Kaley, McKay, Kendra, Scraps the dog and Shawn

Grandma jammies

Ready for our Progressive dinner!

Christmas 2009

Victorian Christmas

We had a Victorian Christmas party at the church a week or so ago. Scott was the official photographer for the event! It was an unusual party, starting with stew, bread and salads in the Primary room. We had choices of things to do such as a visit to the tea room for an herbal tea party, going to sample candy at the candy store and borrowing a fancy hat from the hat shop. We had two chances to watch the live nativity scene in the cultural hall! Mildred and I played violin and piano for background music, as did Joshua and Julia. There was also a room set up with stationery and pens to write notes to our missionaries.

25 of us!!!!!

We were able to have one long table to seat all 25 people. Plus the missionaries we were hosts to James and Miekka and family and Laura and Matt and Lance from Utah, Anne and Logan from Salinas and local family members.

Thanksgiving Dinner

The Men

The "men" are sitting around chewing the fat and solving the world's problems before dinner!

Jess, Lia and Sadie

Lia and Sadie are getting acquainted. The toys are getting the most attention!

Seth, Jacob and Lia Lance

Seth, Jacob and Lia ordered up their favorite cereals before they arrived at Grandma's house. Lia wasn't picky!

Oatmeal Carmelites

We had these bar cookies as a treat in Relief Society last week. They are very good and rich!!!

Oatmeal Carmelites

2 cups flour

2 cup quick oats

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 Tsp soda and 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter

Comine and press 1/2 mixture into a 12x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle over cooked crust, 2 cups chocolate chips, 1 cup nuts and 1 1/2 cups of carmel ice cream topping.

Sprinkle remaining crumbs over caramel. Bake at 30 for 15-20 minutes.

Julia

Stars in her eyes and candles on the cupcake!

Julia

This was a big day for Julia, turning 12 and having to sing in her last Primary Program on Sunday! Jan, Rory, Sadie, Janae, Joanna and Josh inspect cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cake

COMBINE

1/2 pkg yelllow cake mix

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

Put into bottom of 9x13 greased pan.

FILLING

3 cups pumpkin

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T cinnamon

1/2 T nutmeg

pinch of salt and cloves

TOPPING

1/2 pkg cake mix

1/2 T cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

BAKE at 350 for 45 minutes.

Mrs. Tree Beard

We relocated the face on our front tree this week. She looks like something from Picasso. We also put up a new address sign. Lane nipped at our heels to do this when he was here. He said no one could see our old address sign.

Our November Garden

I took this picture at noon today, November 3, Margaret's birthday! The sky was a robin's egg blue, but I didn't get it in the picture.

Wooden Shoes

I bought these wooden shoes in Germany several years ago. Margaret offered to paint them for me and here they are! They are done in the Hindeloopen (Dutch) style. I think they are very beautiful. Margaret is good at her craft!

The Scripture Study ladies

Sandee , Anne Mildred, Maxine, Sherry and Jean photographer .

Party for Scripture Study ladies

We had a birthday brunch for Anne . This is a picture of the table before we fell on the food!

Jan

Jan had everyone fooled with her walker and bandaged foot at the Trunk or Treat party Saturday night.

Josh& Julia

Josh& Julia at the Trunk or Treat party at church

The Christian family

Jess and Rory as a Western couple with a baby heifer!

Halloween Wash Stand

Halloween mantel piece

coffee table decoration

Cheryl Baxter made me that darling witch's hat!

Sadie and her sippy cup and bear

Sadie and Jessica came to lunch a few days ago. This was Sadie's first visit as a toddler to explore Grandma and Grandpa's house on her feet!

Square Foot garden

We are finished with the first phase our our Square Foot Gardening effort. This is on the South side our our house and will be our winter garden. In the spring we have a gravel area in the back ready for more planter boxes.

Puppet show

Grandma School kids are putting on their annual Halloween Puppet show. Kendra, Kaley, Julia and Joshua.

Our beautiful October roses

I just picked these roses in our front garden.

Hail and Farewell Party

Lynn has his cane in case our celebration gets out of hand. We are assembled to say hello to Anne and Logan recently arrived to live in Monterey and Stephanie and Jarom who are moving to Provo. 18 family members gathered on October 15th to say Hi and Goodbye!

At ease

18 of us gathered to say Hi and Goodbye!!

Aislinn's First Birthday

Princess Aislinn checking her crown!

Work Party

Lynn is supervising the work!!

Richard and Nancy

On October 2nd, Friday, we had a barbecue at Jon and Jan's to welcome Nancy and Richard to California. They were thrilled that Lane was here so they could visit with him. We had some wonderful smoked pork and chicken that Jonathan started the night before!

They stayed all night and had breakfast and watched part of AM conference before leaving to attend the wedding of Richard's Nephew in San Jose.

Jake plays tether ball

Scott is watching Jake, Jonathan's dog, play tether ball with himself!

Here we are all jazzed up and impatiently waiting for Justin's plane to land at the San Jose airport.

Justin is full of smiles and lot of experiences in Ireland that we can't wait to hear.

Proud Mom and Dad

Jon and Jan are soooo happy to have Justin back!

Justin and family

Family greeting Justin

Yummy banana cake recipe

BANANA CAKE

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

2 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

•Preheat Oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

• In a small bowl, mash bananas with lemon juice

•sift flour, baking soda and salt and set aside

• Cream 3/4 cup butter, 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

• Beat in eggs one at a time

• Add flour alternately with buttermilk

• Stir in banana mixture.

• Pour into prepared pan and bake for at least one hour.

• Remove from oven and place directly in fridge or freezer for 45 minutes.

BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

1/3 cup melted buter

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

small amount of milk

• Brown the butter in small pan until it turns a pale tan color. Don't burn it!

• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If frosting is too thick to spread, add small amounts

of milk to thin it.

Scene from the deck/ busy sewing.

We had some thunder, lightening, and a few rain drops while we were there. It was hot in Gilroy when we left and was hot all the time we were gone.

In the morning we pinned, sewed and cut the school bags. Our Stake has taken on the project of filling the bags with pencils, scissors, etc. then shipping the bags to Salt Lake for distribution.

Relaxing after dinner

On September 11th 19 women from our ward went on a Retreat. We went to a house owned by Jan Dickson's parents near Angel's Camp in the Sierras. 4 Lances went - Jean, Jan, Stephanie and Jessica. We had a marvelous time playing games, talking, eating and working on a Humanitarian project making school bags.

Late summer

We let our artichokes go to seed and there they are in all their glory. Some portulaca plants are in the pots as well as some zinnias that have bloomed all summer.

Family pyramid

Bottom row: Jordan, Jarom, Rory, Joanna.

2nd row: Jessica, Janae and Stephanie

3rd row: Julia and Kendra

Joshua was the "Billy topmost"

Women Power

Stephanie, Janae, Joanna, Jessica, Kaley, Julia and Kendra. They are waiting for the meat to come off the barbecue/smoker that Jonathan had been tending since Sunday night. The pulled pork was delicious!