Halloween 2008

Eight years ago on Halloween Julia was a "50's" girl, proudly sporting her homemade poodle skirt made by her sister Emily. That year, Emily wore a matching poodle skirt she had also made. This year Julia was a "50's" girl again, wearing Emily's original creation.
Where does the time go?




Wasatch's annual Halloween Parade was first thing this morning and I caught pictures of Amy--a very cute pirate.


Eliza looking a lot like Annie (sorry I only got a headshot)!



Ruthie (a cheerleader), sans her ponytails she pulled out, enjoying the parade...


Julia marching along with her third grade class...


And bright and early this morning I caught these pictures of my middle-schoolers.
Hannah dressed up as an Atlanta Braves baseball player AND

Hilary as an Indian.

More pictures to come later!

Jim's 50th Birthday Dinner

Last night, Dan and I had the honor of hosting Jim's 50th Birthday dinner at our house. It was fun to get together with family and friends and enjoy good food and lots of laughs. It was especially nice to have Elisabeth here from Seattle.


Jeanmarie put together a beautiful scrapbook of pictures and thoughts and memories about Jim from family members and friends. Thanks for the fun evening everybody!

Charleston, South Carolina Wrap-Up

My "wrap-up" of our trip is all over the place with pictures but I think you'll get the idea...

Here is the lovely bride, Tiffiny and Bill after their wedding.

We toured Middleton Place Plantation on the one morning we had free and that was without drenching rain. It was cloudy and very soggy, but that's the South for you. I love all the ironwork that is seen everywhere. This is the main gate going into the 65+ acres of gardens.

The flowering grass is what locals use to weave beautiful baskets. Dan and I spent over 3 hours at the plantation, 2 hours which entailed a private tour with a historian of the plantation.

Here are our friends Joselyn and Alan from North Carolina before the wedding. We had fun hanging out with them at the reception which followed the wedding.


Dan and I before the wedding

The main reason Dan and I headed to Charleston last week was for the wedding of Bill and Tiffiny. We've known Bill for many years and our family has loved getting to know him and his amazing family. Our girls fondly refer to Bill as "Uncle Bill" and we were honored to be at his wedding. Tiffiny and Bill were married at the historic French Huguenot Church located appropriately on Church Street in the historic district.

This is a limited view of the church which was originally built in 1687 but damaged during the Civil War and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1886.

The day before the wedding, this is what we woke up to--terrible weather. We had planned to take a boat out to Fort Sumter but by the afternoon the city was literally shut down. Charleston received over 8 inches of rain that day! The streets where flooded and cars stalled everywhere. Gratefully, we were able to make it to the city market first thing in the morning and browse all the local arts and crafts. By lunch time we could barely get through the city and decided to hunker down in the hotel.

A nice surprise was Dan accidently leaving his cell phone in our parked car at the airport. Not too worry though, he made use of mine of few times.

Another wedding picture--the reception was held at The Wickliffe House that was built in 1850. It was beautiful and eptimozied Southern living in everyway. Pictured here is Dan with Bill (the groom) and Alan.

School Days

Today I got to go to Julia's school to hear her read a Halloween story she wrote for the class. I got to the school at the scheduled time but found all the 3rd graders still at recess. This is who I found playing...


Julia and Maude


After an extra long recess (it was a beautiful day), we headed to the classroom where I sat and listened intently with the rest of her class as she read her story. She did a great job and I am so glad I was able to be there.

Homemade Crunchy Granola

Perhaps it was because today was cloudy or maybe it was a craving, whatever the reason I spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking up some of this. I made some of Mom's homemade granola but with a few twists to adapt it to my family's liking. It turned out really good and now I need to find a recipe without all the nuts so that Hilary can enjoy it. Here's the recipe I used below:

Mix with wooden spoon in large bowl:
4 cups rolled oats
3 cups bran flakes
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup organic milled flaxseed
1/2 cup protein mix
1 teaspoon salt

In a separate bowl mix and then add to dry ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bake in oven at 275 degrees for 2 hours; stir often.

Cool and add:
1 cup raisins (optional)
2 cups favorite whole grain cereal (I used Cheerios this time)

Aunt Carolyn's Bran Muffins

My family loves these muffins and I've adapted them a little from the original recipe in the Meldrum Family Cookbook. I'd like to think they are healthy too. Here's the recipe:

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon salt

Add:
2 eggs and beat

Blend in alternately with buttermilk:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bran flakes
1 cup "All Bran" cereal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 Tablespoons organic milled flaxseed
2 cups buttermilk

Bake at 410 degrees (if your oven bakes hotter) or 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Yields 2 dozen muffins.

BYU Homecoming Parade

I think one of the best kept secrets in Provo is BYU's Homecoming Parade each fall. It is my kind of parade--the weather is usually nice, you can find a seat when the parade starts (no camping out for a spot), and lots of candy and goodies for the kids. Emily missed out on the tradition this year because of an ACT Prep Class she is taking at BYU on Saturdays. However, the rest of us braved the very cold temperatures and found our regular viewing spot along 9th East by the Creamery. Here are a few pictures we captured...

Crazy Cosmo

The big game is later today...


Hannah and Hilary


Julia

Dan and I along the parade route


These Polynesian dancers had to be freeeeeezing!!!