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Make a Smilebox recipe

I ♥ Faces “Sweet Dreams” Photo Challenge

I love this picture taken after a day of searching sunstones.  We are so lucky to live in Idaho and be so close to such treasures!  Grandma Kristi was with us and she is holding sleeping beauty's chin.  Check out the drool!  Nicholas is out too....not a common sight for him. He is usually taking it all in.  I love the sunset in the back windows and the telephone poles.  It was a fun day and I found the largest sunstone....lol!

"Sun Flare" Photo Challenge

This is one of my favorite pictures taken just before the sun started to go down. I guess this is what you would call a sun glare or sun wash.Stop on over at I heart faces to see some other wonderful shots with the sun. 

Nicholas is a winner!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Thank you to all our family and friends who pledged Nicholas at his first Pirahna-thon! It was a huge success and he swam for an hour. It was 32 laps and 64 lengths. That equals almost a mile in one hour. Way to go Nicholas, Mom and Dad are way proud! He was awarded a water bottle and a sweatshirt! There was a little girl who won nothing and Nicholas walked up to her to give her his water bottle and she declined! Talk about a tear jerker.

"Balloons" Photo Challenge

I heart faces has Balloons as the weekly challenge. I decided to enter this cute candid shot I took outside our photographers studio in the parking lot. The kids were dressed for crazy hair day at Vacation Bible school. I had to run to Hymas Image to pick up some prints and get Nicholas's 6 year taken. We went to the beach after and played. It was a really fun day. The kids faces say it all.

School Pictures

Make a Smilebox postcard

Tea Party for memah

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Halloween Treat

Make a Smilebox recipe

I ♥ Faces “Pink” Photo Challenge

I dedicate this week to my mom and mom in law who are both surviviors! This picture of my mom and Paisley is so special considering we are so lucky to have her here with us. The pink glasses are priceless! I will never forget the morning she phoned me and said she had a old fashioned marble size lump and her doctor said to watch it! I phoned a surgeon and had her in the very same week and a diagnosis! It was a very aggressive breast cancer and they were able to do surgery, chemo and rad. The last six years are such a blur. Not for my mom, she has been through it all. Way to be the best mom and survivor I know. She thanks Jesus and so do we. Love you mama.   http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=9272302&fr_id=22257&pg=personal

October is breast cancer awareness month, take time to stop by and look at all the great pink photos at I Love faces!

Nicholas and Paisley

Click here to view these pictures larger

Caving 2009

 

Pumpkin Spice!

I love the flavors of fall, here is a bite size treat sure to spoil your taste buds!
Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

8-10 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor

1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

caramel topping

24 Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

2. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Pour evenly into the 12 cups filling about 3/4 way full. Spoon about a teaspoon of caramel into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely.

3. Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of remaining caramel and a Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

24 mini cheesecakes

I will post a pic when I get them cooled! They smell fabulous.
I found the pumpkin spice kisses at target.

I ♥ Faces “Excited” Photo Challenge

When I saw excited I knew the picture I would enter. Nicholas was so tickled to catch a brown trout and a big one to boot! This is a priceless picture and will be one of my favorites for many years to come. Please stop by I ♥ Faces to see the other great pictures!

Chocolate cake and grapes!

I love this time of year. The smells are so crisp and baking is so fun. I made a cake for Nicholas today and twinked the recipe a bit to make it more fall like. It is hard to believe frost and pumpkins are here.
Jeff has a weekend plannned to close Yellowstone Park. We always try to open and close the park. We love it there and the kids enjoy the timeshare and swimming too. We are going to check out a hot spring right outside the park and soak our feet! I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who takes time for family and my children who teach me so much.
We are making wine this year and have had fun with the crush. The kids had never stommped the grapes.
They are merlot from the Prosser area in Washington.. Jeff makes wonderful wine and this is the first batch to be made in Idaho Falls. The grapes we planted here are doing better this year. We hope to get a little juice from those also.
the recipe is following, enjoy and thanks for stopping by.
Amazing Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Wow, this is one of the better gluten free cakes we've had. Very light, fluffy, and so moist!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups gf flour blend (see sidebar at right for recipe)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped nuts (opt)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the shortening and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the shortening and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately mix the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition. Mix until smooth.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan (I used a 9x13 pan, as I didn't have a bundt pan). Bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool if baking in bundt pan. Otherwise, leave in 9x13 pan.
5 Drizzle a glaze of your choice over cake.

I made it with substitution of 1 cup pumpkin plus 1 cup zucchini and left out the vanilla by accident. I added 1 cup white choc and 1/2 cup dark choc chips. This made 12 large muffins, costco size large. The cocoa i used was Gourmet Ramstadt breda rich dark cocoa.

Both ways are wonderful, enjoy!

The last day of summer 2009

It is hard to believe what a great summer we have had, hardly any wind and good temperatures. We took the pool down and winterized a bit. The eves are suppose to get into the 20's so I guess fall may be short. We are headed to Kellogg for two days to enjoy the water park and then to the Walkley's for two days. We will miss our baby, Balto will be at the kennel. We are thankful for our families and friends. Jeff and I have enjoyed putting up the garden and canning. It is so rewarding to see it preserved. Tomorrow is the last day, pickles are on the agenda for our Nicholas!

The best Photographer

We are so blessed to have Evelyn in our lives. She has captured images unimaginable of All of us. This one of Nicholas is especially sweet. He was featured on her newsletter. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments considering his disabilities and he has a love for life and everyone. I love you Nicholas. Here is the article and picture. Gone Fishin' ff

Little kids love to go fishing and play in the water. Come and enjoy the lazy days of summer at our inside fishing hole. Bib overalls, fishin' hats, and willow fishin' pole are available at the studio or you can bring your own.

Creative Sessions: $49

Watch Me Grow or Children's
price list apply to this session.


Quick Takes are also available. $69
includes one 8x10 - two 4x5's and 4 wallets. Studio edits to best pose.

Gonzaga

We have been fans for over 10 years and this video clip is so touching. This team is in our hearts and you will see how awesome they are when you hear past players talk and see these men cry. I will be ordering a copy. enjoy learning who the zaggy dogs are why they touch our hearts, and why our world stops when they are playing. Go Zags!
the link is http://www.youtube.com/user/GUBulldogs

I ♥ Faces “Contemplative” Photo Challenge

I love this photo that was taken this summer at a local lake. When I saw the contest, I had to enter this one. Look at all the other great pics at I ♥ Faces.

Sinful

This is a recipe I received from a dear friend Caroline Loftus. I was asked to share it with our Aunt Nellie.....so here it is!

Microwave Carmels

2 C sugar
1 C real butter
1C white karo syrup

stir: cover with wax paper, cook 5 min on high
stir: add 1 can eagle brand milk, cook 4 minutes
stir: cook 4 min more
stir: cook 4 min more
stir: add 1 tsp vanilla

Pour onto bottom of inverted buttered 13x9 pan and cool, I have poured mine onto parchment paper, sometimes it sticks and is trouble to get off.   Some pour onto counter or marble but I did not have as good a luck with that either.  Cut in small pieces and wrap in wax paper after totally cool. I like to cut with a pizza cutter.
*note: take butter and smooth some over the top edges of the glass so that the caramel boils to top and touches paper, it won't lift it off and spill all aver the microwave.

These are the very best carmel I have made, I also like to lightly sprinkle the caramel with course sea salt after pouring into 9x13. Just a little....ENJOY

Balto Walkley

Well, we have new member. He is 2 mo old and we are in love. He is a cuddly, soft, loving kitty. He loves to knead our necks and purrs beautifully. We think he is handsome. Nicholas has been asking for a year with less and less time in between askings! We caved when we saw this guy. He is fun to play with and we are excited to have him in our family. I have been a little busy this summer so I will update summer activities and recipes soon. Thanks for stopping by!