our weekend

We spent Thanksgiving with good friends of ours in the Bay Area. They have two kids of their own and have been taking care of four other kids (relatives) for the past 15 months. Six girls ranging in age from 2-14. We added three more kids and two adults to the mix and we spent the night. It was slumber party city for everyone involved. Every bedroom and living room had someone in it. We had so much fun!

All the kiddos.

Two hours after we returned home on Friday, THIS happened! First time we've seen hail in the 5 years we've lived here. Our girls were very intrigued.

After the storm was over we took full advantage of the fun!

Decorating the tree.

I love this season!

Stay tuned this week for some September kit layouts!

happy turkey day

Just wanted to say hello and I hope you all have a great time with family and friends today. We are headed to the Bay Area to visit good friends for two days--so excited! I'll leave you with a recent picture of my three cuties--I am so thankful for them!

zucchini pizza crust

This past summer we grew our own zucchini. I found this awesome recipe for a gluten-free pizza crust here. I've changed the cheese to monterey jack since mozarella has lactose in it. I bake a big batch of these and freeze them in between wax sheets of paper. I like this crust better than a traditional pizza crust. SO  YUMMY!!

INGREDIENTS
4 cups finely shredded zucchini
3/4 cup all-purpose flour gluten-free flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Once zucchini or summer squash has been shredded (I recommend a food processor) lightly salt the squash and transfer it to a strainer. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash—very important to get out as much water as possible.

3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, Parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, eggs, pepper and salt. Mix well.

4. Spread individual size crusts onto a greased pan (I use my slip mat) and sprinkle with oregano. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. The reason I don't do one large crust is that it is hard to flip.

5. Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to broil. Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

6. Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges and flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is now facing upwards. If you want to omit the flipping stage, that is okay, but the crust won't be as crunchy.

7. Brush the top of the crust with oil and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the top is browned. Be sure and watch the crust closely so as not to burn the edges too much.

Smother this crust with your favorite pizza toppings, bake and enjoy!

photography layouts

My grandpa was a photographer and my grandma did all the touch up work--an incredibly tedious job. (She would have loved Photoshop!) My grandpa took some amazing pictures--everything from the men on their ships during WWII to the Presidential election. He also had the only two 16mm motion picture cameras with sound in the entire state of Wyoming during his time.

On this layout I stictched a pocket onto the right-hand side to hold my grandpa's business brochure.

This layout showcases a copy of my grandpa's business card and two of his pictures taken during the Presidential campaign of Dwight Eisenhower in 1952.

first job

My grandma had a twin. They both worked in retail after they graduated high school. Many people would get confused when they were shopping in one shop and then came to Woolworth's, where she worked and they saw "her" again. This is where her husband picked her up! This is the one picture she had taken inside of Woolworth's. She is the gal standing in the middle.

p.s. Mom and Dad--if you click on the pictures twice, you will be able to read the journaling. Or you can go to my flicker account (the side bar of pictures) and click on the heritage tab where you can view them on an even larger scale.

wedding day

My grandma had a very simple wedding. So simple in fact that they were married in a pastor's home on the same day as two other couples. There was not money to be tossed around in these days. She wore a simple dress and hat, not a big fancy gown. Funny how you are still married whether you have the big fancy ceremony or say your vows in someone's home.

first home

This was my grandma's first home. It was purchased 14 years into their marriage. They paid only $13, 450 back in 1954. She lived there until she needed to have someone checking on her more regularly. She sold her house for $109,500 in 2003 and moved to Iowa to live near my parents. It was a huge change for my grandma to move from Wyoming where she had lived most of her life, but I'm glad that my dad got to spend the last several years of her life getting to know her better.