It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Nothing says "Happy Halloween" like carving pumpkins! That's right, my friends! For FHE on Monday, we carved pumpkins for our ward Pumpkin Carving Contest- to be judged at our Halloween Party on Friday.

Hungry and I spent some time Sunday night looking up stencils for something cool to carve. We found one we liked, but the printer had other ideas for us when we tried to print on Monday. Once at FHE, Hungry picked the perfect pumpkin for our design. One of the FHE dads cleaned out our pumpkin, and we started carving!



Despite not having a stencil, I think our pumpkin turned out rather amazing! Of course, with two amazing gals carving it, our pumpkin couldn't help but be amazing!

Here it is! Our amazing Americana Jack o' Lantern!!

Now, I have to put the finishing touches on my costume for Friday. It's going to be awesome!

Preventing Fire Hazards

You know it has been too long since the lint was cleaned out of the dryer when you pull this much out.

Such a fire hazard!!!

That is what I took out of our dryer yesterday when I finally succumbed to the urge to clean out the place that the lint trap resides. I'll be cleaning out the vent tomorrow.

*This experience will always be a reminder of why I clean out the lint trap after each load!*

Adventures in Homemaking

I feel that I have grown in my homemaking skills over the last few weeks.

When I learned two of my friends were coming to visit, I decided to try my hand at making refried beans to use for nachos to feed the three of us. I started with some ingredients.


Then, I put the majority of them in a crockpot to cook for a LONG time. (I have learned that I am an impatient cook- even with a crockpot.)


Next, I drained off the water and implored my friend, Smalls, to help me turn soft beans into what is known as Refried Beans. We decided to use a blender, which wasn't the best idea. There wasn't enough liquid with the beans to move them around inside the blender. The beans at the very bottom were quite mushy while the beans on the top were still in tact. The wooden spoon helped, though!


Here is the finished product! Smalls and I couldn't get the taste just right. We had to add a bunch of salt, salsa and ketchup to get it to taste good.


To make our nachos, we needed a few additional items before we could eat. So, The Quiet One was enlisted as "Cheese Grater" and did a fantastic job.



We also added tomatoes, green onions, chips and sour cream before we ate our delicious nachos!

*Food photography by Smalls*

In addition to increasing my food preparation abilities, I learned how to fill a need I found myself with. I have been called as the Ward Sacrament Meeting Pianist in my ward. I love this opportunity to serve and immerse myself in the hymns again. However, this calling comes with a "price". I get to cart around my big orange hymnal every Sunday. It isn't anything new, yet I have grown tired of carrying my scripture bag, my purse, my Joseph Smith Manual and my large hymnal! It gets bothersome to try to keep everything corralled each Sunday.

I finally decided enough was enough! I determined that I needed a tote to carry it all each week. So, I drove to JoAnn Fabrics in search of a tote pattern. I spent at least two hours in the store deciding between different fabrics and patterns and ideas, made numerous phone calls to my mom and even one of my sisters-in-law for help. Eventually, I was headed home with purchases in hand. I broke open the box my sewing machine is stored in and went to work.

It took me about three hours from the time I got home to the time I sewed the last stitch on my tote. I have learned so much from making this tote. I figured out (after the fact) that sewing handles is easier before the side seams are put in. I learned that it looks better if you fold the top twice before sewing, creating a more finished seam. (I should have known this from all the hems I have made.) I even honed my button sewing abilities.

Ta-da! The finished tote.

My tote is rather beautiful and amazing, if I do say so myself. It will have its debut at church on Sunday!

Failed Attempts

Last night became a night of failed attempts. First, I accepted an invitation to hike the Y.


I'll just say the mountain won. I ended up having to head down soon after starting because I wasn't ready for such a steep climb. One day within the next ten months, I will make it to the top of the Y.

Second, I attempted to make Russian Blini.


They didn't turn out quite like I had hoped. They were either runny in the middle or burnt on the outside. It was a mess. I did get two good blini out of the batch. I guess I'll have to try again.

Morning Disasters

You know your morning is off to a bad start when...

you drop a carton of oatmeal pulling it out of the cupboard to fix breakfast.

Additionally, waking up to learn the plumber is arriving pretty much right then to fix the water heater also doesn't give the morning a superb start.

Playground Fun

Before school started for me, I took the opportunity to visit my brother and his family for the day. I took most of the kids to the park, and we had a blast! We went down the slides, we were on the swings, we rolled down the hill, we had a few races, and took over one hundred pictures! I will save you the agony of looking at all of the pictures, and only share a select portion with you, especially the pictures my niece and nephew took! Enjoy!

A New School Year; A New Major

I have a confession to make: I haven't posted on here in quite a long time. Ah, such is life.

I started school at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City last week. I absolutely love it! There is no other school like LDSBC on earth! Sorry to break it to you, but even BYU doesn't compare. (I'm sure I just ruffled a few feathers with that one!) I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this first week. Every Tuesday, we have a devotional. The president of the college spoke to us this week. President Richard's talk was outstanding. He had so much power in what he taught us. If I had been sitting on a chair (I was on the floor due to not finding a seat), I would have been on the edge of it. I literally had all my attention and focus on what he was saying by the end of his message.

It has been quite a "culture shock" to go from studying music terms to medical terms. Both subjects start with the letter M, but that is where the similarity stops. If I had been told eight months ago that I would be studying to be a Medical Assistant, I probably would have laughed in your face. I'm discovering how much I like the medical field; it's something I feel I can grow with and into. In my Medical Laboratory Procedures class, we are starting to learn lab tests that are done primarily in a medical office. It's kind of weird to think that I will know how to take blood by the end of this semester.

In class next week, I get to practice taking a clean catch mid-stream urine sample! How exciting is that? I'm sure every one of you are wanting to be in my place next week when it is my turn to 1) give a sample, and 2) test another student's sample! I'm looking really forward to next week and all the knowledge I will gain this school year. Why am I looking forward to testing some one's urine? Primarily because I get to wear fancy new navy blue scrubs to class! (Pictures will follow.) That's the honest truth! I am also excited because I will have done it. There won't be a first time for that lab test again.

So, here's to learning all about OSHA and CLIA this year and how to be a lawful and ethical practitioner!