Old favorites are changing.

Another reason I love Fall...the Food!

After a HOT summer and avoiding the cooking any thing that might heat up the kitchen,  Fall foods are a welcome change.  And  Fall foods all fall into my comfort food category...cinnamon rolls,  apple butter, caramel apples,  pumpkin pie, soups.   Soups are probably my favorite 'cuz they are so quick to throw together and  there are so many that I can eat with reckless abandon. They are guilt-free!

One of my favorites ..Chicken Noodle...made a change this fall when I discovered Dumplings.
Amazing  and so much better. I still use my same chicken soup recipe, I  just swap out the noodle for these homemade dumpling.

On another topic...notice the plate and bowl.  I swapped out my old (30 years old!) everyday Corelle for this set.   One of my sons (always the opinionated one) said I made a mistake...Corelle is better, lighter, abuse resistant. This set is heavy and they feel and look like old diner plates.   He's right.  My old corelle had served me well...too well, too long.  And these are reminiscent of old heavy diner plates...just what I was hunting for. LOVE THEM.  These make my heart happy every time I set table.   And bonus..I found them at D.I...so the price makes me happy too! 

Road Trip

My favorite part about the Sibling Reunion was the ROAD TRIP!  Not the getting from point A to Point B in as shortest time as possible.  No...this trip was the meandering type.  The take 10 hours to make a 5 hour trip.  Loved it.

Right out the gate Karl suggested we stop at Aliante (a mile down the road)  for the breakfast buffet.  I was able to convince him that we could make it a little further down the road and handed  him peanut butter on toast and few grapes to stave off starvation.

At St. George right at the Bluff St. exit we made a sudden decision to check out the new downtown park.

Awesome!

This water park alone makes me want to move to St. George.

Heading back to the freeway we spied a Denny's.  Time for  breakfast.  I promised Karl  if  we split breakfast he could have lunch in Cedar City it he wanted.

As we waddled out of Denny totally stuffed and happy  we spotted the "Scout Store" just across the street.   Perfect. Karl needed a new scout shirt for his new calling.   His old one seems to have shrunk in the closet :)  $55.00 later and another "sew-on-patches" project for me, we were on our way again.

To avoid traffic we took a nice little back road back to the freeway ...missed our turn off and spent 10/15 minutes trying to get back to our turn-off  negotiating the busiest intersection in Washington, UT.  Oh well..we had all day.

By Cedar City our tummies were still full so Karl just gassed up the car and got a soda (for medical reasons :)  

About Fillmore our discussion lead us to a slight disagreement...which lead to a bet.   If Karl was right he wanted a chocolate milkshake, if I was right I wanted to go on a hike/walk in Provo canyon.  A quick phone call and I had won the bet.

Nearing Provo we decided drop off Karl's mandolin at the Great Salt Lake Guitar Shop first thing.  We wanted to make sure they would have plenty of time to re-string it so we could pick it up the next day.

Great place...after chatting with the repair fellow on various topics (i.e. what the Karl's madolin needed, history of the building, that evening's bluegrass concert and people who play the hammer dulcimer) we decided to leave his guitar too.

Next stop..a quilt shop...looking for certain pink and blank flannel I thought I needed.  No luck..but love little quilt shops.

We head up to BYU campus and got as far as the creamery.   ICE CREAM.  I know Karl lost the bet but he still got ice cream.  SPOILED.

As we sitting outside enjoying  our double chocolate, marion berry and peanut butter scoops and  taking in the beautiful fall on the mountains,  I convinced Karl  we still had plenty of time to drive up the canyon and find a trail/path to amble along.

Some how we ended up at Rock Canyon trail head.
Hey...we've never been up Rock Canyon, let's try it.

Beautiful!

Love Provo in the Fall. 

Then we pulled into Craig's for the Sibling Reunion just before everyone else...perfect timing.

The Sibling reunion.

 ..Has it really been a year already?
It's fall and time again for the annual  Sibling reunion.

As usual it's just my brothers and me and our spouses
along with our mom and her husband getting together for the weekend at a brother's house in Orem. And once again it's very low-key involving mostly just visiting and eating and more visiting and eating.

 

 This year we managed to squeeze  a drive around the Alping Loop.

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 Stopping to take in the scenery.

 

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These turkeys weren't at all concerned about the upcoming Thanksgiving. They just marched across the road not even caring about the traffic or the by-standers.

 ...down to the field below

 

 I love Craig's pot rack that he built from metal tubing, shelf brackets and huge nails. 

Wishing I had the right spot.

And again the main gathering spot was around the puzzle.  

But this year we didn't even finish it.

 Eatting was still the main focus.

 Mom and Richard did sing an impromptu song.

 Karl and Richard entertained themselves with a little more  music.

Mom brought this interesting object to Lorin
and he was thrilled to finally inherit it. What is it you might ask?
I really have no idea.

  Mom had bought it many years ago. It's suppose to turn negative electrical fields into positive ones

...or something like that. 

Lorin, an electrical engineer, has been laughing at it and about it ever since. 

 Matthew sporting one of Grampa Palmer's  old guns.

Our host.

Gramma trying to not blink.

But it was good to see each other again...at least once a year.

Can you ever get too much Bluegrass?

 Not if you're Karl.

Saturday morning started early with Aspen Ridge playing at the ALS 

(Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis often referred to as Lou Gehrig\'s Disease) Walk and 5K run.  

(I miss that event... hence  no pictures.) 

 They called it their practice for that night...

 the local Bluegrass event that we look forward to every year.

Or at least the past 3 years
since a local band, "Stuck in Reverse,"started inviting several other local bands to put on a backyard Bluegrass concert.

Then we all invite whatever friends, family or fans that want to come.  

 The music is great...but even better than the music

is the Potluck dinner! 

 Just sayin'  people that love Bluegrass love food.  And that potluck proves it. 

 

But alas poor Karl...because he's singing he has tries not to eat himself silly. 

  Not me...I grazed the whole 5 hours of the concert.   
(most people came and went at their leisure but because Karl was with a band and they played 2 sets
... we stayed the full 5 hours!)

 

 All the bands were really good.  But this group, "Out of the Desert"  was amazing. 

 I swear they had six-part harmony and there's only 5 of 'em. 

And their instrumentals...how do fingers move so fast.

Unfortunately Karl group followed this band with both of their sets.   

 Funny in a humbling sort of way.

 

By 9 pm I had eaten myself silly and was so tired I could barely stay awake. 

But it was so worth the extra calories and fatigue.

I've already got my calendar marked for next year

and checkin' Pinterest for another great  potluck dish.

General Conference

... my favorite two Sundays of the year.

First observe, then serve

Lounging in PJs.
Omelets for breakfast
Sandwiches for lunch
with continual snacking in between.
Trying to absorb some (hopefully) life changing counsel
         ... mixed with a few micro-naps.

I always get a little sad when President Monson gives his closing remarks...knowing it is over for the next six months.

I now have my new course of study for  the next six months
..and hoping I can make it life-changing.

Look who's at our house

Captain Kyle.
(alias # 2 son)

He's here for a medical conference.

He's busy with the conference and preparing for several presentations 

but we are still squeezing in time to visit and have some fun. 

Good bye Summer

As much as I love Fall and look forward to all it bring, 

part of me hates to say good bye to Summer

...the swimming part.  

Today,  October 6th,  we enjoyed our last swim of the season. 

 Air temperature 85°.  

Water temperature 81°. 

  It was wonderful. Loved it.  

Karl and Kyle joined me...then Kyle got cold and Karl needed to head to the Priesthood session of General Conference.  I just stayed in the pool leisurely back stroking across the pool, staring up at the immense blue sky ...basking in the peace and quiet,  enjoying the feel of the water and the motion of gliding back and forth, meditating on nothing.

I kept telling myself...this is it...get out!  

 No...just one more lap.
Time's up...get out 

Okay...just one more lap.

Well maybe two  more.

 I might be able to choke out a couple more swims...but I know I won't.

The weather forecast says I won't.  

And the solar cover is in shreds and need to be put to rest on garbage day.

So good bye pool....I look forward to enjoying you again...next May.


  

Our Saturday Morning

The band playing  at the Pumpkin patch at Gilcrease Orchard.

An event sponsored  by the city of Las Vegas.

 

Missing Sylvia the bass player.

....but the show must go on.

Amazing what they grow at this orchard.

Made me wish we had a bigger plot of land so I could grow my own Pumpkin Patch.

The straw maze ...most kids preferred walking  on top of the bales instead in between them.

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Gilcrease Orchard is an amazing little country farm.

A miracle  spot in Vegas.

And we even came home with fresh pressed apple juice.