4th Annual Peanut Butter Party

As you loyal friends know by now, November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month! YAY!!!!

So, it is time for the 4th Annual Peanut Butter Party!

The party will be at my place, Wednesday the 18th, at 7pm. All are invited. Please bring:

Food with peanut butter in it, or something best served with peanut butter on it.

Please refrain from bringing a dessert (not that anyone will stop you if you do...but try to be creative.)

If you need some ideas, just look online or ask me!

Let me know if you're coming.


SPECIAL INTRACONTINENTAL edition!
For all my friends out there who live far away and can't make it to the party itself, cook up something peanut buttery and send me a picture so I can put it on my blog! Or put it on your own blog to celebrate the month!

Squirrel of the Week

I found this one on a picture site I follow. Love it.

Tawnya and John

Over a month ago, I took pictures for Tawnya and John, who were sealed in the Orlando temple on their one year anniversary. Sorry it took so long to post. Anyhow...here are some of the pics.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

I think I am in love with Animal Kingdom. I could live there.


I have no idea what they were looking at.










I had a telephoto lens attachment to my prime lens, and I love the blurred effect around the edges.




My two favorite parts: Expedition Everest and Ice Cream.










Best group shot ever.






We went down the slide in the kids' area.

Dear Sam,

This is the only picture I had of you from that night I "took all those pictures" of you. Sorry, but I think you were avoiding the camera all night.




Here is the one of Doug you wanted from the same evening.


Sorry Doug.

Love,
Skoticus

Chili Deluxe

The idea was to create a fancy nacho plate. So I fried some corn tortillas, and instead of breaking them into chips, layered them and put the cheese between them. Topped them with the homemade chili, more cheese, and a few jalapenos.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Surprises

1.
I've been studying for the GRE of late. Surprisingly, I find the fill in the blank sections to be oddly fulfilling. Who would have thought so much personal satisfaction could be gotten from vocabulary?

I am secretly looking forward to studying for the math section.


2.
Last night, while I was tie dying t-shirts on the pool deck, the sky turned the most beautiful shade of blue I have ever seen in my life. Seriously, blue, bright blue, but somehow dark as well because it was sunset. The clouds were a vibrant shade of pink, and then shifted to a deep, deep yellow-gold. The large storm cloud above us soaked up and reflected the golden light, giving everything a radiant, cinematic glow. The magic lasted for about five minutes, and I wanted to just stop and stare at the sky, but the two bikini-clad teenagers only wanted to do their tie dye, and wouldn't turn around to look at the sunset quickly disappearing behind them.

Fun Team

I found a disposable camera in my closet, and I couldn't remember why I had it. So I took it to work one day, to capture the FUN TEAM in action. Now you can see what I do at work. The fact that the name of the camera was the Kodak FunSaver was ever more apropos.

A note: The film prints came out great...the digital versions are poor. So sad. I am also a little ashamed of the number of times my finger got in the picture. Oh the woes, the joys of disposable cameras.

I painted the cat mask for a sample craft. I named the cat "Spooks."

The feet picture wasn't even my idea. I swear.

The squirrels won't eat the popcorn, which makes me question it.

We were dancing. Blame it on the Boogie.

Possibly the best part of movie night is the clean up, like rolling over the screen to deflate it.

Big turnout for Bingo.

Yes Please.

http://www.handlebarclub.co.uk/wbmchomef.html

Conference Weekend

Well, it was Conference Weekend, which means all the LDS YSAs get together to party and hear the word of the Lord. Here is how we spent the times between sessions.

Saturday: Picnic!

Sunday: Ward Lunch!

This is my favorite picture from the whole weekend, Stone learning the hymns.

That is Sam in the background. She's getting baptized tomorrow. Congrats.

Sunday Evening: Sunset and then party

Monday: Sunrise at Cocoa Beach!

McKayla, Bryce, Shelly, Valerie, Brad, Doug

Bird Man!

It was a good weekend.

Mi compañero de cuarto

Luis de Panama

Food I have made in the last month or so

Red Bean cake tostadas


Roast squash, spinach & pepper garam masala w/ lentils


Open-faced caprese on homemade wheat bread


Scones


Pancake, with crop circle

Caprese on sour dough

Potato and brocoli skillet

Squirrel of the Week

Thanks to Monique for providing the Squirrel of the Week!

This picture was taken by Monique's friend, or "my Korean" as she refers to him. He came to the United States to study English, and she was his tutor/friend during that time. He took this picture during his time here in the states.

Asian Lunch

Last Sunday (make that two Sundays ago) Stone made a Chinese lunch for the missionaries, Jennlyn, and me.



Stone made the two on the plate in the front and the soup in the back. Jennlyn (who is from the Philipines) made the lumpia (egg rolls) and the noodles, and I made the lentils in the pot on the left. It was a good lunch.

Downtown Disney Double Date

The Movies











Ghiradelli's






































Downtown












(I put the eyeballs in the skulls for the pictures. I like to think that the employee who found them and had to take them all out was just as amused as I was.)

Squirrel of the Week

I Dream of Squirrel

I found the following in a dream interpretation website

To see squirrels in your dream, signifies that you are involved in a loveless or pointless relationship or an unprofitable business project. Alternatively, seeing a squirrel in your dream suggests that you are hoarding something. You are holding on to too much and need to learn to let go. Or it could mean that you need to reserve something.

To dream that you are trying to run over squirrels with a lawn mower, suggests that you are trying to change your beliefs or alter your ideas in order to conform to others. You are seeking some form of acceptance.

To dream that you are feeding a squirrel, denotes comfort through hard work, diligence and prudence.

Just one more reminder that you should feed the squirrels, and not try to kill them with lawnmowers.

Photo practice, Squirrel of the Week

I have had my telephoto lens since I got my camera, but haven't used it much, since the other lens was so handy. But I thought that there was probably much to be learned, so I went for a walk with only my telephoto lens, just to see what would happen.

Here are some of the results, inluding this week's Squirrel of the Week!


The first one is my fav of the squirrel.




Many people feel anger towards squirrels who use bird feeders as their own. But squirrels don't even know they're stealing. The good news is that Kathy, the nice lady who put up the feeder, told me she puts it there for the birds as well as the squirrels. So all are welcome. The birds stay on the ground though, and feed on the ample amount of seeds that the squirrels drop from above.



This side by side shows the same shot, but with a different focus.


Later (with my normal les) I went to the pool to work on my tan and get cooled off.

Inventory

Things are going great at the resort. Things are slow this time of year, but nice, too. The weather is getting cooler, the rain less stormy. The guests are much less energetic, and the downtime gives us a chance to breath and look around, to explore the closets and take an inventory, literally and figuratively.

Of the literal inventory, I did some last night. I was asked to count and make a list of the snowcone syrups. I expected the normal flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Watermelon, etc. But found none of those. Instead I found a wide collection of some of the most obscure flavors I have ever heard for snowcones.

Egg Custard
Caramel Apple Pecan
Chocolate Fudge
Rarpberry Lemon (not a typo)
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Fireworks
Rock and Roll

I think from the smell that the Fireworks flavor was cinammon, but I couldn't begin to guess what the Rock and Roll flavor might be.

Just a few random pictures

In other news, I am trying to be a writer again. Last week I worked on some old drafts of some essays and sent them out to a bunch of journals. I started writing some new essays, too, but then decided I needed inspiration, so I broke out the Charles Lamb and Montaigne, and am currently working on refamiliarizing myself with the classics.