities. I wait as long as possible and then I can put up valentine cutesie.
I went to the dollar store today to buy son's b-day box items. I picked up some birthday decorations, pepperoni, reeses peanut butter cups and I just happened to see the cutest valentine window clings. Went to costco and had Christmas photos developed to send. Zoomed home and made up his box, zipped to neighborhood grocery store and thankfully they have a post office. Got the birthday sent...yippee! I realized that this just may be the last box I send to South America...very happy about that as I watched her stuff the box into the post bag in the back. I said a quick prayer that it would make it there safely. It has new shoes and shirts; essential for the hard work he will be doing for the next 177 days.