I am so Thankful!!

                      Thanksgiving, 2008.

This pic is from the night before.  Mark and I with Finley & Caleb, life couldn't be any better.
Thanksgiving Day, Cousins so happy to be together.
I'm at my post, the stove/oven.
My right hand man, ready and willing to carve.
Dad Fiet, visiting on the all man couch.
Mom Fiet, adding encouragement to get the food on.  Not really, just talking and keeping me company.
We had Pilgrims and Indians at our feast disguised as the Shelby's.   What a fun surprise to have them dress for the occasion.  Even the kids kept it a secret until the unveiling. 
The Bairds were there with food in tow, and in mouth.

                       Aidan

                                Hannah

                       Adam

                       Caleb

                       Finley

                                             See what turkey does to you.

I hope that your Thanksgiving was also filled with family, food, thanks, and Joy.   (Scott & Amanda were missed as they were crusin with her family) (Maloy's sure were missed, come home for christmas)

Pre Holiday Fun.

I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off from work, so what a great way to start the week by spending it with great friends.  Ken and Lisa invited us to their boat for two days of friends, food, fun, biking and talking and in Lisa's words Chill-axing.   The weather has cooled off, with rain forecasted in the next couple of days.  The clouds provided many great photos but in the end we arrived home before the rain.

We took off for dinner and site seeing on our bikes, this is a great bike path (it went most of the way to the shops) it's been way too long since I've been on a bike, I need to bike more often it felt great.

Before he fixed his pant leg that he had rolled up so that it wouldn't get caught in the spokes.  We rode our bikes to the shops on 2nd street in Long Beach.  This pic was typical, there seemed to be some sort of coffee shop every few stores.  We stopped at "Taco Surf" for dinner and were going to stop at "Sweet Jill's" for dessert, but were too full.
Lisa posed for me Monday evening when we where walking the shops on 2nd Ave.   I couldn't resist the sky, so I added Lisa, and voila a nice picture (no photo shop here).
I saw this restaurant featured in "Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins" located in San Pedro so off we went for breakfast.  It says diner, but the place looked like a dive, but the food was home cooked and great.  All the food this week-end was a stretching excercise for our Thanksgiving meal coming up.
Warming up in the sun at the back of the boat after a cool morning.

Taken on the side of Ken and Lisa's boat "Bella"  isn't she pretty.  Getting ready for our bike ride.

We went for another bike ride today, look to the left of the photo, this is where Ken's boat is and where we started out.  On the right is the Queen Mary which was one of the stops of our bike ride.  As you can tell there wasn't a direct route, so away we went.  The weather and sky couldn't have been more beautiful!!

     On one of our stops to enjoy the scenery.

This is a wave--water fountain.  It was very cool.
This is out in front of the Aquarium in Long Beach.  I have to say it again--What a wonderful two days!

Christmas early for me!

I'm spoiled!  In July while I making making Scott's b-day dinner PIZZA, I turned around for 20 secs. and my Kitchen Aid mixer walked off my counter.  I was so blessed, they were grandkids running around and people everywhere, and no one was hurt, and the tile floor was not cracked.  The mixer was in a couple of pieces, and I put it back together, it worked but was out of sinc in the spin, and didn't smell very good when I made bread dough, to much work for it.  I did some research on the net and decided that I wanted a bosch mixer.  When we were in Utah visiting the Maloys, Heidi informed me that there was a Bosch store in Orem, so while we were shopping we stopped by.  Mark bought me one after we looked at them, they threw in a cook book, a blender, and reduced the price of a metal piece that replaced the plastic one that it came with.  I was so excited.

Here is my new cool mixer that can mix up to 14 cups of flour, quickly.
Here is my second adventure with the mixer, garlic/parmesan bread sticks.
I made these for Jodi's b-day dinner.  I think that turned out well, and tasted great.  I will be mixing all kinds of fun stuff.  Thanks Mark for giving me the present early.  I LOVE you.

This post is for Heidi

Heidi you doubted me when I choose Hugh Jackman as my man in my personal mosaic post on 8/31/08.  I win.

Christmas and Time with the Maloys

It's been awhile, i don't know if I should start from today or catch up, or start or catch up, start or catch up??

I guess I'll choose middle.  Nov. 7-12 we headed to Utah to be with our Utah family.  We knew that we wouldn't be there or see them for any of the upcoming holidays' so we rented a car and away we went.  Friday we left after my work stopping in Vegas at my cousin Shelley's home to visit and talk with her and Russ, then saturday morning we headed for Payson.

This is about 2 minutes after we arrived.  Grandpa popped the trunk and gifts were everywhere.  We love gifts and Grandkids!

Grandpa brought several art projects with him to teach and play with the girls.  Here he is getting ready with all of the beads that he brought with him so that the girls could make many necklaces and bracelets.  Because of my great blogging skills the picture of them doing an art project is at the bottom of this blog.

                                   Christmas has come early to the Maloy home.

With lots of smiles.

                                                                  and wonder

                                                        and new clothes and toys
                                                               and surprises

                                                            and growing kids.

These are the pictures that I took of them Sunday morning before we left for church.  All cleaned up and smiling for the camera.

We had many great times, and many great meals (and more great meals and many delicious  desserts), they will be missed the rest of this year.
                                    We LOVE you!

Who's techy now!

Nicole is visiting, and teaching me how to post youtube videos. Isn't she clever, so here is a Chicago song of the past, don't you love the 80's look. I'm so techy. I hope that i remember!

How I think they dressed for Halloween!

I thought that I would show you the pics that I took of my grandkids when they were at my home a couple of weeks before Halloween.

Aidan the ferocious Giraffe. 

Adam, one cool Alligator!

Hannah, Pocahantas is very becoming on you.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Sometimes you just have to laugh WITH them.

I work with teenagers, enough said. 

 Well, anyway my student aid 4th period found the perfect costume (according to her) for me for Halloween.  And we all (4th period is lunchtime) had a great laugh.  Funny teenagers.  Thanks Courtney!

Here is picture that she choose to help me get my costume together.

Isn't life funny.

Painting with the Geezer

While Nicole was here, she got to spend some great time with her dad, they spent it creating (throwing paint) and creating art.  You start by soaking the canvas with water and then adding/flinging acrylic paint in different manners on the canvas.  Our driveway is covered with a huge tarp to help contain the mess, the process is messy but the pictures turn out great.  You can keep them the way that they are, or you can then add more paint in a different manner on top on the finished product.  This is the process that Mark used on his LA Temple picture for the background.  Every one sure does turn out different.Here is Nicole's first painting project.  

I sure do love my painting/artsy family.