New Post on my New Blog

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We Have a New Blog!

http://scottyandali.blogspot.com/

Something to be Thankful For

Today, I am especially grateful for my very own little family. How could I not be?

15 Things to be Thankful for

1) A happy, healthy, adorable baby boy
2) Being a stay-at-home mama
3) Our new home
4) Parking inside a garage
5) Diet Coke
6) Baths
7) A hardworking husband
8) My sisters
9) My moms (Tandy & Jackie)
10) The seasons
11) My camera & Photoshop
12) The internet
13) Prayer
14) Reading
15) My Kitchenaid

Can't Get Enough

My boy is becoming not so little anymore. In fact, it semi breaks my heart when people ask how old he is-almost one! I hug and squeeze him a million times every day, just hoping that I will be able to always remember every cute little thing about him. 

Bo Knows Walking

Yep, it is true! Bo looks like such a big boy as he steps one foot in front of the other, over and over again. He does it with such ease and coordination, and he is oh so proud of his very grown up self.

Happy Halloween to YOU!

We had a wonderful and exciting Halloween this year. It was Bo's first Halloween, our first Halloween as a legit family, and it was our first Halloween in our home! 

Bo and I visited Scott at work. The women at Scott's work were falling all over Bo and his cute little mustache. How could you not?

 For dinner, we dressed up and went to Chipotle with some friends. The food at Chipotle was below average, but we had a great time, and for $2 per burrito, we just couldn't pass it up! 

I have many more pictures from our Halloween adventures that I want to post on here, but Blogger just said I hit my limit. Oops! Hopefully I can post more pictures soon!

Fear Factory

On Saturday, we went on a double date with Kelli and Hector. We started off the evening with a seriously delicious meal at Squatter's Pub in downtown SLC. I ordered a mushroom turkey burger and it was the most juicy, divine, delicious turkey burger I have ever eaten. We will most certainly be visiting this gem of a restaurant again.

After dinner we went to a Haunted House. It was a little more pricey than we would have liked, but we thought it would be fun to do something out of the ordinary and something spooky. If you know me, I am super wimpy when it comes to anything scary. I never watch scary movies, and I even make Scott change the channel when a scary commercial/preview is on. I know, lame.

Why did I want and even beg to go to the Haunted House? I have no idea.

hahahahaha-love this pic!

As we were waiting in line, I started having doubts, but we were committed because we had already paid. I used the restroom 2x, confirmed with a worker that the scary people were not allowed to touch me, took a deep breath, and grabbed onto Scott's hand. I was ready.

I was spooked over and over again, screamed a lot, closed my eyes to make the scary people dissapear, and...peed my pants. I blame Bo. Apparently I should have used the restroom 3-5 times, instead of a measly two.

Anyways, I am pretty sure that is the last haunted house that I will ever go to, but we had a great time, and we all made it out alive and mostly dry!

Happy Halloween!

Homemade Grape Juice

A couple weeks ago, I was feeling very domestic and ambitious, so I decided to make grape juice from the grapes in our backyard. I have picked berries before, and I thought picking grapes would be similar, but let me tell you-PICKING GRAPES IS THE WORST! Seriously, I wanted to give up and throw my domestic idea in the garbage after picking grapes for 47 seconds. 

I didn't give up, and now I have LOTS of delicious canned grape juice. My favorite part? No sugar added-this juice is just pure grape deliciousness.

While I am on a brag about my domesticity blog post, I thought I would also mention a delicious Fall treat that I made a couple weeks ago. I picked apples from our tree and made 30 caramel covered, chocolate smothered,  candy dipped apples. They were beautiful and delicious.

 

Chocolate Caramel Apples 
 Ingredients
4 ripe apples
4 wooden skewers
14 ounces (1 bag) soft caramel candy
2 tbsp water
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp shortening
2 cups chopped candy bars or nuts (my personal favorites are Reese's, M&Ms, and Butterfingers)

Directions
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Wash and dry the apples carefully. Remove the stems, and stick the skewers firmly in the stem ends.
3. Place the unwrapped caramels and the water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir, then microwave for and additional minute or until completely melted. The caramel should be smooth and liquid by the end.
4. Hold an apple by the skewer and dip it in the caramel, tilting the bowl at an angle and rotating the apple to cover it completely with a smooth, even layer. Bring it out of the caramel and twirl it upside down to remove excess, then set it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples.
5. Place the caramel-covered apples in the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes.
6. Combine the chocolate and the shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring every 45 seconds.
7. Dip the caramel-covered apple in the chocolate. If necessary, spoon some chocolate over the top to ensure the apple is completely covered with chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, dip the bottom half in the chopped candy bars and roll until the bottom half is covered. Place back on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining apples.
8. Chill apples in refrigerator until completely set, about 45 minutes. Always store apples in the refrigerator.

My Little Seester's Birthday

Sweet Kelli is 21!  

To celebrate, we had a Casino night at our house. We ordered pizza from The Pie (of course), made virgin margaritas, played 21 with silver and gold wrapped Hershey Nougats, and ate homemade pies for dessert!

Kelli is such a great little sister. I love a lot of things about Kelli, but my favorite thing about her is her fun (and funny) personality! Kelli is always up for anything-whether it is staying up late and playing stupid games, hanging with a house full of kiddos, watching movies all day, or laughing at my dumb jokes-she is always so much fun!

We love you Kelli. Happy Birthday!

 

While the adults played 21, the babies entertained themselves with....CANDY!