We have not fallen off the face of the earth....

Things have been so busy around here that I have hardly had time to breathe let alone sit down at the computer and update this.

Just a quick run down of what has been going on around here:

Jake started basketball so that takes up two nights a week with practice. He has played two games and his team has lost both. The first one was pretty sad 40 to 6 was the score. Yeah, we don't talk much about that one. This last week was better - only lost by 5 points. Final score: 19 to 14. I took my camera to the last one to get some pictures but the battery was dead. That has been my luck lately.

Alexis just keeps busy with her normal stuff. Nothing new there.

Sierra is officially a driver (with a learner's permit that is). She is pretty excited about that. Now we just need to get in those driving hours.

We got snow last week but of course it was gone by noon. It doesn't stick around very long.

We have been busy working on Christmas projects and getting ready for the season.

A couple sights from New Mexico

Just thought I would share a quick picture of something that I get to drive by everyday on my way to work. I kept forgetting my camera so I didn't get to take one when the leaves were at their best. But it's still a pretty sight.




Plus this one is so typical for around here. Only the newer neighborhoods have the cluster mail boxes. I love seeing the mailboxes all lined up along the road - like in this picture:

Apple Cider Syrup

One of the things I like about fall is the apples - canning apples, apple pie, and this apple cider syrup. This is from a friend of mine, Katie, who is a great cook. I included it here so you won't have to go find it.

So, stop by her website here and check out all her wonderful recipes. Then, go make some of this today, you won't be disappointed.

Apple Cider Syrup

3/4 cup sugar
1/4/ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups apple juice or cider
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple juice (cider) and lemon juice. Bring to a rapid boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. After use, store refridgerated in a lidded container (canning jar works great). Use within 1 week.

**Try topping with chopped apples and/or pecans.

Balloons Aloft

Yes, it's that time of year again already. I love to see all the balloons up in the air at the same time. Throughout the year it's not uncommon to see a few up every weekend. But who wouldn't love to see this on a daily basis?



This is what we patiently wait for all year long - the skies filled with balloons and the chill in the early morning. Well, ok, maybe we don't wait the for chill but when the balloons are up, we know that fall is here.

A really yummy cake

I don't make this cake very often. In fact, I think it has probably been 10 years since I made it last. I don't know why. I made two this weekend- one to take to a church function and one for the family. It was such a big hit with everyone that I decided to share the recipe:

Pineapple Coconut Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (with pudding)

Mix and bake as directed on box. About 5 minutes before done, boil (1) 20 oz can crushed pineapple & 1 cup sugar for 5 min. Remove cake from oven and poke full of holes. Pour hot pineapple mixture over hot cake. Best to do several hours before planning to serve.

When cooled, mix one large box of instant vanilla pudding as directed. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with coconut. Let set up. Then spread one small carton of Cool Whip over top of pudding . Top with toasted coconut and/or chopped nuts.

Enjoy !

A wall redo

So this is what the hallway looked like before- I know boring:




So I bought a new shelf (Hobby Lobby), painted the picture frames black and added a few accessories that I already had and didn't know what to do with them. What do you think? Any ideas are welcome. I still feel like it needs something just don't know what.

Here is a close-up picture of the shelf. Sorry for the glare.

Meet Sadie...

We recently adopted a new family member. We rescued her from the animal shelter. So far she's been pretty good. Best part.... she doesn't bark.

Jake and Alexis in the kitchen

After church today, Jake and Alexis decided they wanted to make something in the kitchen, so why not start with dessert? Even though it was a box mix it turned out pretty good. I guess a kid has to start somewhere right?


End result:

Lucky for me they both love to be in the kitchen creating.

I'm Back !!!!!

Well we are back in the high-tech world. Gee I can't believe how dependent we get on computers. Anyway, here are a few things we have done in the last month:

Took a road trip to Utah to visit for a week:

Helped Grandpa on the tractor:

Had a wonderful visit with Great-grandma Wright. Doesn't she look great for being 91 years old?

Always a delight to visit with her.

Tried our best to spoil Kaden:

Went to Salem pond and had a great time playing in the water:

Broke the shower door:

And last but not least, decided to paint the computer room and had plenty of help:

School will be starting soon. Hopefully we can get back into the swing of things.

Always nice to get back into a regular routine. Hope your summer has been full of memories, I know ours has.

Still out of commission

Well, my internet is still down. The repair guy came out and said everything was working on the outside of the house, so it must be inside. I'm thinking it's the modem box. I'm suppose to be getting a new one anyday now - if my sweet brother remembered to send it. Hopefully I will be back up and running soon.

Experiencing technical difficulties

I have been having trouble with my internet connection - the guy will be able to fix it on Saturday. Can't do much until then - had to connect from work which I'm not suppose to do.

Please check back later for new updates.

A summer refreshment

I just thought I would share with you our favorite summer drink:

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

2 cups crushed ice
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup water
1 - 16 oz pkg frozen strawberries

Place crushed ice, water & lemonade concentrate in blender. Process until ice is finely blended. Add strawberries and puree until well blended. Tase and adjust flavors if desired.

** Fresh strawberries also work well.
** We like to put ours in the freezer for an hour or so

We hope you enjoy it. Have a great rest of summer.

The stash is no longer

Here is what my stash of fabric has become. I hope to get it quilted soon and get it hung on the wall.

When it's all finished it will have a black on the back as well as the binding. I can't wait until it is completely finished.

A thief in the garden

I recently was noticing that my bean plants were starting to look a little funny. Well, today when I went to check the garden this is what I found:

Notice anything unusual; yes they have lost some of their leaves. Or should I say the rabbits have found how to get inside the fence. Well, I guess you can say that rabbits do like their vegetables. I happened to catch "red handed" but of course didn't have my camera. Well, we have figured out where they were getting in and have fixed that.

I sure hope the leaves come back.

A stash of fabric

I bought this fabric about 1 1/2 years ago with the intention of making something with it. After getting started and then not liking the way it was coming together, I put it away until just recently. I found something new to do with it and am anxious to get started. Check back to see what this stack of fabric becomes.

A little Spring Cleaning

OK - well, maybe it's a lot of spring cleaning. I haven't really deep cleaned my house since we moved in three years ago, so I decided it was definitely time. We have gotten a good start but still have a ways to go. We started with Sierra's room and this is where I sent Alexis to clean - You got it above the closet. She's the only one small enough to get up there.

Treasures in the garden

We got an earlier start on our garden this year (last year it was almost June) and look- I'm already finding treasures...I hope this means that we will have a prosperous season.

I'm hoping these peppers will help give our salsa a real "kick"

Color My World.......Yellow

I love May, even though it always seems to be busy, the world is changing. The trees have leaves and the flowers have blossomed. This month, we focus on the color yellow. I turned the camera over to Jake for him to control. Here is what he found:

I was tagged (a week ago) by my cousin Teresa (who by the way has wonderful ideas) and I am just now finding time to get to it. Sorry..hopefully you will know a little bit more about me by the time you finish ready this.



1.What are your current obsessions?
anything crafty

2. Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Gym shoes

3. What’s for dinner.
Shredded BBQ beef

4. Last thing you bought?
A pair of shorts - summer is coming

5. What are you listening to?
Carl yelling at the kids to "hurry up"

6. Do you have a pet and if not, why not?
A dog - with a disability

7. Favorite holiday spots?
Home with family

8. Reading right now?
Dead on the Dance Floor - Heather Graham

9. 4 words to describe yourself right now.
Busy, Busy, Busy, Busy

10. Guilty pleasure?
Chocolate

11. Who or what makes you laugh until you’re weak?
A good funny movie


12. First spring thing?
New buds on the trees

13. Planning to travel to next?
To Utah - but not until July

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately?
Strawberry, banana and orange smoothie

15. When was the last time you read a bedtime story and what was it?
Don't even remember

16. Favorite ever film?
Don't really have one

17. Care to share some wisdom?
Can't think of anythine right now.

18. Favorite song?
It constantly changes

19. What’s your favorite Flower?
Daisy

Now it's my turn to tag. I tag: Heidi, Lynette, and Martel

Spring has arrived...

Look what I found in my front yard this last weekend. Does this mean spring is here? I sure hope so.

Color my world .... White

Since April's birth stone is a diamond we thought that we should focus on the color white. I turned the camera over to Alexis (with help from Sierra) and sent her on her way to find things that are white. Here is what she came up with:

Happy Birthday Sierra

Fifteen years ago today we welcomed Sierra into this world. I can't believe how the time has flown. It seemed like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.

Happy Birthday!!

Makeover - Part 2

Do you remember this picture? This is what our kitchen was looking like after we painted it right before Christmas.

Well, I'm happy to say that the kitchen is finally done. After living here for almost 3 years, we finally got it to where we want it. This is what it looks like now.

It sure is nice to able to scratch one more thing off the "to do" list. Problem is... for every one we scratch off, we seem to add two more to the bottom. Does it ever end????

Our favorite bread recipe

Just wanted to share our favorite yeast bread recipe with you. I got this from Carl's uncle (who is a great cook). This works up real quick and really does only take 90 minutes from start to finish. If you want a good multi-grain bread- go check out Pam's place.

Ninety Minute Bread (sorry no picture)

(By Jessie Evans Smith – This recipe was Joseph Fielding Smith’s
favorite bread)

4 cups warm water
7 – 8 Cups flour – (I use as much more flour as needed)
4 yeast cakes (4 Tbsp Dry yeast)
4 tsp. Salt
8 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp melted shortening - I like to use butter flavored Crisco

Dissolve yeast in one cup of the warm water with 1 of the Tablespoons of sugar. Mix rest of ingredients. Mix into a soft but not sticky dough. Cut into four pieces and let stand 15 min. Using rolling pin, pound each piece of dough for 1 minute. Form into 4 loaves and put each loaf into a greased bread pan. Let stand 30 minutes. Bake at 400◦ F for 30 minutes.

PS - my pans are the bigger ones so I usually end up with only three loaves. I've also tried it with 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour and it turns out pretty good.

ENJOY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STACY !!!!

OK - so I'm a day late - but better late than never. The day just went by way too fast.

We hope you had a great day.

A Blue Ribbon Finish

Alexis had her first dance competition yesterday at the convention center. She placed 4th place in her age group. She was really scared because she ended up doing it by herself. The girl who was suppose to dance with her broke her leg about three weeks ago so that left her as a soloist. She did really well, however, she forgot some of her steps but like a real trooper just kept on dancing. Here are a couple pictures of her with her 4th place blue ribbon and during her dance- She danced to Happy Birthday Sweet 16

I'm still here...

I know it's been a week since I posted anything but no I haven't fallen off the earth. Things have just been crazy.

Jake finished up his basketball season last saturday. His team finished 1st in the regular season but not so good in the playoffs. After the game it was time to head to his flag football game. Not such a good result there either. Do I dare say that his team has had a perfect season so far - all losses. But he is having a good time.

Alexis has her dance competition this saturday- pictures later. She is a little nervous about the whole thing because she is going to end up doing the dance by herself. The other girl she was suppose to compete with broke her leg a couple weeks ago. I'm sure she will be fine.

The kids have been out of school this week for spring break. They will be home all this week and will head back on Monday.

Between sports and dance practices, church activites and everything else, life is good.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Who doesn't like a little luck? Especially on St. Patrick's Day. We got a head start and tried this Lucky Lime Pie on Sunday. The kids said it was a keeper so I guess we will file this one away for another day. I ended up putting it in the freezer for a little bit and we liked it better frozen. This would be a nice refresher on a hot summer day.

PS - Of course the picture from KSL (where I found the recipe) looks alot better than mine :-)

Do remember my Dick and Jane fabric? Well, here's the results. What do you think?