We are still alive!!!!

Just a quick note that I haven't forgotten about the blog .... I'm just busy, and probably a lot lazy! I will write more soon, hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season. I love this time of year!

The look of the blog

Thanks to my good friend, Heather, I changed the look of my blog and I love it! I would have chosen the background that she has.... I didn't think it would be right to have the same one! Thanks Heather, you are awesome!

I love the Internet!!!

This pic doesn't show the carmely ooey goodness. I was craving gooey carmel popcorn and wanted to do it fast, but didn't have a recipe. I typed in "gooey carmel popcorn" and within seconds had a plethora of recipes. Within 30 minutes I was eating this yummy carmel corn. Kudos to the inventor of the internet!!!

Trick or Treaters

We had several friends come by trick or treating on Friday night ... we had a good time seeing them all dressed up having fun. Here are some pictures of the goblins that came by ....

Grissom, the cutest Goblin around!! He was a great help passing out the treats. He was so excited to see all the kids he peed on Jerry. You know when they get so very excited they just can't control themselves. I'm surprised Grissom is still among the living with the many different bodily functions he has performed on Jerry. And of course, he's never peed, pooped or thrown up on me.... go figure!


Danae, the fasted sheriff around!

Patrick & Brandon .... what sweet boys!!

Dr "Dentist" not Dr McKim helping himself to the loot!

Gracie, the fairy, was too enamored with the dog

CJ, Chrystal, Courtney & Chance and their pumpkins

Sana, Najma & Ben -- Ok, aren't they cute! Dressing up was Ben's idea ... I never would have thunk it!

Later that night I went to the haunted corn maze with the Easley's. You know, I don't think Lois or I thought it was going to be so scary that her 5 year old and 8 year old would have a terrible time. I spent the whole time holding onto CJ. Do you know how hard it is to walk side by side in a maze of corn stalks with people jumping out at you at any given moment. What was really scary for CJ was that his mom called him by name telling him he would be ok. Well, the zombie thought she would be cute and followed him throughout the maze calling him by name. I think I would be scared if a zombie did that to me. We thought CJ & Courntey would not be able to sleep that night .... Lois said they stayed in their own beds all night. Way to go CJ & Courtney!!!

The Dreaded Phone Call!!!

Ummmm.... Pam .... I can't find Grissom! Jerry, I put him outside on his leash to play before I left for work. I know Pam, I just checked outside and ..... Umm, Pam, the leash and his collar is outside on the back porch, but Grissom isn't any where to be found. Grissom chewed through his collar and isn't out here.

Gulp, .... talk about feeling helpless!!! I couldn't do anything. What would the boss say when I told him that my dog was on the loose and I had to go find him. Luckily, Jerry saw him in the neighbors back yard and called for him. Grissom NEVER comes to Jerry when he calls, but this time he came running and jumped into his arms. I think he scared himself because Jerry said he didn't leave his sight the rest of the afternoon.

All is well with Grissom ... he is safe and sound in the house ... I bought a collar that I hope he won't be able to chew off. We'll see!

A visit from mom & dad

We were so lucky to have mom and dad here for the first weekend in October. We were able to watch all sessions of General Conference, which was a highlight. Mom and I worked on putting a finishing touch on her Christmas cards (mom, you're putting me to shame ... I haven't even started). She helped me with an outdoor fall decoration -- it's adorable!! Jerry and Dad watched a BYU game and one of the debates -- I had to leave the room, not my cup of tea! I was very grateful for the yard work mom and dad did for us. I can't wait to see the results in the Spring!

Grissom was not the grandpuppy they were hoping for, I'm sure. He is still a puppy and not the calmest -- especially when we have company

. Poor mom was attacked more than once, she had the scratches to prove it. Dad just ignored him and didn't have too many problems with him.

Thanks for visiting mom and dad, we love you!

I Love the Fall

Ok, these pictures don't do the trees justice, they were just beautiful!! I really enjoy the changing of seasons. Mostly I like the fall because of the beautiful trees, the nip in the air and that Summer is still three seasons away! Yippee. I'm not much of a Summer/hot lover. Give me a rainy cool day other than a hot Summer day.

Mom, those kids wore me out!!!

We had some friends over for dessert tonight and for two and a half hours Grissom played, ran, jumped, frolicked and had a grand ole' time in the back yard. Not two minutes after they left I found Grissom on the couch asleep. He didn't move a muscle for about an hour. We ate dinner and I sat one cushon away from him and he didn't even stir. Ok, he opened one eye and looked at me ... which is a mircle that he wasn't begging (actually he waits very calmly at our feet hoping for a morsel -- he knows he won't get anything unless it is put in his bowl).

We had a great time with our friends, the Easley's! The kids are probably pretty worn out they had timed races, played with the dog, played ball, played with the dog, climed the apple tree, played with the dog, tried to learn how to text, played with the dog, did kartwheels up the hill (take it from me, it's not that easy-- I got worn out, Courtney beat me by just a hair though), played with the dog, Chrystal ate one of the dog treat, yuck, maybe my dessert wasn't that good after all! Did I mention, they played with the dog? Lois, just sat and basked in the glow of pregnancy -- she found out she's having another girl! Poor Gary, he's out numbered now!

Here's some great photo's of our good friends!

I'm Back!!

Boy, it has been a busy month ... but I'm not so sure what I have done. My most favorite part has been my parents visit -- even though Grissom was a little too hyper (I think I have some pictures to share soon) Another reason I haven't been posting anything is because my camera hasn't been working properly and I can't figure out how to download an article or pictures from the internet. Is there someone who could share with me how to download them, I would appreciate it! I'm going to work on my camera and try to post some things tomorrow!

A bountiful harvest

Apple Crisp, Apple Sauce, Apple jelly, Apples Apples Apples .... Anyone have any yummy recipes for apples? Last week I was walking around the yard and found an apple tree LOADED with apples. When we moved in there was a huge limb full of apples that had broken off due to the weather .. so I thought there weren't many apples left. Well, I found out differently. I have picked as many as I can and have worked at peeling, coring, cutting and freezing as much as I can -- more to go. However, there are still tons on the tree. I borrowed a six foot ladder from a friend and realized that wasn't tall enough ... then I borrowed a 10 foot ladder from my boss/landlord and it STILL wasn't tall enough (actually if I would have been brave enough to climb two more rungs .. maybe .. but unbeknownst to me .... I am scared of ladder heights. Luckily, Jerry was holding the ladder for me or I wouldn't have gone as far as I did.

Yesterday Jerry and I were sitting on the back porch watcing Grissom run around in our HUGE back yard and Jerry pointed out that he thought we had another apple tree. I went to investigate and they weren't apples, but walnuts. Wow! we are gonna have some fun times with these! I checked out the harvesting process for walnuts ... not so sure I'm smart enough, but we will give it a go! Oh, before I read about harvesting the walnuts I started hulling a couple and guess what ... the Walnut stain color is truely walnut! I didn't realize that if you don't wear gloves your hands will be stained ... you guessed it my hands are a beautiful walnut ... I guess I better go buy some gloves!

Youth Conference with Canadian Stake

Last week Lois, Bert and I went to Nauvoo with the youth of the church for them to meet youth from London Ontario Canada and have some fun times together. The young women enjoyed spending time together ... but didn't go beyond their comfort zones and meet new people. Except for Joslyn (a visitor) ... she meet someone, but I found out later she already has a boyfriend -- Girl, why were you even looking? Or more importantly why do you have a steady boyfriend??? Now, one young man has in his own words "found the woman he was going to marry". A week later he states that he is speaking to the "love of his life" everyday ... every minute that he can. Oh teenage love!!!

The young women and Lois and I stayed with a wonderful family who has a beautiful home w/ many picture windows that overlook the Mississippi river -- I could have stayed there all day. Lois and I had a wonderful time ... we stayed up talking later than the young woman. You would think that we never spend any time together. It was a great weekend! I love the youth and enjoy seeing them make decisions and have fun! I just hope and pray they continue to make good decisions .....

So You Think You Can Dance!!

Most of you don't know how wonderful my husband is. He can seem kinda brass and uncaring, but he honestly thinks of me and what I want over what he wants most of the time.



There is a summer dance program on Fox that picks 20 people from thousands to have a dance-off and narrow it down to "America's Favorite Dancer". I love this program!! Jerry can't stand it! He will tape it for me every week, but won't even stay in the room while I watch it. (I actually like that better because I don't have to listen to the comments about how stupid the dances are -- "that's not dancing" "what do they think they are doing" etc etc) After they declare the winner, the top 10 dancers go on tour around the country. My sister, Alisha, said that she and Matt went last year and it was wonderful. Well, I mentioned this several times to Jerry how fun it would be to watch the tour. I never really thought we would go because .... he hates the show. I came home from work last week and guess what??? Two tickets to the SYTYCD tour in KC, and the great thing .... it happens to fall on my birthday! What a great gift. He's so much better than I about birthday gifts. He's two months early. (I ordered his gift in March for his May birthday and it still hasn't gotten here, yet!)

Later, he did mention that if I would like to ask a friend to go with me, that would be ok with him. He did say he would go, IF I wanted him to.

I am so excited!! I can't wait to go!!! check out the website and check out the winner!http://soyouthinkyoucandance.com

Who me? I'm innocent!!?!!!

Does this look like a dog that would pee on it's master? If you answered no .... think again! Thank goodness that Grissom doesn't think of me as his master because he hasn't peed on me... yet. We were taking Grissom for a ride in the car and for some reason he likes to sit on our shoulders. I went into a store and when I came out Jerry was ticked off. He said that he and Grissom were having a good ole time and then all of the sudden he felt something warm on his shoulder and running down his arm. The worst part -- Jerry said -- was having to smell it all the way home. Needless to say, Grissom hasn't gone for any car rides since then.

The sad thing was the next night Grissom and I were playing on the bed and Jerry came and sat down on his side of the bed and Grissom went directly over there and peed on his side of the bed. I had just taken him out to go potty too!!! Who knows what this dog is up to. It amazes me because I'm the mean one and Jerry's the nice one ... go figure!

Oops!

Please ignore the spelling errors ... I can't figure out how to change it. I'm still learning please don't be offended! Love you all!

Oh, I forgot to tell you of Jerry's favorite part of the whole deal. He got his beloved Satellite dish. He has talked about this for 5 long years! We weren't able to have one at the apartments, but now we do! Great for Jerry, bad for Pam .... I can't figure out how to run the stupid thing. Oh well, I don't watch too much tv and when I do Jerry has taped it for me.

What a week!!

When the landlord aproached us about moving "as soon as possible" I'm not sure if he remembered that I clean his apartments when tenants move out. Usually there are only a handful to clean, but this year there are about 20. Of course we on a time schedule because tenants will be moving in soon. Well, it's this big production because the painter has to go in and paint, then we go in behind him and then the carpet cleaner comes in the next day. So ... if he has us scheduled to clean two apartments in one night after work and after wed night activities at church ... it gets late. So, thanks to Jerry most of the boxes got unpacked or at least moved into "my room" (the craft room) to figure out what to do with them. As you can see, there are still lots of boxes in the garage. Oh, I LOVE our garage. After next week all the apartments will be cleaned and then I will be able to start on our home! We love the house, there are a few quirks we could live without, like not running the microwave, can opener, rice cooker etc., on the same breaker as the refrigerator -- that sure limits us, but we will work it out! :) Grissom loves his new digs too. Please plan to come visit ... we have plenty of room!

We're Moving

We are so excited to move into a home with a garage and a HUGE yard! Last Thursday, our landlord approached us with a good deal to move into a house that he hasn't been able to rent for a few months. He offered a wonderful deal ... with a catch .... we have to move within two weeks (if not sooner). We found out for sure we were moving yesterday so we have been frantically cleaning and packing! If anyone wants to come visit, we have a room with your name on it!

Grissom -- Our New Addition

Two days after we found out we MAY be moving, I looked on the Humane Society web site and found our 8 week old Corgi/Jack Russell Terrior Mix puppy. Oh, he is SOOOO cute ... but a lot of work. Grissom puts a little kink in our use to be care-free days. We love him (Jerry in coming along with his love, soon ... very soon)!!! Our landlord doesn't know we have him yet ... hopefully we don't get kicked out :-0

Kitchen Garden

Water water everywhere. It has rained incessantly here today .... I shouldn't complain because I know there are parts of the Country that are in desperate need of rain, but it is reaking havoc on my garden. Not only because of the rain today (about 2 to 3 inches) but it has rained so much in Missouri this Spring and Summer that many people haven't even been able to plant a garden. (I should count myself lucky, right?) As you can see in one of my pictures that my tomatoes are rotting on the bottom because they are too wet. I had to bring them into the house (much to Jerry's dismay) to try to salvage a few tommy toes!

Patio Garden

We've enjoyed watching our garden grow... in between getting our car fixed, transporting my nephew, Brett, from the St Louis airport to our home, to Nauvoo and back again; having a 5th of July BBQ with friends. good food & a hodgepodge of do-it yourself fireworks; throwing a baby shower the night before we left for New York. We spent 10 days in the car visiting 7 states and 2 countries. Niagara Falls and Canada (the Metric system is crazy) were amazing! This was all within the last month. No wonder I am so tired!

We have tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cilantro & oregano ... not sure if I know what to do when they have all produced, but having fun!

Back to vacation pics later

As alluded to earlier, I left my camera in my suitcase most of the time so I don't have alot of pics from my recent vacation. I will add some later, but I wanted to let you know about the last four weeks or so. As you can tell from the picture July started out with a bang! A group of women traveled to Nauvoo on a Thursday night to help clean the temple. We had such a wonderful time & were enjoying being together when a buck came out of nowhere. We were having a lively discussion about lastest books we had read and there HE was. I slammed on the breaks ... to no avail. We hit him head on and watched pieces of him fly around. Luckily he flipped in front of us and not onto our windshield. I hate to admit it, but I closed my eyes for a few minutes and I was the driver! Scary!!! I was so worried for these other women's lives and two of these women were with child! Maren was 8 months pregnant ... I'm glad she wasn't sitting up front she said she didn't have a real good view. I don't think I could have handled it if she had gone into labor. We were still 30 minutes from home. Luckily I could drive the car home. I was a little shaky ... but managed ok. What in the heck was that buck doing away from his family at midnight?

I thought I added the picture last time

AWESOME

Sacred Grove

Sacred Grove Our trip to New York for a family reunion was WONDERFUL. Most of my family were able to be there and we missed those who couldn't make it. The drive out to New York was long, but my parents and my nephew and of course Jerry made the trip entertaining. (Connor, mom and I laughed so much at times we had to hurry to the nearest bathroom) We spent a morning in the Palmyra NY temple which overlooks the Sacred Grove. We toured the Grove and the historical church sites in Palmyra NY and saw the Hill Cumorah pageant (a dramatization of the history of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). I will try to send more pictures soon, and a full update. I wanted to share the one I took in the Grove, how incredible to be in the same place where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. The spirit we felt was awesome! I forgot my camera so this picture is from my phone camera. It's not the best picture, but the feeling is the same when I look at it.

I Don't Know What I am Doing!!

I was just visiting some friends blogs and thought ... why don't I do this? I was hoping it wouldn't be too difficult. I thought it would be a great way to communicate with family and friends. We don't have too many exciting things happen.... so I hope you aren't too bored. I have to figure out how to create a cool looking blog like my friends do. I'm going to try to put some pictures up about our recent trip to New York and some exciting adventures. Stay tuned ....