Beach Paparazzi

 We had to let our guests cruise to the beach in style.
Alexander was rather worried that they were going to wreck his "future vehicle."
Not because Rebecca is a bad driver.
But that there was so much kissing going on.
The kids would tattle on them every time they saw a smooch.

Wes' first time in the Pacific Ocean!

Mom, they're kissing AGAIN!

What?  It's the beach.

It's romantic.

Not the best beach for surfing.

Awesome for exploring.

Courtney has become an expert little rock climber at Little Corona!

 Isn't my sister absolutely beautiful?!?
I smile every time I look at this picture.
Can't help it!


This is the "Pirate Beach," according to Alexander.
He brings his sword every time we come.

Lots of kissing, lots of dancing.

I think we have a case of true love on our hands.

The spontaneous dancing was brought on by these guys.

These two hippies were banging on a drum and chanting to the universe.

Good times.

Thanksgivin'

My darling sister, Rebecca, was so sweet to come down to visit us for Thanksgiving.

We were excited to meet her "Man Candy" she brought with her.

We'd heard lots about John Wesley Sanders.

{Mostly about his biceps and kindness and kissing abilities}

Still, we were a little nervous.

  We were thrilled to see these two!

 {We put them to work, peeling potatoes for dinner}

Rebecca seems so blissfully happy, Wes is super awesome and treats her so amazingly well.  We can see how in love, FUN, and perfect they are for each other. 

 And the man can peel! 

When company comes, I like to try new recipes out.

Hence the lattice-topped pie.

Darren engineered the criss-cross pattern, and it turned out so pretty!

{I mean, manly.}

Before baking, you pour some yummy carmelized sauce over the top.

 At dinner, we opened our Gratitude box and took turns reading our blessings.

I LOVE spending holidays surrounded by family!

After we eat dinner, our family has a crazy tradition.

I'm a little scared to tell you what it is.

 It's called the Turkey Shoot.

Basically, we sit in chairs in the backyard and chuck mini wiffle balls at our kids while they run across the yard gobbling like turkeys and flapping their elbows.
It's great fun.

Apparently our mini wiffle balls were lost in the move.

So we had light saber fights instead.

Awww.... aren't they so cute together?

Antique Desk Remake

This gem was painted and stenciled by my Mama in the late 80's.

We inherited it, so...

I decided to be brave and refinish it.

I refinished a dresser once, back when Alexander was a baby.

As I was slathering on the pleasant-smelling orange stripper, I thought,

Why haven't I done this more often?

Two or three hours later, it came to me.

Oh yeah.

BECAUSE IT'S A BIG FAT HUGE PAIN!!!

This was quite a unique little treasure, under all the coats of paint.

Some little rebellious student had carved Kort "48" into the underside of the desk lid.

This is the ink well, scrubbed & shined by Darren.

American Seating Company was Darren's company's greatest competitor when we lived in Maine.

The desk is circa 1930's.

 Are you ready to see the only furniture refinish ever to be posted on this blog?

Here it is!

Courtney does her homework on this lil' beauty every afternoon.

Napoleon Meets Nerf

I looked upstairs tonight, and saw Darren doing the Napoleon Dynamite dove with nerf darts on his glasses.

Random, but funny, very funny.

Gearing Up for Christmas

Disney style!

Mickey looks so cozy & festive!

Did y'all know Santa's reindeer hang out at Disneyland before the big night?

Goofy or Pluto?

I think I'll call him Gloofo, just to be safe.

My latest craving...caramel apples rolled in chopped peanuts.

{My mouth is watering just looking at the picture!}

Glam'd Up Target Shoes

I needed grey shoes, but these were just too plain Jane...

...so I made some felt rosettes for the toes!

I'm resisting the urge to add some to my sneakers :)

Jolene's French Dip Sandwiches

One of Darren's favorite meals is French Dip with Au jus. 
A darling lady in our AZ Stake {the BEST cook ever} shared this recipe.
It is amazing.
Maybe a little more than amazing.

Large bottom round roast

Rub roast with salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder

Brown roast in oil, then place in crockpot

Combine 2 cans beef consomme, 2 packets Au jus and 6 cups water

Pour over roast, then cook 6-8 hours

Take beef out of juice & shred

Reserve juice for dipping

Just before serving, butter rolls & sprinkle Parmesan cheese on them. Broil until golden brown.

{I've learned the hard way that broiling only takes a minute or two:}

Super easy and soooo good.

Leftovers:

Add a can of tomatoes with green chiles {like Rotel} to the beef to make bean & beef chimis.  Equally delicious!

Threes

Blessings come in threes, right?!?

Today Darren was called as a counselor in the Bishopric.

For the third time.

This has been the only time the call has come as a surprise to both of us.

This particular Sunday was quite ironic, as dear Bishop Randall's family {the Bishop who Darren was serving with in AZ} came for a visit and went to church with us.

Darren's observation:

It just goes to show you can run from a calling, but you can't hide!

You'll do great, babe.