Uncle John's & My Major Award

The girls and I went with Megan & Brielle Finlay, and Wes Fletcher to Uncle John's Cider Mill a few weeks ago. A quick note about Megan. Brooklyn, Sadie, & I all adore her. The girls would much rather have Megan hold them up to see what's going on than me. Brooklyn and Sadie were fighting for a spot on Megan's lap. It happens all the time when we do things together. I am grateful for Megan because she is so willing to play and help take care of my kids when they want to see. Thanks Megan!!

Back to Uncle John's...

They have the most delicious apple cider on earth. I love it. There is nothing like it. The thing I enjoy most about Uncle John's is that you get to see them make the cider right before your eyes. You get to ride in a tractor drawn wagon around the apple orchard, go in the barn where the cider press is, watch the apples be dumped into the washing bin, up the ramp and into the press. In goes the apples, out goes the excess pulp and seeds, you see the cider flowing freely down into the storage container and then the cider is placed into gallon or half gallon jugs. You can buy it at the counter along with some yummy homemade donuts. Brooklyn and Sadie were both fascinated by the moving machinery. Just the aroma of the delicious apples and freshly baked donuts wafting through the door as you enter the barn is enough to tempt the senses. Oh it's so good! I bought a gallon of cider from the grocery store today and it just doesn't compare. I don't think I'll be able to finish it, I've been spoiled with the real pure stuff. It isn't even pasteurized, that's how pure it is (so the young and old don't drink too much!) : )

Another great thing about Uncle John's is it's the only place that I can actually win something. Last year I entered a contest online through our local news station and won a free pumpkin! I had to go and collect it because I NEVER win anything that comes down to chance. Miraculously it happened again this year! Two years in a row I've won a major award. Now I just need to go and claim this years pumpkin, get some more cider and a few donuts and call it good. Next time anyone wants to try some REAL cider come out next September/October and you can enjoy it with me! Unless that is you don't want to know what you are missing.

So that's where all the salt went!

Recently I refilled the salt shaker. Today when I returned home from an appointment I noticed my empty salt shaker left on the counter. I had a pretty good guess to whom the empty salt shaker could be accredited to, but had yet to find any evidence. As I was tucking Brooklyn in bed I sat down on the floor while she finished her nightly routine. Her routine consists of finding every stuffed animal, my little pony, doll with blankets included and whatever else she can find and pile it on her bed hardly leaving any room for herself. When I tell her there is no room for her she always lets me know that yes there is room. She is usually on the very edge of the bed, but she's right there is room for her. As I'm sitting on the floor I notice a white swirl in the carpet that is normally not there. I had found the salt and asked Brooklyn about it. She directed me to look under her crib where there was a much bigger pile of salt. I pulled out the vacuum and cleaned it all up. Afterwards Brooklyn walked around the carpet and felt under the bed with her hands and said, "that's better." I commented that if she'd keep the salt in the kitchen she wouldn't have to feel it on her feet to which she replied that she liked it. Oh well, it probably won't be the last time I'll be vacuuming up one seasoning or another.

Will you marry me?

Brooklyn has been asking me to marry her the last few days. I think this comes from my picture screen saver. There are a few pictures of Alli and Jake and their wedding in the mix. She'll tell me that she is Alli and I'll ask who I am and she tells me that I am Jake. Then she'll ask in her sweetest voice if I will dance with her. So we dance until I get dizzy and then start all over again. The other night when she was trying to convince me to marry her and go to the temple she said "I will be happy. I will be nice. Will you marry me please and dance?" She gets the sweetest expression on her face each time she asks. I adore it.

I think the association of dancing comes from our friends wedding. At the wedding reception they had dancing, and Brooklyn seriously danced the night away and had a great time. She was running all over and dancing like a crazy girl all evening. So each wedding is now associated with dancing.

Fertilizer "Specialist" = Captain Obvious

We have a company (who for quality and safety reasons will remain anonymous) come and fertilize our yard to keep it healthy. Every time they come they leave me some comment as to what to do to improve my yard. To me it is always a negative comment and irks me. For instance, when it gets cut too short they'll leave me a card that measures how short three inches is and not to mow it any shorter. Or they'll tell me it has heat stress and I need to water it three times a week (not to mention my lawn is one of the few green lawns on our street because few people actually water. Both my neighbors have brown lawn, so mine looks really green). Or one of my favorites, that it has moles. What I couldn't tell from the piles of dirt that would appear overnight and the tunnels that squish every time I walk in the backyard? Today they came for the last treatment of the year. The comment of the year was received today. It was that my yard has "pet damage." Duh! What do you expect with a 5 month old golden retriever puppy! Yes there are a few holes in the yard and a few patches of dug up grass. As if I didn't know. Thank you Captain Obvious! I'll be sure to remedy that pet damage as soon as I can.

Good Eats

So my family is all about good food! Here are a few pictures that demonstrate how much we like food and what we like to eat! Val I was thinking of you and Richard when I did this one!


Sadie and her ice cream cupcake.

Brooklyn eating the first tomato of the summer.











Sadie's 1st birthday cake!
Alli and Jake's wedding cake! Yum! Loved the bubbles.
Alli loves marshmallows...
Maia and Brooklyn enjoying ice cream at Hogle Zoo
My birthday cake made by Cassie. This is the best ever!
Candy Cane cookies! Watch out Santa!
Fall Sugar Cookies

Raspberry-Apple Pie

Triple Chocolate Creme Pie

The Perfect Parade & Perfect Game

Today we went to our local High School's homecoming parade. It was perfect it lasted only 30 minutes. There was a marching band (the first one I've actually seen in a parade the whole time we've been here), "floats" not by Utah standards but pretty good for Michigan, a representation of freshman, sophomores, juniors and senior classes, cheerleaders, different clubs and sports teams and a few middle school teams.

I popped a huge bowl of popcorn for us to enjoy as we watched the parade so we were well prepared in case the parade wasn't too exciting as most have been here in mid-Michigan. Brooklyn managed to throw a handful of grass into the bowl before the parade even started so on occassion when you grabbed a handful of popcorn you'd get a little extra fiber from the grass. Once the parade started the popcorn was completely forgotten about.

I think the part that we enjoyed the most was the HUGE amount of candy we got in 30 minutes time. You'd think we'd been trick or treating already! I weighed it when we got home and we had 4 pounds of candy! The whole parade we were gathering candy as fast as we could with some hitting us in the head as we were busy gathering. Sadie had about 8 suckers in one hand, and another fist full of gum, taffy and whatever else she could fit in her hand. She wouldn't put anything in the bag until well after the parade was over.

Brooklyn on the other hand has caught the spirit of parades. Wave at the people, they throw candy to you, you go pick it up, put it in your bag, and then wave some more. She was loving it! Though she really didn't have to do much waving. We were in a spot by ourselves and with two adorable little girls who could resist throwing them candy! Sadie would just gather it and cling to it, then step on the next piece hoping somehow she'd figure out how to pick it up. When I thought she couldn't fit anymore in her hand she managed to move her pointer finger and get one more piece in there. It was great.

Brooklyn, Sadie, and I also went to the Homecoming Game with the Okemos Chieftans v.s. Jackson Whatever's (I don't know what their mascot was was). We went with our dear friend Cassie Q. We arrived with 10 minutes and 22 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Ended up getting a bag of popcorn as we were finding our seats from a band member who had to go play his instrument. Sadly Okemos lost the game 21-7. But the girls had a great time. It has gotten really cold the last few days so we were all bundled up in our winter coats.

Every time I look at the massive amount of candy I start to shake my head and wonder why I bought Halloween candy! I definitely will be using some of the candy in my own trick-or-treat bowl...at least all the pieces I don't like. : )