Pressing Apples

You may remember that I got Brad a apple press kit for his birthday (instead of an Apple I-pad that he wanted).  Grandpa Reed has been building the apple press this summer and just got it completed.  We tried it out this week.  First we picked the apples from his trees and ground them with a special grinder that we bought and then pressed them.  The juice is delicious!
We got 3 gallons out of a bushel of apples.

Kemmerer, Wyoming

Brad, Jared and I enjoyed a trip to Justin and Becca's home in Kemmerer, Wyoming this weekend. The fall colors were beautiful especially along the Palisade Reservoir.

Jana's family made the 2 hour trip from South Jordan to join us. The cousin's had a great time playing together. They did a Halloween craft and played at the park in town. We also went shopping at the very first JC Penney store ever.

I should of got more pictures of Justin and Becca's new home. It is beautiful and roomy. They have done a lot of work on it, taking off wall paper, painting, new windows, and putting in new flooring etc.

By the looks of their storage basement they have also been very busy preserving food for the winter. We loved spending time with Justin's family and Jana's family too.

Harvest Time

Even though our Rexburg growing season was much shorter than normal, we still enjoyed a bounteous harvest. Tomatoes, beets, beans, cabbage, carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, raspberries, strawberries, apples etc. are all harvested and either frozen, bottled, dried or stored for our enjoyment.

The Rexburg Temple

What a wonderful opportunity I have to play the organ in the Rexburg Temple. It is my turn every Tuesday evening for one hour. That hour is like Heaven to me, playing beautiful hymns in the House of the Lord.

(Brad took this picture on a beautiful stormy evening)

Arg! Home Repairs

This has definitely been our month of home repairs. First we discovered that the frig was leaking when the ceiling in the family room was dripping on Krystle. We had to replace the water hose to the ice and water.

Next, I thought it would be an easy fix to repair the toilet downstairs. I was just going to replace the shims that I put under it a few years ago to help make it level since the cement floor isn't level. Not a simple fix. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong! The inside of the toilet had to be replaced, the seat was broken, the bracket was rusted and broken, the tank leaked, the bolts were rusted so we couldn't get them out....After several trips to the plumbing supply store and many nights working on it, I ended up breaking the whole toilet and had to buy a new one which I installed carefully with shims to make it level!

Next, the kitchen sink was clogged. We used the "snake" several times down about 20 feet and Liquid Plumber to no avail. In the meantime, the bracket that hooked to the drain was corroded and had to be replaced. I finally called the plumber who said, "If the snake didn't work for you, we can't fix it either." I had to call Roto Rooter, who came in with their BIG snake. They had to go down 45 feet and cleared the clog and charged $125 to do it! It works now and I am grateful for indoor plumbing that works!

October 2010 Conference

I loved conference this October. I spend my Sunday's listening to the talks over and over again. What inspiring and timely instruction for the turbulent world that we live in.

My favorite talk was President Monson's on Gratitute:

"A grateful heart . . . comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. My sincere, heartfelt prayer is that we may in our individual lives reflect that marvelous virtue of gratitude. May it permeate our very souls, now and evermore."

This talk was very strong and to the point. When I listened to it the first time I thought, "there is no question what virtue our prophet is advising us to work on." When I read the talk again I counted...he used the words grateful and gratitude 37 times!

We will not soon forget President Packer's talk and his story about the elementary student who thought they could just vote to decide if a kitten was a girl or a boy.

Another favorite:

President Uchtdorf - "We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman."

Jana's family

Jana's family joined us for conference weekend. Here is a family picture of them that we took: Ella, Steve, Brigham, Sophia, David, and little Josette. Also a picture of Josette who is so cute she could seriously be on ads for baby products.

McCall Idaho

We took a weekend break on Labor day and spent it with Jason and Pam and family. We stayed at their beautiful cabin in McCall. We enjoyed the Payette Lake while boating and jet skiing and just playing in the white sand.

We also spend Sunday after church walking along the shore in McCall.

It was exciting to see a deer come within feet of the big picture window of the cabin.

Last is a picture of the handsome family, Jason, Pam, Dillon, Payton, and Isabelle.

Trinidad California

I just had to share this picture that Brad took in Trinidad. It is where we stayed in northern California, which is a sleepy little coastal town with fishing boats galore and a really good seafood restaurant

Redwood Forest

The Redwood Forests have become one of my favorite places to visit in the whole world! They were spectacular in their size and beauty. One author describes the place as "Hush Lush." I felt the same way as we walked many trails through these giants. The large trees and thick undergrowth filtered out any outside noise. It was like we were in a whole different and sacred world. These trees are called ancient giants because some of them are over 1600 years old and many are over 370 feet tall. That is two feet taller than Niagara Falls and the same as a 30 story building. Many trees were over 17 feet in diameter, 52 feet in circumference and weigh well over 1,000,000 pounds. Of course, I couldn't leave until we found the tree that we could drive through.

I now can see why Jason spent most of is P-days while on his mission in that area "visiting the giants."

Sacramento Reception

We traveled to Sacramento California on September 18 to attend Lorna and Ben's reception in his home town. It was a great party featuring a feast of Chinese food and entertainment from a string quartet. The reception was very well attended. The couple and their parents all wore traditional Chinese clothing. We haven't received the pictures from the photographer yet, but we will be sure to share them when we do.

Lorna and Ben's Wedding

Lorna and Ben Bryce were married in the Rexburg Temple on August 28. It was a wonderful ceremony. A brunch was hosted by Ben's parents after the ceremony and the reception was held in our back yard that evening. The rain stopped just in the nick of time for us to set up. It was a beautiful evening. We had teal and yellow pom poms and Chinese lanterns hanging from wires overhead and nice table centerpieces that the girls made to add to the decor. We served home made cupcakes and vegetables/fruits and popsicles (Lorna's favorite). Lorna will post the pictures on her face book as soon as we get them. You can also keep up with Lorna and Ben on their blog: http://thelivesoflornaandbenjaminbryce.blogspot.com/

New Teeter Totter

We have a new addition to our playground equipment in the backyard...it is a teeter totter!

Brad and I made it from a kit and it has had plenty of usage already this summer. It is very heavy duty as you can see here...me, Madeline, Charlotte, Cohen and Kambri on one side and Justin and Abigail on the other! (those are Brad's shoes as he is lying on the grass to take the picture)

Visiting John in Wyoming

John worked at the Absaroka Mountain Lodge for 4 months this summer. It was located 12 miles east of the northeast entrance of Yellowstone Park. The closest town was Cody, Wyoming, 40 miles away. He stayed there for the summer and worked at cleaning cabins, serving at the restaurant, tending the fire at the nightly campfires, cooked meals on the trail rides and helped some with the horses.
Brad and I spent a weekend there in July. The lodge and rustic cabins were nestled in a beautiful canyon with sharp, rocky mountain peaks all around in interesting shapes.
Yes, I did ride a horse…first time in about 30 years. And YES, I was scared to death on the entire trail ride. I much prefer a ride with two wheels and one that I have control of.
We had a great time, did some fishing, played miniature golf, went to Cody and toured the Buffalo Bill Museum which was amazing and huge especially for a small western town like Cody. We also attended the famous Cody Rodeo which runs nightly for 90 consecutive nights every summer!

Julie's Wedding

Julie and Zach were married on June 29 at a beautiful ceremony in the Salt Lake City Temple. A Wedding Celebration was held in our backyard, the night before where we ate crab, shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, and red potatoes. (Thanks to Brad's amazing cooking) We listened to jazz music and visited with dear family and friends who came to celebrate with us. The decor was unique with colorful fabrics, India wedding tents, pillows, rugs and low-style seating with trays of hors d'oeuvres consisting of bagettes, cheese, and grapes scattered throughout. The highlight of the evening was the release of hundreds of butterflies provided by Zach's mother who raises them. You can see lots of pictures of the event by going to Julie's face book page. You can also keep track of them as they live and go to school in Laie Hawaii by going to their blog page: http://animateappetites.blogspot.com/