Anniversary 2

We took our annual anniversary snow trip to Sunrise this year. It was great fun, as usual. :)

Hot Tamales

Many moons ago... my friend Kristy gave me some corn husks for tamale-making purposes. I was in Ohio at the time and it just wasn't going to happen there, but I was hopeful that someday I would attempt and conquer that task.

In January, I finally decided it was now or never. I found a fabulous recipe on the Internet and set about to acquire all the ingredients and cooking gadgets I'd need. I warned Brian beforehand that this was my project and he should not touch anything... (I can be a little territorial when I want to prove to myself that I can do something from start to finish.)

I cooked the meat per the instructions and waited until the next day to do the rest (recommended in the instructions). The next day, I soaked the husks, made the masa, and began assembling tamales. I filled one pot full of tamales but... the meat bowl looked just as full as it had when I started! That's when I realized I had bitten off more than I could chew...
I went pleading to my dear, wonderful, sweet husband to ignore what I said earlier and please, please, please save me from myself. And he did. :D


So, together, we spent the rest of the evening making several dozen tamales. They turned out great!

P.S.
Yes, Monica, they freeze well. One of the kitchen gadgets I acquired was a vacuum sealer; the recipe says they will keep indefinitely that way. :D

Join in the fun

Copy and paste the list. Bold the things you have done...

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14.Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22.hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a 1/2 Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31.hit a home run. 32.been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone. 78.Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100.Made amends with someone who offended you 101. Flew in a small Cessna plane with just you and the pilot 102. Ran out of gas 103. Eaten fried okra 104. Swam in the Caribbean Sea 105. Peed in a swimming pool 106. Stayed in a beach house 107. Hosted an exchange student 108. Been a Secret Santa to a family in need 109. Worked on a political campaign 110. Coached a sports team 111. Baked bread from scratch 112. Driven from coast to coast 113. Paid off all of your debt 114. Roast marshmallows over a campfire 115. Cut up a credit card 116. Drove a car through a flood 117. Been on t.v 118. Had braces 119. Been to the top of the twin towers in NY. 120. Have played in both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans 121. Been to ground zero 122. Bitten your fingernails 123. Scrapbooked 124. Visited Mexico 125. Seen a Tornado in person 126. Been lost at sea 127. Kissed a frog. 128. Given birth to twins. 129. Received 2 moving violation tickets in 1 day. 130. Taught English in a foreign country 131. Gone rappelling

Make sure to add a new question once you're done.

Skiing

Brian & I planned a skiing weekend for when Treyton left since we would not have any children at home. We were going to go to Sunrise, but they hadn't been getting any snow and it was uncertain whether they would have any by that weekend. So, when cousin Buck's wedding turned out to be that same weekend, we changed it to Brian Head so that we could do both and take my mom to the wedding.





I'm getting better (I did a couple of blue runs), but I'm still no where near as good as Brian (and likely never will be):


On the way home, we took the scenic route... (through southern Utah and the Grand Canyon)

"Gingerbread" Houses

My mom invited the kids over to make gingerbread houses a couple of weeks ago. Only Elise & Treyton were able to go, due to Ethan getting back really late from an out-of-town field trip. They had fun making them. Unfortunately, they were inadvertently covered in furniture polish when Brian was polishing the kitchen cabinets and had to be thrown out without being eaten.
Brian & I got to go see "Four Christmases" and share a "Founder's Favorite" at Cold Stone, both of which were good. :)

The next day, I took all three kids to Lowe's for their "gingerbread" house project.



Ethan was lucky enough to build his on his own. Unfortunately, the other two had my "help" and ended up with their lids nailed shut. I figured out how to fix them, and they are functional now.

Next month's project is a time capsule.
https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/step1.asp

2008

I got our Christmas cards mailed off yesterday. We're "going green" this year by saving paper on the newsletter. :D Actually, I really wanted to put together a nice little newsletter on the year, etc. but I finally realized... it just wasn't going to happen. I decided my best bet would be to put the blog address on the cards (Thanks, Lisa!) and then try to post something here before the cards arrived to the addressees. :) So, here goes:

Brian
He's been working out of his new chiropractic clinic for just over a year now. It's been a learning experience, but things are going quite well. With the additional space he's been able to see more patients than he possibly could have before, as well as do more physical therapy with the gym area. At the time we did not feel the timing was ideal, but with the turn the economy has taken we now see that the timing could not have been more perfect and we're incredibly grateful for how well everything has turned out.


Chanda
I'm still working for Brian and we enjoy working together. I've been sewing a lot this year. I made Halloween costumes for Elise & Treyton (Ethan prefers gory costumes from the store) and have really improved my skills. Apparently following the directions really helps. ;) I also started my first patchwork quilt and have another one planned as soon as I finish the first one.

Brian & I celebrated our one-year anniversary last January by going skiing in Utah. We're looking forward to celebrating two years next month. :)

Ethan
Ethan is in 4th grade. He has been doing really well in Cub Scouts. He earned his Bear badge just before his tenth birthday and he is now in Webelos. He has been swimming most of the year and really enjoys that.

Elise
Elise is in 1st grade where she has been working really hard learning to read and is getting better all the time. She also is taking swimming lessons and enjoys that. Elise loves to help cook at home.

Treyton
Treyton is in Kindergarten. He played soccer in the spring. He likes to do "exercise" and eat things that will make him "strong and healthy." He is also learning to read and enjoys cutting out paper letters to make words.


We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Wonderful New Year!!! :)

Thanksgiving

We went to Utah for Thanksgiving this year to spend it with Brian's family. It was the "off" year with his family so we did not get to see everyone we would have liked to and we did not get to spend as much time as we'd have liked with those we did see, but it was still enjoyable.

The day after Thanksgiving, Brian embarked to teach Elise & Treyton how to ski. There were a few tears, but all in all it went pretty well and they should be better next time around.


Brian's Mom got a cake for the kids' birthdays and we celebrated all three together.


The next day we went to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square with Bart (Brian's brother) & Shonnie's family.


On the way back home we stopped in Zion National Park.