Fall

When we left for California the trees in our front yard had all their leaves on them and they were still green. When we returned however, half of the leaves are now on our lawn and the remaining leaves are a really pretty yellow. Isaac was thrilled when he was able to run in the leaves, throw them and make "leaf angels." Changing of the leaf colors in one thing that I don enjoy about living in Utah. I never really saw it much living in the Bay Area. Now it is officially fall in my book.

I love fall! I love how the weather gets cooler but you're not freezing. A nice hoodie will do. I love being able to take a hot, long shower and fill the bathroom up with steam. I love the fact that I can bring back soup and bean nights back into our weekly dinner menu. Not only are they cheap to make and you can eat them for a couple of days but they feel hearty and warm up your belly. I love pumpkin:carving, boiling, pureeing, baking, smelling, you name it. Warm Pumpkin chocolate chip bread is my favorite! I love that I can now burn candles with scents that remind me of the holidays. There are so many more things that I love about fall but I think the main thing that I love is that this is the time when I really want to spend time with close family and friends; share a meal, sit and talk,enjoy each others company. There is something warm and inviting about fall weather that is unique to itself.

Oh last thing, daylight savings is this weekend. Whoo hoo! So anyone that doesn't have little kids gets to sleep in an extra hour later!

Happy Halloween

I hope everyone had a wonderful and spooky Halloween. We did. Since I love holidays and their history, here is some info on the history of Halloween from wikipedia.com

History

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain).^[1] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes^[2] regarded as the "Celtic New Year."^[3] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.^[4][5]

History of name

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even (both "even" and "eve" are abbreviations of "evening," but "Halloween" gets its "n" from "even") as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day,"^[6] which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[7] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Symbols

The carved pumpkin lit by a candle inside is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols in America and is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body, containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions.^[8] The name jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack,^[9] a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America,^[10] where pumpkins were not only readily available but much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their doorstep after dark. In America, the tradition of carving pumpkins is known to have preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration. The carved pumpkin was originally associated with harvest time in general in America and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.

The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely an amalgamation of the Halloween season itself, nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists,^[11] and a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include ghosts, ghouls, witches, owls, crows, vultures, pumpkin-men, vampires, black cats, spiders, goblins, zombies, mummies, skeletons, and demons.^[12]

Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which contain fictional figures like Frankenstein's monster and The Mummy. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween.

Church Halloween Party

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After a couple of hours after arriving home from Ca, Isaac and I went to our ward Halloween party. We had a great time. Majority of people were dressed up in costumes and some were really cute and interesting. There were actually 3 couples who dressed up as the shapes from the video game Tetrus and they actually had the music playing too. There was costume contests, pumpkin bowling, eating doughnuts off the string with no hands and trunk or treat. This was both mine and Isaac's first ever trunk or treat. It was really fun to see everyone decorate the trunks of there cars with scary spiders, lights, music, body parts and more. Isaac would go around to each car and say, "Tit Teet" for candy. He really enjoyed himself!

Spur of the Moment

So on **WARNING** This is a LONG blog entry. Read at your leisure.

October 15th I was talking to my brother, Ryan, on the phone and he wanted me to come home to see him in his play. Well, I don't know about you, but our money tree hasn't been producing much this year. (If yours has, please give me a tip to get a better harvest!) So he said that he would pay for half the flight and my Mom would pay for the other. So from the time that I booked my ticket online to the time Isaac and I were sitting on the plane, it was only 36 hours later!

It was nice to go home for a while and the weather was wonderful!! It was in the upper 70's and sometimes low 80's the WHOLE time!!! We surprised my Dad when he came home from his fishing trip, saw my Brother's play, surprised my Grandpa for his birthday and my best friend, Jennifer's birthday and saw my friend Jason who just got home from his mission in Mexico. It was really fun to have all of these surprises.

It was also really nice to just do my own thing. Normally when we go home, it is weeks in planning on whom I am meeting with and where with in all of my family and friends. This time was so much more low key.

Jeanne took Isaac to his very first trip to Fairyland in Oakland. I remember going there when I was little. He had fun running all over the place. My Mom took us to SF where we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Isaac had mixed emotions. He was so excited to see all the animals, but was also so scared he was shaking. We also went to Pier 39 where Isaac had so much fun looking at all the boats on the water and watching the sea lions. He kept saying, "Ewww Mommy. Ewww." because of the smell.

On Sunday, Isaac and I along with the Wuehler's went to the Oakland Temple and then they threw him a birthday party since they won't be in Utah with us to celebrate it. Isaac thought he was so cool when everyone was singing Happy Birthday to him. He also loved eating the yummy cupcakes.

Isaac and I also ventured out to Ardenwood Farm. I went on field trips there when I was younger. It is a historical Victorian farm. They only downside was that we went on a "field trip day." Isaac loved petting the animals, looking at all the tractors, watching kids make corn husk dolls, riding on the train and helping out with farm chores in the garden.

For one of the weekends, we went to my parents cabin up in Cedar Ridge. Isaac is in heaven up there with all the dirt, bugs, and animals! This weekend he was really cute because he was my Dad's helper. Everywhere my Dad went he followed. He helped mend up some rotten wood by the water sprocket, helped wash my Dad's fishing gear and even helped putting the coals in the BBQ. He was very upset when it was time to say bye to the cabin.

On one of our last days there, Isaac and I went over to Half Moon Bay and visited the Lemos Farm. My grandparents took me there when I was little. This time of year it is a huge pumpkin patch with ghost trains, pony rides, hay rides, petting zoo, jumpers and more. Isaac was so excited to see all the spooky spiders and skeletons on the ghost train. He would laugh so loud and point to them. He also thought he was Mr. Big Boy on the ponies. He rode them a few times;all with out my help. At one time he was holding on to the saddle with one hand and waving to everyone around him with the other. It was so sweet. I think his favorite thing there was these horse type rockers. There were tons all lines up and he would rock with other kids by him and just laugh so hard to himself.

After the pumpkin patch we drove a few more minutes to Half Moon Bay State Beach. We should have made this trip a few days earlier when it was in the 80's but it was typical weather for us, foggy and breezy. On the beach Isaac had fun digging in the sand and picking up sea shells. He also found a dead seal with no head. Gross! Besides eating lunch his favorite activity there was chasing after the seagulls.

On my last full day there, I was able to meet up with my friend Jason who returned the day before from serving a mission in Mexico. That was one of the highlights of my trip! It was SO good to have lunch with him and for him to meet Isaac since the last time he saw me I was taking him to the MTC 8 1/2 months pregnant!

We had a wonderful time and my brother and my parents had fun playing with Isaac.

Thanks again Ryan and Mom! We'll be seeing you soon!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince International Teaser Trailer

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince International Teaser Trailer

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Hair

So I was sick and tired of having my roots show. Well, they didn't look that bad when I wore my hair down, but when it was pulled up, I swear my roots were a couple of inches. I decided that I was going to dye my hair a "shimmering cappuccino." I like it. So here is a picture of my "winter" color.

Scarecrow Festival and Barnyard Boo

Today Isaac and I went with our friends Kristin and Addison to the Scarecrow Festival and Barnyard Boo at Thanksgiving Point. The kids had so much fun jumping in the bounce houses, climbing on inflatable slides and going through inflatable obstacle courses. Kristin and I got our work out too since we had to carry the kids up the small ladders to go down the inflatable slides because they were too steep. They played with pumpkins and scarecrows and even some ghostly bowling. We went on a wagon ride, rode ponies, tried to take pictures and more. They had so much fun running around to see everything and touch the animals. We didn't even get to do half of the fun things that were there, but after 4 1/2 hours (driving time included) of being out and about, the kids were pooped! We really lucked out with the weather. It was absolutely beautiful, 70 degrees with no wind! The Barnyard boo is catered more for the smaller kids, but the Scarecrow festival is for all ages. I would definitely go again.

Ghostly Apparition

Before I start this post, I need to add a disclaimer. I am not an insane, psychotic, delusional or hallucinating person. I don't drink nor do I do any drugs. I was not overly tired or any other excuse that I can think of. Choose to believe my story for yourself for I feel like a weird-y sharing it.

Two nights ago I woke up around 1:30 am. I noticed someone was standing on my side of the bed towards the foot of the bed. At first I thought it was Jim looking for something since I could see an arm scratching it's head and it's face looking down. Then I realized that it was 2 1/2 hours until Jim even got off of work not to mention that he always wakes me up to tell me when he is home. So about that time when I realized it wasn't Jim, my heart started to beat faster, uneasiness filled my stomach and I was panged with not knowing what to do. So I laid there in my bed with my blankets pulled up to my lips and I watched. I watched this thing for 5 minutes. It stayed by my bed and would occasionally move its arms. I was FREAKED OUT!!! I said a lengthy prayer in my heart for this spirit, whether good or ad to please leave and never come back. When I opened my eyes, it was gone.

I know I could have been sleeping and dreamed this or my imagination could have made my eyes see it. But to me, I know what I saw and I do believe that there are good an d bad spirits around us everyday. It is just a matter of seeing them.

Cornbelly's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival

Last Monday night we decided to go to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point for family night. We had a ton of fun. Isaac was in his element running all over the place and discovering new things. He had a lot of fun with Jim on the "jumping pillows." I took a ton of video because it was so funny to watch Isaac jump and fall down but all the cute video that I took had some random kid always blocking my view! Isaac also really loved the pig races and the hayride. When the pigs would go running around, he would shout and jump in excitement and when he would see pumpkins on the hayride, he would follow the other kids lead and yell, "PUMPKINS" so everyone could hear him. There were also obstacles for him to climb on and slide down, pumpkin blasters, corn shooters and how can I forget the David Arculeta corn maze. It is a big attraction here in Utah but we passed on that and let Isaac run around and admire the lit jack-o-lantern tree. I would recommend it to everyone. The only downside is that I think it is ridiculously expensive! We had a fun night, though and I would do it all over again just so I can watch Isaac and Jim run all over the place enjoying time with one another!

DID YOU KNOW?

I received this as an e-mail and thought the info was pretty interesting so I thought I should pass it on.

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to
pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints
in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply
chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them
in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350
for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low
and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on
the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer
for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes
with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers,
put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for-
get about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not
get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.
The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel
roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt
or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose.
Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such
as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of
your car When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside,
just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals
easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and
leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you
bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar
and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the
cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't
digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works
and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the
house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the
dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he
took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a
mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ...
the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us
that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit.
You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your
clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel
waxy when you take them out of the box .... well this stuff builds up on your clothes
and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your
house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long
time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with
hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months..
He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?!
Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that.
So, I thought I'd share!

Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran
through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it
with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when
I rinsed it ... the water ran right through the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all!
That repairman knew what he was talking about!