Turkey Day

I am so thankful for family, friends, good and a fun trip to Arizona.

We took a road trip with Dave's mom and dad down to Sunny Arizona. We drove all night (picture me saying that while singing the song....We drove all night....to get to you).......anyways we spent 17.5 hours on the road. Stop for 1 hour to eat dinner at the Olive Garden (my favorite restaurant)! It was yummy. We left at 3:45pm on Tuesday and got Phoenix at 9:15am on Wednesday morning. It was a long trip but what a great way to travel with kids. We have taken some pics but I'll have to post them when we get home. I know, I hate posts without pictures.

Tennyson jumped into Donny's freezing cold pool..........I have some great pictures of that.

We took the kids to Cabela's yesterday and got some great pics outside and inside of Cabela's. They loved it! Tennyson had some serious cash burning a whole in his pocket. He had saved up $100 from his odd jobs to spend at Cabela's. He blew his cash wad pretty quickly but he knew exactly what he wanted, so it was pretty fun.

Tomorrow, we are taking the kids to the Zoo. I love the zoo and am so excited to see the Phoenix zoo. I have never been before.

WE just ate a wonderful turkey dinner. It has been a fun weekend. So nice to have 5 days off of work & to be down where it is much WARMER. Sarah & I went for a run this morning, we wore shorts and tank tops. What a fun run!

I am thankful for:

School (even though I complain all the time about how much work it is....I do love it)

My family

My kids

My house
Wonderful Friends

and to live in this wonderful country!

I am so lucky and so blessed!

Have a great LONG weekend.

Make it the TIME of your life.

Rival Weekend!

It's the weekend that all football fans look forward to....RIVALRY! In the state of Montana it is Cat/Griz weekend. Since Dave and I are both Alumni of MSU, we are crazed CAT fans, and we are raising two crazed Cats Fans. I have made sure that Tennyson has worn an MSU shirt everyday this week......some might call that fanatical but I call it dedicated.
I have never attended a LIVE Cat/Griz game, not when I was a student in Bozeman or not even when I worked at the University. I prefer to enjoy the game, from the comfort of my couch! Plus, the game is always the middle/end of November.....BRRRR! I'm a total fair weather fan, I don't like to bust out the Carhartt's unless I have too!
This rivalry has been going on for 108 years! Yes, I said 108 years. They didn't play during WWII, so there were no games the years 1941-1946. The CATS have been in a slump for the past few years, really since their big championship team isn the 1980's. We have won a few games since then but NOT many. Again, I say, I am a dedicated FAN! Maybe even fanatical.
BUT I feel it, I really do....I think this year could be the year of the CATS. New, young quarterback.....I think he's 3rd String...........great running game, a receiver that is in his senior year. "Lulay...Lulay....Lulay!"
I love college football!
I love a good game!
And I love RIVAL Weekend!
Whereever you are, enjoy the weekend and be thankful for family, friends and football!
Have the time of your LIFE!

Champ (The Bobcat) & Monte (The Griz)....you're going down...MONTE!

My Future Bobcat....Tennyson Miller (Corner Back #88)

I love CANDY!

I decided to make this post, really light & fun!

If you were a starburst, what color would you be?

How do you eat your starbursts?

Do you eat all the same color at once or do you mix two flavors in one bite?

Do you share your starbursts or only the ones you don't like?

Tell me....how do you eat your starbursts?

EGG Launch

So you ask, what does a Grad Student do?

We LAUNCH eggs!

Yes, one of my assignments this unit was to launch an egg.

Here are the "rules":

1. The egg can be in a container no larger than 10 cm X 10 cm X 10 cm. That is, it cannot be a larger volume than one liter container.
2. It is to be launched at least 10 meters (40 feet) into the air and return to the ground. For the launcher you can use anything but your arm.
3. There are no other rules other than it must be a raw egg, but if you are concerned about a particular talk to me about it in the faculty lounge area.
4. Anyone with a camera and who is proud of their innovation. Send your picts or post them for all to see in the doc sharing.

I got a half filled container of frosting that had been in the fridge for way TOO long and put an egg in there, stuff a plastic bag over the top of it and put the lid on. I used a pilate resistant band for the launcher.....voila.......you have an egg ready to be launced!

Dave and John held the bands, Tennyson held the egg and let it go. I took pictures and videoed it. It was quite a fun family project. The kids were so excited to see if the EGG survived and it did. In fact, we had to launch it twice because I didn't go 40 feet the first time.

The egg survived all the attempts. When it landed the last time, the lid came off the frosting container....yet, the egg, still survived!

I have posted some pics and my video clips of the launching.

If you ever need a Family Home Evening idea, try launching an EGG in a container no bigger than 10x10x10, 40 feet in the air BUT the egg has to survive!

Good luck!

The egg in the container, covered with one plastic grocery bag.

The launcher, only we did it outside!

The egg, survived. This is the egg after it had been lauched (a couple times).

The bottom of the container did NOT fair so well, it was a little cracked and covered with grass.

The video of the launch (please don't mind my voice).

The EGG survived! (Again, please disregard my commentary).

Country Music AWARDS

So let me recap our evening.

Candice - bakes 3 batches of cookies (new recipe-Chocolate-Mint Cookies, Best EVER Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies).

I have included the recipe for the Chocolate-Mint Cookies - they are DELISH, certain to be a crowd favorite.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter softened

3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp. peppermint extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I substituted white chips, looks really pretty w/ white)

Preheat oven to 375F. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the egg and peppermint extract, and beat until combined.

Stir the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a second bowl. Mash any lumps with your fingers. Add this dry stuff to the wet mixture. Mix well.

Add the chips. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly blended.

Put spoonfuls of dough a couple inches apart on the coookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Anyway back to the recap of the night!

Emmy & I programmed in the CMA awards.

Award show begins at 6pm. I am on batch #2 of cookies.

Emmy & Tennyson - watch CMA Awards.....

As instructed Emmy yells up the stairs a play by play of CMA action.....who exactly was singing and who just won awards. It was priceless.

What was even more priceless, was her hoot and holler when she agreed with the WINNER!

I love that my kids are such Country Music Fans!

What was even more priceless.......they know all the words to the songs too!

I love music and I love listening to my kids sing along with the radio.....TV....whatever!

Priceless moments!

Here are a few pics of our favorite stars.

Notice I saved the "King" of Country for last.....yes GEORGE is my favorite!!! :-)

Click on this link to enjoy a little of George: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aca3s7l_Db0

Remembrance Day/Veterans Day

Today is Remembrance Day or in America, they call is Veteran's Day. In the GREAT USofA NO holiday! Oh yes, the banks are closed, the post office is closed, all state & federal buildings & offices but NO...we still have SCHOOL! What is with that?! Crazy, I tell you!

All my Canadian Family are home enjoying the day off & I'm stuck at work. Somedays I long to be a "Canadian" again! I will always be Canadian but I want the holidays of both....USA & Canada! Is that asking too much?

Here is a great way to honor Remembrance Day. All of YOU Canadian Friends & Family will appreciate this.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

As we go about the DAY, remember those that have served....long ago and those that serve today, so that we can celebrate and experience all the freedoms we do...in this life!

Have a GREAT day.

Have the TIME of your LiFe!

Candice

Finally FrIdAy!

Emmy - PRE-pink eye at school watching a puppet show!

TGIF! and I really really really emphasize Thank you! it is Friday!

What a week!

Here is a snap-shot version of our week!

Monday - Emmy woke up with Pink eye

Tuesday - 2:30am, Candice in ER with stomach pain! Was sicker than a dog! I hate being sick!

Wednesday - Work & school, feel a cold coming on!

Thursday - Work & school, that cold I felt coming on.....is developing into SNOT all over me. Sneeze..... jeez..... louise.....it's NOT pretty!

Friday - Finally HeRe!



I think all my late nights are starting to catch up with me. And this is my bodies way of saying....S-L-O-W Down!



What a week too! The USA elected a new President. It was an exciting night! Here is what I have loved about the election:

1. That it is over!

2. To see people get really passionate!

3. The price of GAS, $2.14 this morning in Deer Lodge!


I don't get to vote, as I'm not a Citizen yet, so I don't really have an opinion. Maybe someday I will! :-)

Enjoy your weekend.

Have the time of your LiFe!

Candice

Trick or Treating & Hunter's

November Already? Where has this year gone?

Tennyson's first hunt!

First off, we had a great time Trick or Treating. The house party was a great time! Tennyson had three friends over for Pizza & FUN! Then they dressed up and went trick or treating. Then our friends the Stevenson's came over with their little girls. The little girls had pizza and then we took them trick or treating.

Tennyson is getting old enough, we just dropped them off and let them go for a couple hours by themselves. Oh the life of an 11 year old!

The boys (Ethan, Miles, KC & Tenny)Emmy, Morgan & Taylor are still too little so we walked around town with them. It was such a gorgeous night. I cannot remember trick or treating when it was so nice outside! I loved it.

I got some cute pictures of the kids in their costumes.

Taylor, Morgan and Emmy Then on Saturday, Dave, Grandpa John & Tennyson went out hunting. This was the first time Dave has gone hunting since we've been married. They were all very excited and had a GREAT time. They went out early in the day and sighted in their guns and did some spottin'. (Whatever that means). Then they went back out in the late afternoon, and Dave shot a Doe. It was quite an exciting evening at our house that night.

Here the MEN heading out for the BIG hunt.