The Drawing

Mom & Dad have Chris' family
Bryce has Lances fam
Lance has The Parents
Chris has Bryces fam
Jeremy has Dan
Dan has Jeremy's fam.
Those that we spoke with said they were fine with $30 for the family gift exchange. Hope this works for all of you, let me know if not.

Christmas talk already?

Well, Stephanie called today and wants to know if anyone is wanting to exchange family gifts this year, as we have done in the past. I spoke with Dan about this and he is for it, but said we spent $20 last year and is up for it to be a little more but not much more.

So what do each of you think? Let me know and if we all want to do it we will have the drawing on Sunday and then check back in to see who your family will exchange with.

I can't believe it is getting so close to the Holidays. Although the weather has been saying it is true since we went to daylight savings. Well it is after 5 p.m. and it is already dark, time for bed!

Love you all, Mom

Halloween Partay

Well, I don't have any pictures to prove it, yet, but I did my first party for my new calling as Activities Director for our ward. The first Halloween party for Teton 2nd Ward. It is now over and it was a great success! We had well over 100 people show and some of our older people without any kids at home came. Which is what I was really hoping for. We had games, pin a wart on witches nose, fishpond, cupcake walk and a donut eating contest. Carina, Daisy and Sarah came for a time so I do have witnesses. We used dry ice in the kool aid in punch bowls on the table and that was a big hit. I had no idea it could boil up and over the sides. I also made faces and hands to put in the punch bowls but you couldn't even see those. It is amazing how easily it all went together, but I certainly learned alot about asking people to help. Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween. I'd sure like to see some pictures on your blogs of costumes and know what you have all been up to lately. Now get to blogging some of you slackers!!!

Lucky Number 13 (grandkids that is)

I hope by now you have all been called by Jake 'cause
It's a Boy!
Born on October 14 at 1200 hours even. 7 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long. I'm sure he is the cutest little thing, too. Of course 'cause he's a Carter.


Congratulations to the Jake Carter Family!!!!
And sorry to say the above picture is not of him. It is Jake when he was such a cute little thing!

Halloween Monster Mash

I saw this fun site on Micah's blog and made our own video. Hope you all enjoy!!!


http://www.monstermashup.com/f678b4

More eggs from the Carter Chicken Farm

Well, they just keep a comin'. Of course it has taken a week to figure out how to not get them to peck the eggs after laying, but that is all in the past. Dan went out yesterday and found two, then Jeff went out this a.m. and found two more. Notice the one to the far left on the top row. It isn't hard at all, it's more like a water balloon. So we cooked them up this a.m. and had sausage too. Mmm, mmm good that's what Carter's eggs are mmm, mmm, good!!!!

The Chicken egg Farm

Well, it is now official! The Little Red hen has now laid her first egg. Yahooooooo!!! I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am. It has been a long 5 months. Every day I was going out and giving a pep (egg) talk to Red and she just wasn't producing. Then wahla. There it is. It was quite funny cause I left her locked up until 5 p.m. cause Aunt Jackie came and thought her dog might eat the chickens, when she left I went to let them out. Jeff had already checked on them before me and didn't see an egg. Well now we are chicken egg farmers. Now it will be another month before Spot (the black and white chicken) lays her first egg. It is slow work but that $500.00 egg was worth it! HAHHAHAHAHAHA!!! I am truly loving this summer with all the gardening, canning and animal life hear at our little farm. Yippeee!

Happy Birthday Dan

So Dan had his 21st birthday on the 7th! Happy Day for Dan. He was so excited to turn 21 and be a man now. I took this picture the morning after his big day, cause it got kinda hectic at dinner and I forgot the camera. Anyway he didn't want a cake, he wanted pumpkin pie. I know he doesn't look too excited, that's because it's 6:30 a.m., who ever thought he would be up at the time in the morn'. Well, this is his third week of classes and he is doing very well, being really responsible and I think he really likes school!? Next week he starts clinicals and has to be there at 5 a.m. so he will stay with Chris & Carina the night before and then not have a 45 min. drive. Good Luck to you , Dan!

Canning Season

So we get back from a wonderful vacation and it is time to work. Jeff started early friday morn picking green beans and we worked on botteling them until we had 43 pints completed. Then saturday I got up at 0530 and started with the apples for apple pie filling. I also made bread and my mom came later to help with more apples. We bought these apples in Oregon and the lady told us they are the best for apple pies. They are gravensteins. One apple filled your whole hand. They are beautiful. You will all have to try these pies. The great thing is you don't need pie dough. Just put filling in a pan and put the crumble mixture on top and bake. Who needs the calories of the crust when this will do. They say 75% of the calories come from the crust anyway.

So needless to say we ended with 20 quarts of pie filling and hadn't even used half of the apples. So next week we will do more!

We also did pickled beets and red potatoes and there are 4 loaves of Zucchini bread in the freezer. Jeff has been so helpful this year with picking, watching the canner and pressure cooker I couldn't have done it without him. It was great to have my mom come and help too. She said she is doing so much better than last year. She was stirring the syrup on the stove and said last year she wouldn't have been able to stand and stir 'cause she was too weak. I don't think any of us can appreciate what she went thru over the past two years. Thanks Mom!!!

Oregon Trip '09

This was our third trip with Global Travel tthis year and wow are there some pretty places in the world! We went to the Whispering Woods resort at the base of Mt. Hood and stayed in this great 2 bedroom condo. One day we went to see the scenic route and saw five beautiful waterfalls. Most were easy access but the last one we tried to climb I let Jeff and Dan go ahead and later found out it was several trails that would have been an all day climb.




























These were just massive waterfalls. They were all so grand.




































On Sunday they had a Saturday Market with a Bite of Oregon going on. The market is a swap mee/flea market and the Bite was with vendors charging admission for the Special Olympics. The fee let you in a fenced in area and there were demos on food, cooking and people playing music. There was also a mountain man talking about the expeditions of Lewis and Clark. But the best part was the Wii Resort. We understood they are doing these all over the country. It is an area where the company sets up TV's and Wii games and you can play for free. That is where the leigh came from. He looks pretty good, huh?!














We also heard about this trout farm where you go and fish in different ponds, depending on the size of trout you want to catch. Of course Dan had to try it at the biggest pond to beat Jeff with this years fishing tournament. 17" and 2 pounds. It tasted mighty fine. Of course the fee is per inch and that cost Dan $15, he said it was worth it!





















The scenery is so beautiful in the area that you just can't help but feel romantic. Ahhh!!! Next vacation area is in Florida in January. Come for a visit where it will be warm, I hope. Panama City then onto Ruskin. I love to travel!!!!

Huckleberries '09

I was viewing our old posts and noted that I blogged about last years huckleberry picking and here we are again with this years post. This first pic is of our first patch of picking, combined. Not too many in this patch. The second pic is of a bear scraping. I thought it was pretty remarkable. Haven't seen any bear in this patch, ever, but the bushes had been picked over by them. It was pretty cool to see.

This was my pick for the day.

Pretty depressing. Like I said the bears

had stripped the bushes. And I'm stickin'

with that story!

Of course what would a woodsy outing be

without Jeff looking for THE PLACE. You know

the one. All men have to do there duty and

leave their mark in the forest! I had another pic

but he didn't think it was appropriate. It's

saved on the computer though! Ha Ha Ha!!!!

Mining for Opals

My mom and Dan and I went to Spencer Idaho today to mine for opals. I read this great article in sundays newspaper about the mine in Spencer and that they have some of the best opals in the world. I was pretty impressed. So I talked my Mom and Dan into going, too. Along the way I saw this awesome boat and thought how much Jeff has wanted a boat! He could load this fixer upper onto his trailer and there you have a sailboat. I bet he could figure out how to put a motor on the back too!!! Well I was excited so we just had to take a picture. If you look really close you can see two parrots in the top. HAHAHA

















And this is us mining for opals. They have a tent so you can cob the stone in the shade and that makes it a lot nicer. You rinse the stones off and see the sparkle of the opals much better. Well, this is one of many things to do in Idaho. I bet you are all so excited for your next trip to Idaho to go opal mining.
There is also a cafe' next to the rock pile and they serve the best idaho fries with fry sauce. A must have.

Our Family 2009

The Boyz & Me. Where's Dan? What a bunch of handsome fellows!















Our family pix for '09. Next time we'll take in the evening for better convenience of not being blinded. It was hot out there! Unfortunately Taryn and Ashley didn't make it.

Of course wiffle ball is always played at Nana & Papas house. Even the younger ones know how it's played.

Of course the 4-wheeling is a must do too.

And this year there were fireworks for the big kids. Whoever took these pix did a great job.

Papa was such a great sport with the grandkids and was kind enough with all the dads to allow the girls to go and have a spa day. Of course that is what us girls live to do when we all get together.

This was such a fun time for us I hope you all enjoyed it. Let's do it again next year! I love you all!

More pix @ Family Gathering

Lance is the instigator with the kids. He loves to rassle! Of course so do the kids!














The Big BBQ dinner was a hit, I think. And the cake with its wonderful filling was mighty fine. Happy Birthday Bryce (31). Yeah.














Me and The Boyz. Of course they didn't hook up my controls so I couldn't play. They knew I had been practicing and would have whipped their hineys! Ha Ha














Me and Sarah.














And what a trip it was to the Carousel.

Who Are You?

So I tried the background thingamajiggy and wow it worked! YaHooo! So for this blog I would like everyone who looks here to sign in and leave a comment. Doesn't matter if I know you or not. Last year someone from the Philippines wrote a comment. I had no idea others could look at the blogs that weren't the people signing in specifically to my blog.

Anyway, let's see how many people actually look at this blog. Now if I don't get any response I am gonna feel really bad and probably quit blogging. Does anyone look at this blog? Sign in and let me know.

Butchering Day

Alright so it is still obvious that I still haven't figured out how to get the pictures in the right order. So look at the post backwards, okay. So this is Dans cat Pepper. Jeff found a mouse nest under the chicken coop and Pepper had a grand time playing "cat & mouse", what else.

Dan even got in on the excitement of catching a fat chicken and pulling on its head ready for the chopping block. Good catch, Dan!

I took this great picture of Jeff pulling off the skin, but he didn't want it posted. So you get me with the finished product, just giving it a good rinse.

And of course we started this chicken show with Jeff catching the first unsuspecting hen, which they all ended up being roosters. The people at Cal Ranch, where we bought the chicks said they were pretty sure these were all hens, cause they checked their wings. Well, most are roosters. Now the white chickens it really doesn't matter but the reds were the laying hens. And did you know that only the hens lay eggs. The roosters crow and fertilize and we only need one rooster. So needless to say I am looking for some bartering, again. Anyone want to trade hens for roosters?

More Pix of Georgia fun

We went to the Atlanta Aquarium

A park that was used during the Olympics. It was funny 'cause this guy offered to take our picture then asked if we could give him money, which of course Bryce did. As usual I didn't have any.

Me and the kids, one of these days I will be able to have my picture taken with my eyes open. Darn Lasik, I can't stand the bright lights and it is automatic to close my eyes.

And this cutie pie is the newest baby in Bryce & Amy's family. Garrett. What a good little boy he is.

Our Stay at the Georgian Hotel

This is the Beautiful Georgian Hotel (aka The Carters New Home). We spent a wonderful six nights and five days. As you can see the manager and his staff were very accomodating to our every need. This luxury Hotel boasts an amazing 4 bedrooms 3 1/2 baths with a parlor and executive dining room. There is access to a private lake with boat dock. You will feel right at home in this palatial home when you visit this residence! The owners said in the near future they will be hosting movies in their own personal movie theatre with upgraded playroom and popcorn for everyone. Don't miss out on this property make your reservations today!
























I quit my job when we got back from GA and thought I would take up writing travel logs for magazines. What do you think of my first try?

We had such a great time at the Carters in Georgia! The weather was actually warmer in Idaho, but it was still very mild and nice. It is amazing at the lush greenery all around. This area is very hilly and trees with kudsu everywhere. We also had our teeth cleaned, and Jeff even had three cavities that Bryce filled. Whew, I'm glad it wasn't me. Jeff did say how gentle Bryce was though and it didn't even hurt. Amiee, the hygienist cleaned our teeth and I think I'll be able to do it without laughing gas next time. Thanks Bryce for the great dental care. He even gives crest toothpaste with free toothbrushes! YEAH!!!

A Zoo?

Well, we got the beef today. So I thought I would post a few pix of our little menagerie of animals. At first Iwas thinking it is turning into quite a zoo around here. Then I remembered we live on a farm. It just seems like a zoo around here sometimes, which really has nothing to do with animals.

This is Dan's cat Pepper. She is such a nice kitty. Dan sure likes her!


These are the little chicks that are not so litte anymore.

This is Roast & Steak (Rosie & Steve?).

And of course, our little Brown Dog, BrowNee. We certainly couldn't leave her out.


Half of the chickens will be gone by the time Bryce & Lances families get here, but we sure will enjoy that barbecued chicken on the grill. Mmmm.

This week we will be going to Bryce and Amy's for a few days and enjoying their company, we are so looking forward to seeing them and all the kids and the many changes that have happened over the past year.

We sure are enjoying all of those blogging again.

Update on The Chickens

Well, Jeff gave in and bought this cute little chicken coop. I gave it a name this past week "The Cheyenne Social Club". Have you seen the movie? Well, lets just say this is "The Best Little Hen house"! If you haven't seen the movie it is definitely worth watching. It really has nothing to do with chickens, though.

These are my little chicks, they have grown alot over the past week. Brownee even likes them, at least she doesn't lick her chops like Dans cat did. All is well here. We are just waiting for the real spring to show up and we will plant the garden. I have also been bartering for services. I teach a girl in our ward cooking lessons (enough of that laughing), and she teaches me piano lessons. We had our second class today and it went really well. After awhile she is going to throw in voice lessons (okay now you can get up off the floor from laughing so hard!) It has been really fun to trade services. I encourage you all to try it.

Here chicky, chicky

This is my new little project. The pic is pretty small, but I will be taking new ones soon. These are my new little babies. Chicks! The ones in the upper corner are Rhode Island Reds, layers. And the little yellow ones I picked up today are Cornish Rock, meatbirds. The reds are approximately 10 days old and the yellow ones are maybe 2 days old. Over the next two months it will be interesting to see the difference in growth. Remember my chicks I had two years ago? They were the Cornish Rock. Well, lets just hope we don't get the bird flu, or we'll all be under quarantine and unable to travel! That would be sad.:(
Okay, now I have blogged so those of you who haven't for awhile it is now your turn. We sure love to see those blogs.

Lions & Tigers & Bears

Well, we went to Southern California this past week with my parents. We ate at some really great restaurants and walked on the beach every morning. Can't say the room was so great but at least we know where not to stay. I'll just say there was a bar twenty feet from our front door, it wasn't quiet at night and I didn't feel very safe. We did go to the San Diego Zoo one day and it was great.

We also went to the L.A. Temple the first day after arrival and it really set the tone for our trip. It was bee-you-tee-full. The Temple pix are of the Newport Beach Temple that I thought was a Jewish synagogue at first, but then I saw the Angel Moroni and thought that was weird another religion would use him on there church. At closer inspection, we drove into the parking lot, and spoke with a gentleman who said yes it is an LDS Temple and has been there for about 4 years. If we had known it was there we would have gone into that one, too. Oh well, so much to see and so little time.

Next trip is definitely out to Georgia to see that new little grandson, Garrett.

Love to all of you!