It Was A Monster Smash--Halloween 2009

First we went to the ward Trunk or Treat night. It was a yummy chili cook off. Some of the chilis were really hot, one was green ( not a lot of consumption on that one), and the one I ate was just right. Then because it was really really raining, we had Trunk or Treat in the hall and Primary room. I heard some families put the candy their kids got that night into a basket to hand out to Trick or Treaters the next night on Halloween. Halloween morning found us outside of Bloomington at a soccer team mate's house of Eli's. They invited the team to come out for some fun. They had toys and candy in the yard to look for and pin ball machines that didn't require quarters to play and lots of good food. We enjoyed meeting new people!
That afternoon we had a hot dog barbecue with all the neighbors and then the kids started Trick or Treating. Eli had it down! He ran ahead as we walked along and quickly amassed a small fortune in goodies. On Sunday we took Eli for a walk while Sharon was napping to a wonderful park nearby where he collected fossils. We found a lot of geodes. We looked a little out of place with our Sunday clothes but we look the same when we go out in Utah too. It was a wonderful time to visit with the kids and grandkids and we really enjoy Bloomington.

It's a Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood...

Saturday was a special time as we remembered Bryce coming home from Africa one year ago. We had his first "son" in missionary terms that he trained come with his dad to visit and talk about South Africa. Jared lives in the other "Fork" in Utah not far from my mom. He looks alot like Bryce only shorter. We had fun seeing his pictures. My favorite part was telling stories that Bryce had written in his journals and Jared being able to say...I was there! He knew so much and was able to tell us many things. I loved it. Sunday was a busy day as my Primary class had Sharing Time. We talked about families being ordained of God and how important families are to us. My students told why they thought families were important and what they liked to do with their families. The main theme over and over was how nice it was to always have someone to do things with. Love it. In Sacrament meeting we had an Elder speak before leaving for his mission. His family has not been coming to church until the past 3 years where Nathan has been a catalyst for his family to return to the temple and for him to prepare for a mission. The High Councilman that spoke afterwards challenged all of Nate's friends that were not preparing to serve a mission to rethink their lives and do what needed to be done so they could serve. It was inspired and touched all present. So Kim came home before it was dark and we headed to Hobble Creek to take a nice walk and see the colors. They were everywhere. It felt so good to be outside and to enjoy the fall weather.

Bailing Brooke Out

My mom and Brooke came on Wednesday to can applesauce. It was a great day to be indoors as it rained most of the day. Brooke had an event that evening where she was supposed to bring refreshments. She brought her cupcakes to show us and sadly I didn't take a picture but just looked at them and wondered what she forgot. After spending the day canning, I decided we had better try a new recipe and make something better to take. We found a yummy sounding recipe that used a brownie mix and mint patties. We didn't have mint patties so we made German Chocolate cake frosting with pecans and coconut. You put the frosting in the middle of the cupcake and use some for the frosting on top. I must say in my book, these are winners. They were even better the next day. YUM!

You should all read this book!

I don't know why it's showing blue, it's really a yellow cover. But that's beside the point :) My friend Jennifer was in a car accident several years ago and suffered a brain injury. She wrote this book about her experiences and I think it's a must read for everyone! It really helped me look at what life has dealt me, and realize that what happens to me really isn't that important. We all need to learn to deal with what we have been dealt, and be happy. It's a no brainer, but positive thinking is the only way to go :) Anyways, this book helped me evaluate my attitude and readjust my thinking about life. It's a quick read (probably about 2-3 hours) and definitely worth your time! I borrowed it from my friend, but it's available on amazon.com and it's called "The Smile on my Forehead," by Jennifer Mosher.

Fall Leaves?

On Saturday Whit and I drove up to Monte Cristo to see the fall leaves. I was so looking forward to our outing, I have heard that the leaves up there are gorgeous. Well, this is what we got! Snow, 30 degree weather, and a fierce wind. So Whit was a trooper and made the dutch oven stew while I hung out in the truck with blankets. He would come in to visit in between stirrings and taste testing. When it was finished, he dished it up and brought it to me and we ate it in the truck. It was quite the adventure. We sure laughed a lot and had a great time. Next year we'll just have to plan to head up there a bit earlier in the season. Live and learn I guess!

New Recipe--Cookie Dough Cupcake

After a grueling day of working in the yard to winterize and shaking the bees down into the main hive for the winter, we decided to try a new recipe. McKay was not impressed but after the cupcakes set up and we ate them today, we decided that this was a nice change from the typical cupcake.
Here is the recipe for any wishing to try something yummily new:
1 1/2 C all purpose flour ( I used whole wheat)
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C butter, softened
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
2 t vanilla
1 C semisweet choc chips ( miniature preferred)
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt
Set aside
Beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with mixer in large bowl until smooth.
Add 1 egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour until just incorporated and then the choc chips to combine. Form the dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid--about 2 hours. ( I didn't do this...too much time)
Prehaeat oven to 350. Line muffin cups with paper lines.
Beat 3 eggs and add yellow cake mix ( I did white with sprinkles)
Add 1 1/3 C water, 1/3 C oil and beat for 2 min. on medium speed. Spoon into prepared cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.
Bake in preheated oven until cake portion come clean...about 20 min.
Cool in pans for 10 min. before removing to cool
Frost with butter cream frosting.
Bon Apetite!

Tyler's birthday

Today I have meetings all day so we celebrated yesterday. Here is some of what we did...