Book Club Book Exchange

This year I have been in a local book club started by one of my friends and including any women we might know who just need a night away once a month. We voted on the books at the beginning of the year and we have a very eclectic group of women and books. It has opened my mind to reading books that I might not have considered before. We meet at members homes and always have lively discussions but have also formed friendships, talking about our lives monthly.


Our final meeting of the year we did a book exchange (white elephant style) at a local restaurant. It was fun to get everyone together and talk; then to unwrap and swap these books and be able to talk about these new books, or old books. It was fun and got us all excited for next year. I have enjoyed being able to read more and having people to discuss it with.



The Thanksgiving Pride Cycle...

We had a great thanksgiving this year with friends, family and GREAT FOOD. Charlotte got to come out and visit from Idaho (which is always fantastic) and we spent a day gorging ourselves, lazing about, playing games with family and feeling overly grateful for the love we have. 
That night the chaos began- Ben didn’t go to bed but started his black Friday madness by hitting Walmart at 12:00. He rolled into bed around 3:00 and then out again at 5:30- he is crazy! Brea and Charlotte left around 6:00 and didn’t get back till 12:00 (not so early bird) but still got some great deals. I wonder- why do we do this to ourselves? Is it really worth it? Would we buy this stuff if it wasn’t on MEGA SALE? But in the end it is kind of fun. It makes us feel adventurous. It makes us feel like we are doing something on the wild side. And who doesn’t want to feel a little gluttonous the day after the day of thanks, love and gratitude? What an ironic weekend!!

Ben and I made the turkey again this year- it was good!



A Pie Per Person

One of the many wonderful perks I have obtained since joining the Newson Family is the Thanksgiving Pie Tradition which states, “There must be AT LEAST a pie per person present for thanksgiving dinner. The pies must last till Sunday!” This year we had 13 people for dinner and….only 11 pies (but 3 of those people were children- so we almost go there).

This year Charlotte, Ben and I decided to make 4 of the infamous pies AND the crust. We made a blueberry (which turned out pretty good), two pumpkin (Ben’s favorite) and an apple. I was proud of our cooking skills and in the end ALL of the pies were DELICIOUS! Defiantly a tradition to keep!!

Thankful Turkey

Growing up our family always made a ‘Thankful Turkey’ for thanksgiving; a poster with a turkey in which all the feathers were filled with things we were thankful for.  This year I had the opportunity to make two turkeys, one in primary with my 8 year old class and one with my niece and nephews on thanksgiving.  It is always nice to sit and really contemplate what we are thankful for.  All of these kids, whom I made these turkeys with, had such ready answers. This made me think about being more grateful in my life, not just for the obvious things, but for the little things.

Stake Youth Dance Festival

For the past couple of months the youth the in Boulder Stake have been practicing for a Stake Youth Dance Festival. There were three stake dances (where all the youth participated) and then each ward had to choreograph and learn their own dance. With Ben as the Young Men’s President and with my dance background, we had the chance to participate in this wonderful activity. They invited us to dance with the youth in our ward performance during a cha cha cha to music from West Side Story.


Saturday, November 6 the entire stake had a day long dress rehearsal. It was fun to have tons of youth dancing everywhere (in the halls, in different rooms, on the stage) while waiting for their turn to practice in the gym. There were hip hop numbers, swings, Latin numbers, Broadway numbers, country and so many more. It was so much fun to see all the different dance styles and to see the youth enjoy dancing.

The performance was that night at a local high school. The bleachers were packed full of fans and parents and the night went great. The youth were nervous to perform but has prepared themselves well. They were excited to wear theater make-up and their full costumes. It was so much fun to work with the youth again and to dance again. It was defiantly a worth while day!!

This is no Croc...

So our big news is…Ben got a JOB! He is the newest post-grad intern working at Crocs.  He is a data analyst for their online sales department and has been really excited about all he is learning about clicks, pop ups, google/facebook adds and CROCS!!  He is only contracted for two months but we are hoping that this could get him some good leads and contacts to lead to a full time position.

YAY for Ben’s job and thanks to his friends for recommending and referring him!!

Halloween Surprise!!

We have sticky spider traps along the wall under our dresser and this morning Ben heard a rustling and found this snake stuck in the trap.  It is just a small garter snake (but we do live in the basement).  What a scary Halloween surprise!!

Spooky Halloween Celebrations

A bunch of our friends rented a cabin in Nederland for the Halloween weekend. On Friday we had a big costume party with everyone- I went as 'A Costume Box Explosion' (but I ended up looking kind of like a 70's Man) and Ben went as a pilot. There was TONS of food, games, scary movie clips and tons of fun. It was a great night with good friends!!

The next night we went to the Trunk-or-Treat. We ended up arriving a little late, so we just wore wigs- which still looked pretty jazzy. Nedra and Rachel decorated their car and were all dressed up- they looked great.  

Afterwards we went back up to the cabin to play games and hang out with our friends. We ended up having a glow-stick dance party. The whole night was fun and it was great to hang out up at the cabin with friends.
 

Today for Halloween we had a SPOOKY Dinner with eyeballs (deviled eggs), monster fingers with nails (rolls with nuts), mummies (sausage wrapped in rolls), pumpkin hamburgers, slim (green jello and soda) and spider webs (chocolate rice crispy treats). It was delicious and so much fun!!

Here are the Monster eyes we made!!

Baldpate Inn

Earlier this month (October 13th), we went up to the mountains to the Baldpate Inn with some friends. The Baldpate Inn was an old stage coach stop in the Rocky Mountains (near Estes Park) back in the early 1900’s and is now a historic bed and breakfast and restaurant. They have great food and really great PIE! They also are also known for the world’s largest key collection (with over 20,000 keys). However the real reason Ben and I love to go up there is for the view and the beautiful surroundings, especially in the fall.

As always we enjoyed ourselves and can’t wait to visit again.

A House Becomes A Home...

In August 1989 the Stones family moved from California to Longmont, CO. We moved into a house with shaggy brown carpet, flowered wallpaper, banisters, flower boxes, paneled walls and the ever dreaded popcorn ceilings. This house graduated 6 kids from high school. This house has housed 2 mothers, 1 Nana, 4 Uncles, 1 Uncle Geek, 2 Aunts, 1 Grandpa, 1 Father, 1 Foreign Exchange Student, 2 Nephews, 6 Missionaries, 1 Boa Constrictor, 4 Rats and multiple visitors. This house has gone through multiple remodels, paint jobs, and fixer-up-ers. This house has seen a family grow from 8 to 22. This house has seen happy times and sad times; this house has been a home!

Our 21 Year Home...

This last week after 21 years my parents moved out of our BELOVED home! I know this may sound sappy and overly sentimental but I am just like that (overly sentimental that is) and I was very sad to be moving from our home. I do love my parent’s new house, a house that allows for the whole family (grandkids and all) to be in one great room at once. But I will forever miss my childhood home!!

The New House... soon to be Home!

Disney Land/ California Adventure

Earlier this year Ben and I made baby blankets for service and got two free tickets to Disney Land. We decided to save them for the ‘off’ season so that it wouldn’t be as busy and we could get the full experience.  So this past weekend (Oct 16-19) we went out to California and went to Disney Land and California Adventure with Tobin and Nicole.  It was a little overcast, so there weren’t a lot of people, and the lines were short- it was a PERFECT day.  We got to go on so many rides (Tob and Nicole were good guides) and we even got to see a show (Aladdin).  Ben usually gets motion sick but we took precautions (Dramamine) and he was able to do all the rides with us.

Walking through the tunnels at the Indiana Jones Ride.



During the Tower of Terror.



I had never been to Disney Land and Ben hadn’t been since he was really young so it was a real big adventure.  We got lots of buttons when we entered the park (first timers, anniversary, birthday) because we figured it was close enough to all those things for it to count. The people were so nice and EVERYONE who saw me with my Birthday button wished me Happy Birthday (Goofy even sang to me over the phone)!  It was clean, beautiful and everyone was nice. We know why it’s called the happiest place in the world!!



Sporting our 3D Glasses outside 'A Bugs Life'



In the evening we got to see a parade (all about dancing- I loved it) and Nicole and I joined in the conga line.  And we stayed late in California Adventure and saw their new lights show (they project color up on water) it was amazing and aww inspiring.  It was a great trip and defiantly made us feel like kids again!!

Garden Grub

We heard talk of a frost two nights ago so Ron and Nedra decided it was time to pick everything left in the garden (except the squash). Here is the result...

They are such great gardeners!!! YUM!

Burglar Proof

We have been watching our neighbors pets (two dogs and a cat) while they are out of town. The dogs spend the day outside but if we are at the house they are aloud inside. On Saturday night, Brea was over at the house watching a movie (they have a really comfy couch) and so she had the dogs inside with her. Ben came over later to join her but she had all the doors locked (for safety’s sake) so she had to go unlock the house for him to get in. This is where our story begins…


Brea unlocked and opened the first door but as the dogs were trying to get out she quickly closed it, walked through the mudroom and unlocked the outside door to let Ben in. That is when they noticed that the inside door had locked behind her- locking the dogs and her coat (with the key) inside!! It was about 11:00pm by this time but they still called the neighbors seeking a spare key (but had to leave a slightly comical and desperate message).

Then the search began, equipped with a large spot light the pair began circling the house, checking every window for access- all locked. Jiggling at all door handles- all secure. Even trying to pick the lock with a nail file and tweezers but alas this desperate duo was not robber material. Finally the neighbors called back to inform the team that there was a spare key buried in a flower pot on the porch (about 6 inches deep).

Finally access was gained to the house, the dogs were saved and the humiliation was lessoned. The neighbors can now fell confident that their house has been tested and deemed successfully burglar proof.

Chili Cook Off

 This year we decided to enter some White Bean Chili into our wards Chili Cook Off.  The Cook off Was a HIT!! There were so many different Chili’s, Baked Good and Desserts- it was definitely a feast. And then we had a vote.  I don’t think I had an entire portion of anything, but I did taste almost everything (but food just kept coming). NO my Chili was not voted the #1 Chili- but it was worth the effort and defiantly worth coming for the company and good food!!

Here’s my recipe- ENJOY!!

White Bean Chili

Ingredients:

Roast Beef

Onion

Garlic

Potatoes

24 Oz Canned Green Chilies Mild (Green Salsa)

White Kidney Beans (2 cans)

3 Cans any other White Beans

Directions:

Cook Roast with copped onions and 1 clove chopped garlic until done (350 degrees in crock pot for a couple hours). Chop into ½ inch (nickel sized squares).

Add beans (drained) and green chilies. Add Water if needed (don’t make it soupy).

Peel potatoes (I used red so I didn’t peel, just scrubbed), dice into nickel sized squares, cook to soften and then add to chili. (Cook them before because if not they usually wont be soft enough and will add a strange crunch to the texture.)

Let everything cook and warm together for a while. Salt and Pepper to taste. I added about 2 more cloves of garlic to ‘spice’ it up and some more Chilies (its up to your discretion).

Autumn in Estes

Today Ben and I took a day trip to Estes Park to see the autumn colors and beautiful mountainside. As we were driving in, there was a herd of elk right next to our car and then we saw more on the way out. We got to hear them bugle and even got to see two males clacking their antlers together.

We stopped and got to eat in Estes Park and walk up and down the river walk. It was fun to see the sites and eat such great food.

We went up to the Stanley Hotel (Ben had never walked around the ‘haunted grounds’ before) and while there, we were given a free pass for Rocky Mountain National Park. We went to the park and went on a couple (short) beautiful nature walks. The many colors were so beautiful and aw-inspiring.

It was a great day full of wonderful AUTUMN FUN!!