Family Pics

While Grandma & Papa were here, we decided to have them help us take some family pictures. We had a lot of fun and got a couple of good ones!

Which is your favorite?

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Aspen

While Grandma and Grandpa Neel were here visiting, we all got to attend Aspen's very first Young Women in Excellence program. It was really fun to go and see everyone who participated, but we couldn't wait to see Aspen perform on her guitar. She's been taking lessons since the middle of September, so almost 3 months. I can't believe how well she is doing. She loves playing and has started to write some of her own songs with Sierra. It's really nice to see them get along and do something together that they both love.

Aspen will probably kill me when she finds out that I posted this, but I know that her other set of grandparents and ALL of those aunts and uncles would love to see it. She did awesome and we're so proud of her. Her friend helped her sing last minute because Aspen was super nervous! I'm so grateful that she is surrounded by such wonderful young women in the ward and we love that she hopped up to help her.

Enjoy!!

White Turkey Chili....Mmmmmm....

I have been trying to clear out my deep freezer and get all of the meat used up that's in there. So, on Sunday, I decided to cook up the turkey that has been buried in the bottom of it for awhile now. I really wanted to make this chili, so that was motivation enough to get it cooked up. I can not even begin to tell you how yummy it was! Seriously, I think it's one of the best meals I've made to date...which really isn't saying much, but who cares??

CLICK HERE to see the original recipe. Those of you that know me, even a little, know that I left out the onion and the green chilies. I also didn't have any white pepper or chile flakes. So, I just didn't add any white pepper and I substituted chili powder for the flakes. The recipe also says to use a food processor to process one of the cans of beans...I just used a fork and mashed it up really good.

This chili is just the right amount of heat. It's not spicy at all, but it has a little chili kick to it!

So here is the recipe, exactly how I made it...


Slow-cooked White Chili
• 2 15.5-oz cans north white beans, -keep cans separate, you'll be adding them one at a time- rinsed and drained
* 1 can cannelloni beans (white kidney beans)
• 32-oz fat-free chicken broth
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 T chili powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/8 t ground cloves
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1 T black pepper
• salt (as needed)
• 3 cups pieces of cooked turkey (you could also use chicken)
• 1 can kernel corn
• 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese

1. Pour one can great northern beans and the one can of cannelloni beans, broth, chili powder, turkey and corn in a slow cooker on high heat.
2. Combine the other can of great northern beans with the rest of the spices (garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, cayenne pepper, and black pepper) and mash up with a fork. Add a couple ladles of broth from the slow cooker. Keep mashing until it’s a smooth paste and then pour in the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for about 4 hours (if you’re in a hurry, it’s not all that necessary to cook that long, but heating all the ingredients together helps with blending all of the flavors).
***If you want to freeze it, do it now, before adding the yogurt.
5. Just before serving, pour the yogurt in and stir.
6. Ladle into bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and/or shredded Cheddar Cheese.


ENJOY! All of us did....yes, even the kids loved it!!

Apple Orchard

One of the parents in the kids' school put together a field trip to the apple orchard. We had never been, so we were so glad that we were able to make it. We drove about 45 minutes south to a really fun orchard. The kids got to pick apples, go on a tour, and learned so much. Did you know that there are like 65 different types of apples? This particular orchard had 7,000 trees and every spring they bring in about 400,000 bees to help pollinate them. It was really fun. It was also beautiful there. The Fall colors are really starting to show on all the trees.

The kids really enjoyed everything there. They had farm animals and some pretty cool swings and then they had this slide. Thomas said it looked like it was made from some storm drain pipes. It was pretty tall, but there was NO curve at the bottom. So, you always knew when someone came down, 'cause we could hear a "OH!" Then they would come out holding their backs saying how it hurt, but 2 seconds later went running back up to go again. It really was hilarious!!

I've never in my life had an apple dumpling before, and for some reason, I thought they were noodly like chinese dumplings. Anyways, I bought a couple of pans from them, and I have died and gone to Heaven! WOW! They were awesome! We also got some fresh apple cider which tastes like you're biting into an apple. YUMMY! We've decided that we need to take Thomas down there in the next week or so, just so we can get some more.

Angie Seaman Photography Giveaway!!

I have been following Angie Seaman and her photography for a while now. She is super talented and has given me some inspiration to go and learn more about photography. She is giving away a fun new camera in the next few days! So, get on over there and comment on her blog to be entered!

CLICK HERE TO GET TO HER BLOG!

It's Fall!

The weather here has been so nice the last week or so. I'm not sure if I'm ready for Winter, but I do love Fall. The leaves are starting to change, and there is just that crispy smell in the air. I just love it! Our ward has a little playgroup that tries to get together once a week or every other week. Today, we went to the Fall Festival at Waterman's Farm. I just had Marina and 3 other little ones that I watch. I think Marina liked that none of her older siblings got to come. It was our little secret, and she kept it! She didn't tell anyone else that we were going. So funny! Here are a few pics. I didn't get too many because I was holding a baby for most of these. (I think I did pretty well, if I must say so myself!!) We got to go on a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick out their own pumpkin. Marina had to make sure that she got one with a good stem so she could carve it like an elephant. Grandpa Jim taught them that a few years ago, and it has stuck! They only try to find ones now with long curvy stems. She kept telling everyone that she found an elephant one, but nobody understood what she was talking about! Anyways, it was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to get back there and go again with all the other kids. Next stop....apple picking!!

Off With Her....

Training Wheels!!

Disclaimer: These videos are kinda long with the important parts at the beginning. I just kept the video rolling.

By the way...Marina came in this morning around 7am asking to go out and ride her bike!! She's so proud of herself...and we are too!!