Natalie's Pismo Beach Wedding

How would you feel if you decorated all these pumpkins...
set them all out in front of this old school house (where you were planning to get married)
...and the night before the wedding the pumpkins all disappeared?


What would you have done?

I will tell you what my niece Natalie, the bride, did.
She went looking for them !!
....and found them on display in front of a near by house! I'm serious.
Not sure about the whole story....but something about yelling at the people who took them,
and taking her pumpkins back.

Yep, that's our Natalie.

Natalie and Brian...looking all recovered from the pumpkins
and happily married.

All yesterday in very scenic Pismo Beach, California
So happy Dennis and I got to be there!

Before I show you some of who attended.
Here's a little sampling of the decor.


Love this one of my Dad and Natalie!

The happy parents, my brother Richard with his wife Wendy aka Chickie
Don't you love the color coordination?...perfect!

 I didn't even get to talk to Nat's sister Lindsay, or take any pictures of them, except for this one.
Gard says they are still enjoying Chicago...I did ask him that much.

The ever happy Whitney and Bret


I asked Hailey's little flower girl friend if she was related to Brian.
She said she didn't know.
I did find out her name is Ayden...so then I asked her who her Mom was.
She said, "My mom's name is Sarah Palin."
Uh...what is your mom's name??
"Sarah Palin." 
Obviously I was not hearing right.

My Dad and Susan
 
   Erin and Brock

Logan and Amy listening to Jason (Hailey's Dad) and my brother Scott

I had one of the best talks with Raven (here between Blaine and Jan Thomas) 
that I hope to continue someday soon, somehow.

I met Susan Park, again...
I had not seen her since she gave Robin her baby shower, for Hailey, back in 2003.
I have thought back on that shower day many times because it was such a happy moment in time.
No one knew on that very blissful and exciting day, the challenges that were coming.

Alex, McKenzie, Hailey working together.


Natalie being her joyful beautiful self with Jill and Mark Thompson


Just right around the corner from the wedding is the gorgeous Pismo Beach.
Even though I've lived in California all my life, 
I really feel like I'm in California when I at the beach.
So happy for you Natalie and Brian!! We loved being with you this weekend.


PS  I have more to say about our hotel experience (you know I always have one), 
and what we saw on the way home....so more, another day.

This looks so right to me

Ever since my 2 youngest sons were very little, they were inseparable.
If I was looking for one in the house or outside,
I could about bet my life the other would be right there with him.

For years every Christmas I would give them matching gifts.
If I didn't they would want what the other one had, so it was just easier that way.
As long as they both had the same thing, they were as happy as clams.

So when McKenna sent me these pictures earlier this week, I thought, yes, of course.


They each have a beautiful wife and a baby son!
And red fruit drinks.


Go here to see my niece Whitney teaching kindergarten.
A lady came in and filmed her doing their "morning meeting" in Kindergarten 
but Whitney thought she was just taking pictures 
so she was very surprised when this video surfaced on the webpage

Halloween 26 years ago

Life sure has changed since that evening back in 1985.
Simpler times back then, although it didn't seem like it at the time.

I thought my sons might like to hear their Dad's voice again.

Black Bean and Bacon Soup

Black Bean and Bacon Soup



We had this for dinner last night with rolls and fresh pears and it was really quite good.
It's from Chef John on Foodwishes.blogspot.com. 
I didn't make the topping, but instead just topped it off with some Trader Joes Verde Salsa. 
I love how Chef John not only gives a list of ingredients, but he makes videos of each recipe.
So you get to actually watch him make it.

Tomorrow night I'm making this from his same website.and sharing it with my YW.
Chicken Parm Bake

Watch his video on this one...it looks very tempting!

The Halloween memory I don't like

Joy School!!

Grandpa and I got to watch two of our grandbabies in their first performance yesterday.
Watch Jonas and Téa with their fellow two Joy School students, Tage and Caden.
Two sets of twins!

I'm sure Téa will show joy in time.  :)  And despite how she acts here, she really does like us.





"The central belief of Joy School is simply that children, while in their most impressionable years, should be taught life's most important thing, various capacities for joy. A related belief is that children suffer not from being started in academic learning too late, but in starting too soon, before they have a basis of social and emotional self-esteem."           from Joyschools.com


Does anyone know the year Joy Schools began? I tried looking it up on Google, even Wikipedia, but couldn't find it.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

About every other day I make one of these:

Originally I got the recipe from Mama Pea's great blog.
Since I like a little less spice (although you might like hers better)
this is what I put in mine:


1/2 can pumpkin (frozen in ice cube trays, so that's about 6-8 ice cubes)
1 c milk (I use rice milk but you can use any kind)
3 ice cubes
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
whatever sweetener you like (stevia is my choice)

Whirl it up in a really good blender.

Dennis asks me why I don't put greens in this. He puts greens in all his smoothies.
I tell him there is a time for greens, and there's a time for pumpkin. 
I still have my green smoothie everyday but this one to me is like an extra little treat. 
Love it! And it's loaded with Vitamin A to help keep us well this winter.

Make sure your pumpkin is frozen.
It makes all the difference.

Oh and on another note, 
have you seen this list of the 20 most popular passwords?
You better check this out and make sure yours is not on there.

Wedding reception ideas

I was impressed with 2 wedding receptions we attended this past weekend.

Reception #1
Stefani and Roberto


First, look what they did to our church cultural hall. 
I've never seen anyone cover the accordion doors before. 
Plus they were able to cover the panel pieces all around the room. 
What a lot of work, but so pretty
These pictures do not do the room justice at all, keep that in mind. 

The cake matched the walls and also.....

Everything matched the table cloths.


Usually I'm not into matchy-matchy, but this was done in such an elegant and classy way.




I never would have thought to dress up the front door.

The bride rushed into a classroom to get ready for the big honeymoon escape.

Love how we can catch up with people at receptions.
Like Lindy Kirk (can't remember her married name) is expecting Jacob in January.
She is holding Jenny Pauline-Mendoza's baby Pheather.


And Jenny and Pheather Grace

Reception #2
 Jessica and Travis

This reception was outside and very picturesque. 
Like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
I regret I didn't take many pictures 
but I did capture this on our way out. 
Little jars of honey for the guests to take home.



These 2 were coming to the reception just as we were leaving.
They have a December 17th date set.
Bethany and Brandon

I use to be Bethany's activity day leader when she was 8 and 9.
She told me at this reception that she still remembers how I taught
her how to set a table! And from that she says she has taught Brandon.
I know it's a little thing, but it meant a lot to me that she remembered...and told me.

Two Primary Program Ideas

Today we had our annual Primary Program during our Sacrament meeting, which is our main meeting each Sunday. This is where all the children ages 3-12 sing and give talks surrounding what they have learned the past year. It's my favorite Sunday every year. I mean, really, how can anyone top what small children teach us?


Today I saw 2 different ideas I'd never seen before:

#1. This little insert was in each of our programs:


#2. Each program had a different picture on it's cover--- all designed by the children! 
Here's what was on our two programs. I would have loved to have seen them all. 
(I did go around snooping after the program was over hoping to find stray programs lying around on benches, with little success.)






And if it wasn't enough to hear those sweet little children 
who have such huge spirits inside those tiny bodies, 
the closing hymn was How Firm a Foundation!
It always will.

Karen, Tyler and baby Richie take a little trip

...to Logan, Utah to visit Dennis' kids.


Uncle Ryan (Kim's husband) with Richie!

And look at Richie with Matthew
I love Matthew's teeth. Den and I were just staring at them tonight.
He looks so grown up with his adult teeth!

And just about 2 weeks before their trip to Logan,
Kris and Mike and the kids were in Spanish Fork for a baby blessing so they stopped in to see them!
This family knows how to immediately go into a pose!

Kris, Mike, Jessica, Katelyn, Jacob, and Rachel!

And then about 2 weeks before that, Kim and Kris were in Provo for a quilting convention,
so they stopped in to see Karen and Tyler.
and also McKay and McKenna (baby Grant in the picture)



It's probably hard to keep all these visits straight.
What I'm really trying to say is,
I am so grateful that Den's kids and my kids, like each other!

Since our phones are turned off on Sundays, 
these pictures were on Den's phone for HOURS before we even knew. 
What a fun surprise to find them!
They were all taken in Karen and Tyler's apt 2 weeks ago.


Katie was made to have babies in her arms.
I think she will have several of her own someday.


Jessica was just TWO when Den and I were dating. And now she is holding my grandson!

Jacob will be a great Dad someday...can you tell?
He also really knows how to clean a kitchen floor. Did I ever thank you for that Jacob?


I won't say I'm jealous that Kris and Kim have seen Richie THREE times, 
because I am feeling more grateful than anything.

Look what happened last night

  Just a little pre-graduating gathering for our DIL Amy.... Not everyday a Mom of 7 and a Grandma of 7, graduates from college. It was not ...