And the Dundee Goes to...

While idling the days away in Winemmucca, little Lydia and I got caught up on seasons one and two of THE OFFICE. Gary and I just started taking a liking to it so I decided he might like the DVDs for Christmas (with a tiny bit of a selfish motive) so we could catch up! It was nice to have the time with nothing else to do. I don't know how I haven't caught on sooner, but this is some great television. Gary and I have Very different taste in movies and TV, but The Office has us both hooked and laughing out loud!

A Merry Christmas!

The festivities started Sunday when we had a nice dinner party at my parents house. I have the CUTEST niece and nephews around and it was so much fun to watch them open their gifts. This also happened to be Gary's birthday and we celebrated with his favorite...Texas Sheet Cake. He got a whole bunch of gift certificate to put toward some hunting gear he's had his eye on.

On the receiving end of things, I got the COOLEST pan from my parents. It is a Cephalon dutch oven that can be used on the stove or in the oven and it has a red enamel finish which makes it cute too! I also got some kitchen items from Gary (including a really neat baby food processor) and a few cook books! I am excited to put them all to use!

We spent our first Christmas in Winnemucca this year. Nancy (Gary's sister) made a wonderful prime rib dinner for Christmas Eve. Christmas day was a big change from the Taylor family traditions, but nice and quiet none the less. Lydia was spoiled by her aunts and Grandpa Cannon. Gary had fun working on some welding projects and hunting with his dad and I, well I pretty much didn't do anything at all. It was nice for the first couple of days but I was stir crazy by day three.

Here's hoping you all have a very happy new year!

Snowed In!

I wanted to post these pictures of the beautiful and much needed snow storm we had this weekend. I was a little upset Friday night that my plans of going to Salt Lake to visit my family and to see my niece's dance recital had been ruined by the storm. In fact, I spent quite some time complaining to my mom about it over the phone(I know, I know--I never complain;)). But I decided to change my attitude and make the most of the weekend. Gary, Lydia, and I ended up having a great time. We went to find deer--and had much success (I wish I had pictures). We also did some decorating for the holidays and got a Christmas tree!

Sorry if you find this BORING, but I just needed to remind myself, as inconvenient as it may be at times, I really do love living here!

NOW--Please don't leak this to Gary or I will NEVER have any chance of moving back to the valley, not that I want to--for today anyway!

FAKE OR REAL?

This is the big question we ask ourselves each year as Christmas approaches and we start thinking about a Christmas tree. Thus far the answer has been real. Which means me stringing, oh about a thousand lights on the tree and taking them all off again after Christmas. Not to mention disposing of the dead needles. None the less, We decided real again this year and took a little drive to Orem to get one tonight. We found a tree lot that looked like they might have one we wanted! I stayed in the truck because we decided it was too cold for Lydia. I gave Gary instructions of which kind to pick (I like the sparse tall trees (at least 10'))Gary came back and said he found one and OF COURSE my first question was "how much?" His response OF COURSE-- "Didn't ask." I said "you better go ask." He came back and said $140. I said get in the truck! I think we've concluded that we will go cut one down, which is a tradition that many of our neighbors enjoy. This will be intersrting and depending on how it goes--we may be going fake next year!

TAGGED!

Alright six things about me...I'll try to make this interesting, but let's be honest...

1. "She's gone country." I grew up in "the big city", but I always had a desire to live in a smaller town. I love open spaces and I get a little overwhelmed by big crowds and too many people. I currently live in Heber and out my back window is an alfalfa field full of grazing horses (not mine, I just get to look at them)! Having said that, I get cabin fever if I don't make it back to the city at least once a week--I admit it, I need my mall.

2. I love my baby! I was never too excited about becoming a mom until I decided it might be time, and now, having been a mom for two months, I have to say I LOVE IT! It is definitely the hardest thing I've done, but so rewarding and so much fun.

3. I'm a sleeper. I sleep in. I had the hardest time getting to high school in the morning--I even got to aide for one of my teachers who let me come in late. I planned my college schedule each semester so I never had to be to class before 9am and I got a job at a bank so I never had to be to work before 9am. I chose a career that allowed me to set my own hours and start my work day about 9-9:30. But now that I'm a mom, those days are over and I am having to get to bed earlier and wake up early (and often). Oh Well, it's for the better!

4. I married the right person. I am a bit hard headed and bossy--and maybe a bit of a control freak! My husband definitely doesn't let me push him around, but he manages to put up with me. He let's me be in control of things like finances, etc. It's the red in me--I like to be in charge!

5. I love to eat. I like food-- any kind really. I try to make healthy food choices and cook healthy meals, but I am usually thinking of lunch during breakfast and dinner during lunch. I can't imagine what it would be like to not really love food, but I know a few people who don't and they are about oh, 30-50 lbs. lighter than me.

6. I hate pain. I always wondered how my threshold for pain compared to other people, then I had a baby! I realized I am probably one of the wimpiest women on the planet (I say women 'cause I think we are generally tougher than men!). My husband has been telling me this all along, and I didn't believe him, but I think he's right. I really don't do well with pain and I hate to be sick. I get in a really bad mood and I just shut down with even the slightest cold. I've gotta work on toughening up!

Now I'm supposed to tag six people. I think most of my few blogging friends have been tagged so I'll choose Amy Johnson, Jesi Taylor and Kristy Soffe and the rest of you are off the hook!

GOOD FOOD - GOOD FRIENDS

As many of you know, I really like to cook and to learn and share new recipes. I figured I might as well use this blog to share some of my favorite recipes with my friends and family. Some of them will be healthy and others will taste really good. Every once in a while there will be one that accomplishes both of these things--those are the real winners. This particular recipe falls only under the "tastes good" category, but it is REALLY good! Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning. Enjoy...


PS: Thank my sister Amy. It is actually her recipe.

Victorian French Toast

1 loaf french bread
1 stick butter
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C Karo Syrup (light)
10 Eggs
2 C Milk
2 tsp. Vanilla

Melt butter, brown sugar, Karo syrup in a 9X13 glass baking dish @ 250. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.
Slice french bread and set aside
Beat eggs, Milk, and vanilla
When butter mixture is melted, place bread on top of mixture
Pour egg mixture over bread and sprinkle with Cinnamon
Cover with foil and refrigerate over night
Bake 1 hour @ 350. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve

BABY BLESSING

We blessed our sweet little baby on Sunday. It was a great day. The Cannon family made the trip from Winnemucca and Jimmy and Shaquel even came up from Mesquite. My family came from Salt Lake--which I thought would be a challenge for 9am church, but they even arrived early. We had a nice time (I was a little stressed) but it was nice to have everyone there for Lydia's special day. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of great pictures, but let's face it --when you have a 2 month old baby in a pure white dress, time is not on your side. The blessing was beautiful-- Gary did a great job. The best comment of the day was from Carter. When we were sitting in the chapel, he turned around and said to me "ANNIE! That dress is way to big for her!" I got a good chuckle out of that. I explained to him that it was supposed to be that way, but he wasn't buying it. Thanks to all of our family for your support.

Face Book for Old People

I was talking to my 19 year old cousin tonight. My sister and I were telling her about our blogs. She turned to her older sister (25) and said, "ya, you should do a blog, it's like face book for older people." She went on to say "My Space is for high schoolers, Face book is for her age, and Blogs are for old people." So, it's official! We're old people. Just thought you should know!

Some Traditions Never Die

This Halloween night was spent doing the same thing I have done since I can remember! We've had a long standing tradition of having all of our family over for dinner and trick-or-treating at my parents house (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.). This year was no different. We have a wonderful meal of sloppy joes, carrots & celery, chips and desserts (always the same menu!) Then we go out and trick-or-treat through the neighborhood --yes the adults. No we don't ask for candy anymore but we all go out with the kids (the great grandmas stay behind to give out candy). This is such a fun tradition for our family. It does leave us feeling a little guilty about not being home to hand out candy. You can see the photo--I was able to solve that little problem this year. Hope you enjoy these pictures of our fun time! PS: Did you know you could make sloppy joes without manwich--my mom left the task to me and gave me the recipe: hamburger, tomato paste, water, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, and garlic--way better than manwich!

All Dressed up and...finally somewhere to go!

Lydia and I went back to church today for the first time since August (Dad is still on a hiatus for the deer hunt--but a man's gotta put food on the table, right?!?!) Anyway, the two of us were a little slow getting there as we had an all night party and therefore decided to sleep in a little :) But it was so nice to be back and to see everyone. This dress was a gift from a neighbor friend and I love it but I've been worried she'd out-grow it before we made it back to church. Luckily it still fits--just had to leave the top button undone to make room for those extra chins.

Our visit to The High Desert

Most have driven through on their way to California and other exciting places, but only a few can claim Winnemucca, Nevada as their home! Gary is one of those lucky few. It's actually a fun place for us to go and relax! We had a great time and Lydia got to meet her aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time. Everyone was so excited to see her. Aunt Steph even came in from Reno to spend the weekend. Gary was able to get some hunting in even though the extremely dry weather has made it a slow season for birds. I mostly relaxed and spent time with Lydia and my four wonderful sisters-in-law and Grandpa Cannon. Who, by the way, loves his new baby granddaughter and is very sweet with her. On Sunday we made a huge birthday dinner for Aunt Jen (we all ate WAY too much), but it was delicious! We decided to head east on Monday and come home. We realized that what used to be an extremely boring five hour drive , is now a more eventful six hour drive with a few extra stops for feeding and diaper changes!

"Ask and ye shall receive"

Sis wasn't satisfied with the Ugly Betty photo so I've gone ahead and thrown out the window any pride I had left and here you have it...me, the brace face!

Lesson Learned!

The year was 1996. I felt like a new woman as the orthodontist plucked those metal brackets off my teeth one by one. I was excited about my new smile after years of pain ans suffering and resolved to wear my retainer as I was told. I was pretty good about it until the last three years. Sadly, it was lost in one of our moves and my teeth began to shift rapidly.

Needless to say, I found myself back in Dr. Holman's office this week having a new set of braces applied! Luckily this new look will only last a few months. Hopefully the outcome will be worth it! Message to the youth out there: When told to wear the retainer; do so!

"...babies are a great way to start people"

The most noteworthy and exciting news in ours lives as of late (or ever) is the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Lydia Anne! She was born (against her will) on August 31! I was exactly a week past the estimated due date of August 25. But it felt like three weeks late since I was wishfully thinking the entire pregnancy that she would come a good 2 weeks early! Boy was I wrong. I think she would have held out another week or so had we let her! Thank goodness we didn't! She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 21 inches long! She has been such a joy and has already taught me so much! I never thought I would find anything worth waking up at all hours for--but she is worth every sleepless moment.

Gary and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of all of our family, friends, and neighbors...MANY THANKS! We couldn't do it without you!

Old dog New tricks...

OK, I thought my husband was technologically advanced enough to keep us both in "the know", but I guess I was wrong! This blog thing is so cool, but completely unbeknownst to me until just recently! I am so excited to be informed! Thanks (Annie (B) K and Sarah) for sending me links to your darling blogs! I have enjoyed seeing yours and the many others you are linked to. I hope you enjoy ours...