I am not making this up...

I took this picture Thursday--Thanksgiving Day--as we were driving to Rigby for dinner at Darla's house.

Remember everybody...

So eat lots of pie on Thursday!

Your wish is my command

I had a request for the Pumpkin Cake recipe, so here it is.

Pumpkin Cake

Step 1:
1 package yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup)
1 egg
½ c melted, cooled butter
Combine and press into greased 9x13 pan.

Step 2:
1 lb. 13 oz. can pumpkin
1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp ginger
½ tsp cloves
½ c brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
Mix and pour over top of cake mixture.

Step 3:
1 c reserved cake mix
¼ c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T softened butter
Crumble and put on top of pumpkin layer.

Bake at 350⁰ for 45 – 50 minutes.

"One feast, one house, one mutual happiness." William Shakespeare

May I just say how much I dislike the way retailers skip from Halloween to Christmas as soon as November hits? What about Thanksgiving? The world could definitely benefit from a larger helping of thankfulness and gratitude. I love Thanksgiving, it's one of my favorite holidays. I love the freedom of spending the entire day with family doing whatever I feel like: talking and laughing and reminiscing and eating and playing games and not caring how late it is. I only wish I could spend the day with all my favorite people--family and friends. And that we could celebrate once a month instead of once a year. Though I suppose part of the magic comes from its rarity, so it's best to keep it the way it is.

I have the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school, but the boys only get half day Wednesday through the weekend. That means I have two and a half days to spend in pursuit of...whatever. I'm open to suggestions. I think I'll try and finish my online New Testament assignments so I won't have to worry about them as the semester winds down. I've one more research paper and a couple more projects to complete for my English classes. My editing projects are ongoing: I recently combined two drafts into one--verifying all sources used, and compiling the endnotes--of a lecture given by one of my professors at the Wooden O Symposium at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in August. The paper will be published in their annual academic journal. The cool part is that he's giving me credit in the article as Editorial Assistant. Parker asked if I'm going to have a book signing at the festival next summer. Very funny, but no. The textbook-writing project is moving forward, but won't be completed this semester, so I've been asked to continue working on it next semester as well. I registered last week. I'll be taking an art class (design and color for my Graphic Design cluster), a math class (pray for me: the last time I had math, Ronald Reagan was in the White House!), Literary Interpretation, Career Exploration (to help me decide what I want to be when I grow up), and another section of Special Projects (the textbook). I will also continue working as a TA. Speaking of working, yesterday I served as a proctor for a roomful of students taking the Praxis test (for education students) at the University. It wasn't very exciting, but the pay wasn't bad.

Parker is working hard to finish his night school assignments, as well as staying current with his day classes. He'll be joining Cameron and Hayden as an orthodontic patient in December.

Hayden is one merit badge closer to earning his Eagle. He finished the swimming merit badge over the weekend. He's also in the thick of what Cameron routinely describes as "the teen years." (This, too, shall pass. Please. In the meantime, heaven help us all).

Cameron had a rough week: he had four teeth pulled--two baby teeth, two permanent teeth--for his braces. After Thanksgiving, the orthodontist will hook onto the permanent teeth that are above the gums and begin pulling them into place. The permanent teeth had to come out to free up much needed space. Cameron recently conducted an interview with a man from France about cultural differences for a project for Challenge class (formerly known as Gifted and Talented). He did a great job; maybe he'll let you watch it the next time you're around.

Jacob has enjoyed having two senior Elementary Education students from BYU-I tutor him each Tuesday evening. He's excited to try out his new snowboard equipment when Targhee opens for the season.

Tyler, Brandi, and Chloe came for dinner tonight. Chloe showed off her newly-acquired skill: standing by herself (I'll get pictures next time). For dessert, I made Mom Carling's fabulous Pumpkin Cake, which we ate fresh from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top like a delicious iceberg of creamy goodness. Can I just say one word: Heaven! Ya know how there are some foods that elicit a sense of well-being, the feeling that all's right with the world--even if it isn't? This cake is one of them; eating it evokes an epicurean epiphany. The taste, the aroma, the texture all combine to become the culinary equivalent of Nirvana (the place, not the grunge band :o). Okay, maybe I got a little carried away with my description, but it is really, really good!

Autumn smells alot like burnt paper towels

What do you get when you combine the following: a hungry nine-year-old, a microwave oven, and a distracted mother? At our house, they equal a Fahrenheit 451 re-enactment of sorts. Jacob decided to fix himself a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant. No problem, open the package, wrap the sandwich in a paper towel, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, dinner is served. Except he entered two extra zeros to the cooking time, making it a big, smelly, burnt paper towel--but luckily no actual flames--stink up the house kind of problem. The scent should dissipate in a week or so. :o)

For some reason, I neglected to take pictures of Cameron and Jacob in their Halloween costumes. Perhaps I was too busy taking pictures of this little creature:



As much as I hate to admit it, boys, your days in the cuteness spotlight are over.


There's a new king, er, queen of the jungle. And her name is Chloe.