Happy Halloween!

After hearing there was a shortage of candy at the "Trunk or Treat" party last year put on by the three Ephrata Wards, we decided do go this year and do our part to help contribute to this once a year goulash tradition. We had fun, but it was especially fun to see all of the kids come around in their costumes their ages ranging from infant up to mid-teens and even some adults. There were some pretty interesting characters, however my favorite were the little witches, especially this one little group of three witches. One was pudgy with a green face. She was adorable. Also, one adult came around with a blue paper snowflake hanging from the front of his hat. We busted up when we asked him what he was and he blew the snowflake and said, "I'm a snowblower". Ha Ha!

Apple Harvest Time = Apple Crisp. Yum!

Apple Crisp

5-6 apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tablespoon tapioca
2 tablespoons water

Peel and slice apples. Place apples in a medium saucepan. Add the water. Bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cinnamon and tapioca in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apples. Stir and continue to cook on medium-low until mixture starts to thicken. Pour into a 9 x 9 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine:

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashion oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cube melted butter

Stir until crumbly and well combined. Sprinkle over apples and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Wedding Day!

If you really know me, you know that I have a hard time making decisions. I could not decide which wedding pictures to post as I loved them all. So, since I'm computer illiterate and don't know how to do a slide show, I've settled on this one for now. We had a wonderful wedding day, August 22nd at the Historical Wadley Farms in Lindon, Utah. Everything went off pretty much without a hitch and it was a gorgeous day. Holly did a wonderful job putting it all together and I think she and D.J. were very happy with how the day went. We love you Holly & D.J.!!!

Holly's Bridal Shower

Slumber Party

You Know You Have Been Traveling Too Much When . . . .

I had this funny little thought yesterday on my way home from Utah. Actually, I was in the restroom at the Salt Lake Airport. So, this was what I was thinking. You know you have been traveling too much when . . . . you know which restroom stall in the SL Airport has a good lock on it. That may not strike you as funny, but for some reason it did me. This past weekend was my sixth trip to Utah for 2009 and I have at least one more next month when Holly & D.J. get married.

However, we had a fantastic weekend in Utah where we were able to spend time with all of our grandchildren. First, Marissa and I tended Brandon & Tayler while Jenny and Jason went to Park City overnight for their anniversary. We had a slumber party down in the TV room and watched cartoons until 11:00 at night. At first Brandon & Tayler couldn't figure out what we were doing pulling the mattresses down into the TV room, but once we got it all set up with just about every pillow in the house, they could see that it was going to be great fun and they started bouncing away. Fun times!

While we were down in Utah, Jenny, Allison, Stephanie, Marissa and Jenny Osthed put on a bridal shower for Holly which was beautiful and very nicely done. Holly is well loved as we could tell by all that was put into the shower, not to mention the wonderful turnout of family and friends. Thanks to all who came!

Weekend pictures coming soon . . .

Sweetheart Cherry Harvest

Yesterday, we picked the sweetheart cherries. It took only one day to get the job done with the help of 40 pickers. The cherries were all big and beautiful which made the picking easy. Just a one time through clean sweep of the orchard. Nana and Papa have been here since Sunday and took off this morning headed for home with a trunk full of cherries. They had never been up for cherry harvest and I think they enjoyed seeing how a cherry harvest is run. We were happy to have them come stay for a few days although there wasn't too much time for play. Things can get a little crazy and intense when we are picking fruit, especially cherries as there is such a small window of time to get the fruit off the trees. The picking time frame is very short. The cherries can be ripe and ready to pick one day, and then with the hot weather, become overripe in a short amount of time. I think Rick thrives on intense though. He likes to work hard and play hard.

Where does all the time go???

It is hard to believe one week has gone by since Jenny & Jason and family were here for a visit. The older I get, the faster time goes by. We had a wonderful time while they were here and were on the go constantly. As you can see from Jenny's pictures on her blog, it was cherry picking season and we made many trips up to the orchard to pick cherries and visit Grandpa and Marissa while they worked. We also played in the pool every day, rode 4-wheelers, blew bubbles, colored, put together puzzles, went to the water park in Moses, watched movies, celebrated Brandon's birthday, celebrated the 4th of July with our own fireworks display set off by Jason and Grandpa and then watched fireworks out at George, Washington from the back of Grandpa's truck. We also had a few picnics in the back yard, went to the park to play on the swings, went to DK's for ice cream and baked cookies. No matter how much time we have with our kids and grandkids, it seems like we never can get enough of them . . . . . . and we are looking forward to seeing everyone down in Utah in a few days.

This past week we enjoyed Stephanie and Joshua and Chase for a few days. It seems that no matter how long you have with grandkids, it's never enough. We had great fun swimming, four-wheeling, riding the tractor, playing in the jump & bounce, blowing bubbles, looking for bugs, going for walks, going to the park and eating ice cream and otter pops all crammed into 3 days. The little boys were indeed very tired every night. One night, Chase fell asleep eating his cookie, but he was determined to eat every bite. It was pretty funny watching him doze and eat at the same time. Thank you for coming and spending a few days with us on the farm.

Summer Fun!

Never Can Get Enough of Grandkids!

Fun with Stephanie and "The Boys"

Look What Dad Found...

Memorial Weekend & Winthrop

Riley and Allison and Ethan came from Las Vegas to visit Memorial Weekend and we had a really fun time. As you can see from my long list of pictures, someone needs to teach me how to put together a slideshow. We had fun jumping on the trampoline, putting up the pool and swimming, and Ethan even learned how to drive the John Deere car. We rode "iron horses" as well as the real horses and went on a few walks around the farm. Monday morning we packed up the truck and horse trailer and headed up North to one of our favorite places. We drove 3 hours to a place called Mazama Ranch up by Winthrop and played Monday and Tuesday up there with the horses. We had never been up there this early in the year and it was gorgeous. Everything was green and the Lilacs were in boom. We wished we could have had one more day up there! Thank you Riley, Allison and Ethan for coming to see us and play with us. Fun times!