Such good cookies!

After making my pie for the Fall Festival I had some leftover pumpkin and had a hankering for some cookies. Sandra sent me to this blog http://thegoodapple.blogspot.com and I found a pumpkin cookie recipe. I decided to give them a try today and the recipe was easy and really tasty. After icing everything, they looked like they needed a little someth'n someth'n so I thought I would sprinkle some cinnamon over the top. Well, as I started my artistic touches I realized that instead of the sweet smell of cinnamon I caught a whiff of the dirty sock smell of cumin! I almost decided that I could simply just dust it off but decided that I better throw away the defiled cookies. Thank goodness I didn't have to throw them all away because this was a good recipe.

Recipe tips from Whit:
I like this recipe because these cookies were not gummy like other pumpkin cookie recipes I have had. The recipe said to cook them for 10-12 min. but I left mine in longer because I don't like undercooked pumpkin. The dough is not very sweet, but wait until you put that icing on, watch out! Last, I didn't have any milk for the icing so I used some cream and that made some pretty darn good icing, enjoy!

2008 Fall Festival

Our family picture, I looked soused but then again I usually do these days.

We had our ward Fall Festival this past Monday, we did not dress up but I did participate by signing up to bring a pot of chili and make a pie for the scout fund raiser. There was a big debate, do I make white chili or stick with the tried and true chicken chili, in the end I went with what I know and made the oh so delicious chicken chili. I think it was a good choice, at least Bryan and I enjoyed it. I also wasn't sure what pie to make, the pumpkin chiffon is tasty but not flashy, I went ahead and made the pumpkin chiffon anyway, and someone actually wanted it out of quite a selection of pies. We didn't stay behind for the trunk or treat but maybe next year we can use Christopher to get candy, and I will have to come up with some costumes or enlist Sandra to make me something.

A Saturday at the Jensen's

(Don't mind the video, I now understand you can't tip the camera when filming)

Bryan played hooky from his school work this Saturday, probably the last time he can do so with finals coming up, but it was really fun having him around. We spent the morning trying to find a worthwhile garage sale, hitting up our local Wal-Mart, and of course like so many other Saturdays, we just happen to find ourselves by the doughnut shop and had to stop in. The rest of the day was Bryan working on the yard, hanging drapery in the kitchen, moving in some furniture from the garage, cleaning out the car, and finally setting up his grill after 3 months. He received the grill for graduation and his birthday and it has been in a box out on our back porch since we moved. It was such a beautiful day, I decided cleaning the kitchen could wait, so we laid out a blanket and the baby and I played outside while we watched Bryan try to read the pictorial directions on assembling the grill. After the baby went down for bed Bryan couldn't resist running to the grocery store to purchase some meat so we could test out the grill. While he was fixing dinner, I finally was able to hang some pictures on my bare walls. It was a productive and good day.


A man and his grill.


Fruits of our labor.

The pumpkin patch

Bryan & Christopher on the hay ride.

With Bryan being so busy lately, we haven't had a chance to get out that often so this past weekend was really fun when we met up with a few couples from the ward and went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. Bryan and I were being cheap and ditched out on the corn maze which was fine with me, it will probably be a bit more exciting when Christopher gets older and from the sounds of it we didn't miss out on much. Instead of the maze, we put our money towards a bite to eat, so for our $8.50 we got 2 boiled hot dogs, and a sausage wrap. So I thought the sausage would have been wrapped in a puff pastry, but I guess that's not the case here in Lubbock, no, it means a sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla, not tasty or worth the $3. Despite the bad food, typical so far of Lubbock, we did have good company and it was fun having a chance to talk to people! It was starting to get a little chilly so we bundled the baby up and went on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our awesome pumpkin. Christopher despite being up past his bed time was being so good. I think we will make this a yearly tradition, it was fun and it will be even more so as the baby gets older.

Whit selecting the one.

Why do I even try?

Why do I even try? Bryan and I are going to be replacing our carpet with laminate flooring during Christmas break, but until then I decided to get our carpets clean because they were nasty. Well, I have two crazy dogs and with the rain, well they have tracked so much mud in! The smart thing would have been to put a doormat out, but that would have been too easy! Anyway, I think the mud would still find it's way in. So much for forking out the dough for clean carpets. Why do I even try? (it's hard to see in the picture, but there are little foot prints everywhere!)

Oops!

So I pulled an Autumn Murset on my little boy! (For those of you who don't know the story, my neighborhood friend did a number on my hair growing up, leaving me with a nice buzz cut!) It has been rainy here so I tend to feel cooped up, which is never a good combination. Bad things happen when I am bored, like in high school when Erin and I decided one night out of boredom to pierce my ears for the second time, I felt so guilty that I took them out the next day. Now I just have two tattooed ear holes as a reminder of my stupidity. The tattoo is from our attempts to keep things sanitary during the piercing process, we burned the tip of the needle and never wiped it off leaving the soot; I guess you can call it that, behind in my ear. Once my ear healed the black soot never came out, creating a tattoo forever reminding me of what happens when Whit gets bored. I have many stories of things I have done but shouldn't have out of boredom. You would think I would have learned my lesson, but oh no, not me! Anyway, I am just prolonging the inevitable, especially since I found out mom is coming back for a visit and she would find out soon enough, so here it goes.

I thought Christopher's hair was starting to look a little shaggy and patchy, so I went into the bathroom and had the clippers in hand to go ahead and give the baby a little trim, and then I thought, "You know, you better run this one by Bryan because we all know how the last trim came out." Anyway, I held out until Bryan got home and some how talked him into to this horrible deed. Well the clippers looked like they would leave about a 1 1/2 of hair but oh no, it took it down to the scalp!!! I cried, my babies luscious locks are no more. He was like Samson, he had such strength from his hair or in his case, good looks, and I can say that because I am the mom. Now he just looks like any other 4 month old child out there, bald! I am really quite devastated. I vowed not to take any pictures of him until it grows back, and I didn't want to admit to any family members what I had done because I know I would get an ear full. I have since come to grips with the bald head and have to document this time, so like my tattooed ears, I would have a reminder of what stupid things happen when I get board.

Well, I learned my lesson, and thank goodness it is starting to get cold so I can have him wear hats all season. I almost saved the scraps of hair to make a wig, but I had lost too many hairs to the drain. Oh the shame!!!


The after

The Good Samaritan

Well I have been reviewing my posts and I can't believe I didn't post about dad coming out to help with the house! Dad heard all about mom's wonderful experience when she came over to help that he wanted one of his own, I just call that crazy! It was really fun to have him, unfortunately that was the week Christopher and I dug in our heals on his nap training so I spent most of the time working with him while dad painted. I know some of you may be thinking, how convenient, but honestly I don't know what is worse painting, or battling a child to sleep. Dad was able to get so much done, our kitchen is now painted and the family room. Between dad and Bryan they moved the boxes out of the family room, they are still split up among the other rooms but at least they are not in a pile sky high right when you walk into the house.

We didn't let dad stop working for very long but when we did it was so he could take us out to dinner. When mom was out we tried finding a good Tex-Mex restaurant and with no such luck I thought when dad came we would try for a good bbq place, this is Texas after all. Well, my conclusion is that Lubbock is not for foodies as the bbq was no very tasty. Hopefully, by the time mom and dad make it out again Bryan and I will have been able to scrounge up at least one descent eating establishment. Although, Bryan and I have taken up grandpa Farnsworth's tradition of the Doughnut Brigade and have come across a tasty doughnut shop. Anyway, we are so thankful for dad and his time he put in with us, his sleeping arrangements were not much better then moms although we did at least stick him in the study and not the kitchen. I now have yellow walls and white ceilings, it's a good thing. We can't thank you enough!

The Firm

Bryan was in a competition last week for the Board of Barristers at school. The competition was Client Counseling were you and a partner interview a pretend client and get judged on how well you do. Bryan did very well and got rave reviews from his judges. That was my impression anyway, and I am probably just a little bias.

The Schnitzel

So it has been forever since Bryan and I have gone out together to a fine dining establishment but tonight that has all come to a close, Wienerschnitzel here we come! Bryan has been begging, I mean begging to go to Wienerschnitzel even though we have never been. For those of you that know Bryan, the hot dog is fillet mignon to him so I finally gave in. I had a chili cheese dog, I don't now what I was thinking, I was under pressure to order. I have to say I am a little nervous for what we ingested when there was a choice for original or all beef. Bryan and I both ate the original, so I am afraid to even think of what that means! Anyway, I am hopeful that will take care of his hot dog craving for a while and we can put the schnitzel to rest.