Table for Eight

This weekend really got me into the spirit of Halloween. Why? 1. Our daughter, Papaya, dressed as a witch for one of her parties. (And nothing says Halloween more  than a kiddo dressed as a witch.) 2. We went to an awesome neighborhood Halloween Carnival--where they had a cake walk, "fishing for toys," donut on a string competition, potato sack races, face-painting . . . chili and cornbread. I felt like I was on the set of Happy Days, it was so cool. (Thanks Bluerock crew.) 3. Dave-man took the kids to his work for the annual Halloween Haunt. He works for an awesome company (Adobe/PDF peeps) and they go all-out for Halloween. The different departments compete against one another . . . for 5K in gift certificates/prizes. Isn't that awesome? 4. I made my acorn squash recipe.  (Bacon, brown sugar, and acorn squash. This sidedish makes me feel like a pilgrim. Though I doubt they had brown sugar or sliced...

My pumpkin carving skills have not improved since I was age 6. Whatcha doin' for Halloween weekend? Me?  Well, here's what we've got planned so far: --Visit Dave-man's work and see their Halloween display. (IT people love their Halloween.) --Take the Haunted Train through Provo Canyon. --Stop by a haunted house where our oldest is working. --Make some bread (with orange swirls). --Go to a neighborhood carnival. --Stop by Club Dead (a "grown-up" party--great name, no?). --Get 6 kiddos' outfitted for their various parties. (Six! These are the times when we say, "Wow, that's six costumes, six pumpkins, six trick-or-treat routes, etc.")  --Have a jack-o-lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's. --Start to make an advent/countdown calendar for Christmas. (Using part of the candy the kids collect on Halloween night. My friend Christine gave me this idea, so you can spread out the candy consumption.) Have a great Hallowe...

(C) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. I'm a little late posting today--because it was a LONG night and an even longer morning . . . Lots of emails, phone calls, and questions about last night's CRAZY episode of Survivor South Pacific. You're right: that was ONE CRAZY episode. Everything about it was CRAZY. The challenge. The different tribe's approaches to the game. The tribal council. Everything. Really, it was just jaw-dropping for me. And I lived it. Here are two deleted scenes that explain how Keith and I were feeling about that challenge/time: http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2160637912/survivor-south-pacific-i-m-not-happy http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2160637941/survivor-south-pacific-it-was-miserable And these are some additional CBS photos from the challenge. PS: I still think it's an epic Survivor challenge. I loved running it. (Not the outcome, but the running part.) PPS: Keith, tell your mom I'm sorry your bum h...

Jim and Whitney. (C) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. I can't wait for tonight's episode of Survivor South Pacific: Trojan Horse. If you liked last week's challenge, with the coconut smashing and Transformer-inspired wheelbarrow, then you will love this week's challenge. It's classic Survivor: Water. Sand. Those rope knots. Puzzle pieces. Tribal garb. Oh, and blindfolds. (Awesome.) Here's a sneak peak at Savaii right before the challenge: Savaii pre-challenge. I think we look pretty bad-butt. Don't you? (And I love how Jim looks Samoan standing next to Cochran.) (C) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011.  And here are some additional photos from the CBS Survivor website ( www.cbs.com ). These are listed under the Episode 6 section. Each time I look at photos from the game, I'm reminded of just how beautiful Samoa/South Pacific is. Holy beautiful. PS: I'm also reminded of just how fortunate I am to hav...

Keith, Me, Ozzy, Whit, Jim, and Cochran. (C) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. Before the Challenge for Episode 7 of Survivor South Pacific. I think I mentioned this last week, but I am so excited to watch this week's episode of Survivor South Pacific--because I didn't get to watch the challenge when it happened real-time. Why? Was I sitting out? Heck no! I was blindfolded. And tethered to Keith (Eeek!). Flexible Keith and Me. (C) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. It's really an incredible challenge. It involves blindfolds and water and sand . . . and if you're a long-time Survivor fan like me, that's YOUR kind of challenge. And if you are the kinda person who loves "all-things Survivor," then here's this week's Challenge Preview from Jeff Probst himself. SPOILER ALERT--If you don't want to know anything about the challenge before it airs, maybe skip this clip. http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2159404400/survivor-so...

Thanksgiving is ONE month away. I can't believe it. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays--and not just because I heart turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pie--but because I think it's such a good idea to take a timeout from the busy-ness of life and give thanks for all the good in your life, your family, your country . . . .   And this year has been extra special for our family (with Survivor, family/friends helping while I was away, etc.), I want to make sure our family REALLY does give extra special thanks for the goodness that's been shared with us. So, beginning today (the one month countdown), we are going to keep a "Things I'm Grateful For" list with our kids. Nothing too fancy (although I like fancy), just a simple list where we can share the things we are grateful for (*yes, I'm ending a sentence with "for"). See . . . I'm hoping this list will help me--and our kiddos--see that our life truly is blessed. Not perfe...

(C) CBS, Survivor South Pacific, 2011. PS: With thanks to SurvivorFever.net for the video capture. Shown here: Ozzy, finding his own moment of quiet. One of the greatest lessons I learned this summer was how important it is to give yourself time to just be still and feel the quiet. No cellphone. No computer. No TV. No being in four places at the same time. Granted, this was easy to do when I was desserted on an island. BUT, I still try to keep this practice in my regular life here in Utah. And it's really remarkable how happy I feel when I do this. Happy weekend everyone. I Hope you are able to find your own moment of quiet. 8) PS: Even though I don't do regular posts on the weekend, I do update The Recipe of the Week tab/page. Here you'll find some of our family's favorite things to make and EAT. Sidenote: We are making this week's recipe tonight:

Our favorite pumpkin patch, 6 years counting. Our lives are pretty Survivor-focused right now (and have been, really, for over a year--because I began training for the show/game in April of 2010). And while all of the Survivor Fun IS fun, I am still trying to keep our lives focused on family and the kids. So, what better way to take a time-out from Mom's On TV and Trying to Win a Million Dollars than to stop at the local pumpkin patch and spend some family time in the sunshine, running through corn mazes and picking out  jack-o-lanterns. Right? Pumpkins. Corn Mazes. They have nothing to do with Survivor. Or so I thought. Because upon arrival at said-pumpkin patch, three of our daughters start whoop-whooping (yes, it runs in family): "Mom, they have wheelbarrows . . . want us to show you how to work one?" It's like a wheelbarrow graveyard. Wheelbarrows everywhere! Really? Does the first place I go--day after the Fred Flintstone-lik...