Mr. Claus

Our annual tradition of making Spritz cookies....

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 tsp. almond extract or vanilla

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar. 

Blend in remaining ingredients. 

Fill cookie press with 1/4 of dough at a time;

form desired shapes on ungreased baking sheet. 

Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown.

YUM!

Sunrise, Sunset

34 years ago,

my brand new sisters-in-law,

Pat & Lynn,

sang this song at our wedding breakfast.

(Sunrise, Sunset)

Everyone was crying except Rick & me.

We were just happy to finally be

starting the 'sunrise'

of our new lives together.

It truly does seem like just yesterday

Rick & I are soulmates. 

We are cut out of the same cloth,

two peas in a pod,

bread and butter,

We are best friends.

Now as we are hurdling toward the

'sunset' of our lives,

the love we feel for each other

becomes more clear,

more pronounced,

less encumbered,

more pure.

I love you Rickey,

Higher than the sky,

Deeper than the sea.

Givingthanks

Thanksgiving at the Barlow home...

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. (again)

Kathy, Tony, Connor, Lauren and Cody will be here

along with Jenny, Brady, Kaitlyn, Anna and Alivia.

My sister Bonnie and her husband Dennis will be

coming up from Orem (as long as it doesn't snow).

On the menu....

Turkey

Apple dressing

Mashed potatoes

Gravy

Candied sweet potatoes (ala Kathy)

Spiced carrots (per Jen's request)

Traditional jello salad with pretzels (ala Jenny)

Bread rolls with homemade strawberry jam

Homemade cranberry sauce

Pumpkin pie with whipped cream (ala Bonnie)

Water with lemon

What can be better than this?

  Good food, great family, warm home,

 blessings too many to mention!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Heebie Jeebies

A neighbor came over to visit last week and this is what greeted her on our front porch.......

Mr. hairy, long legs, bigger than *@&#, creepy, crawley

Tarantula

He was about as big as your hand stretched out!

I have to say that our neighbor is an elementary school teacher and she was sooo excited!

  Yes, excited!

  I was blubbering and whimpering...but she insisted on catching it.  She could hardly wait to take it to school and show her students.

We were more than happy to get rid of it, but we did have to catch it first.

The first couple of containers were too small...then I found one big enough and with some manuevering and quickness, Mr. Barlow and neighbor caught it.

The picture above was taken through plastic wrap.

I don't know anything about taranulas.  I really don't care.  I'm just glad it's gone from my space.

This must be my personal welcome to Halloween.

muaaaahahhhhh!!!