The Cook's: Getting Ripe

Bullet Point Items: I like this-quick and simple way to provide information:

-Unfortunately, Earlene is still not being productive. Although, it could be our faults as parents-we haven't been to visit with her since she's moved into her new roosting area.

-Mother Nature and I aren't really on speaking terms at this point in time because she has brought winter upon Logan much too quickly. This past Thursday we had low 40 degree weather and snow fall in higher elevation. This morning-Seth and I awoke to high 30 degrees. ICK.
-My husband would LOVE to not turn on the heat in our apt until at least November. We are trying to pull through, but I'll tell you-it's getting tough. I've taken to wearing my warm fuzzy purple bathrobe around our apt and Seth just loves me in it-Kidding obviously.
-After church today-Seth and I came home, both with a desire to bake. Which is what we did, and our kitchen is a whopping mess. So much for cleaning everything up today.
-Seth and I canned three more pints of salsa on Friday, and again can't wait til we have a garden on our own so we can take to professional canning and become self sufficient :).
-We recently received a couple pounds of elk, antelope, and deer meat from friends of ours. How exciting is that! We can't wait to make our menu over the next couple of weeks and incorporate fresh game in it!

A photo of the Wellville's with their first batch of snow. Even though it disgusts me the mountains are just breathtaking.

This past Friday I celebrated the ripe old age of 24. Wowzers am I getting ripe. Now, for another 7 months I am older than my husband-I don't particularly enjoy answering how old we are when I'm in the lead. I like the 5 months where I can say we are both 23. Now I have to say I'm 24-my husband's 23-and I always like to include that I'm ONLY 7 months older so folks don't get the wrong Idea. My bud Laurie's husband has a positive outlook that I liked for the age of 24-it is divisible by everything (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24). :).

My husband, family, and friends made it a great birthday. I received so much attention that I was in hog heaven-just kidding :). I got loads of fun gifts from loads of wonderful people, but of course I have to gloat on my man. He got me a cake plate (which I have been wanting since we were married) and engraved and rebound an old bible for me.

My cake plate with Mrs. Cynthia's delicious birthday pound cake.

I was looking forward to this pound cake and would remind Seth that it was coming and it was mine (I didn't know I was getting it-I just assumed). He told me 'Mom, only makes birthday pound cake for me', so I began to worry that I wouldn't get a birthday pound cake since I'm an 'in-law'- So glad I got a birthday pound cake! :).

My new bible with my new name on it :).

Our church had books out in the lobby for a few weeks-people could get any books and just donate money for the books they chose (they were raising money for a mission trip). I found this bible and although it was falling apart I wanted it. It stays on a bookshelf and I use it for studying/comparing at times. One day the bible went missing (and instantly I knew Seth must be working on it for my birthday-I'm intuitive like that-although he kept telling me I just lost it). He found a guy that repairs books in Logan and had it rebound and my new name engraved in it. I was so excited to get this bad boy. Such a beauty :).

My parents have always taken my brother and I (and now Seth) out on birthdays, so they told us to go out for a birthday dinner on them (we can't break this tradition-even though we are thousands of miles away). It was a tough choice, but I decided to go to our favorite restaurant Tandoori Oven. It's a small Indian place right down the street from us in a gas station. All I can say is you can't go wrong EVER when you eat here. It is the number 1 restaurant in Cache Valley.

Had to take a picture of the food. I had butter chicken and Seth got lamb tikla marsla or something to that nature. The bread is called naan and it is just yummy and you eat it all on top of rice.

Enough of me being ripe. Let's converse about ripe pumpkins. :).

Seth and I went with Joe and Gina to pick some pumpkins. We didn't happen to pick any-I think we've decided picking pumpkins and carving them just don't make it to the top of the list as things for Seth and I to enjoy. We are more picking and eating type of people-and you can't eat those types of pumpkins :). We plan to try and go pick apples next weekend. So, even though we didn't pick pumpkins we had to get a picture of us holding them.

These two pumpkins were Joe and Gina's :).

We finally got to hang out with these North Carolina folks after weeks of us all being too busy. We interrupted their movie date and made them have us over for dinner :)-kidding on the whole demanding part-they were kind enough to rearrange their schedules and cook us BBQ pizza-it was GOOD! They recently have become an uncle and auntie! Congrats guys!

Recently, we have started looking for tickets to get home for Christmas. How nerve racking but exciting!

I finally got a picture with me and Eva Claire!

Today during church Miranda got Eva out of the little seat thing (whatever those are called) and I contemplated walking over in the middle of the church service to take this child away from her mother so I could hold her. I even asked Seth if he thought it would be weird and I guess we both came to the conclusion that it would be strange. So, I had to constrain myself until the end of the service. I then had Miranda take a picture of me and Eva-what a cute cute child she is-and she is constantly growing and changing. Every time I see her she has grown significantly!

Go Tigers :)!