At least it tasted good...

This is what happens when you are not paying attention to the task at hand.

OOPS.

The turkey was accidentally put on the oven rack breast side down.

Once turned over, it had to be cooked another 1.5 hours.

I won't say which one of us flubbed, but who do you suppose is in the picture...?

It didn't quite have the look we were going for, but looks can be deceiving.

Bar none--the best turkey we have ever tasted. The meat was so intensely...turkey flavored.

And the dark meat was so incredibly dark.

Yeah-my descriptions stink. It is what it is. At least I am posting something.

Caught!

She hasn't seemed to realize that the roost is for roosting.

And the nest boxes are for nesting. As in laying eggs.

 There is always an egg on the floor. 

Right under the roost. 

Then again, maybe she doesn't give a flying leap about the rules.

And just in case you were wondering-Yes. She does have a dirty face.

The girls had just finished a morning snack, and this gal clearly enjoyed the plate du jour.

B-Day #5

The "baby" of our family is five now.

When did our little 6# 6 oz bundle grow up?

 Birth Mom Danielle came for the festivities. T-Man was so excited for her to come!

 Requisite Costco birthday cake.

 Hot Wheels track from G&G "J".
Note the 3-D glasses. Those went with the bug book they sent, not the car set!

And the Hot Wheels track results:

Yup. It's a hit.

CHX

Did You Know That Chickens...

...will love you forever and ever...?

JUST DON'T FORGET THEIR TREATS!!!

Ours squabble over grapes and tomatoes. They go nuts over them.

Of course, they go nuts over nuts too. And cheese. And melons. And pepperoni. And...

Yes. I did say pepperoni.

I know. They are so spoiled. But they are good little girls. 

Up to 20 eggs a day now!

Waiting impatiently for their treats-

What are you looking at???

The gold-laced wyandotte's beautiful coloring:

The best part about having chickens? Seeing how happy these guys are around them-

Popcorn?

We have been ordering through this co-op lately.

One of our items was baby Indian corn.

We followed their suggestion to try popping an ear in a paper bag in the microwave.

We all had a few giggles when Matt opened the bag:

Halloween Package

The boys were uber excited for the Halloween package they got in the mail from Grandpa and Grandma J.
It took more than a little restraint for them to not rip open the box while Kalvin read the note!

Somehow, they managed for 30 seconds.
And no longer.

Thanks G&G J! 

Random Thoughts

We don't get too much of the Q-word around our house.

Especially with this guy:

He was so focused on the book that he never knew I took a pic.

We had our ward "Trunk or Treat" Friday night. 

There was a chili, cornbread, and cobbler potluck, games, and the Trunk or Treat.

The boys were in sheer heaven for about three hours.

And they got lots of compliments on their way cheap costumes.

BTW-Notice the paint swatches to the right of the mantel? 

Yeah, I'm going through a decor crisis right now. We are getting a new dark brown rug/carpet for the great room and I am thinking of changing the main paint color as well. Just for the living areas and hallways on the main level.

So...The first color has way too much pink in it, although the pic makes it even more so. 

#2 is a fantastic color, but probably too much dark going on with a dark rug.

#3 is really good. Seems a bit chameleon in color, kind of like the existing "peanut" color. There are green undertones to this gray/beige. It is a PB color called "Bennington Gray".

#4-A perfect beige. 

Do I want a perfect beige or a hint of green going on? I am probably going to replace the golden backsplash in the kitchen with a glassy green tile to match better with the verde fire island:

My big dilemma right now is wanting to have a more timber frame and cozy feel in the house. We don't get that too much with all the white trim. Debating on adding some wood trim accents to the kitchen and living area ceilings, or around the windows.

Who knows? Maybe that rug will do the trick? 

I'm excited to get it in the house sometime this week!

Getting in/out of town these days is always an adventure.

Our road, AKA the local dirt pit-

 We're never entirely sure where to drive, as it changes every day and hour by hour. 

Can we say obstacle course?!?

Luckily, it didn't deter our major delivery last week:

As you can see...It was worth it!