December

December 2 - Bates Family Christmas Dinner

It was Kelley's year to pick the restaurant for the Bates family Christmas dinner. She picked her usual... and is always a good choice. The Tucano's Brazillian Grille in Provo. The servers bring out an endless supply of the most delicious grilled meats and pineapple. And the salad bar is full of unusual side dishes. Love eating there! The company is even better.

December 2 - Temple Square

After dinner we met Kelsey, Chad, and the kids at Temple Square. Our first stop -- Light the World product donation dispenser. It was an amazing sight and experience! We got there just in time to watch Kelsey's family donate two chickens to a third world country. 

Dave and Carol

We walked around Temple Square and looked at all the beautiful, colored lights that lit pathways, fountains, and trees. Always a beautiful sight! The highlight of the evening is always watching the re-enactment of the First Christmas. 

December 4 - Moon

The moon was unusually large and bright tonight. 

December 9 - Live Play

We can't let a year go by without watching at least one play in either the Old Barn Theater in Collinston or the Heritage Theater in Perry. Tonight we went to a play, at the Old Barn, called White Christmas. It was a very nice evening spent with people we love!

December 10 - Dinner with the Mechams

We had Audrey's family up for dinner today. We had chili, cornbread, and carrot and celery sticks. Just right!

Ben has been really loving to play pool lately. Grandpa Dave is always willing to play a game or two with the kids.

Alia, Emilee, James, Grandma Carol, Levi, Ben

... a picture before the trip.

Quilts

Some of my favorite things are handmade quilts. The top one is one that Grandma Edna Richardson made. The second is another quilt that grandma Richardson made for mom and dad's wedding in 1952. Love them! The pretty green and purple nine patch is one that I made at a quilting class in Ogden. I was quite proud of myself! And the bottom one is one that I won at the Bentley Family Cousins Reunion in 2016. It was made by a very talented cousin, Linda Johnson.

Camera Woes

I wasn't too happy with the camera I purchased for the cruise. The one the sales clerk at Imaging Depot (my favorite photo store) helped me pick was not to my satisfaction once I got it home and took some pictures. I took it back and the store's manager helped me pick another one. I wanted to take a small camera on the trip for convenience. I hope it does what I want it to do. It's going to be hard to beat my Nikon 7500. It's a really good camera, but large and bulky.

Packing 

I finished packing for the cruise. I got it all in one large suitcase. I'm taking a carry-on, as well. 

November

November 1 - Chili

There's nothing better than homemade chili in the Fall. Sometimes I like to add a hamburger patty and top it with cheese, making it a chili burger. So filling and very delicious!

Kelsey makes the best chili I have ever tasted. 

Kelsey's Chili 

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can western beans, drained and rinsed

3 small cans tomato sauce

1 lb. hamburger

celery 

onion

green pepper

season salt

black pepper

1 T. chili powder

1 15 oz. can water

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 brown sugar

1 tsp. cumin

On the stove brown hamburger, celery, onion, green pepper, season salt, black pepper, and chili powder.

In a crock pot combine beans, tomato sauce, water, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder and cumin (season to taste). Add hamburger. Warm in crock pot until ready to serve.

November 17 - Christmas Cactus

Dad's Christmas Cactus surprised me with a beautiful pink bloom today. It decided to bloom two weeks early this year. The pink blooms brighten up a corner of my home and chases the dark clouds of the approaching winter away.

November 18 - A surprise visit

Marilyn and Cari (Pasket), as I know them, came up and visited me today. What a surprise! Marilyn was thrilled to take a tour of the house and showed a lot of interest in all of Dave's old treasures he's collected. When we were in the basement bathroom she told me she really liked the toilet paper holder. I gave it to her! She was so happy! Funny!! I loved that. 

She also brought me a gift. A painting that grandma Bates had done and given to uncle Frank, Marilyn's father. It ended up in Marilyn's possession after uncle Frank passed away. It was so thoughtful and sweet of her. What a treasure for me!

November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Weekend

What do we do to celebrate Thanksgiving at our house? We celebrate family! We create memories! We eat a lot of food and pies. We shoot off the cannon. We play in the leaves. We play pool. We play games. We watch movies. We do talent shows on the stage. Taking photo shoots in different rooms of the house and around the yard is a tradition for the girls. This year Carson played taps on his trumpet. It was so moving and brought tears to my eyes. Oh... we have so much fun being together. Love, love, love my family!

Cannon

Carson and Riley watching the cannon go off.

Photo Shoot

Savanna, Nicole, Tianna, Morgann, Makaela

Tera

Amie and the girls

Nicole and Savanna playing in the leaves

Feast

Alia and Ben made these cute and clever place cards and centerpiece for our Thanksgiving meal. I love the artwork! We had a traditional meal of turkey (help, help!), mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, green salad, rolls, and a bunch of cream pies. So delicious!

Games and Lularoe

Move on over... mother's clothes! Lularoe took over the closet in my room for a day. Amie had a live sale the day after Thanksgiving and modeled some wardrobe items. She made a few sales. It was fun watching her. Audrey was her assistant.

The kids bought a game to play. Speak Out. You put a mouth guard in your mouth and try to speak the words on the card while the others try and guess what you are saying. Crazy! It looked like it hurt. Ouch.

October

October 1 - General Conference

I love General Conference! I look forward to listening to our prophet and apostles and other general authorities every six months. Their talks are uplifting and inspiring. They teach me the will of the Lord. Their words provide answers to questions, provide comfort, and give meaning and direction in my life. They encourage personal improvement. They are modern day scripture that helps me hold fast to the iron rod. I like to take notes during conference and compare them to the talks that come in the November issue of the Ensign. I compare what I wrote.. what pierced me heart and soul at the time I watched it, to when I read it. I come to the table to be fed... and I am! It is a feast every time! I love our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I am so thankful for his service, his love for us, his counsel. I am so thankful for those who are inspired to give us the word of God. There is peace and safely in their words. They are from Father In Heaven who loves us. 

After conference is over on Sunday, I have the kids up for over-the-top waffles! Several different topping choices make having this treat something to look forward to. This year I still had fresh peaches to put on them. It was so yummy! Ham, hash browns, muffins, orange juice, and chocolate milk are other favorites to add to this meal.

Afterwards, we play Conference Trivia and the kids draw treats and prizes for their participation. It makes Conference both meaningful and fun. We look forward to this get-together every six months. Kelsey and her family was not able to make it this year. We missed them. And it's too bad Amie and the rest of the kids live so far from us. That's the draw back of not living close to each other. We have to make it up in other ways.

October 4 - Ben's Birthday

Ben wanted a super hero's birthday party. Audrey made him a Captain America birthday cake. His gift was a new bike. It's green... Ben's favorite color. It has hand brakes and is for bigger kids. Ben is growing up way too fast! Happy Birthday Buster Ben! I love you!

October 5 - Window Shopping

I wanted to go window shopping for my birthday. I wanted to look at motor homes. I have been missing some of the things we used to do as a family when I was young. Dad took us looking a mobile homes and camp trailers once in awhile. I still remember walking into those homes and really enjoying it. Dave is so focused on "seeing the world", and I just want to see my own back yard! What better way than seeing the countryside than traveling the scenic by-ways in the comfort of your own home! 

We stopped at two places. I enjoyed my window shopping experience and found something out about Dave that surprised me. He doesn't window shop! We came home with a new motor home! Looks like he'll be sticking to home a little more! 

October 7 - Fat Cats

The girls got friend birthday parties this year and that meant only one thing... Ben got one too! I wanted to take him fishing again this year for his birthday, but he got to choose. He had just went to a friend's birthday at Fat Cats a few days before and had a blast. So we went to Fat Cats. Played a game of bowling and ate pizza. The kids enjoyed the bumper cars and playing lazer tag. James was too little for the bumper cars. He was a little bummed. When I asked Ben what his favorite activity of the day was, he said "bumper cars!" Wouldn't you know... that was the freebee! We stopped at Burger King for ice cream. 

Ben was able to bring one friend with him. He brought William, the boy who lives across the street from him. He was a hugger and was often grabbing Ben and squeezing the living daylights out of him. 

October 23 - Roller Rack

It's been fun having two roller racks at the house. The kids can now have their own tracks to race their marbles down. 

The Roller Rack is a one of the best memories of home! I played with it as a child, my children played with it growing up, and now my grandchildren play with it. It's not the original, but the re-make is just as good. 

October 25 - Making Cookies

I had the kiddos up today. We made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Yummmm!


October 26 - Sleepover

Levi looks like he has a Santa pack on his back. So funny!

Sleepover at grandma's house... yeah! We spent some time outdoors. The kids found an empty bird nest in a tree in the middle of the yard. They ran around on the grass, played soccer, and climbed on rocks. James was pretty proud of himself! He's getting so big. Alia found some friends, in Shaniel and Steve's garden, to play Ring Around the Rosie with her.

The kids decorated cupcakes and we watched a movie before going to bed. Fun night!

October 27 - Trunk or Treat

I went to the church house with Audrey for Trunk-or-Treat. Afterwards we went into the church and the kids played games. There was nachos and cheese, apples slices, mini cupcakes, and punch for snacking on. We enjoyed sitting around the perimeter of the gym watching the kids bounce balloons in the air and members of the ward dance to the beat of Monster Mash and other songs. 

October 28 - Bison Roundup

There's nothing better than going to the Bison Roundup every October. This year the weather was perfect. I got a great picture of a bison bull this year. The roundup is quite a spectacle. This year as the herd was coming over a ridge, several bison decided to make a run for the lake. They charged through crowds of people parked along the road to the other side. They could not be stopped! The cowboys chasing them couldn't even get them. It was amazing that no one got hurt. The bison got their way! Grazing and basking in the sun by the lake. Lucky them! 

Someone taking pictures for news coverage got some awesome photo shots of Chad herding bison. He is a team leader, a great mentor, and all around cowboy! He is so fun to watch. I love the sound of his whip. You can hear cowboys whistle and yelp as the bison are driven to the corrals. Watching the bison roundup is truly a spectacular sight and an experience you can see only on Antelope Island. We are so lucky to live close by. People come from all over the world to live out the American Wild West dream.

Gingersnap Cookies

Oh! I love Ginger Cookies. I found the best recipe ever in my 40 year old collection of recipes. It is a pioneer recipe. They have made their place in the family as one of our most favorite cookies of all time! They make the perfect fall treat.

Soft Gingersnap Cookies

Cream together:
3/4 c. margarine (softened)
2. c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. light molasses

Add:
3 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves

Roll tsp. size ball of dough in sugar and slightly flatten on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9 to 12 minutes. Should crack on top of cookies when done.

Delicious!

October 31 - Halloween

Levi - skeleton

Trick-or-Treating always starts at Lee's Market in North Ogden. All the workers dress up and make a spooky good treat table.The healthy treats and tooth brushes are set up all through the store.They even have a Spook Alley made just for the little ones. James walked by my side but was terrified! He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

After we got through with Lee's, Audrey took the older kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. The kids made out like bandits! It was so fun to watch them come inside and dump all their candy into a pile and bargain a trade with each other. I did that with my brothers and sisters, my kids did it, and now the grandkids do it! Some things always remain the same. 

Other October Happenings

Candlelight Vigil

Penny and Kelsey in front of the Brigham City County Courthouse. The candlelight vigil is a yearly event to remember and bring awareness to domestic violence. Kelsey said a few words to the crowd gathered on the front steps. I continue to be amazed by her involvement in community issues and her caring heart!

Farmers Market end of Season

Love the end of harvest season -- with it's red crisp apples, pumpkins in a variety of shapes and shades of orange, and the vivid colors of eggplant and peppers. Autumn never disappoints with the glorious colors of leaves falling from trees and smells of spice filling the air.

Orchard and Garden

It's time to pick the pumpkins and prepare the orchard for its Winter sleep.

Play Group

James is on his way to play group. It's a Halloween party day. Handsome little fella', isn't he!

Snowflake

The Mechams have two bunnies with two very different personalities. Caramel, a carmel colored bunny is full of energy. It is hard to capture a picture of him sitting still. On the other hand, Snowflake, pictured above, loves to lounge and spread himself out on the deck.

Wonders in the Sky

You can still see the moon in the morning sunlight hours! I don't see this very often.