Comic relief

We turned on
the Bronco
game last night
against N.E.,
and many,
many times
I wanted to
turn it
back off.
It. was. ugly.

Doug said I shouldn't be

a fair weather fan.

So we kept watching

until the

bitter end.

Thank goodness

for Sydney,

who dressed up

as a football player

(baseballs for pads,

and a basketball jersey)

and provided us

with a much-needed laugh.

A good reminder for me

not to take these things

too seriously.

Little ballerina

Every Thursday,

this is London's

favorite place to go.

Dance class.

It's a pretty

small class,

usually only 3 or 4 girls, but

I kind of like it that way.

It's so fun

watching them

learn the basics,

figuring out how to

make their bodies do

those movements.

It's really cute.

She absolutely loves it!

She's looked forward to

these classes for a year,

and now they are

the highlight of her week.

True Blue

Doug got to go

with a few friends

to the BYU game last Saturday.

He had a blast!

Is this

thing on?

Even

upside-

down, he

still looks

hot.




A little pre-game
socializing
and fan fare.

Rick
hooked them
up with some
sweet
tickets.
Thanks, Rick!

A win made the day complete.
21-3!
Way to go, Cougars!
We love it.

A day's work.

So, what have I been

doing today, you ask?

I'll tell you.

I've been making

breakfast.

For the next

month.

Granola, the Cranberry-Orange Pecan kind.

It's a little variation on Martha Stewart's

Six-Mile Granola,

introduced to me by my sister last year,

and for me, a regular staple ever since.

5 more things that made me smile today

A little girl

who insisted on having

that flower in her hair.

Right in front, on top.

Fall colors

in their

prime.

As I drove

around town,

I couldn't help

taking pictures.

Gas prices are coming down. Yea!!

OK, this next one made me laugh.

So much, that I had to stop my car

in the middle of the street,

go back, park,

and take a picture.

And #5: Listening to London choose a

cd to listen to.

"Eeny, meeny, miny mo,

says the tiger rahr."

Apple dumplin' gang

Sydney has a cute book

she likes to read.

In it, they make

apple dumplings.

One day, she asked me if

we could make some of these

apple dumplings.

I didn't recall ever making them,

or even having them before.

There was a recipe in the back of the book.

So tonight, we made them.

Sydney stirred together the

cinnamon and sugar.

Jordan helped roll out

the pie crust dough.

Then you peel and
core some apples,
place them on a
circle of dough,
fill the middle with
cinnamon/sugar,
and cover it up in the dough.

You boil some butter, water,

cinnamon/sugar together,

pour over the top, and bake for 30 minutes.

While you wait, you can

dance to some tunes, if you want.

We did.

When it's done,
this is what it looks like.
It tastes even better.

I think we've found a new

fall tradition for our family.

Sad day

After about
12 great years
of helping me make
cookies, cakes, bread,

and other
delectable delights,
my kitchenaid mixer
finally
kicked the bucket.

It's a bittersweet parting;

Christmas is coming!

Maybe I'll get lucky.