Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we carved our pumpkins. The kids drew out what they wanted and Brandon and I got to cut and scoop. K and M did a great job of scooping most of their pumpkins. Now they're outside on our porch. Waiting for Halloween. BOO!

High School Musical 3

Okay this snuck up on me. I've been so busy with everything that I totally forgot that HSM3 came out today! Oh where have the days gone. So we are definitely seeing this just not today. We can't wait!

Baking Kick

Today...

Mom: 'What would you like to do today, F?'

F: 'Make cookies!'

Mom: 'What kind of cookies?'

F: 'Ummm?'

Mom: 'Let's look in the cookbook and pick out a recipe.'

Mom: 'Do you want chocolate chip oatmeal? Peanut Butter, or Oatmeal?'

F: 'Peanut Butter!'

And so here is F rolling out the dough. He really liked smashing the balls with the fork. He told me, 'How 'bout you roll them and I smashed 'em?'

I love this little guy.

Yesterday, Kirsten and Racquel came to play while Jenni went to sub at the school. F says, 'What are we going to make?'

The last couple of times they came over...we baked something. So I guess everytime they come over we'll have to bake. I'm okay with that. F and I get really bored somedays. So this will give us something to do.

We made Pumpkin Squares. And the kids LOVED them. They were so moist and sweet...I think I ate about 10 small squares. I couldn't stop. We made an entire cookies sheet. We let Kirsten and Racquel take some home...F had at least 7 or 8...and the kids had at least 3 each when they came home from school. I meant to have Brandon take the rest to work this morning but he came home really late last night and left extra early this morning. So they are just sitting in my fridge begging...pleading with me to eat them. Oh how I want to...

Super Moist Pumpkin Bars

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 C. oil

4 eggs

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. Blend all ingredients at low speed till moistened. Blend at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour onto cookie sheet. Bake 22-30 min., or until done. Cool and frost.

Frosting

3 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. margarine, softened

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat together until creamy.

Refrigerate leftoves. Freezes well.

Twins

'We're nosey! What are you doing? Can we do it too?'

My sister, Amanda, sent this to me. These are my nephews that were born at 27 weeks. So cute!

Super Soft Caramel Corn

Oh how I love Jenn Woodruff. When we went to the cabin last year, she made us this yummy treat for the ride up and we seriously could not put it down! So last night I made some. It made so much that we shared it with 2 neighbors. Thanks, Jenn!

For those of you in Foxboro...this recipe is in your cookbook! Under 'Cookies and Candy'....Super Soft Caramel Corn page 118! But for those of you who don't live in Foxboro...here's the recipe. It's a great one for fall.

Super Soft Caramel Corn

2C. Brown Sugar
1C. Karo Syrup
2 cubes of Butter
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Bags of microwave Popcorn

Melt butter in medium pot, add sugar and Karo syrup. Boil for 45 sec. Add condensed milk. Stir. Boil again over medium heat. Pour over popcorn, stir, and store in an airtight container.

*Don't forget to take out the unpopped kernals! You don't want to break any teeth.

Enjoy :)

Snow at the Cabin

We took a long weekend and headed up to the Idaho Cabin. It was sooooo cold! 20 degrees at night and we got there around 1:30am. We hurried and got the kids inside and into their pajamas so they could sleep. They doubled up in the beds so they could share body heat. Did I mention it was soooo cold? Friday, Grandma took the kids on a walk to see all the pretty colors of fall. They came back with tiny apples from an apple tree down across from the lake. By mid afternoon it was snowing! Little flurries that we thought nothing about. In fact me and the girls went out to take pictures and then little flurries turned into LOTS of little flurries. By 9:00pm we had about 5 inches on the deck. Holy cow! It was the earliest snow fall ever. And it was so pretty on all the trees and plants. Brandon spent all day with his foot elevated. He sprained it pretty bad playing basketball and his dad said, 'Nothing good can come when you try to play sports after 30.' But that won't stop Brandon.

Saturday, Grandpa and Adam took a hike up to the 'Head of the Ditch' in the snow and when they came back Grandpa took a nap and Adam vegged infront of the TV. They were tired. Grandma asked the kids if they would type some of their interests and hobbies in her geneaology program. Thank goodness for their typing course they took this summer. It really came in handy. Even M did it and she's only 6! The girls also helped Grandma make cookies. Peanut Butter Cookies...so yummy. And Grandma brought paints so the kids could paint pictures. K and M painted the snow falling and the cabin. When Grandma asked if they wanted to take their pictures home with them they replied, 'No. They're for the cabin.' So they were left on the fidge for decoration. Dallin and Maren came up with Noah to visit mid morning. We were so happy to see them. Noah is getting to be such a big boy and loved playing with M. It was fun to play 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader' with them. Dallin wasn't sure he wanted to say, 'I am not smarter than a fifth grader' but in the end he really had no choice. None of us did. Because we aren't smarter than a fifth grader. So sad but we had fun playing. Dallin and A had fun playing Jenga and we had fun watching them. By the end of today, Brandon's ankle was looking so much better. The swelling from the last couple of days had gone down and this weekend was just what he needed. And I know he enjoyed just relaxing, watching 'HEROS' and a couple of football games, and reading his books. I took the time to work on RS stuff. It was nice to have quiet time and also get some things checked off my 'TO DO' list.

Kisses for Grandpa

Fun with the puppy

We left early Sunday morning to get back home in time for mtgs. with the Bishop. And it was good because that 7-8 hour drive can be a bit boring. The kids slept some and read books and watch 'Happy Feet' 3 times. I think it would be okay if I lost that movie for awhile. We were happy to be home and find that all was well.

How many Creswells does it take to start a fire?

Finger licking good...or table licking good!

Puppet time!

What are A's hobbies?
F spending down time upside down on the couch.
Making cookies with Grandma.
A and Uncle Dallin playing Jenga

We were baffled by this. Adam reading instead of watching TV. Speechless.

The Creswells...and the Creswells.

Dried up river...

Today we rode bikes with the Heussers and Workmans down to the river. And what do you know? The river was nowhere to be found. It was crazy. It had all but dried up. The kids found what was left of the river and what entertainment was had. They found 4 frogs, 2 crawdads, one grasshopper, a dog, and some fish. The little body of water couldn't have been any bigger than a baby pool but we stayed and played for at least 25 min. It was such a pretty day. Hot even. We always have fun with friends. Even if it's at the dried up river!

Lazy Mondays

Oh how I love Mondays. After our busy weekends it's always nice to have nothing on the calendar. Today I finished Anne of Green Gables and let F play the Xbox. I know I am probably neglecting him but he was seriously in high heaven. We did laundry and just hung out. It was so nice to just relax.

Picture Day

Today was Soccer Picture Day!

K's team lost today. They played hard but just not hard enough. They still have a great record of 3-1. When they lose their Coach askes, 'What did you learn today?' He askes that even if they win. And they always respond with something.

M's team won. They have one player that literally carries the team. However, M made some really important kicks that helped her team and we are so proud of her. We love our soccer girls.

Kokanee Salmon and Angora Lake

Tuesday, Paula, Jenni, and I took the kids (F, Kirsten, Racquel, and Jaynie) to South Lake Tahoe to see the Kokanee Salmon. I hope I got the name right. It was such a pretty day. Perfect fall weather. We walked along the river and watched the Kokanee jump out of the water and swim. The kids loved watching the salmon. 'Don't touch the water', Jaynie would say. 'It's bad.' I learned that when the Kokanee turn red...their bodies give off a toxin and start to die. Thus...do not touch the water...it's bad. Each year, the bright red Kokanee salmon return to spawn in their home stream of Taylor Creek. There is even a Kokanee Festival and people come from all over to see this. I think I enjoyed taking pictures more than watching the salmon. But to each his own.

After seeing the salmon, Paula drove us to the top of the world...to Lake Angora.

It was beautiful. We could see two valleys. One of each side of us. It was incredible. We hiked up to this beautiful lake...I called it 'The Lake of Shining Waters' (I've been reading 'Anne of Green Gables'). We found a nice little beach to eat our lunch and just enjoyed the scenery. The kids played by the water and I was so impressed that they all hiked to the top. They were great! We took pictures and just had a great time.

Then it was time to go home. So sad. Walking back to the car, F says, 'I have to go potty, Mom.' 'Do you have to go poop or pee?' I secretly hoped it was pee cause I'd just have him go near a tree. 'Both', he says. So we run down the mountain, as fast as possible, and get to the potties. Oh nasty! Porta Potties enclosed. We ran in and got his pants down and I threw his trash in before I put him on the potty. The smell was so powerful and I was trying to breathe through my mouth. F was breathing heavily through his nose. 'Breathe through your mouth and it won't smell as bad', I said. When he was done and pulling his pants up I noticed a sign on the wall. It said, 'Please DO NOT throw your trash in the potty. It's really hard to get out!' Ooops!

What a fun day in Lake Tahoe. Thanks, Paula for being our tour guide.