Chef Laura's Gourmet Thanksgiving

Laura and her boyfriend Blane hosted our family for Thanksgiving in Issaquah. They are both chefs, so we thoroughly enjoyed our feast.

Guests included: Gary and I, Jenny and Trevor, Laura and Blane, and Gary's mother Ava.

Pumpkin pie was trampled by this gourmet dessert Raspberry Chiboust that Laura made.

I know, your mouth is watering.

The tryptophan in the turkey worked on Gary; he sacked out on the floor. Lazy bum.

Gary's 7 Quirks

1. I have around 200 t-shirts that I never wear, dating back to 1980. They don't fit, they're worn out, and they're way out of style. My wife nags me to get rid of some, but I just won't!

2. I must have McDonald's for breakfast EVERY morning; I don't always get the same thing, but I have to get McDonald's (my wife nags me about this, too).

3. I save every nail, screw, bolt, etc, that I have left over, because I believe I will use it again later, but you'll still find me running to Home Depot to buy these things when I'm working on a project.

4. I drink an entire pot of coffee everyday. Don't believe me? Ask my wife about the mess of coffee grounds that I leave on the counter.

5. I'm brutally honest. If a waitress asks me how I liked my ribs, I'll tell her they were dry and chewy. If a missionary asks me how to fix his bike, I'll tell him it's a piece of junk!

6. I think my own jokes are the funniest thing I've ever heard; I laugh REALLY loud at them.

7. I name my vehicles; my semi truck is Galaxy Quest, my dump truck is Earl, and my mobile home trailer is Love Shack.

Kirsten's 7 Quirks

1. In my home, pets are family. My amazing wonder-cat Murray eats on his own counter (separate from the rest of the kitchen), my outdoor cats have heating pads in their houses, and I even tell my daughters that my yellow lab Carly is their sister (which they hate, by the way).


2. I have at least 100 cookbooks, but I only use about 2 of them; I REFUSE to get rid of any, even though I could really use the extra space in my pantry.

3. I'm a sucker for Court TV shows; I watch them while I'm quilting. Gary calls them Scumbags-R-Us.

4. I'm obsessed with buying new movies; I buy ALL the new releases at Costco (cartoons, comedies, dramas, anything). But I never watch any of them! They sit in their plastic wrap until one of my girls borrows them. Lately I've been getting better about resisting the urge (thanks Derrick).

5. If you ever ask me what I'd like for a present, the answer is always FABRIC!

6. I can remember just about any phone number I've ever dialed. Phonebook- what for?

7. I keep my daily medications in a granny pill dispenser; you can find them online under products for seniors!

Happy Halloween

We came back from diving just in time for Halloween.

Grover and Goni came by on their way to Seattle and met Chris, Charity and the boys at our house. They were dressed as Ratatouille, or Linguini (Noah) and the rat Remy (Jonah). Chris took Noah trick or treating in our neighborhood.

I went through 6 bags of candy from Costco and turned out the lights at 9:00 pm. I did a few decorations and we put the music in the window. A few kids cried from it!

One mom and dad wore rooster and hen costumes and their kids were baby chickens. It was cute. Of course there were some without costumes and a lot of gothic. Kids started coming at 4:30 while it was still daylight. The rain held off until about 10:00; it was a beautiful night.

I remember being in Provo the last two years. I miss my grandkids!