An apple a day

can get old. As much as I love them sometimes it's nice to change things up a bit.

So, when these arrived at my house today I wanted to enjoy them in a new way. Plus, we were freezing and wanted something warm.

I just peeled and chopped a few of the little guys and tossed them in a sauce pan. I covered them with apple juice and threw in a handful of golden rasins. Then I sprinkled in a tiny bit of cloves and a couple of shakes of cinnamon. I let them bubble away for quite a few min. When they started to melt together I stirred them up leaving bigger soft chunks. The smell was delightful and gave us the feeling of fall. I sprinkled a few canndied pecans on top just before eating. It was such a quick and easy snack. And, I didn't feel bad about eating a lot.

After picking up a couple of apples I uncovered this little buddy. I wonder who that was? I have my suspisions, but whoever it was, I bet it was a cutie pie!

After freezing rain all day it finally turned to snow just a couple of hours ago. Damon is using the snow as an excuse for not being in his p.j.'s yet. Stinker! He is sound asleep now, though, in spite of his excitement. Glad someone has a positive attitude about it.

Getting festive and a little spray paint!

I had fun getting out our Halloween decor.

Damon had fun getting out our Halloween decor.

Terk... not so much. I told him "no" when he tried to take these off the first time and then went about my buisness. Then at least 20 min. later I noticed him laying like this on the end of the couch. He is such an obedient puppy.

I have been having fun with thrift store items and spray paint the last few days. These are a few things that have crossed my "spray paint path."

Also the frame to the "Boo" sign on my table. It started out red, with a crazy print glued inside.

I ripped off the backing and moved the hook (so it would hang horizontally). Then I took the frame out and sprayed it black. I cut out the letters with some vinyl and my trusty Cricut (you could also just buy some letter stickers or come on over and I will cut you some), and attached them to the front of the glass. Then I taped a piece of cute paper to the back. I made sure to put it on the frame and not the glass to give some dimension. Then I just attatched the ribbon. It was lots of fun and super quick. I think cleaning the glass is the step that took the longest. It was worth it for the $.75 I paid for the frame. Just a fun idea I thought I would share.

~Chores~

This little buddy is pretty good at "forgetting" what he was supposed to get done when I give him a small list of things to do.

So, recently while putting together some collages to send to Ryan in Guatemala, I came up with an idea to help Damon remember what comes next in our daily routine. I ran around the house taking pictures of all the things Damon is responsible for and the rewards for each of these things.

Then, I put 9 pictures on a 4x6 photograph. I had them printed and then cut each one out.

I stuck each picture to a laminated chore chart using Handi-Tak. Now I can move them around or add to the chart when I need to. On laundry day I just add a picture of folded clothes which doesn't need to be there everyday.

So far this is working pretty well, but I am always looking for new ideas. So, do you have any ides on getting kids to get the work done quickly so there is time to play? Please share!

Lovely Day!

Soccer is in full swing and Damon is loving it. His game was pretty exciting.

Also on Saturday we met my family for a little fishing and lunch (the best Thai food, Yum!)

What a week!

It all started at the fair.

These are a few of my highlights.

I look forward to these all year, and they did not disappoint!

This goat followed the foam padding with a nice big drink from the communal water bowl. But, you do know goats eat everything, right?

Usually my favorite exhibits are the photography and the painting, but the cakes may have won me over this year. Isn't it awesome? And, Damon assured us that they smelled as good as they looked. This race car game was a hit with the boys, and everyone always loves the puppies.

Damon was a good boy and had $4 allowance money, just the amount of this gun which he can't stop talking about. Why can't he love books as much?

Damon's first soccor practice of the fall. He was pretty excited, and so was I when we tried a new league, which I thought was less expensive. That was before I knew that we had to buy a uniform in addition to the registration fee. And, I couldn't even find the right one when I went out shopping for it on Friday!

Saturday was lots of fun. My family came over to cheer Damon and I on in the races we competed in.

Damon was so cute preparing for his race and I am sure I was beaming about it all. I reminded him that he was racing with me in utero and he just said, "I know." I guess he has heard that before. Hmm.

I was so impressed with his attitude about the whole thing. He took it seriously, but had lots of fun. Coach G (my dad) noticed his good running form, Tyler and Grandma took some great pictures, and I ran around like one of those really annoying parents at their kids sporting events. You know the type.

Just after Damon finished I had to hurry over to my event, 25K duathlon. I wish I hadn't missed Damon's trip to the athlete's food table. Afterwards Tyler told me Damon had a power bar, but he didn't think he liked it since he only ate half. Are you kidding me. A 6 year old eating 1/2 of a power bar. I don't think the problem was he didn't like it, I think he was probably about to explode. Those suckers are dense.

After the races we hurried home to spend a lovely afternoon with Tyler's family. I can't believe I didn't snap one picture. We had so much fun visiting with everyone. And the food was fabulous as always.

What a week!

Relief!

That's what I am feeling. I just got home from Enrichment and even though I really didn't have to do very much to get ready for this one (except a bunch of running around today) I am so relieved. I think it is just the thought of being incharge if anything should go wrong. It turned out great. It was back-to-school night, Relief Society University that is, theme; Goal Setting. Complete with school lunch ladies wearing hair nets (wish I had a picture of that).

Because I am not very organized and a procrastinator (remember family back to school night goals), I had a lot to do today. In addition to Enrichment it was Jay's birthday. Jay is a handicapped guy we take care of and he doesn't have any family to celebrate with him. Well, after setting up for the meeting I mentioned I still had to go home and make a cake for him. This nice lady in my ward ran to the store and showed up at my house 20 min. later with cake, ice cream, candles, and decorating frosting. It was so so super nice. If it weren't for her we would have ended up celebrating tomorrow.

We cut the cake just before I had to catch the bus.

So, now that it is over I felt to fully relax I needed to do a little web surfing. I just happend to come across this fun idea for the 2nd time. What are the chances? I decided that I really need to take this challenge. Any guesses what my goal will be? I think it will be really fun. Try it, even if you have to start a day or two late.

Also, I would love any ideas on fun Enrichment activities! Please share any that you have really enjoyed! It is so nice to have ideas that have already worked! Thanks!

I know it's almost fall when

the pears are ready to be picked.

I also feel it when the nights are cool but the days are still hot, I start wanting soup more often, and Tyler is gone hunting all the time.

We canned our peaches and early plums this week and I can't wait for the smell of pear butter in my kitchen. Yum!

It's so much work, but worth it. Now for something that's not so much work. A couple weeks ago a friend shared this yummy recipe with me. Cake mix and assorted baking chips have now become some of my essential pantry items. This is one of those things you can whip up really fast at the last min.

Cakemix Cookies

1 box of cake mix

1 c. baking chips, or candies, or nuts, or dried fruit, or oatmeal, or ...

1 egg

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. water

Mix everything together, drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

The best part is you can mix and match. My friend used chocolate cake and peanut butter chips and they were so yummy. Last week I tried lemon cake and white chocolate chips. mmmmm There are so many combinations to try.

Another one I love is Italin pasta salad. You know tri-color noodles, italian dressing, tomatoes, olives, capers... I just throw in anything I have that sounds good.

So, I want to hear your quick and easy recipes that you can make in a hurry!