Homemade carmels courtesy Aunt Traci

a very old traditional Christmas Candy for Aunt Traci and she taught us how!

Batty Christmas Pic 2009

Salem ponds is a beautiful spot, we had a nice day for the picture

Ian Peter Casbeer has arrived

Babies are soooo wonderful. Ian gave his Mom a nice Christmas gift by coming early

More fun Tree Cutting

more tree cutting pics

Just couldn't resist putting in a few more fun pics -what a great time!!

Christmas Tree Cutting 2009

The names and faces have changed a little, but our long standing tradition of the tree cutting expedition
is alive and well. Wow, did we have fun! Clam chowder and hot cheese bread and hot chocolate and yummy treats made the day great. Nothing is better than sharing these times with our family. Justin & Cari, Treighton, Dax and Dave & Traci, Layne & I, Ty & Clayton and Becca and Liz all came. Uncle Brad, Michael and Kymber joined us too! Boy, did we miss our Casbeer kids!

Thanksgiving brought with it knee surgery for Liz and a visit with Sharry and Alan Baumgarten and family from Lantana, Texas , a great lunch with old Springlake friends and lots of time ( actually there never is enough) with family. Too much great food and probably not enough sleep or exercise came with it too. I gave up the 20 year tradition of Thanksgiving brought with it knee surgery for Liz and a visit with Sharry and Alan Baumgarten and family from Lantana, Texas , a great lunch with old Springlake friends and lots of time ( actually there never is enough) with family. Too much great food and probably not enough sleep or exercise came with it too. I gave up the 20 year tradition of the day after Thanksgiving sales- its getting Too Dangerous . I sure missed shopping with my girls.

Thanksgiving

I love this lovely old hymn
"Come, Ye Thankful People Come"

Come, ye thankful people come; Raise the song of harvest home.
All is safely gathered in. Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our maker doth provide, for our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple come; Raise the song of harvest home.

A Season of Harvest

At this great time of year I always pause to relish our "Harvest" for the year and it is always much, much more than fruits and vegetables. Another year of learning, another year of  blessings, trials, lessons learned, new friends and even some new family members. So much to be grateful for!

This is Tyler's kitten Figaro. She, yes she, has been a lot of fun this fall. She not only sleeps with the dog she sleeps on the dog.

feathered friend

I have always loved watching and listening to chickens-my grandparents may have had some influence here because they both raised chickens in Pennsyvania while I was growing up. Some of them were beautiful. The different colored eggs and the fact that they could give us eggs was wonderful, I remembered thinking as a child. I love how they just wander around scratching and pecking for bugs and food. A simple thing. Here's to a chickens life.

Halloween Fun

Jack-O-Lanterns and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Our boys and I carved some of the pumkins we grew in our garden after we had shared with family & freinds. I enjoy roasting pumkin seeds, they are very nutty in flavor and nutritious too. This year I tried flavoring them with Ranch Dressing. -at my sister's suggestion. They were yummy!  To make them:

Clean and wash pumpkin seeds from freshly carved pumpkin. Boil 3- 4C pumpkin seeds in  4 C water and 4Tbsp salt. Simmer 10 min. Drain. Using about 2 Tbls oil, grease .large cookie sheet and spread seeds out on surface. Sprinkle with 1/2 pkg Ranch style powdered dressing mix and mix it in a little and re-spread seeds to a thin layer. Roast in a 225 degree oven for about 1 1/2 -2Hrs. Cool, and loosen from sheet.

Spudnuts

A favorite Batty family tradition for Halloween is "Spudnuts" and I've learned to make and enjoy them over the years. I have included the recipe:

1 pkg yeast (1 Tbsp)        2 C Milk, warmed          1 C shortening, melted
1/4 C Warm water           1/4 C sugar                     2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt                          3/4 C mashed potatoes    5-6 C flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water, add 1Tbsp of sugar to mixture. Combine milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Stir in yeast, potatoes, and eggs. Gradually add  flour, knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl and let rise 1 hr. Roll or spread out on floured surface to 1/2" thickness. Cut with cutters. Raise doughnuts on floured cookie sheets in warm place until double in size. Deep fry at 375 degrees until golden, turn over fry until golden. Drain on paper toweling. Glaze while hot with 1/4 C hot milk mixed with 1/2- 3/4 lb confectioners sugar, dash salt, 1/4 tsp vanilla. Let glaze drip on a cooling rack or string spudnuts on long wooden spoon handle straddled over a bowl.      

Just a little bit of fall left

The colors and leaves in our yard are fading and falling rapidly with the onset of cold weather. We are finishing our apple pie filling, and freezing butternut squash and finally the last of the tomatoes and apples. We are cleaning  out the garden this week, still have carrots , swiss chard, beets and potatoes left. I need to cook the pie pumkins and store the butternut and banana squash. We have had an abundant harvest! Thank you Heavenly Father!!

pretty but cold! Brrrrrrrr

it felt like winter today, we have been so spoiled with great fall weather up to to now

First Snow Fakes

The first flakes of the season came down today in a whirlwind this morning and continued all day. What a great day for soup

Pumpkin Carving Party

Saturday was fun; our family, friends and neighbors came and we carved pumpkins, raked leaves, ate homemade spudnuts with cider and jumped on the tramploline and road and jumped bikes. That night was the Dymond family dinner. We had taco soup and apple crisp and just visited.

Timpanoogos Ride 9-28-09

FHE Fun

We have had a lot of fun the last few weeks enjoying all the colors and fall activities. The Elk Hunt gave us a reason to be in the canyon  a liitle more.  We took several drives to see the colors and had our annual family night at Maple Lake Campground.

Autumn Fun 2009

Peg on "2 Carat Kid" Timp ride 9-28 with Layne

We had a beautiful ride unlike any other we have had together. The colors were phenominal and prettier than I have ever seen in Utah. Timps foothills were on fire. What a day!!

Autumn Joys

Just love the fabulous season of Fall and all the great memories and activities that come with it. Layne and I spent a day riding Timp on Sept 28 and we have spent some time this last month in Payson Canyon enjoying the colors with our family. Last monday was our annual family night at Maple Lake and the whole crew came it was great!