Thankful time of year

After a short lesson on gratitude for FHE, Casey and I just listed everything, and anything, we could think of to be thankful for. The lists got so long. It was fun. You should do it. I wanted to share just a few from each of our lists (in no particular order):

Casey:
wife, Jocelyn, church, health, food, my job, soccer, sweats, sunflower seeds, starbursts, milk, parents, dates, temple, sports, dollar menu, internet, bowling, hats, my bed, untucked sheets (see previous post of my obsession with tucked sheets), breakfast, Moab, vacations, grass, turf, ipod, school, cabin, warm and sunny weather, tools, good deals, love bamboo, Grandpa Finch, hot showers, projects, movies, nutter butters, backscratches, organization, icecream, ankle socks, racquetball......

Andrea:
Caseo, Jocey, parents, apartment, church, car, ensign, mommy group, hugs, kisses, backrubs, shopping, Casey's job, family, internet, electricity, in-laws, baby cloths, baby shoes, my ring, diapers, cell phone, flowers, showers, cooking blogs, clocks, dishwashers, yummy smelling soaps/lotion, bobby pins, coats, purses, siblings, emails, gas price ($1.75/gal), Christ, prayer, easy tests, friends, good teachers, contacts, bed, my pillow, pictures, camera, clean house, dates, haircuts, heating, makeup, temples, missionaries, music, carseats, our country, games

In case you were wondering what pie I made

I was not planning on taking a pie to pie night. Making pie intimidates me. I have made some before but always with help from my mom and I just didn't want to do it myself and mess up. But my sister, Mariah, said that I needed to make one and even offered to come down to my house the morning of pie night to help me, so I decided I would make a pie.

Casey's Grandpa Finch had given us a bunch of Apples for helping on his farm. I knew I would make an apple pie and I wanted it to be the best apple pie ever. Mariah brought me her pie book that has like 20 different recipes just for apple pies and we decided on a Caramel Apple Pie, with a crunchy streusel topping, drizzled with caramel. It sounded delicious! Everything went smoothly as we made the pie.

This is the pie before going in the oven. Isn't it pretty?! In the bottom of the crust (which I made by myself!), there are little cut up caramels, then the apples are piled high on top!
(Mariah ended up cutting all of the apples for me. She's the best huh?!)

This is the pie after adding the streusel topping and then finishing baking.

After the pie cooled for one hour, I added the yummy melted caramel to the top.

It looked absolutely perfect.

I couldn't wait to eat it.

My first pie by myself, minus the apple cutting :)

Hooray!!

And...

The finished product...

This is what happened when I put the pie down on the cooling rack to get hotpads so I could take the finished product to show casey, which tipped the cooling rack, sliding the pie onto the floor, head first, ruining my beautiful pie before anyone got to see or taste it!

Obviously I was very upset, and I had just done my makeup- ugh. But I needed a picture so Casey stepped in.

Casey told tried some, okay alot, and loved it. I decided after 3 hours of making and cooking the pie I better try some too. It was soo good even all jumbled together.

Maybe I'll be brave and make it again.
Maybe for Thanksgiving.

I'm the lucky one... I married him!

It's Casey's 25th birthday. He makes my life happy! He is crazy, and fun, and relaxed, and positive, and smart, and everything that I need and could ever wish for in a hubby. He makes me smile everyday. He is my best friend.

We have alot of fun together. Happy birthday Caso.
I Love You!!

(Pictures taken at Pie Night.)

Pie Night

My parents have a neighbor get together every year around Thanksgiving called pie night. Basically my mom makes a billion different pies (okay, like 10-12), invites all the neighbors and friends who also bring a pie, then everyone eats pies until they are stuffed and get to have a good time talking with other neighbors. I think they have been doing it for 10 or 11 years now. It is really fun! Thanks for keeping the tradition going parents! This year it was a huge success. I would guess we had more people than ever before!

Look at those pies!

Fancy Shmancy huh?! Beautiful!

Mariah, Mom, and Me

Daddy Means Playtime!

I love hearing about all the fun things Jocelyn and Casey do while I am gone. I usually leave them alone at the house once or twice a week so they can have time together, just the two of them. I think it's really good for me not to be there and Casey to do what he wants with her without the "expert" watching. haha. Jocelyn will go to Casey but won't come back to me. It's cute- a little sad, but she knows he means playtime. These are some pictures of what I've found in the last couple weeks when I get home.

Daddy taught me that playing with food is way more fun than eating it.

Daddy even will come in bed and sleep with me.

I can watch the sports on tv alot better up here.

First Tag- Quirky Me

Thanks Celisa for the tag. This is my first one and I'm excited to share 6 Quirky things about me...

1. I always have to have my sheets and blanket smooth then folded down at the top before I get in bed. This drives Casey crazy, but it has to be done. He is completely opposite and wants it all messy and wrapped around him. We have nightly "conversations" (haha) about why this needs to happen even after 2 years.

2. If I think of something yummy I want to eat, usually desserts, then I can't stop thinking about it until I have it. It can last for weeks but until I eat it, it stays on my mind. Lately it has been a peach shake, obviously I still haven't had one or it wouldn't be on my mind.

3. (Celisa, I'm with you on this one)- The shower curtain sealed tight. I can't stand having the water leak out all over. I always seal it perfect, even on the side not by the shower head, as soon as I get in.

4. I have my camera with me everywhere I go. This wasn't the case until I had Jocelyn. Now it's always double checked before I leave the house just like my phone. You never know when the perfect photo opportunity will come. It is a sad sad thing when I very rarely forget it.

5. I drive around forever trying to find the closest parking space. Casey has gotten used to this one and usually tries to find the closest too when I am with him, just because he knows it bugs me if I have to walk an extra 10 feet. Wow- this is a very lazy one. Maybe I should work on it. Some exercise really wouldn't hurt me.

6. When I load the dishwasher everything has a specific place that it has to go. I can fit so much more into it by doing this and it is much better organized. I don't like unloading the dishwasher after Casey has loaded it because everything is all over the place. Cups don't go on the bottom, and pots don't go on the top.

I tag- Maddy, Frannie, Juli, and Mary. Have fun!!

Fall Leaves

I love the fall. I'm sad it's basically over. Last week I took these pictures of Jocelyn outside our apartment on our little patch of grass. Usually she freaks out when I set her in a bunch of leaves (which I have tried multiple times), but this time she didn't cry so I snapped a few pictures. She's even sporting her little Halloween shirt that is perfect for the fall colors.

Leaves are pretty interesting. I thought you knew that.

Halloween!!

Halloween is so much more fun when you have a baby to dress up! I loved Jocelyn's costume! (As mentioned in previous post- and fyi, I did take the other costumes back. sadly) Casey and I decided last minute to be pirates. We had a costume all picked out but we were missing a very essential part so we had to use our back up idea. It was fun dressing up and going to my friend Gina's house for a little party with friends from highschool and their hubbies. I didn't get a picture of the whole group but I'll make sure to add it when I get it from Gina. We had alot of fun eating Halloween treats, bobbing for apples, and having individual couples contest to see who could eat a donut of a string fastest (the prize was a 10 minute back rub. Of course, I owe Casey.) We ended the night with a scary movie. I just sat with my eyes closed and ears plugged most of the time. I hate scary movies, but didn't want to go home.

I love Halloween and I'm already planning for next year to decide what we are going to dress up as. Plus, we'll get to take Jocelyn trick-or-treating! That will be way fun! Yep, I'm excited!

By George, I think he's got it!

This was harder than you'd think.

A Historic Day

Last night Casey and I sat around the tv waiting to see who the next president would be. The day will go down in history. The first African American President of the United States. I'll admit I'm worried about the new president, but I would have been no matter who got elected. He sure can talk the talk. Can he walk the walk?? I'm nervous to see what the next 4 years bring in this country. Obama claims things will get better- if he only knew.

I looked out the window and what did I see??

SNOW!! I actually looked twice because I didn't think it was true. Now, don't start thinking I love snow. I do love to play in it and I love it on Christmas! But, other than that I'm not a big fan. I hate driving in it, and I hate Casey working on roofs in it. Winter has arrived.

ps: Jocelyn slept 12 hours last night straight! She did the same thing exactly one week ago. It must be a lucky Tuesday night thing. I'm happy about it! :D