S'mores, Halloween, Bones, Kids' Stuff, and Survivor Philippines!

A modern take on s'mores.

Okay, first things first: YOU HAVE TO MAKE THESE updated S'mores. We got the recipe from a Halloween magazine and tried them Monday. They. Are To. Die. For.

And ... so simple to make! 

1. Just use graham crackers (chocolate or regular).
2. Add a spoonful of Nutella to the graham.
3. Add a spoonful of marshmallow fluff (aka "heaven").
4. Smoosh the two grahams together and Ta-Da!
5. Oh, and roll the edges in sprinkles if you like.

Our family loved these (so much so, that our teenage boys snuck the ingredients downstairs and ate them as a midnight snack!)

Anyway, it's such an easy/fun recipe--I don't know that I will be making traditional s'mores for a long long time. These rock.


Okay, and here are some other random things I wanted to share from this past week. (Time feels like it's moving at warp speed! For you, too?)

1. Pumpkin Man.

Art with a sense of humor. This welded Metal Man turns into Pumpkin Man here in our neighborhood each Fall.
And we love it--because normally Metal Man is just there as a piece of industrial/outdoor art.
(A really cool piece of industrial/outdoor, PS.)

2. The Salt Lake Temple.

This past Sat/Sunday our church held a world-wide religious service/conference in Salt Lake City. People from all over the world came. Our family was able to be there on Sunday and it was a beautiful day.
October has been good to us here in Utah. Not too cold yet.
(PS: I think most of you know, but we're Mormon. Tee hee.)

3. Papa Murphy's Jack o' Lantern pizzas.

We love our local Papa Murphy's Pizza (Hi Deanne!). Their food is amazing (take and bake pizzas, but their people are even more amazing. I think we've been going there for over 3 years and many of the employees feel like true friends.)
But my point, if you live near a PM, get one of the Halloween Pizzas. So fun.

4. Zu's Birthmom, Amy.

Our second to youngest daughter made this card for her birthmom, Amy. All on her own. Amy lives a few states away, so we were in heaven when she sent this photo to show us the card made it!
(PS: We have so much love for our kids' bio parents. They are definitely all major influences in our lives and so good to us.)

5. Church Ball. Volleyball, that is.

Bam and Papaya are playing volleyball for our ward/church this season. They've won several times and told me, "we are so good, it's like the other teams don't even show up!"
Translation = they've had two teams forfeit for literally "not showing up." (Bummer.)

6. Weird Science.

We try to do a science experiment each week ... because our kids all love science. (Remind me to tell you about our egg fiasco yesterday.) But my point! This one is called "Rubber Bones" and we were studying the effect of acid/vinegar on bones. Note to self: Never soak in a vinegar bath. Eeek! Here, Jr. and Lu prepare the chicken bone and add vinegar.

"Dr. zee bone is ready for observation."

"How long will it take. Days, months, years?"

Justification that I don't sit in bed dreaming of these experiments on my own. See, they're in a book! Ha ha ha.

7. Random Tip.

During one of our experiments we learned that if you cap the end of a straw while you try to puncture your Capri Sun, McDonald's lid, or even a potato, the straw is nearly unbreakable. The air you trap in the straw reinforces the straw. Cool beans, huh?

And finally ... let's talk Survivor Philippines!

Cast of Survivor Philippines (S25). (c) CBS, Monty Brinton.

Here are my random thoughts:

1) I think the cast is great this season. 
There are so many people to root for, so many interesting personalities, and so many strong women. I think casting did a great job with this group!

2) I can't imagine what it would be like to play w/ 3 tribes.
I mean Matsing's tribe is dwindling so quickly. It would be so weird to be on Day 9 in the game and have only 3 remaining tribe members. (If you think you're lonely with 9 tribemates, try 3. I think that would add a lot of stress and paranoia to the game.)

3) I really like the red/yellow tribes.
And for the life of me, I can't remember their tribe names. I think both of those tribes must be feeling pretty confident at this stage in the game. 

BUT, after playing the game myself, I know that while going to Tribal Council is painful, it also keeps your head in the game. You realize, "Hay, I could be next." So, I think it's a blessing and a curse to go on a winning streak in this game. I'll be curious to see if the blue tribe wins immunity this week now that they're down to their really STRONG players (Denise, Malcolm and Russell all look so muscular!)

4) I was sad to see Angie go.
She's from my homestate and also shares my same faith. She's a really sweet girl. I wish she had been on a different tribe--I think she'd still be in it if so.

5) I love the challenges this season.
Water. Water. Water. I love it!

6) Is it just me, or is it raining a lot?
Survivor is such a difficult game to play ... in the sunshine. But add rain and it's literally a near-impossible game to play. That rain can play tricks on your mind (no sleep, no dry clothes, no fire, no water to boil, no rice = PAINFUL). I'm surprised they didn't have anyone quit due to the stress of the rain.

7) My favorites so far.
Dawson, Dana, Penner, Skupin, RC, Lisa, Malcolm, and Denise.

If you're watching, what are your thoughts this season?