Merry Christmas

Yet another wonderful Christmas for the Glassford family.  All the family gathered around the tree early Christmas morning to see what Santa had delivered the night before.  (I can hear the kids groaning as I type this.... "geez Mom, we know there's no Santa".)

Christmas morning and the entire day is one of my most favorite days of the year.  It means spending all day together in our pj's playing games and eating lots of yummy food.  The sad exception this year is that we missed having our grown-up Spencer and his wife with us; they spent the holiday with Ashley's family this year.  We missed them both!

In keeping with tradition, we all rummage through our stockings first to see what yummy treats and little odds and ends have been stuffed inside.

We then go for the presents but usually take things a little slow by opening our presents one at a time.  This allows for me, the official picture taker, to take plenty of pictures along the way. 

It was fun this year to actually surprise both Evan and Tori with a few presents.  They typically know what they are getting because they enjoy spoiling their Christmas surprise by snooping around the house but this year I was able to keep a few things a secret.  Tori was happily surprised with a camera, something she had been asking for since I don't know when.... a long time.

She also got the guitar that she just had to have... it was a matter of life or death.... very dramatic stuff.

Evan got a nice surprise by getting the paintball gun this year, along with all the many required things that come along with a paintball gun.  Required things like a protective face mask and protective clothing... those paintballs really sting. 

Our fat, lazy, lovable cat got the gift of wrapping paper and ribbon, he was in heaven.

We have been blessed with yet another wonderful Christmas.... our family is truly blessed.  Not only have we been blessed with gifts under the tree but we have been blessed with each other, our health, our jobs, our love for each other, and best of all.... having the knowledge of the our Savior and Heavenly Father through our membership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Do You Believe?

Merry Christmas from the Glassford family.  We wish you all a wonderful Christmas season.  May we always remember why we celebrate Christmas.... to celebrate and focus on the birth of Christ, our Savior and the Son of God. 

Wife of a Firefighter

Have I ever shared that my handsome husband is a firefighter?  I'm a firefighter's wife.  Have I explained to you, dear readers, what it's like having your loved one gone for 48 hours at a job that has the potential of danger and harm for every emergency call?  Have I explained that he loves what he does and that he feels disappointment if he misses the opportunity to respond to a blazing fire?

The city that he works for is not a large city, which means he doesn't have many opportunities to actually fight a "good fire" ... those are his words, not mine.... but he got the opportunity early Friday morning.  He was called bright and early to a blazing fire of a local church building, a building that is rich in history for our county, a building that saddened many of us to see it destroyed. 

While I know that my dear husband would make every effort to be safety conscious during his working days and his commanding officers will make every effort to also be extremely aware of safety, I can't help but worry every time he goes to work.  It's a worry that lingers in the back of my mind.  It's a worry that makes me very grateful to have him home safely after every shift ends.

He was able to take some great pictures while at the fire this last week.  While the picture above is courtesy of the local news station, a great picture of the blazing fire, this next picture was taken while he was busy at work.  This is his viewpoint from the bottom of the ladder truck.

As I mentioned, he loves what he does so when he got the call to a "good fire" he was looking forward to the opportunity to put his firefighting skills to use.  His first 24 hours on the job fighting this blaze was a great day at work for him; however, after 24 hours out in the freezing cold and very little sleep he started his next 24 hours not as thrilled to do the job.  It was a very tough couple days for him.  I'm grateful to the caring, kind businesses in our community that provided warm food for him and his crew.  And very, very grateful to have him home safely again.

I'm grateful for the brave men, including my husband, who are willing to risk their lives to keep us safe.  Love my husband dearly and pray always that he'll be safe.  I wouldn't change him for the world and grateful for who he is and his brave heart.

Almond Roca - A Tasty Kitchen Recipe

Looking for a yummy recipe for the holidays?  I've found it.... the perfect recipe for your holiday treats.  Easy to make and yummy to eat.  It's a recipe for Almond Roca - no need to buy that pink can of treats every again.  This recipe tastes just like the store bought, golden-wrapped treats.  I found this recipe at Tasty Kitchen.  Love this website.

Almond Roca

• 4 sticks Butter
• 2 cups Sugar (rounded)
• 4 Tablespoons Water
• 2 cups Almonds, Chopped
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips
• ½ cups Almonds, Finely Chopped, For Sprinkling

Combine the first 3 ingredients and cook on high, stirring constantly through 3 stages:
1. Runny
2. “Cheesy”—it will look like melted white cheese
3. Runny and smooth, caramel brown color
Make sure you have the fan on your stove going, cause you’ll probably set off the smoke alarm towards the end.
When it is runny, smooth and caramel brown in color, remove it from the heat and add the almonds. Stir until combined and pour the mixture onto greased cookie sheets. Spread it into an even layer. It will harden as it cools.
While it is still warm, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them melt enough to get soft. Spread the chocolate in an even layer across the candy. While the chocolate is still “wet,” sprinkle the finely chopped almonds on top.
At this point, while it is still warm and soft, you can score the candy with a butter knife to make it break evenly, or just let it harden and break it into rustic pieces.  Store in airtight containers.

It Was a Great Feast of Food and Family

We had yet another wonderful Thanksgiving this year.  A wonderful day filled with lots of great food (too much food actually) and lots of wonderful family time.

Just as we were getting ready to sit down to eat, our newly employed Evan was called into work at the movie theaters.  So before he dashed off to work, and after much wailing and tears and threatening to call his boss for having the audacity to take him away on Thanksgiving and Evan feeling such horror over my threats, just kidding (sort of), I made my three lovely children pose for a picture.

Aren't they just the best looking kids ever?  I love them so much.

So.... then.... we proceeded to eat.  It was great food, thanks to everyone's contributions.  Spencer and Ashley were there, my Mom and Dad, Kayce and Jared and their cute kids, Nan and her darling Helen, Carol, along with a surprise visit from Alison and her two darling children. 

Todd was very patient with it all because he knew it was a night of food and football... oh, yes... and he enjoyed time with the family.

It's was wonderful to have Spencer and Ashley with us.  We don't get to see them enough.  Love them dearly.

Spencer got to catch up with his Grandpa.

We loved having all the darling nieces and nephews with us and wish we could have had all of the family with us. 

Best of all was time spent with my sisters.  I won't even tell you what we talked about while adding calories to our waste line.  It's talk that's not appropriate for this blog (not really even appropriate at the dinner table) but that's just what sisters do.  I love these girls.  We sorely missed Rebecca and Lillian.

To end this post, I must include our furry member of the family, Tabby.  He's really a good member of the family, and a good cat, and is generally very tolerant; however, by the end of the evening he was looking for places to hide.  Maybe if he lost a few pounds he would actually fit.

This Little Girl of Mine

I love this little girl of mine.  Love her to pieces.  Love having her in our lives.  Every day with her is new and exciting and.... tiring... very, very tiring.

Late summer and early fall had us running her to and from various football games so she could cheer.  A perfect sport for our little Tori.  Her smile is infectious and her personality is vibrant and she has energy to spare.  I personally think she's the best cheerleader on her squad, no one can tell me any different.

Then just as she's finished with cheering she's moved on to yet another sport, volleyball.  We now have the pleasure of running her to and from her volleyball games where, yet again, she's the best on her team... at least the best setter on the team.  She's awesome.  With her endless supply of energy and optimism she's a perfect asset for the team. 

Next up is a winter full of snowboarding and then springtime means softball.  On top of it all she's an excellent student in school and the best daughter.  We love our little Tori.... she just makes us a little tired.

The Passing of a Good Man

We are missing the influence of good man who passed away on Sunday, my grandfather, Wendall H. Eyring.

Wendell Haws Eyring came to this earth on Monday, September 23, 1918. He returned home on Sunday, November 07, 2010.

Wendell is the son of Andrew Theodore Eyring (1884-1964) and Edith Haws (1887-1986) and was born in Mesa, Arizona. He was the sixth of eleven children; however, only four siblings lived to maturity. Wendell grew up as the “oldest.”

Wendell spent his younger years in Mesa and Gilbert. His family moved to Chandler while he was in high school. During his senior year, he played both on the football team and then played in the band during half time.  Wendall began dating Verda Ray, his future wife June 1935 and they were married in June 1938. They were sealed for time and all eternity n the Mesa Arizona Temple.  Between 1939 and 1961 they became the proud parents of “ten little Indians.” Fortunately, they were able to raise all of their children to maturity. Between 1959 and 1990 they became the proud grandparents of 45 grandchildren. So far there are over 100 great grandchildren and more than 10 great-great grandchildren. In addition there have been over 50 spouses added to the family with open arms. Dad/Grandpa loves each and every one of them. When parting he would say "I love, you!”.

Wendell was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many capacities during his life. Scouts, Young Men, Sports, and Clerk, to name a few. In addition, for many years, Wendell and Verda served as Stake Missionaries in the San Tan Branch on the Indian reservation.  For most of Wendell’s life he was a dairy farmer. When the accountant told him the farm wasn’t making money any more, he went to work at Agrochem, south of Chandler. He kept the dairy going to gives his kids “something to do.” Later he retired from Agrochem and dairy farming and traded the farmland for apartments. He sold the Apartments in 2001. Then he really retired.  Over the years Wendell, with his wife Verda, traveled to Scotland, England, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Israel and Russia. They also toured most of the United States, including Hawaii. They also visited Canada and Mexico.

Wendell was preceded in death by his sweet wife Verda (2003) and children, Shirly Pond (Lamar) and Mike (Brenda); and grandson Lance Pond. He was also preceded by his parents Andrew and Edith; and siblings, Andrew; Leonard; Josephine; Dessie; George; Marguerite; and Leona Geiger; He is survived by children Wendell Jr. (Marilee); Sandra Clawson (Kit); Pinky; Murr; Dixie Williams (Dennis); Nick (Karen); April Smith (Dan); and Twila. He is also survived by 45 grandchildren; 110 great grandchildren; and 12 great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by siblings Lucile Peterson (Don L) and Carl (Pauline, deceased).  A copy of Wendell’s life story is available at www.eyring.org.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Glassford family.  We hope you have a creepy, fun-filled Halloween and all your tooth-decaying, stomachache-promoting, candy wishes are fulfilled.

If you stop by our house, you'll see my most creepy Halloween nightmare displayed.... spiders.  Great big, hairy spiders.

I hate spiders.  Really, truly I do, which means I have to display them on Halloween because, to me, spiders are the scariest.  Give me a haunted forest with a chainsaw-wielding psychopath any day over spiders.

Guess I'm just a little weird like that.

Backyard Neighbors

We've got some wonderful backyard neighbors.  They mainly keep to themselves only occasionally visiting to eat the tops of our flowers.  All in all they are very nice and we look forward to many more years watching their activities, in a neighborly kind of way.

Beautiful

I really do love living in Utah.  This time of year is incredibly beautiful.  I love visiting our beautiful mountains and taking advantage of the many beautiful mountain trails.

 I love wandering the mountain trails and enjoying the beautiful scenery but the teenagers.... mmmmm..... not so much.

Thank heavens for my patient husband who, while maybe not enjoying the scenery as much as I do, is patient enough to let me take some pictures.

Had to throw in this lovely little shot of me and my crazy look.  This is what having teenagers will do to a Mom.  I keep warning them that they better shape up or I'll put out this look but it doesn't seem to phase them.

Another gorgeous day in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

Family Photos

They certainly don't take family photos like they did in the old days. You remember those old photos of everyone in the family being asked to look off to some distant point, while smiling brightly, and pretending that everyone wasn't just crying and pinching each other a second before the photo was taken.

A photo just like this.......

I really can't believe I'm sharing this on my blog but honestly I just can't keep from giggling when I look at this photo.  Such a cute little, innocent family.  So very many children.  All such cute little blondies.  What were my Mom and Dad thinking?  Eight children?  They deserve a medal and I love them for that.

So after having the viewing pleasure of the classic 70's family photo, here's another one for you.

This one seriously makes me laugh.  Look at our style of clothing.  Again, just makes me giggle.  I have very strong memories of thinking "let's just get this gosh darn thing over with".  Smiling big for the picture and then breathing a sigh of relief that yet another family picture was over with.

Makes me wonder why I put my kids through the same thing.  hmmmmm Maybe it's a rite of passage every child needs to suffer through?

Fresh Paint

After living in our lovely, little, cozy home for 13 years, we finally repainted all the walls; something I've wanted done since we moved in.  Well, I shouldn't say "we" painted the walls because it was all Todd.  Thanks to the amazing, hot husband, the walls are now painted.

The final walls to paint were our living room, the hallway, and kitchen ceiling.  We decided to extend the yellow painted in our kitchen down to one wall in our living room.  I really love how it's brightened up the room and makes for a nice accent.  We also purchased a lovely, new painting for the wall above the piano.

Take a look.... what do you think?

Nostalgia and New Beginnings

It's that time of year, time for the kids to head back to school, time for cooler weather, time to say good-bye to summer fun, and time for new beginnings.  Big sigh.

Every year as my children head back to school I can't help but feel a little nostalgic over the passing of yet another year.  My children are growing up so quickly.  As I see them prepare for the start of a new year, I can't help but think back to when they first started school, when they were so excited about being such a big kid and going to kindergarten.

Now that my oldest is 23 I'm definitely feeling the nostalgia... thinking of his first day of school... so I dug through the old photo album.  I went back to my first child and my first back-to-school picture.

Oh my goodness, such an adorable little picture and such an adorable little guy.  I remember like it was yesterday, his excitement at going to school, how proud he was of his backpack and baseball cap and new shoes.  (I also can't help but think how nice it is to have our current digital cameras and the ability to take better pictures.)

Flash forward to today.... Spencer graduated high school five years ago, Evan is starting 10th grade at the high school, and Tori is in 9th grade.

Evan who grows taller every time I turn around.  Evan who has developed into a confident, very smart, kind young man is now nearing the end of his years in public school with just three short years left in high school.  I'm not ready to let go.

Tori, now a gorgeous young woman, loves all things social at school.  She loves that she's the oldest in her school and looking forward to going to the high school next year.  This little girl of mine keeps me young and I love it!

Nostalgia and new beginnings, a feeling that I'm swimming in and hope to resurface before it starts all over again next year.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

These brownies are to die for... they are so very good.  I'm not a huge cheesecake fan but combine them with brownies and ... oh my!  Give them a try.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie Base:
1 cup semi-sweet baking chocolate (I use Nestle Toll House)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (I used cocoa powder instead)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Topping:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 Tablespoons semi-sweet baking chocolate

Make the brownie base:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
   
   
2. Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 15 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and let cool.
   
   
3. Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and salt.
   
   
4. Stir in melted chocolate, espresso (or cocoa) powder and flour. Spread batter in prepared pan.
   

Make the cheesecake topping:

1. Beat cream cheese, sugar and butter in large bowl until creamy and smooth, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs, cream and flour, beating just until combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Pour cheesecake mixture over the chocolate layer.
   
   
2. Place chocolate in microwave-safe cup. Microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth.
   
   
3. Drizzle melted chocolate over the cheesecake layer. With the tip of a sharp knife, swirl melted chocolate. Drop pan on counter to burst any air bubbles in the cheesecake layer.
   
   
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cheesecake layer is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then chill several hours or overnight before cutting into 2-inch squares. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 weeks.

Summertime in Utah

Summertime in Utah means camping for many families, including the Glassford family.  It's not that we're big campers.... ok... we're NOT big campers.  However, we do try to head out to the mountains at least once a year to enjoy the beautiful parks, gorgeous mountain views, and lovely lakes.

This year we spent a few days at Jordanelle Reservoir.  A lovely state park that has bathroom and shower facilities available... my kind of camping.  I can handle the tent and even the sleeping bag.  No flushing toilets or showers?  Forget it.

Tori agrees (and so does Todd... and Evan.)

After setting up the tent and chairs and roasting a couple Starbursts (yes, I said Starbursts... something Tori suggested), we headed off to enjoy the lovely reservoir.  Fun times ahead!

Evan is incredible on the wakeboard.  Whooo hooo!

Then there's cute little Tori.... what a natural!

Some great summer time fun!  Check out Todd..... mmmmm hmmmm.

Pretty impressive, right?  All three of them were amazing on the wakeboard.  We spent three amazing days enjoying the great, Utah outdoors.

Wondering why Mom isn't in the picture.  Well, it's 'cause someone's got to take the pictures, right?  Not at all because of a concern over her lack of skill wakeboarding.  Nope, that's not it at all.