The Fauvers

Funny, Funny!

2012-01-26T15:20:00.001-08:00

http://youtu.be/A2AXlIX1s-M

A New Laurel!

2012-01-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Tennyson baked a delicious peanut butter cake with milk chocolate frosting for Banner's 16th birthday.

All of the candles were blown out in one breath.

Banner can now drive herself to school, piano lessons, Young Women's and church plus run to the store for me.

The newest Laurel in the OV1!

Happy 19th, Tennyson

2011-12-17T19:40:00.000-08:00

New Blog

2011-11-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

I've added a link to Nancy's blog. It's under her name in family blogs if you want to keep up with her and how her treatment is going.

Grey Lady!

2011-10-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today was Banner's Halloween Recital. She decided she wanted to be the "Grey Lady". She found this idea on the Martha Stewart website.

We purchased all the gray and white tulle that they had at the Price Wal-Mart for the dress.

I then dyed the white tulle and some cream colored curtains for her head covering.

Whitney spray painted the flowers gray and we tied black ribbons around the flowers and her waist.

I used a paper doile and white face paint to do her face. She looked very grey and gloomy.

She played Tcherepnin's Bagatelle in E flat for her piece and did a wonderful job.

Tennyson made these lovely carmel, chocolate, almond apples for us last weekend. We've got so many apples we don't know what to do with them all.

Christmas 2011

2011-10-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Liz and Dennis...........................................Morgan and Andrew

Anne Adele and Maurie.......................................Josh and Stacy

Shelley and Alan.................................................Liz and Dennis

Jennifer and Jim..............................................John and Rebecca

John and Rebecca..............................................Noah and Becky

Sara..................................................................Shelley and Alan

Josh and Stacy.....................................................................Sara

Morgan and Andrew............................Anne Adele and Maurie

Noah and Becky...............................................Jennifer and Jim

Whitney...................................................................Seth

Miranda............................................................Madison

Leslie....................................................................Kelsie

Madison..............................................................Hannah

Zack.......................................................................Esme

Rachel.............................................................Tennyson

Tennyson..............................................................Maren

Kelsie....................................................................Arden

Arden......................................................................Zack

Seth...........................................................................Lily

Banner.....................................................................Leah

Hannah..............................................................Miranda

Jonas....................................................................Rachel

Gabriel...............................................................Whitney

Maren....................................................................Leslie

Leah....................................................................Gabriel

Esme....................................................................Banner

Lily.........................................................................Jonas

I hope we all have a Merry Christmas!

Answers

2011-09-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Whitney was right on all the answers. Who would've thunk it! Now for a little explanation.

1. Miranda said this to Les(I think to scare her). Les didn't want to sleep over at our house ever again.

2. Tennyson said this and my astonishment wasn't that the bird was singing "Rock of Ages" but that my 4 year old knew "Rock of Ages".

3. This was said by a very annoyed 6 or 7 year old Whitney to her father. I could only laugh at his face, he was shocked that she wasn't interested in his advice.

4. Banner asked this question after overhearing a biblical discussion at Lizzy's house.

Who Said What!

2011-09-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

To misquote Mr. Bennett, "here sit four of the silliest girls in Utah".

I've written a funny thing that each of the girls said, see if you can match the quote with the girl.

1. "The mice at our house have the Hanta Virus."

2."Why is that bird singing "Rock of Ages"? "

3. NOT another lecture!

4. So,(pause) if you want to talk to the devil you just dial 666?

Tennis Anyone?

2011-08-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Emery High had it's first tennis meet of the season yesterday. Banner plays on the JV girls team. We drove all of the way to Ogden for the girls to play St. Joseph's Catholic High School. Jim needed to pick up 2 tons of bird feed at Cargill so we made a business/supportive parent trip. We stopped in S.L. and picked up Whitney to come with us. After lunch at "Big Jim's Burgers" we finally made it to the tennis courts(wrong schools, wrong address, pure luck we drove past a park and saw girls in tennis outfits, all along pulling a large flat bed full of feed for the chukars).

I think she is showing her "eye of the tiger" look here.

Move over Venus and Serena, here she comes.

Banner had never played with her doubles partner before but they did fairly well together.

It was extremely hot and there was no seating but we enjoyed watching her play.

What a shot!

Peach Cobbler Anyone?

2011-08-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year for fresh peaches so here is a recipe for one of my favorite peach desserts.

This is a recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cups sliced peaches(about 6 medium)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons shortening

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in peaches and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole; keep peach mixture hot in the oven.

Cut shortening into flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto the hot peach mixture.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm and, if desired, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Jim brought these beautiful flowers home from Salt Lake the other day. I think the colors are absolutely gorgeous.

This is my favorite flower.

New Roommates!

2011-08-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Miranda is sooo happy that Tennyson has moved in. Good luck girls!

Jim and the Cistern

2011-07-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Jim wants to put a small ornamental pond on our property north of the house.

There is a cistern there that he needed to remove. Luckily he has this "man-sized" Tonka equipment for the job.

I asked him if he liked to play with Tonka toys when he was little and he said "Every little boy loves to play with Tonka trucks."

He was able to break the top and bottom halves of the cistern apart.

It had a few feet of old dirty water in it.

It just needed a gentle nudge to tip the top over.

just a little more,

Ah, there she goes.

Now he just needs to crush the cement into smaller chunks then bury them and he can start his lovely pond.

Tennyson Rides and Banner's New Ride!

2011-07-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tennyson and Holly

They seem to have a good time together

Tennyson is a natural horsewoman.

and now for Banner's ride

we hope she has a good time with "Husqvarna" just like Tennyson does with Holly

we know she'll love the cruise control

the plush seat

and cup holder (for those extra hot days)

Enjoy the rest of the summer girls.

An American Favorite! Egg Rolls!

2011-07-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Twenty-eight years ago while I was serving a mission in New Mexico, I met a woman from Thailand. She was good enough to share her egg roll recipe with my companion and me.

The necessary ingredients are: 1 cooked chicken( I usually boil one, but this time I had a rotisserie chicken so I used that) a head of cabbage chopped finely(as you can see I used bags of cole slaw mix, it worked great) a medium onion, minced, a bag of bean sprouts, soy sauce and egg roll wrappers.

Start with some oil in a pan

then add the cabbage( I used 2 bags) and minced onions

then the sprouts. Cook until the cabbage and onions become transparent.

Add shredded chicken, you can use as little or as much as you want, I used all of the dark meat and one breast in this batch.

Mix everything together and then add soy sauce to taste. This is the filling.

For wrapping the egg rolls you need a plate and a small bowl of water and another plate to put the wrapped egg rolls on. Start with a wrapper on one of the plates

put a couple of spoonfuls of filling diagonally across the wrapper

then fold the wrapper over the filling, fold in each side

then roll until only the top tip of the wrapper is left

dip your finger in the water and dab onto the tip of the wrapper and finish closing the egg roll. The water makes the egg roll wrapper stick closed.

Then fry in hot canola oil until golden brown(a couple of minutes). The package of wrappers that I purchsed had 20 in it so we made that many egg rolls. We had a little bit of filling left over but it is good to eat just plain so no worries.

Serve with fried rice and sweet and sour sauce(or not). I promise your family will love these and love you for making them.

Oh, We Love the Halls of Emery!

2011-05-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tennyson receives her diploma from Laurel Johansen.

Tennyson, along with 156 classmates are the class of 2011 at Emery High

Tennyson with her National Honor Society stole and Mandi with her Co-Salutatorian stole.
Tennyson graduated in the top 20% of her class.

Whitney, Tennyson and Banner, just glad it's over.

Happy, happy, happy!

The heat was a factor again.

Sara gave her this pretty lei. Jim is just glad he doesn't need to wear a tie for two whole days.

Tennyson and Jessica

Tennyson and "goofy" Tyrell. They were in a lot of plays together.

The Dance and the Speech!

2011-05-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Good-bye San Rafael Jr. HIgh!

2011-05-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

The program started with an introduction of the students and then a dance.

I took this picture because Banner was dancing with her cousin Spencer.

She danced with others but I put these up because they are my favorites.

They danced very well together.

Banner gave a speech on the importance of education. And I must say she did very well.

Three students were given the 4.0 award, Banner was one of them. Mr. Johnson congratulated all of us.

We had to stand up in front of everyone and look composed. I think I was having a hot flash because I was not comfortable.

The ninth grade chorus students sang a nice song.

Banner and her best friend Ashley.

Kylie, Kelsie and Banner have been together since nursery days.

Banner at the County Track Meet!

2011-05-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

She won her leg of the 4 X 200 relay and also her leg of the "Shuffle" better known as the Shuttle relay.

U of U Grad!

2011-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

And so it begins.

Instead of "Where's Waldo" we have "Where's Whitney". Can you find her?

Cute shoes! Too bad they gave her a blister.

The commencement speaker Mitch Albom, who wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie". He gave such a wonderful message, we thoroughly enjoyed his talk.

All smiles.

Three Fauverettes smile!

At the block U with different shoes.

Sara gave Whitney this beautiful lei. Is that spelled right?

With proud Papa and diploma in hand.

Proud Mama too.

7,400 students graduated from the U this spring. 1,090 were in the School of Humanities with Whitney.

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Fauver for coming to the commencement and the convocation and to everyone that celebrated with us at dinner and the brunch at Sara's. It was a wonderful weekend for our family.

The Day Before May!

2011-04-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Is it ever going to warm up?

Dalmations!

2011-04-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Tennyson as "Spot"

Neal's 150th play! Wow!

Castle Valley Region Honor Choir

2011-04-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Jim and I were privileged to attend Banner's Choir Concert on tuesday in Price. They sang 5 different numbers, we enjoyed them all. Here is one of them. This choir is made up of students from Carbon and Emery County Jr. Highs.

Another Recital

2011-03-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Banner as she announces her recital piece.

I had intended to put a video of her playing on at this time but he who shall remain nameless took the video camera without my knowledge. Needless to say, there is no recording of this performance.

A nice bow!

Groovin Lily!

2011-03-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

Another generation dances to "Macho Man" on the old record player.

Leah must've been asleep or busy somewhere else. She missed all the action.

It's All About the Cookies!

2011-02-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

I agree with Jonas, "I'm not here for the happiness and the love, I'm here for the food". Valentine's Day for me is all about sugar cookies. I love baking , decorating and sharing them with family and friends.

It seems like every year I get a call from one of the girls for the sugar cookie recipe. I discovered this recipe in my Orangeville cookbook, it is the best one I have found by far.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter 1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar 2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs 1 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp lemon extract 6 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar together; add eggs and beat until fluffy. In a separate small bowl, add baking soda to sour cream; stir well (rises to almost 2 cups). Add flavorings to creamed mixture. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream mixture. Roll out dough using enough flour so dough doesn't stick to surface and rolling pin. Roll 1/4 inch thick or desired thickness. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. Don't overbake. Makes 5 to 6 dozen.

Missing Mom

2011-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Fourteen years sounds like a long time, it is. I think of all the change our family has gone through since then and it seems like forever. I look at Banner now and think, she was just a tiny 1 year old when Mom died. I'm sad that Banner never got to know her wonderful grandma. I wonder quite often if I would be different if Mom were still here. I wonder how different my girls would be. Would Dad and Ben still be here? I like to think she would be proud of us and how we've stayed close. I know for a fact that she would adore Hannah, Jonas, Gabriel, Maren, Esme, Leah and Lily just like she adored all of her grandchildren that she knew. I think she would have loved Rebecca, Andrew, Brooks and Becky and would've welcomed them into her family. She would be so proud of Noah, Whitney, Zack and Leslie for serving missions. Because she is gone, we've had the opportunity to do grandmotherly things for our nieces and nephews. The crocheting, knitting, quilting and just loving the kids is something that we have enjoyed doing in her place but we can never really fill her shoes, she was an amazing woman and I miss her every day.

Gifts!

2011-01-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

Miranda gave me this family tree that I have been wanting for a while. I haven't filled in the names yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it.

Whitney gave me this picture of the Manti Temple. She even made the frame(with some help from her Dad).

The quilt, the piano, the family tree, the"prayer" picture, and the picture of the temple(which is on the other wall) make this a happy room for me.

Banner's 15th Birthday!

2011-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Banner wanted to play "Restaurant" for her birthday. She and Miranda got dressed up for the occasion. Miranda's dress is a little old fashioned (I think she borrowed it from Betsy Ross) but they both looked lovely.

Studying the menu.

A little pricey!

Introducing the "Chef".

They started out with tasty drinks

while Chef made their salads.

Chef's secret recipe homemade croutons.

Happy faces after a delicious lunch.

Now it's Tennyson's turn (too bad she forgot to iron her dress).

A personal note of encouragement.

And now, for the birthday cake. Banner wanted peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting. I thought it needed a little chocolate so I added ganache between the layers and on top.

She easily blew out the 15 candles.

She got clothes from us, a dress from Miranda and Brooks, a pink headband from Lizzy, a symphony bar and book from Dennis and money from her grandparents. I hope she had a good day.

Two Out of Three!

2011-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

They Say It's Your Birthday!

2010-12-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Emery High had a swim meet in Richfield today. Jim and I decided to take Banner out of school for the afternoon so we could cheer Tennyson on. The swim meet seemed to go on forever but finally it was over and we took Tennyson out for her 18th birthday dinner at Steve's Steakhouse. We then drove home and this was waiting for us.

A delicious Red Carpet Cake with 18 candles.

Banner had trouble lighting the candles because she has never been allowed to do it before.

Tennyson, while we were singing "Happy Birthday to You".

They're all out with one breath. All that swimming has given her super lung power.

This is the inside of the cake. It was soooo good.

Happy Birthday Tennyson.

A Concert and a Birthday!

2010-12-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

We were privileged to attend the San Rafael Jr. High choir concert last night. The choir that Banner is in is made up of 8th and 9th graders. I think they sing very well for how young they are. Banner is directly behind the conductor in a burgundy colored dress. Every once in a while you can see her. Sorry about the bad camera job. I was trying to get a close-up of her but it didn't work.

We then came home and celebrated Jim's birthday. As usual he had a German Chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting. I had a hard time finding the german chocolate for the cake this year, Food Ranch had none and I bought the last package at Stewart's. He only had to blow out 3 candles this year. I don't know why I chose 3, I just did.

Let's Swim!

2010-12-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

It's swimming season again at Emery High School. Their first region meet was against Delta. They won! Good job Emery. Here is Tennyson swimming the 100 meter breaststroke.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!

2010-11-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

Emery High School presented Dirty Rotten Scoundrels this past weekend. Tennyson played the part of Muriel Eubanks. We enjoyed listening to her sing and even do a little dance with "Andre". Sara, Whitney, Hannah and Jonas came down from Salt Lake for the production. Liz and Dennis also came along with Banner, Jim and I. I had never seen this play before so it was a refreshing change. All of the kids did such a good job with their parts and we were very much entertained.

Four Arkansas Travelers

2010-10-31T18:33:00.001-07:00

Here are the four kids playing their quartet. I finally had to put it on youtube to get it on here. Just turn my playlist off and enjoy this fun piece.

Banner's Halloween Recital!

2010-10-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Arkansas Traveler for 2 Pianos 8 Hands

Banner and Justan Potter

Kelsie Cox and Nate Potter

Taking a bow

The Hillbillies from Dogpatch

Some Fall Colors!

2010-10-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I saw a pheasant rooster in the backyard this morning. By the time I got the camera out and changed the lense the bird was gone. I found a few colors in my backyard so here are a few pictures. Red.

Pink.

Purple.

I love a golden carpet of leaves. I imagine in a few weeks Banner will make a leaf house out of these.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2010-10-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Christmas List 2010

Liz & Dennis---------------------------------John & Rebecca

Anne Adele & Maurie-------------------------Shelley & Alan

Shelley & Alan-------------------------Anne Adele & Maurie

Jennifer & Jim----------------------------------------------Sara

John & Rebecca--------------------------------Jennifer & Jim

Sara------------------------------------------------Josh & Stacy

Josh & Stacy--------------------------------------Liz & Dennis

Morgan & Andrew----------------------------------------Esme

Noah & Becky--------------------------------------------Arden

Whitney-------------------------------------Morgan & Andrew

Miranda & Brooks----------------------------------------Jonas

Madison-----------------------------------------------------Leah

Rachel---------------------------------------------------Madison

Tennyson-------------------------------------------------Gabriel

Kelsie----------------------------------------------------Whitney

Arden-------------------------------------------------------Maren

Seth-------------------------------------------------------Hannah

Banner------------------------------------------------------Kelsie

Hannah--------------------------------------Miranda & Brooks

Jonas---------------------------------------------------Tennyson

Gabriel--------------------------------------------------------Seth

Maren------------------------------------------------------Banner

Leah--------------------------------------------------------Rachel

Esme-----------------------------------------------------------Lily

Lily------------------------------------------------Noah & Becky

The Cake, The Dinner, The Party, & Jeremy the Horse!

2010-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Tennyson. busy making fondant and the finished cake.

Turkey, it was well worth the wait. We also had potatoes and gravy with red cabbage.

Corn from our garden.

Sara's delicious rolls.

Green beans

and tomatoes and broccoli from Lizzy's garden.

Whitney and some good books to read.

Yay, an oven mitt.

Here comes the cake.

Peanut butter and chocolate cakes with buttercream frosting and fondant.

Our horse Jeremy.

Miranda receiving instruction from Tennyson

Sara and Jeremy, running free

Whitney takes a turn around the pasture.

Brooks didn't want a turn.

Banner would rather ride the four-wheeler

Whitney, enjoying her special day.

The Danger is Over!

2010-08-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Remember when a step out of my french doors meant serious harm or a plunge to certain death? Well, those days are over. Jim finished our steps which are really another level to the deck.

We can now walk out the door and go down the steps on either end.

We still need to stain the rest of the deck to match the "Trex" which will never need to be stained or treated. I love using this door, it is so much nicer than going through the dining/sewing room. Next project is siding around the doors but that will have to wait until next summer. Castle Valley Outdoor's hunting season starts on Sept. 1st so I won't see much of Jim until it's over in March.

Flashback to 1986!

2010-07-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

I found this clip from my favorite Moonlighting. Some of you might remember it too. Click to turn off my playlist and enjoy the music by Billy Joel.

What a Weekend!

2010-07-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

It all started on friday evening with Huckleberry Ice Cream

and Josh's homemade shortbread. Delicious!

Brooks, Banner and Hannah posing for Lizzy.

Miranda, our tissue grabber in Minute to Win It.

Hannah, after shaking balls out of a Kleenex box tied to her back.

Our champion headbanger, Tennyson. She still has a headache.

Brooks and Josh had to shoot rubber bands to knock over empty pop cans. They did pretty well against the small children on the other teams.

What a photo op.

Esme needs support from Jim as she gets her first taste of the "hard" stuff.

Part of our crew.

Our sweet Maren.

Here's the whole tribe.

And later, a pool party at Lizzy's.

And later, a softball game. Way to go Noah.

Miranda at shortstop, Allison and Brooks on third. I guess they decided that runners on the same team can share a base.

Mighty Josh, up to bat. Trent catching.

She no longer needs Jim's support(or permission). She can drink all on her own.

Sara gets a hit.

Hannah showing her stuff.

"Scarey"

Come on Miranda.

Banner smacks the ball.

Whitney taking care of second and Stacy in center field.

A few of the spectators.

Tennyson dancing on first, Banner in right and Kirk and Jorgen pitching.

Catch the ball Becky!

Jonas, watch the runner.

Brooks, Jonas, Tennyson and Noah, in charge of the firework display.

Essie gets a sparkler.

The grand finale.

Thanks everyone for making this weekend memorable and fun.

Jim and Father's Day!

2010-06-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

A Diet Coke jug from Banner.

Tennyson is wearing the skirt that Lizzy made for her. Banner got one also.

A motorcycle from Tennyson.

A card from Miranda and Brooks. What he really needs is a longer arm.

Garden, Peonies and Ginger

2010-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

The girls borrowed my camera, and these are the pictures that were "tooken". (Ask Lizzie, Miranda or Banner)

Lovely beans.

These next pictures are for Whitney because we know how she loves Grandpa's peonies.

Ginger in a pensive mood.

Maren's Visit!

2010-05-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Is this what we call ballerations?

Whitney wore this little costume when she was about the same age.

What a sweetheart.

Twenty-six Years!

2010-05-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Jim and I were married in the Provo Temple 26 years ago today. Now all these years, wrinkles and pounds later, I can still say we are grateful to have found each other. We went to the Manti Temple today to celebrate the day. We were late again as usual but they held the session for us and we made it through. We stopped at El Mexicano for lunch and then headed home. It was a good day, a lot less stressful than May 18, 1984.

Les Oiseau Jeune!

2010-05-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

There were three of these yellow birds in our crab apple tree the other morning. I didn't want to scare them away so I took pictures through the windows.

I don't remember seeing this type of bird around before.

They were pecking at the blossoms on the tree.

How come the pretty birds are only here in the spring?

Well, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Induction and Graduation!

2010-05-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Tennyson is the new Service officer in the Emery High chapter of the National Honor Society.

Carefully lighting the "service" candle.

Offering a few words on service.

They were laughing about the candle that had an extra large flame.

Principal Davis gives Tennyson her certificate.

The swearing in of the inductees.

And now for the next day.

We are now in Cedar City at the Centrum on the campus of Southern Utah University. I'm sorry about everyone's eyes in this picture but there is Miranda walking in with the other graduates.

Miranda "Shortliff" receives her Bachelor of Social Science degree.

Diploma in hand.

A smile of relief.

Miranda and Brooks. It looked beautiful outside but it was quite cold.

Brooks, Miranda, Banner and Tennyson.

This was on Friday night after the commencement ceremony. Grandma and Grandpa Fauver were also there with us but I don't have a picture of them.

Saturday morning we added Whitney and Sara. It was still cold. Sorry, no picture of Sara either.

It was a very proud day for Jim and me. Sadly, I do have a picture of me.

We had such a good time together this past weekend. The only things that could've made it any better was warmer temperatures and a Jazz win over the Lakers.

Aristocats!

2010-04-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Tennyson as Mad Cat in the Emery High production of Aristocat's

Getting "jiggy" with the other Alley Cats.

Mad Cat, Scat Cat, Slick Cat, Hep Cat and Wacky Cat.

Meeting up with the Aristocats.

Threatening "Roquefort" the mouse.

Taking a well deserved bow.

Signing autographs and visiting with all of their adoring fans. I just have to say that this was a cute production. A lot of families came and the little children absolutely loved it. They projected the "humans" (Madam and Edgar) onto the white screen in the background so they were very large and all the animals were small. It was very well done and we enjoyed it.

Tennyson's 200 Meter

2010-04-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Tennyson ran the 200 meter today at the Emery High Invitational. She got off to a good start and ended up winning her heat easily. She is in lane 7 with the pink shoes.

Easter Breakfast!

2010-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

We had Gooey Carmel rolls for breakfast on Easter morning. You see, I was afraid that we wouldn't get enough sugar in our diet that day. If you want the recipe, I posted it on my blog on January 18th, 2008. Just go to older posts and you can find it.

The Desert!

2010-04-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

Since you couldn't come to the desert with us, we brought the desert to you. These are assorted pictures from my camera and Miranda's phone(since my battery died after 8 pictures). As most of you can tell, we first stopped at the Wedge, where Jim and I had a dispute about which snow-topped mountains were in the background. I said they were the Bookcliffs and he said they were the Henry's. It turns out we were both wrong even though he did correct himself and say they were the mountains by Moab. They are the called the LaSals. I was absolutely positive they weren't the Henry's. It's funny, but all these years since I was a little girl, we would drive east to the Wedge and come to the edge of the overlook, so I thought the Wedge ran north and south. It really runs east to west. This is why I was mixed up and thought I was looking at the Bookcliffs behind Window Blind Peak. Some of the pictures were taken at the Buckhorn Panel. When we were there, the panel was in the full sun so the pictographs didn't show up as well as they would have in the evening. We had a good day and missed you all. Maybe you'll be here for Easter next year.

Banner's Recital

2010-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Banner playing "Warm Summer Wind". She was a runner-up in her age division with this solo last weekend at the Festival.

Banner and Kelsie playing "Two Guitars".

Tennyson's Mail-Order Russian!

2010-03-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Click on my playlist to turn off the music before you watch this video. We can't wait until he gets here, he'll be a welcome addition to the ward choir.

Tennyson's Prom

2010-03-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Dreaming of "Some Enchanted Evening"

Tennyson and Nathan Doria.

Tennyson and Kalin Burr, her promenade partner.

The girls at the beginning of the dance.

The dance was lovely.

The dip.

The big finish.

Finally, her Dad's turn.

It was a wonderful evening for the whole family.

Tennyson's Helper!

2010-02-26T05:44:00.000-08:00

I asked Tennyson to make some brownies for dessert on Wednesday.

Leah wanted to help, so I put her in a little apron and she went to work.

She decided her job was quality control.

Umm, delicious!

Prom Dress Success!

2010-02-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

News From the Arctic!

2010-02-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is what it looks like in Orangeville this morning.

The path to the hot tub(which I do not tread).

At least Lucy and I are warm and cosy inside by the fire. Enjoy the balmy weather up north. By the way, I will be coming up to Provo to watch Tennyson at the State Swim Meet friday evening. I plan to come to Salt Lake after. We have a Prom dress to find on Saturday. Sara, can we stay at your house?

Burial of Buck

2010-01-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

He is almost covered with snow, poor thing.

The pheasant nets are frost covered this morning.

This used to be our table.

I'm thinking I will stay inside and work on a quilt.

Snow, Snow and more Snow!

2010-01-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

We have had some beautiful snow storms this winter. The snow is really piling up. I think we have about 2 feet in our yard. Notice in the 3rd picture that the base of the lamp post is about covered. We can't even use the back deck, it is completely covered.

A New Miamaid!

2010-01-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

The day included the "ceremonial" opening of gifts, wearing the gifts to school, blowing candles out on the requested confetti cake and a sleep over with friend Kylie. Today she had a lunch date with Aunt Lizzy and Tennyson and then a movie date to see Avatar with her Dad.

Happy 14th sweetheart!

Leslie and the MTC

2010-01-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

First, lunch at the Brick Oven with Mom, Dad and lots of Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Then on to the MTC.

There she goes, we love her and wish her well.

Christmas in Pictures!

2010-01-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

We probably will only do this once in a "Blue Moon" but I think we all had a wonderful time together.

Christmas in the Country!

2009-12-19T08:36:00.005-08:00

We are so excited for a wonderful Christmas at the lodge. Jim has been waiting impatiently for everyone to arrive. I am posting a menu for the days that we will be there so you can decide what you would like to bring for the meals. I think most of you will be arriving the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Those of us who are here will have food ready for your arrival. We have some snow and it has been quite cold, bring your winter wear.

Christmas Eve Lunch

Soups and Bread

If you want to bring anything to go along with this meal, you are welcome.

Christmas Eve

We want to have finger foods at this party, we won't have a sit down meal so anything you want to bring will be great. Here are some ideas. Liz and I have already decided what we want to make.

Vegetable Tray

Cheese and Crackers -Jennifer

Chips and Dips-Liz

Candy

Baklava-Leslie

Nuts

Christmas Breakfast

Egg Souffle-Jim and Jennifer

Hash Browns-Sara

Bacon and Sausage-Liz and Dennis

Pancakes and Syrup

Juice and Milk

You are welcome to bring anything else you would like for breakfast.

Christmas Dinner

Prime Rib-Liz and Dennis

Potatoes and Gravy

Yorkshire Pudding-Tennyson

Rolls-Jennifer

Green Salad

Sweet Salad

Vegetables

Red Cabbage-Liz

Dessert-Sara

Dec. 26 Breakfast

Pancakes

French Toast

Juice

We will need milk and bread for the days we are out there. If you wnat to bring Hot Chocolate or Wassail or other drinks, please do. Just bring the things that you would have at home for Christmas time.

Tennyson's Birthday!

2009-12-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tennyson wanted to open her presents in the morning, if they were clothes.

She loves the faux wolf vest because she is on team Jacob.

Chocolate peanut butter cup cake.

17 candles.

One breath and they're all out.

Modeling some of her gifts.

I just want to say Happy Anniversary to Miranda and Brooks. One year down, eternity to go.

Snowy Day and Birthday Party!

2009-12-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

We woke up to this beautiful sight this morning. This picture was taken at 7:00 am.

A foot of snow fell overnight.

The girls couldn't resist playing in it even though it was sunday. Tennyson thought she was so tough.

Banner did a body slam.

and white washed her face.

Poor Tennyson.

Banner, triumphant.

Trash talk.

She's had enough.

Jim's birthday was last wednesday and Tennyson's is in a couple of days so we had a combined party with the Fauver side of the family. Tennyson had to help her dad blow out his 50 candles.

Picture a Christmas!

2009-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

The tree has been up for a few days now. I even have a head start on my gift-wrapping.

Do you notice something unusual under the tree?

Here's a close-up. Lucy considers this her personal napping spot. I made the mistake of putting a gift there last night and when I came downstairs this morning, the gift looked like this.

Tennyson's gift will probably have to be re-wrapped. I have moved it out of Lucy's way and I won't mess with her special spot again.

Hello Dolly, I Mean Ernestina!

2009-11-29T14:39:00.001-08:00

All of us waiting impatiently for the big show to start.

Hannah and Banner are so excited.

Whitney can hardly wait.

Tennyson as Ernestina Money.

She was a very funny Ernestina.

Tennyson and Kelsie before the cast party.

Thanks to all of you for coming and supporting Tennyson in her musical debut.

First Ever Emery High Swim Meet!

2009-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Emery High School hosted it's first ever swim meet yesterday at our new Aquatic center in Castle Dale.

They invited Carbon High for this first home meet. Since Carbon is no longer in our region this is just a practice.

Here is Tennyson swimming her leg of the freestyle relay.

The breastroke.

What fine form.

Two years ago, Whitney gave me this quilt kit for an early Christmas present. If I remember correctly, we pulled it out of the bag and looked at it and found that it didn't have good instructions. I put it away and did nothing with it. When Whitney was home recently, she mentioned that I had never done anything with her gift. She then left it out for me to find. I got the hint and finally put it together. We were right initially, the instructions were horrible.
After a few problems, I finally finished it yesterday. I put it in the washer before I went to Tennyson's swim meet and when we came home the washer had a flashing OE on the front. I didn't bother to pull out the owner's manual but just tried running the washer again. It stopped again so I got out the manual and found that OE means a clog in the hose or the filter. After Jim drained the washer through a little hose, he pulled out the filter and it was totally clogged with thread from my Christmas rag quilt. He removed the clog and we tried again. This time it made it through a whole wash cycle and then the dryer.

Banner decided she liked to snuggle under it and watch T.V. It really is a soft, cute quilt even though it gave me a few frustrating moments.

Storytime Quilt!

2009-11-14T12:19:00.001-08:00

Here it is! The finished quilt made with the cute moda Storytime fabric.

When Liz and I and the girls went over the mountain last weekend we stopped in at the quilt shop. They had put the fabric on their sale table so I was able to get some for the back.

My new quilting pattern. It was easy and I think it is perfect for this quilt.

This is a close-up look at the back.

The only question now is, which of my 20 future grandsons will sleep
under this sweet quilt.

Pretty in Pink!

2009-11-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Before Whitney's mission, she had an obsession for fat quarters. For those of you that don't know what a fat quarter is, it is a piece of fabric that measures 18 x 22 inches. She would pick up a few at a time when she went to fabric stores. When Whit was home for Fall Break a few weeks ago she got a couple of bags of fat quarters out of her cedar chest. One of the bags was full of 20 fat quarters in various shades of pink and white. I thought they were all cute fabrics but I didn't really have an idea for them. Last week I was looking at the blog of modern quilts and saw a pattern called a Bento Box. I decided Whit's cute pink pieces of fabric would look great put together in squares.

I asked Whitney if I could make her a quilt top for her bed out of her pink fabrics. Of course she said "yes". I divided the 20 fat quarters in to 4 groups of five. Each block has one of row of each the five fabrics in it. I will eventually have twenty blocks, but for now here are the first ten.

A closer look.

I love the polka dots.

Because these turned out so cute, I decided not to cut them into the Bento Box squares. I like them just the way they are.

Quick and Easy Quilt Top!

2009-11-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

This is my quilt top in a day.

I used the Storytime fabrics that I found in Gunnison.

I love this cute quilt. It is 60x60 so it is big enough for a toddler.
I think I will put a minky back on this. The lady that helped us at the quilt store said that if you use minky you don't need to use any batting.

Whit's Christmas baby quilt.

Her first try at the longarm. I think she did very well.

The fabric for the back of Banner's quilt came in the mail today. I will post pictures as soon as I get it quilted and bound. I know it seems like I don't do anything else but make quilt tops but the other things that I do don't show up well in pictures, i.e. laundry, dishes, vacuuming, teaching piano lessons, practicing the organ, reading and cooking.

Easy, Breezy Mitering!

2009-10-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Banner's quilt top just before I sewed the strips together. I have learned so much on each quilt that I have completed. I finally got the triangles on the sides and top to be even on this quilt.

This quilt called for mitered borders, so I thought I would give it another try and see if turned out better than the last time. First, sew all of your border strips together. I had four for this quilt. You will need extra length when you miter the borders.

Mark the center of the border strips.

Mark the center of the quilt top, bottom or side.

Stitch the quilt and the border together leaving 1/4 inch on each side. Back stitch a couple of times to make sure each end is secure.

Fold the body of the quilt in half on the diagonal with right sides together. Lay the borders flat like shown in the picture, raw edges even.

Place a pin to mark where the stitching stops and then use your ruler to mark a 45 degree angle to the edge of the border. Line up the ruler with the quilt center folded diagonally and the pin.

Pin the fabric on the line, especially at each seam of the separate border fabrics.

Sew on the line.

After sewing, open up to see if all the borders line up. If they don't, unpick the seam and try again.

After the corner looks the way you want it, you are ready to cut off the extra fabric.
Use your ruler and rotary cuter and cut 1/4 inch from the seam.

Press seams flat.

It looks quite nice. I think this is an easy method, at least it was for me.

The finished quilt top. As soon as I choose the back for this it will be ready to quilt.

Temple Trip! Not!

2009-10-15T16:33:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, Whitney and I decided to go to the Manti Temple because Whitney had never done a session there.

We saw these beautiful colors in Salina Canyon.

We were sad when we discovered after our 100 mile drive that the temple was closed for some work and had been closed for a week. I wish I had heard that announcement in church.

All was not lost. On our way home we stopped at a cute little quilt shop in Gunnison and found a treasure. I had been looking for this particular fabric for almost three years. I saw a little quilt that they had made up and recognized the fabric immediately. The lady at the shop told me that fabric is not made anymore and is a four year old collection but they had some bolts of it and some kits made up for a large baby quilt. I purchased one of their kits because it had the polka dot in butter and blue. I am so happy that we stopped. Who knew I would find what I was looking for in Gunnison.

This is the first block finished for Banner's quilt. I am working on it slowly but surely.

Christmas 2009

2009-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Liz & Dennis------Josh & Stacy

Anne Adele & Maurie-----Liz & Dennis

Shelley & Alan-----Jennifer & Jim

Jennifer & Jim-----Shelley & Alan

John & Rebecca-----Anne Adele & Maurie

Sara-----John & Rebecca

Josh & Stacy--------Sara

Morgan & Andrew---Tennyson

Noah & Becky---Kelsie

Whitney---Maren

Miranda & Brooks---Seth

Leslie---Gabriel

Madison---Miranda & Brooks

Rachel---Arden

Tennyson---Madison

Kelsie---Banner

Arden---Esme

Seth---Jonas

Banner---Rachel

Hannah---Lily

Jonas---Leah

Gabriel---Noah & Becky

Maren---Leslie

Leah---Whitney

Esme---Morgan & Andrew

Lily---Hannah

Here is the list for Christmas gifts. If you have any questions or concerns, let me know. I hear through the grapevine that some of you no longer want to participate in the Christmas gift exchange, if so you need to let me know and I will remove your names from the list.

Happy Birthday Miranda!

2009-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderful day with Brooks, Whitney, Morgan, Andrew and the little girls.

I hope you have some good food and a lovely cake.

This is your present, though it will be real, not a picture. Whitney will be bringing it to you.
We love you.

Busy, Busy!

2009-10-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

The finished product. I quilted it in a spiral pattern

I found an invisible binding stitch that can be done quite fast and really is invisible.

Banner was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society this past week.

The inductees.

We are very proud of her. You have to have good grades and citizenship to be in this society. We have been privileged to see all four of our girls inducted when they were in 8th grade.

Whit's Birthday Pictures

2009-09-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

I finally finished Tennyson's quilt top.

Jim is picking up the batting in Salt Lake tomorrow and then I can get busy quilting. I will put pictures of the finished quilt up soon.

Precious hand-made dishclothes by Sara.

Cooking can now commence

Candles arranged by Jonas, Gabriel and Maren.

No boyfriends!

Wild and crazy Musical Chairs

Smokey Days!

2009-08-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to a thick haze of smoke. We don't know of any fires close so this must be smoke that has come up from the fire in southern Utah.

If you click on the picture you can barely see the stacks of the Hunter Plant in the background.

I can usually see Cedar Mountain from this view.

This is where I look for Window Blind and the Swell.

I'm pretty much confined to the house today. Smoke is the very worst thing to kick up my asthma. All of us are hoping they can get these fires out soon. Especially those that have homes in it's path.
I guess I can watch the first round of the U.S. Open, do more laundry and read some more Georgette Heyer. I have been revisiting some of her books that I read many years ago that were not among my personal favorites. I guess as a girl of seventeen and eighteen I didn't appreciate a heroine of 25 or 26. I am currently reading Bath Tangle. I have finished The Nonesuch, The Corinthian and The Masqueraders and found that I can appreciate them much more as an adult woman in my middle years.
I thought that I would be canning tomatoes at this time of year but alas, while I was in Idaho a foraging deer discovered my lovely vines weighed down with ripening tomatoes. I was not aware until this year that deer would eat tomatoes (even green ones). My vines have been stripped. Phil and Marilyn have had the same problem but were able to save a few which they have generously shared with us. Well, I still have my zucchini.

I just want to tell Zack that we love him and will be praying for his success in the mission field.

On the Farm!

2009-08-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Alan's new farm hands.

Morgan, Leah, Hannah, Jonas and Maren.

Hannah taking a turn driving.

We love tractors.

A beautiful prospect.

Cooking, Cleaning and Stuff

2009-08-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Tennyson made us this delicious salad the other day. We've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables at our house. The tomatoes are from Lizzy's garden.

Whitney got a chance to cook at the Shurtliff's house.

The Green River melons are here, Banner loves them.

Tennyson cleaned her room and look what she found!

My collection of Lion House cookbooks is almost complete. I think I am only missing Lion House Weddings. I have the original Lion House, Lion House Lite, Lion House International, Lion House Entertaining, Lion House Desserts and Lion House Christmas.

This is the recipe for Cabbage Rolls or Burgers that Les wanted a long time ago. Start with a pound and a 1/2 of ground beef. Cook until brown. Drain.

Add salt.

Pepper.

One medium onion, diced.

One or two carrots, peeled and grated.

One small head of cabbage or 3/4 of a large, sliced thinly.

Cook until vegetables are tender with the meat.

One recipe of Lion House Dinner Rolls. This will make 32 rolls. If you don't want to make your own dough you can use Rhodes Rolls, thawed. I can make the dough in about 2 and 1/2 hours so it isn't really any faster to use frozen roll dough. It takes at least that much time to thaw them.
What I'm really saying is make your own dough, it's good practice.

I divide the dough in half. Each half will make 16 rolls. You should have pieces of dough about this size.

Roll each piece of dough out until flat and round.

Put a heaping spoonful of filling on the dough.

Fold the edges closed.

Put on a greased cookie sheet with the folded edges down.

Let the dough raise for at least and hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Serve while they are hot. This is a family favorite at our house.

Here She Comes!

2009-07-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call and an e mail from Whitney's mission today. It's all set. She will be arriving at the SLC airport on July 16th at 7:45 PM. She will be flying on American Airlines from Dallas so we will meet her at terminal 1. She has asked that we go to the temple on friday morning before we drive home to Emery County. I thought all those that wanted to could come with us to the Jordan River temple on friday and then it will be home to Orangeville/Castle Dale. Whitney's homecoming will be on July 19th at 9:00 AM in the Orangeville Church. We hope you can all make it. I'm sure she will have many wild and crazy along with spiritual stories to tell us. Thank you for all your love and support while she has been gone.

She's Fine As Far As We Know!

2009-06-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The missionaries know nothing about what is going on. Whitney texted Miranda today and asked if they were in a war. We received a phone call earlier today from Elder Mitchell who is an A.P. and he said Whitney is fine, let's just hope she and all the others stay that way.

Our Trip to the Midwest!

2009-06-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Coming out of the Eisenhower tunnel in Colorado.

We must be in Nebraska.

Here we are in Carthage.

I don't know what to do with her.

The back of the jail.

The wrong visitor's center in Nauvoo. I just used their bathroom and then we left.

An original sunstone.

We're coming out of the right visitor's center with maps and proper directions.

Some beautiful flora.

The Nauvoo Printing Office. Most all of the buildings are made of this pretty red brick.

Look who we found at Lyon Drug.

There were many beautiful old quilts displayed on the top floor of the social hall.

Here is Bill Dye at the Tin Smith Shop.

Banner posing at her Dad's favorite place, the Browning Gun Shop.

Tennyson enjoying the pretty flowers.

The temple was beautiful.

I hope the girls will always remember this trip.

Tennyson swinging with the temple in the background. She and Banner were free to do what they wanted while we were inside the temple.

Jim and I on the steps after a session.

Banner, Me, Tennyson, Brooks and Miranda.

This is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum leaving Nauvoo for the last time to go to Carthage. It is just west of the temple and overlooks the Mississppi River.

Now we are at Anne Adele's. It was kind of chilly so Jim decided to make a fire in the fire pit.

This is a picture of our deluxe sleeping accomodations in A.A.'s basement. When we got there she told me that Jim and I had a "good" bed. Not only did we get this bed, we shared our basement suite with, Tennyson at the head of our bed, Banner at the side of our bed, Rachel at the foot of our bed on a bean bag chair, and A.A.'s grandson sleeping on the floor in the storeroom. Miranda and Brooks were in the next bedroom which we had to go through to get to the bathroom. There were 16 people at the house that night. Eventually Jim go out of the bed and went to sleep in the Suburban, little did he know that Maurie was also asleep outside in their van. I must of been exhausted to be able to sleep at all. I woke up in the morning and the air had leaked out of the mattress under my head. You can see that in the picture. My head was on the floor and my feet were about 2 feet higher than my body. I told Anne Adele that she had negative 4 stars for sleeping accomodations but she could improve her rating with good food.
She succeeded.

Here we are in downtown Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Jim is trying snowboarding for the first time.

I felt right at home with the fake Mama pig and her piglets.

I'd like to see her try this with a real cow.

Happy clowns?

What is this? Hitler Youth?

This is the only German U-Boat that is still in existence. It was captured and kept top secret during World WarII. This turned the tide in the naval battle for the Allies because they were able to get lots of information off of this boat and from the crew.

Do you recognize this car? It is the Weasley's flying car from the Harry Potter movies.

This is Lake Michigan with Chicago in the background.
The tall building is the Sears Tower.

A cruise ship on Navy Pier.

Relaxing on the Pier.

This reminds me of the PDA couple from the John Mayer concert.

The Navy Pier has a display of stained-glass windows.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. It was topped off by the fun Open House for Noah and Becky. I have made it a goal to visit Anne Adele and her family more often. We won't wait another 20 years before we go back.

The Living Desert!

2009-06-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Tennyson, Banner, Liz, Anne Adele and I went to the desert today. Lizzy had heard that the cactus were in bloom. Boy were they ever. Here are some pictures of all that we saw.

Click on the pictures for a closer view of the beautiful colors.

Lizzy spotted a Sego Lily when we were driving to the Wedge.

A closer view of the inside.

Banner at the Wedge

You can tell it has been a wet spring.

I've never seen so much green along the San Rafael River.

Tennyson likes to live dangerously.

Look at all those layers of rock under her feet.

Window Blind in the background.

Does anyone know what this wild flower is called? Lizzy thinks it might be called Bottle Brush.

An antelope ejoying the lovely flowers.

We found a sale on raspberries monday so on tuesday Anne Adele and I made some delicious freezer jam.

The raspberries.

They are such a pretty red color.

Anne Adele mashing the berries.

This is Miranda's share of the jam. Lizzy and I each got some too. We wanted to give some to Anne Adele but she has no way to get it home.

I had some left over so I put some in freezer bags for later.

On monday we made rhubarb syrup, it turned out very tasty. We had pancakes on tuesday morning and used our delicious syrup. Gabe said it was very good.