Adventures in Cooking

Last Friday night I had a craving for Creme Brulee, having tasted it for the first time a couple of weeks ago at Tucanos.  Mike Bell (Bryson's friend) was at our house waiting for him to get home from work and heard me talking about it. Mike decided we should make it and went to the store to get whipping cream.  He also brought over his double boiler and we started cooking.  Who knew it consisted of sugar, cream, eggs yolks and vanilla?  (So we won't make it again soon!)  But it was fun to experiment and try something new.  After it cooked in the oven and we put the sugar on top, Mike got out his blow torch and caramelized the topping.  Then it had to cool again.  It was worth the wait and was creamy and delicious with a crunchy sweet topping.  Does that make us gourmets??

Chunky Dunkin at Skinny Dippers

Dave checking the temperature.

On the way back down. We liked the waterfall in the background.

John and Linda Snow - did anyone bring the sunscreen?

Just soaking away our troubles.

Since it was such a beautiful warm fall day we decided to run up to Skinny Dipper Hot Spring, hike up the mountain and do some soaking in a natural hot springs. Emphasis is on NATURAL as there were several nudies enjoying the sunshine and the warm water. We chose to keep our suits on and had a great time being outside on such a nice day. We stayed in the upper pool, ate our lunch and then hiked down to the car. We got home just in time to finish getting ready for the cowboy dinner at the church.

Sawyer Emmett Koprowski

Sixteen days after Jett arrived, Sawyer made his appearance on October 1st. Matt took me from the airport to the hospital and I got to meet Sawyer Emmett Koprowski and visit with Kristen for a while. I loved holding both sweet newborns and I miss them! They both changed in the short time I got to spend with them.. To see more info about Sawyer go to this link. http://www.kprow.blogspot.com/ To see more about Jett go to http://www.howellaz.blogspot.com/

Jett Benjamin Howell

Dave and I came grandparents for the first time on September 14th. Jett Benjamin Howell arrived on a Monday and I went to meet him 10 days later. Ben and Chantal had night duty (of course) and I got mornings. They would wheel his bassinet out into the living room and get some sleep and I would cuddle and hold him to my heart's content. While Ben and Chantal were adjusting to parenthood, I did a little cooking, laundry and vacuuming.

Campout with the Cousins - Labor Day 2009

"Go Granny Go"

Watching Old Sow

Grandpa's New Hairdo

We all met at Pioneer Campground near Soldier Mountain (Fairfield) for the annual Labor Day campout. All of the cousins were there (Connie's kids) and Larry's kids and Ron, Kaye and Annette and her three kids. Some were there by Thursday, but Bryson and I arrived Saturday after he went to football practice. The wasps (hornets? bees?) were horrific and most everyone was stung at least once. Dave was out of town and missed it, bees and all, and we missed him.

Hand and Foot, Hearts, and a few other games were always going. We also played Would You Rather and Battle of the Sexes. A few familys had their Beach Boys songs ready for Sunday night, the others were party poopers. We caught up on all the news, chatted and went for walks.

There as an intense game of Old Sow with both a regular version and an all girl version. The boys can get brutal. In old sow there are 10 holes with 11 players with sticks and a hole in the middle. A squashed tin can is the "puck". IT tries to get the can in the middle hole and everyone else tries to keep it out while protecting their hole. When the can gets into the middle hole everyone has to run to "home" and then run back, grab a hole and a stick. The extra person is now IT. Crazy!

August 22, 28 years later

Dave and I celebrated our 28th annivesary by running away to Cascade and then swimming in the river, riding bikes and exploring the back country. We found a few huckleberries, but it was past season. It was a beautiful day and at one point we had a bald eagle flying next to the truck. Living with Dave is always an adventure and I love every minute of it!

Baby Shower

Megan and Kristen both flew to Boise on Thursday the 13th and Friday we began preparations for the baby shower Megan had planned for Saturday. Kristen had invited 3-4 friends from high school and great-Grandma Dee and Grandma Hansen were both there. We had a blast decorating T-shirts, playing silly games and eating salads and sandwiches. Megan left on Sundayand Kristen flew home today, I wish they could've stayed longer!