Carving pumpkins

On Saturday we went to Nate & Erin's to watch the BYU game and carve pumpkins. We did the same thing last year, so it was fun to keep up the tradition. We bought one of those carving kits at Walmart and had fun making cool designs. Morgan did a scary crow in a graveyard, and I did a witch on a broom.

I really like this picture...I don't know why. We look cute. :)

What we've been up to...

He probably wouldn't want me to post this, but I thought it was pretty cute. Snapped this pic during his morning scripture study. What a handsome guy. :)

At the BYU homecoming/blackout game. Too bad we lost. :(

We went to Cornbelly's with Bethany and her kids...so fun!

I was in pumpkin heaven!

Our stake had a gospel-singing fireside. It was AWESOME. We clapped our hands so much our hands felt tingly afterwards. We heard some amazing musical numbers!

Halloween cards went out this week...they MUST have some sort of spooky embellishment in my opinion.

The first snow of the season happened last week...I was so excited until I had to go out into it. Yuck.

Grandma Villani and Mom would've been so proud of me...homemade McVetty meatballs. They are so freaking good it should be illegal. I have been trying to nail the recipe for so long and finally did it. Yay!

Tracy Aviary

During Fall break, Morgan and I went on a spontaneous trip to Tracy Aviary. We have a Pass of All Passes, which grants us free admission every Monday. I think we were the only people there without kids, but it was still really fun to see all the exotic birds. As we wandered around, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a HUGE figure running at me. I screamed like a little girl! It took me off guard...turns out the keepers were transporting a giant Condor to it's enclosure. Holy smokes, that thing is big. After my heart calmed down, we went to a bird show and learned lots about an emu, a macaw, and a falcon. 

A beautiful pheasant!

The Condor that nearly killed me!

Cranes

The Rare Cate-Owl

Signs of Fall

Fall is my favorite season. It is cozy, smells delicious, and there is a nip in the air that makes you want to snuggle. I have pulled out my boots, wrapped up in scarves, and made out with Morgan. Oh wait...that last one had nothing do with Fall. We just like to kiss. Anyways...here are a few iPhone pics illustrating the onset of Fall in our home and around Utah. 

My ghetto-fabulous wreath - not my favorite but with a tight budget I made do with what I had. My Christmas berry wreath with a few Fall leaves woven in. Bam.

My spooky-but-cute metal pumpkin.

I made this invitation and listed it in my Etsy shop. It didn't sell, but I still like it. :)

Another of my designs...if you want a free 5x7 PDF of this leave a comment with your address and I'll send it your way.

My first pumpkin sighting was at Smiths. An old man gave me a strange look when I snapped this.

Morgan and I drove to Bear Lake with my dear Mansfield family and stopped at this cute Farmer's Market across the street from Maddox in Brigham City. I purchased those cuties and they are now on my kitchen table.

The following pictures are from our stay at the Mansfield Cabin in Bear Lake. Breathtaking.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go light a pumpkin spice candle.

That time I had surgery

I had surgery on the last day of summer. How fun. It wasn't anything to be majorly concerned about, but it did require one beastly recovery...about 6 weeks. Morgan did a wonderful job taking care of me. I really lucked out in the husband department! Here are a few pics from my adventure. :)

Just after waking up. Lovely.

Getting wheeled out to the car...don't you love my hospital issued socks?

After a few days in bed I wanted to know what the weather looked like, so Morgan walked to the window and took a picture so I could see. I was bummed to miss out on the first Fall rainstorm! 

The beautiful flowers Morgan brought me.

I have so many pictures from this angle on the couch.

After surgery I got a little lazy when it came to feeding myself. Like having mini Oreos in a glass of milk.

Flowers from Morgan - round 2

I had trouble sleeping during the first two weeks, so I stayed up watching I Love Lucy on more than one occasion.

I also watched the season premier of New Girl. YAY! We love that show.

And last but not least, I made fun Halloween cards for my friends.

Adventures in Baking

I finally joined the 21st century by adding a fabulous new Kitchenaid Mixer to my kitchen. It has sparked a baking frenzy in me, which has been quite the adventure. Here are a few examples:

My new birthday apron - thanks Mom!

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Garlic Cheesy Bread

This was my funniest (and depressing) experience so far. I made a huge batch of cookies to bring to neighbors. The dough was all mixed and the first pan baked when I noticed that my spatula had disintegrated (I had used to scrape down the bowl in between mixes). Morgan said it would be fine, but on his first bite he got a huge chunk of plastic. Yum.

Round two. No plastic surprises here!

(So I didn't make this exact meal, but I did make one very similar to it a few days ago.)

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

THE most delicious Cinnamon Rolls in the whole universe. This was my first attempt at homemade cinnamon rolls...and while I have a few tweaks for next time, I thought they were scrumptious. I have a hard copy of the rolls, but not a link for you. Here is the recipe for the glaze:

http://picky-palate.com/2012/06/11/perfect-cinnamon-rolls/

And this has nothing to do with baking, but I wanted to show you that Chickfila is the best fast food chain ever...who else has fresh flowers (yes, they were real!) on each table??