VOODOO

doughnut challenge is a must with out of town visitors. $4 for 80 seconds of fun.
The doughnuts are the size of a plate and equivalent to six full size donuts.

We had a confident group of doughnut eaters.
No one was able to beat the clock. Maybe next time?

PS - Who can resist a photo booth?

LILY LOVE

She's stolen our hearts.
Don't let this cute face fool you, she has some naughty moments. We are working on that.

WRESTLE-MANIA

has been going on at our lair.
This lone gal wishes she could be a Fiona- Sarah- Parker hybrid and kick some boy butt.

LIMBER IS A TALENT

and it's a talent I don't have, however, Erica and Laird were able to do some yoga/cirque du soleil moves with Adam.How limber are you?
PS - Isn't Erica a rockstar!!

ICE CREAM CAKE

was the wish from our birthday boy.And one of his wishes, an ice cream cake eating contest.

1st place - Adam
2nd place - Landon
3rd place - Grandpa Ivon

and luckily, none of the participants got an ice cream headache.

Ice Cream Cake

24 ice cream sandwiches
16 oz Cool Whip
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Caramel
Toffee Bars, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk until combined.
In a 9x13, place 12 ice cream sandwiches. Spread half of whipped cream mixture on top. Place remaining 12 ice cream sandwiches on top and spread remaining whipped cream mixture. Freeze until ready to eat.
Drizzle with caramel and chopped toffee bars and serve.

HAPPY WEEKEND

Hope it's fun filled!

HANGING BEDS

via the bumper crop

I know some boys that would love to have a room inspired by this. Genius!

IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY TO

celebrate Larry J's birthday.

Larry J is so anxious to drive and he's almost there!
He is a great example to his younger brothers, is loving, kind, interesting and very interested if it has to do with cars, music or money, is smart, funny, caring and is a wonderful son.

HAPPY 15th LARRY!

WE LOVE YOU!!

SHE JUMPED!

It's not her day for a bath, but wanted to play with the wee-est, so she jumped.

POSTCARDS FROM ITALY

Postcards From Italy from ForYouLoveMe on Vimeo.

Doesn't this video make you want to do something fun and creative?!

I love this short video of this darling couple.

NO SHAVE NOVEMBER

is half over!
15 more days and counting....

I'M HIGH ON FLOWERS,

Brandon Flowers, that is. What an awesome concert!
In September Larry bought us tickets to see Brandon Flowers playing at the Roseland and the night finally came! The energy in the theater was exhilarating! Larry and I have had some awesome date nights and this one is definitely one of the best!We were front and center and it was so much fun! Fran Healy opened and oh my goodness is he funny and he had great music!
The only thing I would have changed about the evening is not to have to take photos with my phone - I wish I could have had my real camera with me!
I just have to say it one more time - the concert was awesome, awesome, AWESOME!!

IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY TO

celebrate Erica's birthday!
Erica is beautiful on the inside and out, she is kind, thoughtful, loving, funny, spiritual, creative, she treats people of all ages with respect, she's interesting and interested, admirable, grateful, incredibly talented, a very wise soul, a yoga master and a hip, cool chic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICA!

HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER DONUTS

Donut Mixture

1 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
4 TBSP unsalted butter (see note below)
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk (see note below)
6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Finishing Mixture

1 cup sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon

Combine sugar/cinnamon ingredients for finishing donuts in a paper bag, shake to mix and set aside.

Bring cider to a boil over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Let it cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine baking powder, salt, 1 cup of flour, cinnamon and sugar. In a small bowl combine butter, eggs, and cooled cider. Add cider mixture to flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined. Dough will be sticky. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Heat oil to 375. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out donuts and holes. We don't have donut cutters, so we used a plastic cup and turkey baster.

Slide donuts, one at time, into the hot oil. They will rise after 1 minute, turn them over and fry 1 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels for 1 minute. Place them in the paper bag and shake to coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

I think they are best served warm.

**To make them vegan, I substituted the egg for Energ G egg replacer and the butter for Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.

WHEN I SAW THIS GARDEN BENCH

turned into a coffee table last summer, I knew I wanted a coffee table inspired after it.
Larry made me one and brought it home last night.

He attached the top with piano hinges and made the base deeper so we would have extra storage.

My favorite part of the coffee table is the top is made from old barn wood that is at least 100 years old. I love how the bolt holes were not filled in - you can see right through to the floor.
Larry knows me so well.

LET ME GIVE YOU THE 411

Thanks for all the kind emails and comments regarding Lily. We are getting a lot of questions, so here are answers to our top ten Lily questions.

1. How do you pronounce her breed?

Lily is a Coton de Tulear - pronounced ko-tone-day-too-lay-are.

2. Your thought process of getting a dog is crazy.

Crazy to some but jumping in with two feet is how my brain works. I know I've been a scaredy cat for along time, but it really is as simple as deciding to conquer a fear and going for it. I am still quaking in my boots around dogs but I am a definitely a Lily lover and I know I'll get better with other dogs with time.

3. I have never heard of that breed.

A Coton de Tulear is a rare pure bred dog and is actually the official dog of Madagascar . We hadn't heard of the breed either until our brother and sister-in-law got the adorable Mary Jane. After I took some dog compatibility quizzes, we okay-ed it with them to be copy cats. We are so excited for Mary Jane and Lily to meet!

4. How big will she get?

From what I understand, Lily will not get larger than 15 pounds.

5. Did you really drive two states away to get her?

We sure did!

6. Is her nose in the shape of a heart?

Lily isn't "show quality" (we could care less about that) due to pigment on her nose. The pigment made an imperfect heart. You know me well if you know how I feel about love and what better way to scream love than a heart shaped nose!

7. Is she house trained?

Nope, thank heavens we have hard wood floors!

8. Is she missing her mom?

Nope, when we picked her up she was sad to leave her brother. Now she has 4 brothers so luckily that didn't last long.

9. Is she attached to one of the boys?

Hope you're sitting - she's attached to ME. I know it's crazy to think of me as a pack leader (yes, I have been watching The Dog Whisperer). Hopefully I won't screw up!

10. How's it going and any regrets?

I am adjusting fine, actually better than expected. And no, no regrets whatsoever. I can get new hallway doors next year.

THIS IS WHAT'S GOING ON AT OUR HOUSE

WE HAVE DISCOVERED SOMETHING

around here....

Happiness is a warm puppy. ~Charles M. Schulz