Doc's Buck

I was running out of time to get my deer, so I was very excited when we spotted this buck on some private property south of Absarokee. A couple in our branch had given me permission to hunt there and we spotted it right away. I was happy cause I had to get back for work that afternoon.

Nice buck, nice view.

I like to gut 'em!

Happy 84th Birthday Grandma Christensen!

Taken from Ashley Christensen's blog: "I got this picture off of Steve and Deb's camera so that is why the post is late. We made her blow out 84 candles on three birthday cakes...she got them all out but not before the smoke alarm went off! She is such a great Grandma and we love having her so close to us!".

Vicki - "I love Grandma very much. She is such a cute & funny Grandma. I'm also very amazed at how sharp she is. Just talking to her last week, she spouted off how old some of her great-grand kids were and when their birthdays are. She has always been such a sweet granny and I remember when I was a kid, how I always wanted to go stay at her house in the summer. My favorite was always her homemade popsicles made out of various juices. I hope you had a good birthday Grandma!!".

Debbie - "I always loved staying at Grandma & Grandpa's house in the summer. Grandma taught me to knit and crochet. She was very good to me when I stayed with her in New Castle when I worked at the greenhouses and went to SUU (SUSC back in the day). I remember when we were very young, she put a big piece of Bubble Yum in her mouth and when it was soft enough she blew a gigantic bubble which popped all over her face. Julie and I thought that was very cool. She has always been a cool Grandma! I am so glad I was able to see her again when she and Aunt Janice came down for Thanksgiving. I love her very much!".

Drawing done in 2005 by Natalie for Grandma's 80th birthday party

Julie - "Grandma has always been very fun and has a cute sense of humor. She's a good sport and you can usually get her to pull a funny face or to stage a silly picture - I love the ones from a few months ago of her holding the gun and the guys holding a string of squirrels. I loved going to New Castle growing up and have so many fond memories of being in Grandma's home and on the farm.

I was especially impressed with Grandma a few years back when she wanted to go skydiving for her 80th birthday. Although she didn't get to go, I think she earned a whole new level of respect from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren just by showing her sense of daring and adventure.

As a kid I remember always thinking how IN LOVE grandpa and grandma were. Yesterday Brad recalled riding out to the farm with Grandma to take lunch to Grandpa. They sat under the shade of the tractor and told the kids to run to the edge of the field and back (probably so they could get a little smooching in!)".

Grandma pulling her monkey face at her 80th birthday party in 2005

A page from Snick's old scrapbook... love that purple bike!

(nice scrapbooking techniques... hee hee)

This is from a family calendar we put together for 1999

I couldn't resist adding the "Born to Party" sticker to my calendar page

Beverly - "I want to wish my mother a Happy Birthday! She is a wonderful Mom and I love her so much. She has always been a good example to me.

One of the memories I have of her is one year when I was a teenager and we were having a Halloween party in Mutual. In those days we could dress up and wear costumes at the church. Janice and Linda and I went to the party and were having fun. After we had been there for a while, someone with and ugly scary mask and old clothes with a hunchback (As I remember) came in and no one knew who it was. Every now and then this guy would sneak up on us and scared us and pretty much gave us all the creeps. At the end of the party all the masks came off and that ugly old guy was - - Mom. We were as surprised as everyone else was and she got a prize for her costume.

As I have scanned Aunt Florence's photo albums, I have come across a lot of pictures of her when she was young and she always seemed to be having fun. Here are just a few".

Stirling girls painting the porch. (Aunt Florence had written on the back of this one "Why don't you get dressed before you come out?").

CLICK HERE to view the spotlight written about grandma in the February 2004 newsletter (pages 2-3). Click on each page individually to make them large enough to read.

Happy Birthday Rylan!

by Melissa Evans

Rylan turned six on Saturday. On Thanksgiving as we were eating dinner I told him that the year he was born, I had Thanksgiving dinner and then went to the hospital. We are thankful for him. He is a good boy most of the time. He enjoys coloring, painting, and anything crafty. He is especially detail oriented and makes draws every detail as accurately as possible. He also loves baseball, football, and riding his bike. He loves seafood and wanted crab legs for his birthday dinner. His favorite colors are orange and silver, at the moment. Rylan loves being with others and can't even walk downstairs without asking his brothers to go with him. He has slept better ever since Jared moved into his and Chandler's room and all of the boys are together. Even though there is a spare room downstairs, we're pretty sure he will never be the one to use it. Rylan has done really well in school. He is a perfectionist. He wants every worksheet and homework assignment to be a certain way. When he was asked to disguise a turkey as something else as a Thanksgiving homework assignment, he was especially proud when Aunt Snick helped him make his turkey into a Mr. Potato head with real parts. We are glad to have Rylan in our home. Happy Birthday!

Rylan lost his first tooth recently!

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Made by Julie for the day-after-Thanksgiving family-get-together at Brad & Candi's house

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

• 10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Directions

Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature with crackers, bread or vegetables.

Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Connor's Commercial

Here is the commercial Connor was in for those of you who didn't have a chance to see it before. He earned $100 by being in it. He was embarrassed that they slowed his blink down, but we tell him it's cute. Sometimes we say, "Altana Federal Credit Union. Your blinking solution". He laughs about it as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

THANKFUL...

Mom - “I am truly grateful for my wonderful family. It is such a blessing to have great children and their spouses and awesome grandchildren”.

Debbie - “I’m thankful for a son who is serving the lord, a daughter who is getting an education, another son who is such a good example to those around him, and a husband who works hard, serves whole-heartedly in his church calling and loves his family. I'm grateful for our entire family who is so supportive and loving”.

Kyle - “I'm thankful for this opportunity I have to be serving a mission at this point in time, when choices are crucial. I'm grateful for the family that has always surrounded me and supported me. I will miss them these next couple of holidays but I hope that you all know that I love you. Peace n Love, Elder Kyle Carlson”

Connor - "I am thankful for thankfulness. I am thankful for my awesomely cool mom, dad, brother and maybe my sister".

Andre - "I am thankful for everything that's good".

Alex - "I'm thankful for my tender, loving family and my hilarious friends".

Suzy - "I am very thankful for a wonderful family, great friends in the church, my job, a beautiful place to live, and wonderful kids who are a great example”.

Shane - “My wonderful wife and children (duh), the opportunities God has given me, my family's health, a warm (and cool) home, mistakes & repentance, and Grant's Sunday pretzels”.

Vicki - “I am thankful for my wonderful family, the Gospel, to live in the USA, a nice house, Shane's good job, comfy couches and pie!”.

Denver - “I am thankful for my family (that includes the Evans and Conger families) and pie”.

Evan - “I am thankful for.... My family (including cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandma & Grandpa), the earth, food & water, guns, pie, cake, cookies, video games, house, cars, toys & the holidays”.

Alisha - “I am thankful for Thanksgiving, Christmas, turkey, Grant, playing games with my family, friends & Spongebob”.

Grant - “I am thankful for my blankie, milk, pretzels & my family”.

Julie - “I’m thankful that Kevin isn’t having headaches like he was last year and that he’s doing so well. I’m very grateful for my sweet husband and family members who love me despite all of my imperfections (and the rest of you, too). I’m grateful for my home, the memories Charlie and I have of our time in North Carolina and pumpkin cheesecake. I’m also very thankful for having been raised in the gospel and the knowledge, comfort and peace it gives me during difficult times”.

Charlie - "I'm thankful for the strong nuclear force that binds quarks together to enable the nucleus of the atom to remain stable so it can join with other atoms to make up the various elements that form all the matter in the universe (including big screen TV's and warm fuzzy slippers)".

Mexican Riviera Cruise

Here are the scans of the group photos from the cruise... Mom

Happy Birthday Lance!!

Lance works for Wheeler's Electric and is currently working at the Mob Museum. Lance loves his church calling. He is the 2nd Counselor in Young Mens, and is always helping out with campouts and other activities. Lance is a very easy-going person and has more patience than anyone I know. He is also very funny. He likes fishing and spending time at home with his 'girls'. He is such a great husband and daddy. We love you so much. Happy Birthday.

Love, Natalie and Lyla

White Bean & Chicken Chili

Submitted by Snick - "I tasted this at the Riggs' home a month or so ago and loved the flavor. I got the recipe and made it for Deb & Randy and for my Relief Society 'Souper Saturday' - big hit. Delicious served with homemade bread or rolls!"

1 pound dry white beans, soaked overnight in water, drained (I used Great Northern Beans)

6 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped (divided)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups diced cooked chicken

3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

Mix beans, chicken broth, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more. Add additional water (or watered-down broth), if necessary.

In a skillet, sauté remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and continue to simmer 1 hour. Check seasoning, add jalapeno or serrano to level of desired hotness.

Suzy's Potato Leek Soup

Submitted by Snick - "Suzy found this yummy recipe and made it for her family. She told me about it and we decided to make it when I visited Montana last month... it was so delicious! I made it for Chuck earlier this week and he says it's his new favorite soup - even better the next day".

6 tablespoons butter

3 leeks, thinly sliced

6-8 ounces chopped ham

1/2 cup flour

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced potatoes

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons chives

2 cups half & half

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ham. Saute, stirring frequently until leeks are tender. Add flour and stir until well blended. Add chicken broth and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Add potatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add parsley, chives, half & half and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grandma C's Mock Chow Mein

Submitted by Snick - "I remember eating this a couple different times when living with Grandma. I got the recipe from her a while back and made it for Chuck... we loved it!! Chuck has been begging me to make it again. This is great comfort food".

Preheat oven to 325º

Brown the following ingredients in a skillet:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef or pork

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Add:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cans water

1 1/2 cans milk

Pour into 9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Bake at 325º for 2 hours. Top with soy sauce and chinese noodles if desired.

Missionary Moments

Elders Hurd and Carlson with Dave & Julie Carruthers

Dinner with the Carruthers family... Elder Hurd's "last supper"

Teaching a lesson Nov. 17, 2009

The following is an email sent to Randy & Deb by Sister Julie Carruthers who is a member in Houston:

Hi Randy !

Sorry to be getting back to you so late but my 19 year old son was in a car accident and his ankle was shattered. He has been put into a leg halo and has 3 to 4 MORE surgeries he will have to have. It's been a bit stressful.

Now....for your Son....... what a TREAT he is ! He is filled with Spirit and is SUCH a joy! He also has a wonderful sense of humor ! He is DEFINITLY one of our favorites !~As for a "funny" story.....I have a couple.

The first one is more cute and sweet than funny.....I have a Niece and Nephew on missions in Utah and they were telling me that when ever I feed the missionaries we should make sure they get PIZZA now and then and also BREAKFAST as they never really have time for a GOOD morning breakfast. We have done the "pizza" so we decided to make a "breakfast" for dinner one evening for he and Elder Hurd. My husband made breakfast burritos filled with eggs and sausgae, Biscuits and sausage gravy and I had made monkey bread, Sticky buns, Orange Juice and fruit and we set the table real nice. Well.....when he saw all the food on the table he pulled out his camera and started taking PICTURES of all the food and kept saying, Wow!..... Man ! This is GREAT ! It was soooo funny and yet GREAT to see someone so happy and thankful and EXCITED about the food ! It truly warmed my heart !

The second one I am remembering is when he was new to our Ward and was giving a talk and introducing himself in Sacrament. He said MANY wonderful things and added that he had , had a girlfriend before coming on a mission who was a non member and before he left she got baptized (think he said "he" baptized her?). Anyway.....he talked about the Spirit and how he felt humble and then talked about how he had to break off the relationship for his mission.... then said......well.... It's like... "DATE em, DUNK em, then Dump em". The congregation had a pretty good laugh !

He has a new companion now since Elder Hurd moved on. I have not met the new Elder but hope things work out between them and that it all goes well. You have raised a wonderful and polite Son and he has helped my newly baptized husband come to know the Gospel better and feel more at ease and was there when my husband and I did baptisms for the dead this month .

Hope this brings a smile to your face and I will be taking more pics when he comes over and will send then to you.

Kind regards,

Julie (Carruthers)

Baby News...

The Conger clan found out last week they're having another boy. With four brothers, poor little Alisha is definitely outnumbered (maybe you'll get a sister next time, Alisha... hee hee). Congrats, Conger family!

Layoff Chili

A pink slip last Friday citing "reduction in work force"

leads to a layoff and causes a grown man to cry!

Or was that from chopping onions?

Charlie's tradition whenever getting laid off

is to come home and make a big pot of chili.

Construction in Las Vegas has come to a screeching halt with not much in sight for the future. Charlie's new status of being unemployed... or should I say "career challenged", is causing Snick to have to search for a job (finally!). The resume is written... so let me know if you hear of anything.