Santa Run & Provo Festivities!

 So last year when we did the Nutcracker 5K, there was a Santa Run on the same day.  It looked like so much fun! So Tru and I took on the adventure of the Santa Run 5K! The day after Thanksgiving no less!

 

We started on Center Street in front of the Nu Skin building. It was a sea of Santas.  We did jumping jacks while saying "Ho, Ho, Ho!" It was a hoot!  Our friends Traci and Taylor Heiner found us on the course.

 We finished in 30 minutes and Tru was 2nd in his age group, just behind Taylor! Awesome job buddy! Here we are enjoying our cookies and milk after the run! It was a great little event! Good job Provo!

 Tru and I went to the car to get out of our Santa gear and met the gang at Sammy's for some hot fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries and some shakes....

Then we headed back to Center Street for the Santa Parade....the run was the kick off of the festivities, then the parade, then the lights on ceremony.   It was great fun and would have been even more fun if our older kids wouldn't have been such whiner babies....you know who you are!

 Here is the gang in between parade entrants....you can see Gray in the door of Sensuous Sandwich, nice!

 This was a crazy, whacked out lawn mower...quite hilarious with a whole Christmas tree on top! But our favorite was this beauty....

 Yes, he's in a lazy boy and yes it is moving...on wheels....

I guess the pig is supposed to be Max...the Grinch's dog, but he was awesome none the less because he was sticking out on a pole, 4 feet in front of him. I love people like this!

Well, the whiny kids won, we didn't even stay to see Santa, but I thought it was a great night! A great way to kick off the Christmas season!

Setting up Christmas!

So we have this great carousel that Middie gave us a few years ago! It plays Christmas music with synchronized lights...

The kids love it...

I love it!

Josie has been enamored all day!

She couldn't help it...

I would have done the same...

Poor toys...

 The parents got the bad end of the deal, but their daughter lucked out....her hair is even blowing in the wind!

Fancy Nancy in Person!

This little girl is too much! Fancy Josie, at her best....and if you're not familiar with the Fancy Nancy books....oh they are posh (that's a fancy word for fancy!)!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is probably the smallest Thanksgiving group we've ever had, but when was the last time we all sat at one table for Thanksgiving Dinner?

It was delightful!

 Grandma and Grandpa Pin spent the day with us, watching a movie (Temple Grandin...if you haven't seen it, get it from Red Box today....a MUST see!), playing games, talking about Thanksgivings past, I was soaking it all up!

 I know, the fact that I like to take a picture of my plate makes me a huge nerd, but it's so pretty! The gravy was so dark this year, and the flavor was amazing!

 Hans took out some garbage and lost his footing and stepped right into Grandma's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie....still tasted great!

But I have to say.....I must be an old lady....Pecan Pie is my most favorite thing about Thanksgiving! And this one turned out so dang good!

Happy Day everyone! So grateful to enjoy family and food, together in a warm house on a beautifully cold day!

Hans is 40!

Hans turned the big 4-0 November 19th!

We celebrated without the kids...a few days in Park City.

Then we came home and had a family dinner....

birthday cake of choice?

Chocolate Cream Pie 

&

Banana Cream Pie

 It has been years since I have been able to surprise Hans with a gift.  Even this year he said to me...."don't get me anything, I bought some new sunglasses in October, those can be for my birthday."

Booooo!

That's no fun!  So luckily I remembered this weird thing he always mentions that he wants....

A meat slicer.

Oh ya.

He is one happy guy!

He can't wait until Thanksgiving!

You sure make our lives better! We love you so much! 

Happy Birthday Hans Love!

Pumpkin Cake Bites

So a few people have requested the pumpkin cake bite recipe.  My friend Natalie gave it to me, but I changed it a bit and liked the changes.... so here it is. Oh and sorry we don't have any pictures... Hans and I gobbled them up.  It made a bunch though....maybe 35. Alright, we didn't eat ALL of them, the neighbors helped, but we had our fair share!

PUMPKIN CAKE BITES 

(eyeball design optional)

 1 Spice cake mix
1 C pumpkin puree (canned)
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/4 c water
1/4 t of clove
1/4 t of nutmeg

1/4 t cinnamon

Mix this all together and bake in a 9 x 13 cake pan at 350 for 35 mins. or until completely done.
Meanwhile make some cream cheese frosting ( I just used the Better Homes and Garden's which is...)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

6 oz cream cheese

1/2 C butter (softened)

2 t vanilla

4 1/2 C powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add powdered sugar gradually.

When the cake is done, and cooled just a bit, but still warm, crumble it into a bowl and add about a cup to cup and a half of frosting and mix with electric mixer or kitchen aid. You want it doughy, not crumbly. Once it is cool enough to work with, shape into whatever size ball you prefer. Put in the fridge or freezer to chill them well.

Melt white dipping chocolate (like the disks or white chocolate chips) in a pyrex or glass bowl in the microwave, and dip the cold cake balls in the chocolate. Place on parchment paper.

For a cute factor, when all the balls are covered in white chocolate, dye the leftover chocolate a light orange.  Put it in a zip lock bag and snip a tiny hole in the corner.  Drizzle orange chocolate across each ball several times creating fun lines.

ENJOY!

Annual Halloween Dinner

 So lucky for us, Halloween was on Sunday this year!  Mom had the time and the energy to pull off yet another Halloween Dinner.  The history behind this dinner is this... and I only remember it happening once, but I LOVED IT!

Growing up, when I was in grade school, my Mom put together a Halloween dinner with all of my brother's and sisters and their children.  The tables were set with menus describing our food in ghoulish Halloween fun!  We had to put the menu items in order that we wanted to eat them.  The menu was simple. Spaghetti, salad, apple cider, a bread stick and a donut for dessert.  But nothing was more fun than seeing the donut come out first.  Another part of the fun was how Mom served the spaghetti.  In a pitcher with tongs, a pie plate with a fondue fork, a mason jar with a wood spoon....it was hilarious!  I loved it so much that when Gray was in first grade we did our first one.  It was a hit and the kids beg for it each year.  The problem is, I have to keep up the mystery.  The spaghetti is long gone, each year I try to come up with something else.  This year my awesome friend Jill did all the research for me and came up with some great ideas......Thanks Jilly!

 I put up sheets so the kids can't see what I'm making.  Here they are filling out their menus......

Forked Eyeballs

Candy Corn

Snaggle Tooth Monster Mouth

The Mummy

The Scientist's Beaker

 

Rock picked the Forked Eyeballs first! Jackpot....dessert!

  

 Pumpkin Spice cake bites. I know they look gross, but they were delish, thanks for the recipe Natalie!

 

 

 

Chloe picked The Mummy

 Just a cute little hotdog wrapped in breadstick dough....with mustard eyes!

 

Josie & Tru picked The Snaggle Tooth Monster Mouth

A

A quartered apple with almond pieces. My personal fave!

 

Truman took out his teeth and was an old man "gummin" it!

 

Gray picked The Scientist's Beaker

  

A cute little beaker with an eyeball glued at the bottom with some green tapioca pearls (so not worth their time), topped off with some yummy apple beer.

 

On the second round, Rock got The Candy Corn

 Boboli Pizza with mozzarella cheese, my orange homemade marinara and cheddar cheese.

 Super fun day! It was so fun to do and the kids loved it.  It even was fun to have Hans home, he has missed his fair share of Halloween dinners.