November Already???!!!

Where oh where did the time go?

 I feel like I've been running at the speed of light lately. The air has turned chilly at night but we still have moderate temps during the days. 

Fall is a season I love. I was out one Sunday delivering some bread I made and took some pictures of the fields and cotton. 

I guess I say that every season. I do love them all. Winter less so than others but I do like the sweaters! 

This time of year makes me want to organize! So I started with my bathroom closet.

I saw this idea on the internet. I love it. I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see the difference!

 I know exactly where everything is and nothing is wandering over to the other side of the shelf. 

Needless to say it's driving Emil crazy. lol

He doesn't like having to open a bin to get out aspirin but for now he's allowing it on his side too. We'll see how long he can take it. Maybe I'll win him over and he'll get use to it. I'd like to do my closet but the bigger bins are more pricy. These were only $1 each so it was a small investment and then I just printed up some cute labels.

I've been baking all things pumpkin and discovered this amazing Pumpkin Buttermilk Poundcake. If you want something to impress with it at Thanksgiving shoot me a email and I'll send you the link to the recipe. If you like pumpkin- you will love it!

Pumpkin Buttermilk Poundcake

We have been living the life of Marching Band Parents. Every weekend is either a competition or football game. Thankfully last weekend was our last commitment until the Christmas Parade. Yay! 

As much as we all love it- it's lots of late nights and hard work. The band did really well this year placing in the top three in several competitions and getting the Grand Champion for one. It's a pretty big deal and Noah was totally stoked! I think he enjoyed this year more than last year since he's older but he was pretty done by last weekend. It's been so good for him to be a part of something. 

I had a big Relief Society event last Saturday. It was a craft day with any ladies who wanted to come craft. 

The Plates with the wording were the biggest hit of all the crafts. Everyone who came had a wonderful time and there was such a sweet spirit of sisterhood there. I love our little Branch!

  We invited the Missionaries to help us by teaching a craft. It was fun to see them help the ladies. They are such sweet guys!

I've decided to get together with my friend Ezzy once a month to sew. This month we made a cute bench pillow. 

Next month we're doing smaller Christmas Pillow Covers. It was quite the undertaking and I didn't actually finish it until the day after Halloween but I'm keeping it out until just before Thanksgiving. ha ha I worked so hard on it!

A couple of weeks ago we had a temple day and took Noah to do some baptisms. On the way home we stopped at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. 

We always pass by it on the way to DC. You can see it from the highway but this was the first time Noah and I had been. It was pretty impressive.

 I always feel such a welling of emotion when visiting our nations military museums and historical sites. We get to see much of that being so close to DC. Our country is not a perfect place, there are many things that I think need to be changed in the government and just civil society in general but I can't help but feel we are incredibly blessed to live in this country. 

To enjoy the freedoms and peace that we do. I think we take that entirely too much for granted. We owe so much to those who have paid for our freedom with their lives. Are we living our lives to be worthy of that sacrifice? Do we exercise our freedoms like we should? Like voting today?

I hope we do and that we truly appreciate what we have been given.

School Days

We sent Emil M back to school at the end of August. Emil drove with him cross country and then flew back home. He is settled and beginning his senior year at BYU Provo. I can't believe he's almost done with four years of college. It went so fast!

Noah began high school this year. He's doing well so far. Being in marching band has helped him with knowing upperclassmen and have a comfortable peer group to socialize with. He has a pretty easy semester this time. He likes his teachers but isn't enjoying PE. Luckily he only has to take it one semester in HS so once he's done this year he'll be finished for good. They had their first football game a couple of weeks ago. I didn't get any pictures because I was busy at the booster concession stand. Next time.

He's been doing great in Tae Kwon Do. He tested for his 2nd level orange belt back in August and did great! He may switch programs after the new year but we are going to wait until the marching band season is over and he's gotten use to getting up early for seminary. (Do they EVER get use to getting up early for seminary? lol)

Kirstin and I flew out to ID and had a great trip! It was fast- we arrived and bought her apt supplies on Thursday when we flew in to Salt Lake City. My sister Sheila was our generous chauffeur.

We headed to ID on Friday and got her unpacked.

She has a really nice apt with 5 other roommates. 

This is her bedroom.

There are 3 rooms and a good size kitchen. We walked around campus that night and did some photo ops.

I spent the night with the family of one of the missionaries who had served in our area then the next morning we got her books and ID and then said goodbyes. It was so nice to leave her knowing she was at a good school, ready for this time in her life and prepared for what was to come. 

After that I came back to UT and got to visit my dear friends The Brady's. It has been quite a while since I had seen them and it was nice to catch up. Visiting them is like slipping into a comfortable old sweater. It's so easy- true friends like that don't come along very often in life and when they do you have to nurture and treasure those relationships. 

 Lori taught me to make bread years ago and I have enjoyed the art ever since!

Amy & Me!

I stayed with my sister Sheila and had a relaxing time just talking with her. As always, my throat is always so sore at the end of the first day together. There is just so much to catch up on!!

Me, Mom & Sheila

Sheila had a big family dinner that Sunday and I got to see all her kids and their families as well as my brother David and his family and my niece Autumn. Emil M. stayed the night there on Saturday too so we got to visit too.

Heather, Sheila, Me & Mom

Monday I was headed back home. It was a short trip but fun. Kirstin has been out a week and we've spoken and texted to her quite a bit. Things are going well and Calculus is giving her a run for her money but she's enjoying it. 

I am so grateful for my life. I have been richly blessed!

Summer Fun!

Nags Head, NC

It seems that I don't have down time anymore. I feel like I just go from one event to the next. Does anyone else feel like that? I don't know if it's the period of my life I'm at right now or our society in general but I miss easy breezy summer!!

Court of Honor after Scout Camp. Noah has been growing like a weed!

When Noah went to scout camp this year he took a merit badge class for reptiles. He finished all the requirements except for taking care of a reptile for 30 days. (Who makes that a requirement?!?!) So Emil and I went to the pet store to get a aquarium. We ended up with Sherman.

Emil had all sorts of pets when he was younger. A Scorpion, tarantula, lizards. Thankfully he didn't have any of those since we've been married but he had always wanted a chameleon. 

So I got Sherman for him for his birthday. His is cute but we haven't seen him change colors like they are known for yet. He's little still but he molted about a week after we got him. I was a little freaked out at first until I figured out what was happening. 

Sherman molting

You're not suppose to handle Chameleons because it's suppose to stress them out but Sherman is pretty chill. He likes to climb Noah's arm and it's cool to watch them walk. He's got pretty distinct markings and sometimes they're light and sometimes dark.

We moved around some furniture to get a table for him which left me without a sewing table. Something I was totally happy with because I had a project in mind.

I saw this and really wanted to make it. After my farmhouse table I was feeling pretty confident.

It ended up costing a little over $200. I could have gone a bit cheaper with the top but Emil suggested I go for quality. I did the entire thing by myself. 

Well-Emil did help me cut the top since it was 6 feet long to begin with but I routed (rounded) the edges, sanded, measured, hammered, screwed and painted.

I love it! I was even able to find the same chair as in the picture at Ikea! It's much larger than what I had before and I love that it's basically a table top on 2 bookshelves. It gives me more storage and that's always nice. I'm feeling quite handy these days. Now if I could just find time to use it!

Noah had 2 weeks of band camp in July and we've started back on marching practice 2 nights a week along with Tae Kwon Do which he really enjoys. He's quite busy which is very good for him. He's gotten out of his comfort zone and it's been nice to see him come out of his shell a bit.

Alex & Kirstin

Kirstin has been working long hours. She leaves at 8am and gets home at midnight. It's been hard for her but I'm so proud of her for keeping at it and being a good employee. She has the weekends off and has been busy attending all the Young Single Adult (YSA) activities she can manage. We haven't seen much from her with that. She heard from BYUI last week and they've offered to let her attend the fall track so now we are frantically trying to get everything set up with that. Classes, housing, flights!! It's been crazy these past couple of days and I'm sad that I won't have the extra time in the fall I was planning on with her but I'm excited for her. She's so happy to be going early and she deserves it. She has worked really hard and had a great attitude even when things didn't turn out the way she wanted.

Kirstin & Catherine

Kirstin's best friend Catherine has been staying with us this summer. She is a great girl and it has been a joy to have her sweet smile and cheerful attitude in our home. She works at one if the local farm markets. She's leaving for University of North Carolina -Wilmington next Saturday. We will miss her.

Emil Michael has been working for the Cotton Gin again this summer. They love him there and they pay him well.  He has really gotten into anime art this past year and has gotten quite good. I have seen him doing that more than writing this summer which has surprised me.

Emil had a business trip to DC a couple of weeks ago and so Emil M and I went for a couple of days. He drove up with Emil on Sunday night and Monday Emil M and I walked the mall and went to see

Some of the monuments and the American Indian Museum. By the end of the day I had walked 11 miles! I was exhausted!

I can see Emil M. being a city dweller. He's got just the right balance of quirky for it.

I love the architecture of DC.

I guess most big cities are the same but DC is the one I'm most familiar with.

 

 

The detail and diversity are just awe inspiring to me.

We went to a place called Fogo D' Chao for dinner that night. It was a Brazilian restaurant and if you love meat it was the place to be. They gave you these little disk with green on one side and red on the other and when you wanted some meat you flipped the disk to the green side and the servers would come offer you whatever they had. They were quick too. There were like 15 different types of meat and they would slice it off these long skewers. I did not go hungry enough,, given the cost but it was a very unique experience.

I'm still baking for the Cafe'.  It's been pretty steady through the summer and last week was very busy.  I just bought my plane tickets to take Kirstin to college with my cafe' money so that was good!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Turtle Cheesecake

I may have another business that wants me to bake for them. We will see where it leads....

Enjoy the last bits of summer!