Crafty Halloween-ness

Happy Halloween, everyone! Don't you think it's kind of strange to have Halloween on a Sunday? We had quite a few trick-or-treaters here last night, but we're saving some candy just in case kids show up tonight.

Lindsey, Shannon and I were crafty and made ourselves some Halloween necklaces a few weeks ago, and we think they are darn cute! They were really easy to make- we just enlarged vintage Halloween pictures and put them between 2 layers of glass, then put it all in a metal frame. Add some charms and a chain and voila! Cute spooky necklaces! Coolest thing: They are 2 sided, so you don't have to narrow your choice to just one cute picture!We had lots of fun:
Yep, let's put that expensive orthodontia to work, opening metal rings for charms!
Shannon made a devil bat charm for hers and Lindsey was quite proud of the necklace she made!Here's mine. I like it a lot.We'll be making more of these in the future!

I Think That Lady Is A Vampire.

Last night, Bruce and I went to a production of Dracula. The play was almost as interesting as the people who came to see it. I'm sure the redhead 2 seats down, who was wearing a hot pink sequined outfit and a fur stoll was probably a vampire. The play itself was entertaining, with a very believable Count Dracula who got younger with every slightly provocative neck attack he committed on the pretty young girls in the play. The special effects were great, with mist, bats flying and a huge full moon projected on the back of the stage. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed when they drove stakes through the vampire's hearts, but the buckets of blood spurting in all directions was kind of funny. It was a fun and appropriate Halloween date.

And Our Special Guest Is...Gumby!

Sharon and Kelly hosted the Stratford Halloween Party last Monday night at their brand new house in Smithfield. The house was amazingly beautiful. The heated tile kitchen floor was so nice, but my favorite feature was the heated towel racks in the master bath. Gotta get me one of those! Anyway, when we got there, Gumby had already arrived and was hanging out, rather stiffly and completely silently in the family room.We tried to guess who it was in that Gumby costume, but it seemed like everyone we guessed came in the door, wearing a different costume. After everyone arrived, we had the great unveiling and it turned out to be Bruce's sister, Lisa, who decided to quit her job in Iraq and come home for good! Big Suprise, her kids didn't even know. The party was lots of fun, with the witch making another appearance:Brian (no costume- lame!) and Lindsey (cute lady bug) found their new favorite chair in the basement. Brian would like to use the chair fabric to make a vest to wear at Peter's wedding.Other cute family members:Good times!

Cross-Dressing Bishop

Bruce loves to dress up on Halloween. He's had many different costumes in the past, in fact, I think he was Cher a few years ago. Last Saturday our ward held a Trunk-or-Treat at the church. Earlier in the day I laid out the costume possibilities. There was the hospital gown and foot brace with crutches, the Mexican sombrero and multicolor serape, the fuzzy caveman costume, the tie-dye hippy shirt with love beads and there was the witch. Bruce chose:The ward thought he was pretty entertaining and he got a few comments on how the Bishop probably shouldn't cross-dress. He was the center of attention until the family dressed at the rock band KISS arrived.

I went with the 3 minute, thrown together hippy look. It worked for me. Maybe you can't see the flower I painted on my cheek.I rock this look.

Cabin Cleanup

With cold weather and snow in the forecast, Bruce and I went to the cabin on Saturday to do some last minute cleanup.

Here's the new coal shed that he and Mark built,And the new steps the handyman built for the side deck.We moved the picnic tables under the deck to protect them from the snow. Dad Stratford built these tables and they weigh about 5000 lbs each. I think I pulled something while hefting them. Bruce covered them with plastic. Cool, right?Then we re-stacked the woodpile under the deck. We have good stacking skills. Excuse the frizzy hair. The air was damp, ok?
There were a few leaves left for photo ops:The cabin is ready for Winter, I think.

Oh No! Snow!

It's here. It came. I hate it. Time to move to a warmer place like California or Hawaii. Yes, Hawaii.

36 or 10 Years Too Late

Isn't it every kid's dream to have their school burn down? Well, it happened here, in a way. The old South Ogden Jr. High burned yesterday morning, and they are thinking it's arson. Sure, it was scheduled to be demolished next week, since a brand new jr. high was built last year, but I'm just saying. 36 years ago, Bruce was a student at SOJH. He can tell you stories of how he shot an arrow through the shop class window. All of my kids and even my son-in-law went there, 10 or so years ago. It's the end of an era. A turning of a page. A time to remember all of the concerts, carnivals, winter dances, elections and assemblies in the Cafetorium. Reminiscing about Mr. Barney, that crazy German teacher and that gym teacher that had it out for every kid at the school. The joy of actually having a locker and getting the choice of a salad bar at lunch. The kids running on the track team and wearing those light blue uniforms before light blue was cool. Ah, we will miss you, old SOJH. Go Spartans!

She-He He-She; We!

I always read the obituaries in the newspaper. Every day. I like to see what interesting things people have done in their lives. Imagine my delight when I read this gem, then found out that she was one of Edna's neighbors. I had to read it out loud to my family. Please, take a minute or two and read this obituary. I wouldn't ask you to do this unless it was worth it, right? ( I had to click on it twice to get it big enough to read.) You won't be disappointed.

Persuation

Ok, if you like those wonderful Jane Austin movies like Sense & Sensibility, Emma, or Pride and Prejudice, here's one that you need to see. It's the 2007 BBC version of Persuation and it's a keeper! Only an hour and a half long, but full of obnoxious and nutty family members, a handsome sea captain and beautiful photography. Thank you, Shannon, for pointing me in this direction!

Gorkin Harvest

Genetics are interesting, aren't they? We did a little genetics experiment this year out in the garden. We threw all of the pumpkins and gourds from last year's porch decorations out into the garden spot, and let them have at it all summer. The results? Gorkins! (Gourds/Pumpkins.) Last Sunday afternoon, since we were all together, we gathered all of the gorkins. There were some interesting mutants out there, and it was fun to discover what was hiding under the leaves. I would so do this again!Xena watched it all benignly. There were a lot more gorkins than we thought there would be! The wonderfully ugly ones, perfect for Halloween:Brian was going to squish this one with his mighty strength:But ended up using this gorkin as a fashion accessory:

Creamy Ranch Chicken. With Bacon.

Here's a new recipe I tried last week. It was good, but then again, I think anything with bacon is good. I also think anything with Swiss cheese is good too, as my mom and sisters will verify. This recipe has no Swiss cheese, but it does have bacon. But, I digress. Back to the recipe:

Creamy Ranch Chicken - 4 servings
6 slices bacon (mmm...)
4 chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 1/4 c. milk
3 c. dried noodles
1 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cut bacon into pieces. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; discard all but 2 Tbs. drippings. In the same skillet, cook chicken in drippings until tender and no longer pink, turning to brown. Sprinkle flour and Ranch dressing mix over the chicken in the skillet; stir well. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken mixture with noodles, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

And now, a photo tutorial: :)

Mmm...bacon.Mix that flour and Ranch dressing.
Browning the chicken chunks.Adding that flour and dressing mix,Give it a good stir,
Then add the milk. Cook until thick.Throw in the bacon!Actually, this recipe would be just as good, if not better, with no chicken and twice as much bacon!