What??????

(pic from 08 driving to S. CA)

7 degrees outside! It'd be nice if there was some snow to go with it! Heard Flagstaff, AZ had 20+ inches. Boy, does that bring back memories of sledding down the hill behind Aunt Peggy & Uncle David's house! Homemade sleds and all...

Bundle Up!

It's a whopping 10 degrees Fahrenheit this morning! Brrrr...... Make sure you're staying warm wherever you are!

Catching Up...

A super quick overview of our lives since Oct 31. I sure miss blogging and feel so out of touch with everyone right now.

We moved.....again......on Halloween.....
Fact: we've now lived in three (yes, that's 1, 2, 3) houses in less than one year.
It's been said to us that we must surely be good at moving/packing by now. Well, the answer is yes, we think so, but believe us - we don't enjoy it! Lots of craziness, that's for sure. Just makes us wish we had a tent, some bedding, and the clothes on our back. Sure would make moving easier! Makes us realize how little we "need".

This time, it didn't help that I went back to work full-time for the first time in 10 years just two days after moving. Needless to say, the house still isn't in order like it was the last time. Which drives me nuts every time I come home from work and think about all that needs to be done.


Jaeden and Boo got in some pumpkin carving after the move - not the same night, though.


Story of the bees - We took the van down to Keith's work so he could pick up a rail for the door to his new shop he's been building. We closed the doors and buckled in. As we started down the road, I looked over and saw these bees in the rail (it was between the seats right next to my face) and they were starting to stir from a winter's nap. Yikes! I kept my fingers crossed, took a deep breath, and prepared to bail if they decided to meander far from the nest. Luckily, our house wasn't far and they didn't get too wound up. We definitely didn't hang around chatting in the car once we got there!

We had an opportunity the weekend after moving to get to spend a day in downtown Seattle with some of Keith's family - some from AZ.

Our sister-in-law Jolene with her granddaughter - our grandniece.

Good food, good times.

The guys had to see if they could fit the giant burgers into their mouths. Took a bit of work.

Keith's brother and his two sons. The baby belongs to the one on the left. Who knew when I left AZ ten years ago that this part of the family would make their way down there? Funny how that works!

We enjoyed a small Hansen reunion the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Aren't these turkeys and pilgrim hats, that some creative gals made, cute?

The gorgeous lake we live on. We're trying to tempt people to come see us - can't you tell?


The latest love of my life. . . . isn't it beautiful? I adore old mantels and the chippy brown and blue paint makes it perfect! Ignore the ugly stove - someday this beauty will go over a real fireplace! Since I quit blogging on my cottage blog, you all have to put up with things like this every now and then.
Don't you envy us, just a teeny-tiny bit, to be able to slip out the back door and into the lake on a whim? Brooklyn, Keith, and Jaeden took off to do a little fishing yesterday afternoon. Hmmmm...do you think this could be why we're not getting a whole lot of unpacking done?

We hope you had wonderful times with friends and family in November and we look forward to sharing our December with you! Where, oh where, does the time go?

Jordan finishes up his first semester at college on Monday and we look forward to him being back home during his Christmas break. My parents are planning on coming up from Arizona for the holidays as well. We're excited about that!

Love to all and to all a good night!

The Hansen's

Moving On...

Goodbye, sweet house! Oh, how we have loved you.

In the neighborhood
Fall wishes to all our friends and family!

I can almost taste the pumpkin pie!

We hope you're enjoying all that fall has to offer! Where has October gone?

Annual Trek

We chose a different pumpkin patch to go to this year. It's always fun to check out new places! This one is in Chehalis, WA.

The kids love the ones that include animals to pet!

Hope you're all enjoying these wonderful fall days!

Creepy

These pictures always give me the heebie jeebies. . . . .ugh*shiver*ick

I've been meaning to post them since last November when we were in Southern California. We were at a rest stop and I happened to be looking at the maps/brochures that they always have on a board. Our niece Kayla came around the corner saying, "Ummm...Anita....there's a big spider crawling towards you..." It didn't take long for me to move, that's for sure! Tarantulas just aren't my thing. I wish I had a coin or something next to him so you can see how big he really was. With Halloween coming up next month, these are maybe appropriate to post - what do you think? I can hardly stand to look at the pictures. *shiverrrrr*

Macaroons

Jaeden and Brooklyn love to cook and bake.

Brooklyn's latest endeavor yesterday after school: coconut macaroons. Now if we can just work on getting them to look like the beautiful macaroons in Paris bakeries. . . . .
They were a hit with everyone but Jordan. Keith loved them and as a result, they didn't last long!

Overheard this morning: Jaeden telling Brooklyn "Come here and fight like a man." Seems to have gotten her ire up a bit! Wonder why...

Another Wedding

Last week, I had the opportunity to help prep and serve food for a wedding of some friends of ours. The wedding was held at the Schmidt House in Tumwater, WA.

A pretty little pool strewn with flowers

The amazingly talented Kathy, mother-of-the-bride, with a brother-in-law whose wedding we attended last year.

The beautiful, beaming bride, Kati with her father

Can you feel the love???

Kati & Forrest

The wonderful buffet for the guests

I wish I had taken a picture of the crab cakes and salmon tarts that the mother-of-the-bride made.
What you can't see is how delicious everything was! The cakes were also made by the mother. Lemon with raspberries and lemon curd (the best ever!), chocolate decadence, white chocolate and strawberries, hummingbird cake, etc.
All of the bouquets and flowers were done by an aunt of the bride. This family is truly filled with the most talented, kind-hearted, sweet people. It was such a pleasure working with all of them and getting to know them a little better! Of course, spending time with the family's first grand-baby who was just 3 weeks old was a wonderful plus!

More wedding pics can be found here.

Cheesecake Recipe

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

with Gingersnap Crust

(Super yummy & very easy to make!)

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 5 hr 35 min
Makes: 16 servings

What You Need!
25 Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped Pecans

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves

Make It!
HEAT oven to 325°F
MIX crumbs, nuts and butter; press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 13x9-inch pan.
BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Remove 1-1/2 cups batter. Stir remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.
SPOON half the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half the plain batter. Repeat layers; swirl with knife.
BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

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I made this for a potluck a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge hit! It's rich so a small square goes a long way. Perfect dessert for fall. Let me know if you make it - I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Puyallup Fair

We took the two younger kids out of school an hour or two early so that Uncle Fred and Aunt Jolene could take them to the state fair on the 14th. Jordan had already been with his cousin Kayla.

The fair isn't complete without a ride on the Ferris Wheel.

Great views

Fred and Jolene enjoying the ride

I was amazed that the kids were game for going on all the rides they did. They're finally tall enough to go on almost everything. Uncle Fred had a blast watching them!

We had a great time at the fair! Of course, I didn't join the kids on all the rides or else I would've been rather sick by the end of the night. Did you go to any fairs this summer?

Back to School

Does 4th grade come with attitude? The cooperation factor was missing this morning, but I did manage to get one un-blurry photo of Jaeden (finally).

Brooklyn looking forward to the 3rd grade.

I so wanted a picture of them together (I tried), but now the moment is gone forever...

Jordan still has 2 more weeks before he starts, and I promise a picture then. Even if I have to sit on him to get it done!

With Mrs. Pietila.

I just had to take this picture of the school bus in the fog. It shouts FALL. 'Twas a damp, cold, brisk walk this morning, but it sure felt good. Brooklyn was talking about a cold nose and I was telling her that's what scarves are for - wrapping around your face to keep you warm. Brrrr....and winter isn't even here, yet. I'd happily send some of this down to you Arizonans!

Can't wait to hear all the wonderful first-day-of-school stories they come home with! But first things first. Do I tackle cleaning the office, do the dishes and tidy up the house, or run to Starbucks and relish a few moments of this new quietness? Hard decision. . . . .

Where Are You???

We haven't disappeared. Really, we haven't! Just don't have a whole lot to blog about right now.

The two youngest kids are starting school on Tuesday (whoohoo!) and the oldest starts on the 21st. Can't believe we have a 3rd grader, a 4th grader, and a college student!

I'm looking forward to all that FALL brings. School, routines, crisp weather, sweaters, leaves changing color, candles burning, pumpkins, baking, and the list goes on. . . . .

What do you look forward to in the fall?