Pumpkin Pies!!

Because I had to work on Thanksgiving, I didn't have time to eat any pumpkin pie. But since it is my FAVORITE food of the holidays, I made some on Sunday night for Jake and I. When we were growing up, sometimes mom would let us use cookie cutters to make shapes out of the extra dough. Then we should sometimes float them on the pumpkin. I decided to carry on the tradition!

Here's the first one that I baked...

... and here's the second pie! (Before I baked it).

They are YUMMY! We've already eaten the M+J pie and are about to start working our way through the heart one.

Temples

Jake and I are the ward greeters for our ward. In this ward... that also includes many other duties, one of which is putting together the program for Sacrament Meeting every week. Each week on the cover of the program, we put a picture of a different temple. So that we can keep track of what temples we've already done, we have been going through the temples chronologically. We started with Nauvoo (which was dedicated in 1846) and so far we've made it to Ogden. The Ogden temple was dedicated in 1972, but it was only the 16th temple (if you include Nauvoo the first time and still count Kirtland, otherwise it is 14th). I knew that there has been a "temple explosion" during the last few decades. But I had no idea how few temples there were before! What a great blessing that there have been so many more built. Including my personal favorite- Winter Quarters - which was dedicated in 2001.

Preparing for Christmas

Jake and I put up our Christmas decorations yesterday! They aren't too extensive. But they make our apartment seem so much cheerier! And are definitely helping get me in the Christmas mood! And did I mention that I am LOVING the Christmas music!

Enjoy the Happy Holidays video I made tonight at work!!

Month of Thanks - Day 24

Today, I'm thankful that we live so close to a Chick-fil-a. And for coupons that give you free chicken sandwiches. And for the fun evening I got to spend walking around the mall with Jake.

Month of Thanks - Day 23

BOTH Jake and I are thankful for my job, as it is currently our only source of income. :-)

Month of Thanks - Day 22

I'm thankful for finding pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on sale at Smith's!!

Month of Thanks - Day 21

Today I'm thankful for this cheap food group we joined. I heard about it from a co-worker, and so Jake and I decided to try it out. So, for $23 dollars and the promise of 2 hours of community service, we got a pound of ground beef, 2 lb chicken drumsticks, some beef chuck roast, diced pork cubes, a loaf of bread, some rice, six oranges, 5 pears, 4 apples, 1 branch of broccoli, 3 bell peppers, 4 tomatoes, a thing of mushrooms, and a five pound bag of potatoes. Best deal ever!! Anyone who wants information:

https://foodco-op.net/

Month of Thanks - Day 20

Today I am thankful for the BYU Testing Center. I think its a logical, efficient way to administer exams. But mainly I'm just thankful that I have no more tests to take there until finals. :-)

Month of Thanks - Day 19

Today I'm thankful for showers! After trying to help and clean up after a patient who was vomiting for over two hours last night, the first thing I did when I got home was take the longest most refreshing shower of my life (or at least of the last few months) and scrub myself all over multiple time. I felt so much better afterwards!! Yay for showers.

Month of Thanks - Day 18

I'm thankful for online banking. So easy! Also, I'm thankful for direct deposit paychecks. And for Patrick at the BYU Wells Fargo. He's immensely competent and helpful. :-)

Month of Thanks - Day 17

Today I'm thankful for my laptop. It has had its quirks and emergencies and near death experiences. But I've had it since 2006 and its still working for me! There is no way I would be able to get through school without it. :-)

I'm also grateful for all the help Mike has given us in trying to extend it's life.

Chemistry Failures

I interrupt this station's normal holiday broadcasting to bring you this special message.....

CHEMISTRY FAILURES!

I went to a review tonight that was led by one of the TAs (or teaching assistants) meant to prepare us for our upcoming midterm exam.

FAILURE #1

A girl came up to the board to work out a sample problem. In the course of this, she had to add 0.25 and 0.5, which one might assume would lead her to answer 0.75. FALSE. What did she write?

0.25 + 0.5 = 0.3

FAILURE #2

Our TA gave us an example of a reaction taking place in deionized water. A girl raised her hand and looking quite concerned said "Can you drink that? Isn't it dangerous?"

Fail. Deionized water is just normal water that has had all of the mineral ions remove (sodium, calcium, iron, etc).

Month of Thanks - Day 16

Today I'm thankful for frozen juice concentrate!! I love juice. And these are cheaper and take up less space than actually buying a jug of juice! I made some fruit punch this morning!

Also, today Jake and I have been married for six months! I'm thankful for that too. But its a little trickier to find a picture for that.

Month of Thanks - Day 15

Today I'm thankful for Hamburger Helper. Or rather - "Turkey Helper" since we usually use ground turkey instead of ground beef (its healthier for you... but mainly its cheaper).

They have so many awesome flavors, they're easy to make and cheap, and its relatively simple to dress them up a bit by throwing in some green onions, or grated cheese, or bell peppers, or anything!

And they're definitely yummy!! Usually some of the best meals we have!

Month of Thanks - Day 14

Today I'm thankful for Tucano's! And especially for coupons for Tucano's! Yum Yum Yum!

Month of Thanks - Day 13

Today I'm thankful for our little car, Sasha. She has her... quirks and disabilities. But she gets me to work and back and basically everywhere else we need to go!

Month of Thanks - Day 12

Today I'm thankful for my friend Heidi. She was my roommate for my first three semesters of college and we went through a lot together. Even today, she comes through for me when I need her the most. My life has definitely been blessed by her presence.

Month of Thanks - Day 11

Today is Veteran's Day and I am thankful for all the men and women who had served this country in its armed forces and for all of the sacrifices they made and all that they represent.

Month of Thanks- Day 10

Today I'm grateful for water!! Quite literally, the source of all life. Our bodies need it to function, it keeps our skin nice, helps plants grow! All sorts of awesome things!

AND... we have access to it all over! Thank goodness for modern plumbing and purification!

Month of Thanks - Day 9

I am grateful for getting A's on Anatomy midterms! :-) Even if I have to study my butt off first!