Thanksgiving

We were so pleased to have Dad, Mom, Harold, Eva Jean and Anna show up on Monday and Lois on Thursday.  Holidays with family is always the best!

There were crossword puzzles to work on.

Pool to be played, as well as the pool to swim in - at least according to Dad.  He took a dip and a got some exercise swimming one afternoon.

There was always a Mexican Train game either being played or about to be.

Dinner of course was one of the high points!  Lois was able to be with us Thursday morning to Friday afternoon.

Everyone seemed to enjoy.

There were leftovers...

The menu included turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, sweet potatoes, cranberry chutney, homemade rolls and for dessert: pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie, chocolate/peanut butter pie and Mom's chocolate cake.

Eva Jean enjoying the leftovers with a smiley face of whipped cream

Thanksgiving evening we had a very pleasant visit with Dan and Karen and their children Paul and Claire.  Paul was in town for a hockey tournament.

One of the trees was put up on Friday.  Harold and Eva Jean posing Sunday morning before leaving.

The van pulled out Sunday morning about 5:45 heading north and back home to Maryland.

Visit to the Old Capitol

Last week I was in a photo shoot for the group formulating the Arizona response to the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report on The Future of Nursing.  It's been a good group to work with and our goal sit o continually improve the quality of nursing and patient outcomes in the state.

It was a beautiful day to be out of the office for about an hour.

There are a lot of statues and artifacts in the Capital Square.  This is the WWI Pilot that Luke Airforce Based is named for. 

Fall Bunko

It was my turn to host Bunko last night.  The menu was a nod to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with Chicken Dressing Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, homemade dinner rolls and Jenell's Apple Dumplings with ice cream.  Yum!

Weekend with Ivan

Kendall's college friend Ivan was in town to visit for the weekend.  We went to the state fair on Saturday and the Cardinal's football game on Sunday.

The Fair 

The Midway

The view from the top of one of the Farris Wheels

There were pretty cows...

Ivan with a goat...

A goat that loved attention - note the crate being used as a way to get closer...

Performing Pigs...

and pigs for petting.

The Game

A flag the length of the field was unfurled before the game; very impressive.

One of the scoring plays. The Cardinals finally won again - this time in OT with a 99 yard return.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This morning on the TV show, The Morning Scramble, I demonstrated how to prepare a Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I thought it was fitting for the fall season and it went over well with the hosts and the crew.  It was nice to have Kendall along this time, cheering me on from the sidelines.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins made with Pumpkin Puree that I made yesterday by cooking and pureeing a big pumpkin.  It yielded 14 cups of puree!

Pumpkin Festival

Although still warm in town (90+), it has begun to cool in the mountains.  Saturday we headed to the cabin to do a few chores before the gets really cold.  On the way out of town we stopped at the Pumpkin Festival.

The trees at the cabin are a beautiful yellow with the sun shinning on them

We took a 'hay ride' from the parking area to the produce section

They are making the apple cider we bought - it doesn't get any fresher than that!

A tractor like one from Kendalls' childhood

And one similar to one from mine

We took a bag of kettle corn from this batch

Fashion Show

I attended the Arizona Nurses Association biannual convention this week.

I modeled this sweater in the dinner fashion show,

presented a poster,

and had a table with our cookbook.

Lois happened to fly into town Saturday afternoon and was able to secure a crew car.  Since the debate was raging on facebook about which Pumpkin Pie recipe was better, she was able to participate in the taste testing.  Conclusion - they are both good in different ways!

Lois enjoying the photo book of our trip

Pumpkin Pie custards - a way to taste test the pie without the added calories of the crust

Kids - Aren't They Cute?

While I was in Baltimore this week, Whitney slipped this note into my backpack.  Sweet!



Week in Baltimore

I was in Baltimore for the Magnet Recognition Program's annual conference.  It gave me the opportunity to see Urbane, Karen, Whitney and Amanda.  Urbane collected me at the airport, took me back to the house for a bite of GREAT chocolate cake, and then Urbane, Karen, Whitney and I headed to the Raven's stadium for the Sunday night prime time football game.

They bundled me in a hat, scarf, gloves and a down coat.  It was chilly being in the 40's, but I was toasty.

Half Time

The conference was at the convention center and I spent the rest of the week learning/reviewing and connecting with friends from around the country.  Here I am with Jennifer (Evan's mother) at the welcome reception at the Raven's Stadium.

The field during the welcome party - very different than at Sunday's game

They had various stations set up with a different decade theme for music and food.  This is the 40's where we sampled macaroni and cheese.

Melanie and Bob

This evening we attended a lovely outdoor wedding of Melanie and Bob.  For a high of 106 today, the evening was pleasant, and the bride beautiful.

BBQ in the Country

This weekend we were invited to a BBQ at the country home of Jinger, the Realtor who found us our cabin four years ago.

Triple Layer Carrot Pineapple Cake ready to go along for dessert

This turkey was kept company by other turkeys and chickens

The metal horse gave us no trouble

The lily pond was active with Koi and other water critters

It was a beautiful evening following a few sprinkles, including a beautiful sunset