Happy Halloween

What could be creepier then some real stuffed animals for Halloween. I find them quite fascinating, but thought they would be perfect for a spooky day! I took these pictures while in Chicago this summer at the Field Museum. Enjoy!

House Issues

We heard back from the house inspectors and there are several issues that need to be addressed. The roof, siding, joist damage and water under the house all need to be remedied in the next 1-2 years. Unfortunately, we do not have the finances to fix all of them. We were hoping the owner would pay for some of them, but she may not and could back out of the deal. If you could once again pray for wisdom in deciding what to do and that we would have peace if we have to walk away from this lovely house. It is just a house, we don't need it, but we would like it. God knows what lies ahead and we need to trust Him with our finances and decisions. Thanks!

Home Buying

Todd and I recently had our offer accepted for this house! It is now under inspection and if everything goes well, we will own it at the end of November! We are very excited and anxiously awaiting the report. The inside needs some updating, but we figure that will be easy enough down the road. If you could continue to pray for us, that would be great! Here is a link to a photo slide-show of the house:
tours.justsnooping.com/2288702/?b=true

Bread Crumbs

These are my feathered friends. They inhabit (actually, have taken over) a pretty area called Sunset Pond. They are always eager for a handout and will get in your face, literally, for some stale bread. Although geese are considered a nuisance around here (you would agree if you had to walk barefoot through their grass), they are still beautiful creatures! It's been awhile since I have visited my friends, I need to get back there. Feeding ducks can be relaxing, you should try it some time :)

Chocolate Lover?

So here is a brownie recipe that I have been making for that past three years. If you like chocolate, you most likely will like this recipe. It's worth all the effort. Enjoy!

Triple-Chocolate Fudge Brownie
From: The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

6 oz good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped (I use Ghirardelli chips)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¾ tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan, knocking off excess flour.

Melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates with butter in a medium bowl set over simmering water (or double-boiler) stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

Stir sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture, then add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each one. Add salt and flour, stirring until just combined, then stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into baking pan and smooth top. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, then cut into 24 bars.

Happy Fall

I have not taken any photos of fall this year except for my fake gourds. These sit on our dining room table for decoration. They are not as pretty as real ones, but at least they won't rot! They are also glittery! Sorry to any guy who reads this post :) It has been really windy the past couple of days, I think a storm is brewing! I took a picture of the clouds and the sun shining through this afternoon, looks kinda neat. It's pretty much what we see here every day in the winter, minus the sun :)

Quotidian

Happy Dictionary Day! Yeah, who knew, but now we have something to celebrate! The word of the day at: http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ is:

Quotidian \kwoh-TID-ee-uhn\, adjective:
1. Occurring or returning daily; as, a quotidian fever.
2. Of an everyday character; ordinary; commonplace.

So, does that describe us bloggers? Returning daily to post or read blogs? Hmm.....

Have a great day :)

Are you bored?

My super creative husband came up with a nifty way to use some water bottles while camping this summer. In two easy steps, you too can create something to play with!

1. Grab some empty water bottles (cut out bottoms for stacking)
2. Tape them together with duct tape

TA DA! Who's bored now? Well, at least not for 20 minutes ;)

Todd & Brandon (Todd's sister's husband) playing "hit the water bottle"

Warm Fuzzies

I love these little guys. They make me smile! I know, I'm silly, but they are just so cute and fuzzy. They are quite common around here and they have a name, the Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar, which I just learned today :) Have a wonderful day!

Love is kind...

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 1 Corinthians13:4-7, the well-known verses on love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
I once heard a sermon, most likely my Dad's, where you insert your name for the word "love." For example, if I were to do it, it would read something like this: "Melissa is patient, Melissa is kind. Melissa does not envy, Melissa does not boast...etc." It definitely makes you think twice before putting your name into the blanks. Am I really patient? Do I forgive wrongs? Do I trust? It's a good exercise to remind us of how much we need the Lord in our lives! It's only through Him that we begin to learn what love truly is.... just something to think about.

Prayer request

Todd & I are currently looking to buy a home and it has been somewhat stressful. This is mostly due to the fact we have to decide by October 20th to either sign a new lease with our apartment through April '08, or move out by December 31st '07. Our original goal was to find a home by December. Well, the house hunting process has been slow, and we may not find what we are looking for before then. If you could pray for wisdom & patience through the whole process, that would be great! We desire the Lord's will in all of this, but waiting can be a challenge. Thanks!

Say Cheese!

I came across this photo the other day and thought I would share. In case you couldn't guess, it's me! I was at my friend Wendy's birthday party at ChuckE. Cheese's. I must have been about 3, 4, 5? I have no idea! I don't even remember it, but I looked cute :) Have a wonderful day!

Yellowstone

So, moving on from pink flowers :) Todd & I celebrated our 2-year anniversary (5 months later in September) by taking a trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was beautiful! The animals, geysers, springs, and mountains were breathtaking! We saw an abundance of wildlife including elk, bison, moose, pronghorns, mule deer, a coyote, possibly a wolf, muskrats, and lots of birds. Although I love animals, my favorite part of the trip was visiting all the pools and geysers. The pools were so colorful it was difficult to capture their true brilliance on camera. Here are few pictures (out of 1,300) from our trip.

An elk herd behind us

Old Faithful

Grand Prismatic Spring

He walked right in front of our vehicle!

Grand Tetons

Flowers

I just love God's creation, especially flowers! Here are a few of my favorite pictures I've taken this summer.