Holly Homemaker

I want to thank you personally for coming to my blog on your own without hitting the google reader first.  Don't worry this is not going to last. But I will post multiple times a week(as long as I have something to post) so when you check routinely if I updated, I will have! I hate being private, I really do.Besides, how long did I need to wait to get everyone's emails- I know I left a few people out but I don't know their emails!  I'll keep writing my braces forum friends emails until they delete it off of there.  They are ignoring me, can you believe it?!

Well, anyways- so I'm crazy and enjoy cooking as many of you know.  No don't worry this isn't another post about making dog treats since I know I was mocked brutally by a select few of you(you know who you are...) I made human food this time.  Or at least I hope it ends up that way....

No, I don't like fruit on most days but ever since a patient brought in many wonderful peaches in for the office to try(I ate them all...) and have now become OBSESSED with them! Didn't make it any better that I've always loved peach flavored things (peach lemonade...yumm...) or the peach jam that was at the Gordon family reunion.  Little did I know it would have created this monster in me. I decided to make my own peach jam.  I got a super easy recipe from my mother in law and have been waiting until I had the time to whip it all up. 

 My grandma provided me with the peaches. She doesn't know that she did but she did.  And I super appreciate it and love that I didn't have to use store bought ones. It's amazing how simple it is...I'm going to become a canning freak! Cause look what those wonderful peaches turned into...

Of course we have to wait 24 hours before we get to see just how skilled I am.  Maybe I shouldn't be so confident because this was definitely foreign terriority for me.  But on the plus side Daren did say it looked exactly like his mom's. He also mocked the apron....we got it as a wedding gift and I had never felt the need to use it until today..I think I rocked it pretty hardcore.....

Now, I know most people become canning people once they have to because of all the wonderful things grown in their garden.  Must be so much more rewarding! One day we'll get there (I'm a convinced woman...Daren is very pleased to hear that we can have a garden...) but in case any of you forgot just how our "garden" is looking currently here is a picture just to prove how bare it is...

Holy Mackrel

Alrighty folks, the day has come that I'm going to go PRIVATE! Why you ask? Check out that last comment in my previous post. Creepy someone from London knowing my dad's a dentist...eww I'm very upset right now!! On my analytics I've been seeing I've some how been tagged on this stupid braces(my claim to fame...awesome...) forum and I'll be completely honest..it really bothered me then. I wrote an email to the company and told them I'm not sure how I'm tagged(most of it is in German...) and that I'm not comfortable with it and to remove my blog IMMEDIATELY. Apparently they're not listening to me...so I'm going to go private for some time. Two can play this game stupid, stupid, stupid forum!! I don't post anything I am ashamed to share with the world I just think once I'm tagged onto something and I don't approve of it being there I should have the control to remove it.

I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE MY READERS. Trust me I am so anti private blogs(no offense to my private bloggers out there) but I'm so mad right now. Send me your emails please please please(even you LOCAL stalkers out there...)

We Have Water!!!!!!!

[not an actual picture]

Can you believe it!?! The time has finally come that our sprinkler system is {practically} completed! No pictures...nothing could do the hard work justice. Don't worry there will be plenty of pictures once it is all done! Aww....doesn't grass sound heavenly?! Thanks to Daren's dad for coming up this weekend and putting in a lot of hard work!

P.S. I apologize to all of you who I did not willingly help work on your yard...I remember when we moved in and everyone talked about how big of a yard we had, how many rocks we had, etc... You don't realize how much work it is until you have to put the work in.

Trout And Berry Days

I had never heard of Trout and Berry Days until a few years ago. Trout and Berry Days is out in Paradise, known for their trout farm(the place Daren guides from time to time) and Weeks Berry farm. They have a lot of activities- parade, trout scramble, mud volleyball, etc- but we only went out for the dinner that night. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this fish Grant cooks up so I had some high expectations....and it did not disappoint!




The line was really long but once the food started to get served they get you in and out. It smelled SOOOO good. I couldn't wait! Daren was really excited to get to see Grant and the other guys who were serving the food.

This was the original plan to celebrate our 3rd Year Anniversary but we ended up being able to celebrate it on Wednesday... Holy Cow, can you believe it?! I tried to get pictures of the two of us but Daren is not really a fan so this is what ya get.

Peanut Butter Fills The Cracks Of The Heart

I get really bored when I'm home alone so I try to keep myself busy [walking the dogs, working out, etc] So, the other night after working out, pulling some massive weeds, and walking the dogs the only thing left to do was finally whip up some dog treats, naturally ;). I'm not a big dog treater, it messes up their bathroom routine, but I found a simple recipe so I went for it.
They were their own little peanut butter cookies. While making them it was awfully tempting every time I had to clean off the spoon to just lick it...but then I remembered that I probably really wouldn't like it. I'm still tempted to eat one of them. With the way my dogs snarf them down they must be super fantastic [I did try to get a picture of them but Meli ran and hid underneath the coffee table so Kona couldn't get it and by the time I even blinked Kona had downed it...] Next time I feel the urge I'll try these meat ones that is slightly more difficult. One day I'll even do vegetable ones...very difficult. But I don't think Kona will eat them, she hates vegetables- she takes after her mama [me]!!!!

...Gotta get a rolling pin and cute cookie cutters...

Gordon's Whereabouts

People out there, we've not fallen off the face of the earth! We're here just nothing too spectacular to post- well there is, just lack of pictures I suppose. Sorry, you guys don't have to read this if you don't want but I think it's pretty great stuff going on hahaha...

-August 6-8- I CAMPED! That's right folks, you read it correctly. I, Erica Gordon, slept outdoors. Ok, not really "outdoors"....Let me explain- Every year the Gordon family has a huge family reunion/grandpa's birthday party down at Skyline(I think that's what it is called) Most years we'd get a hotel room but things were different this year, so me and Daren had decided we were going to stay at his parents house Thursday night. Then leave bright and early Friday morning and head there and plan to leave late that night and drive straight home. Well, when I got home from work on Tuesday night Daren had decided to change the plan and we were going to be sleeping in his parents trailer...*gulp*...I've never been so upset/nervous in my entire life. I know most do not see the big deal in this. But this would be my first time camping in YEARS, little did I want to expose my fear to Daren's ENTIRE family--[They ended up counting there were over 50 people there]-- Of course, Daren went fishing all day long so I was there with his family. This was the first time I really felt like a Gordon. I think in years past I'd had someone who was a friend... and we could just sit there and talk all day but this year it was me all alone. But I really loved it!! I couldn't have asked for a better few days- minus the whole wind storm that had me in tears and sanded my nice beautiful car. What a way to ruin a diet also, but that peach jam/jelly(what is the difference...??) was to DIE for! Happy Birthday to Daren's grandpa, sweetest 84 years old man!

-Night of August 8. Leslie FINALLY got married!!!! I'd been waiting for that reception for a very very long time!!! Leslie is the bride who knows what she wants and how to throw a fantastic party! It was fair themed...seriously- I can't explain how great it was. Carameled apples, churros, snow cones, popcorn- also what a crappy way to stick to a diet- Not to mention dj'd by Al Lewis(famous voice of the Cache Valley radio, he's her uncle) But I think the thing that really made that night super fantastic, was when they decorated their car. No, it wasn't really good- Tyler and Leslie were PISSED(hehehe...) but because that weekend was also the Cache Valley fair their photographer after the reception had made some plans to go get pictures taken. Long story short I got to drive them and help Kellee take their pictures. What an honor, I feel like a celebrity seriously. Moments by Kellee hasn't posted those pictures yet but if you feel so please do, and I REALLY would...check the post of their bridals/groomals Of course, I believe the ones from their wedding night will be outstanding...so check again later to see those ones.

That's all I will share with you for now, this post is too long. So enjoy!

Has My Luck Changed?

As many of you know, I'm a sore loser. I don't do it well, yet I tend to do it ALL the time. I don't win anything, not even stupid bingo at lagoon. So why did I get the urge to enter myself into a giveaway? I don't know! But it did me some good because I won a free photo session from Ashley Mae Photography. I went to school with her and have been following her blog for quite some time. I have never been so excited in my life to win something(probably cause I've never experienced it before) Can I tell you how hard it has been for me to wait until now to tell everyone that I won? I just feel like I spoil most of my blogging subjects before I get to post them, so enjoy!

Do I feel slightly bad that there is probably a "real" family out there who deserved this more than us? Yes. But I think I deserved it a lot too...my dogs deserve to have their faces blown up huge on our walls!

Kona was totally loving all the attention!

Meli will not look at the camera..dang dog

She told me to whisper something dirty in his ear. And you know what Daren said "She doesn't know how to do that"...which if you know me is TOTALLY true- how sad

Ashley, thank you so much for doing this for me! And thanks so much for working with our dogs. I love them...also, thanks for being so fast on them!! They're great!