Category Archives: Fall

Pumpkin Surprise Dessert

The pumpkin pie consistency of this dessert really is a surprise. It’s easy to make and a great alternative to pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Box yellow cake mix (without pudding)
  • 2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) melted butter
  • 4 eggs slightly beaten
  • 1 large can (29oz.) of pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 can evaporated milk (12oz.)
  • 3-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix and beat all ingredients except the cake mix, walnuts & butter.
  3. Pour into 9 x 13 greased pan.
  4. Mix cake mix with the walnuts.
  5. Sprinkle this mix evenly on top of the mix already in the pan.
  6. Drizzle the melted butter on top of this mix.
  7. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Serve warm or cold topped with whip cream or ice cream.
  9. Serves 12-16

The original recipe called for 1-1/2 cups of sugar. I cut down the sugar to 1 cup and substituted brown sugar for the white. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you could use 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cloves.

Maui Day 8 ~ Lu’au

Maui 2026 Finale Travel Journal Post

Since many of the twelve of us had never had a Luau experience Dan made reservations for the Wailele Lu’au held at the Westin Resort. Our two vehicles were filled up for the short drive to the Westin Resort just south of our resort. We waited in line until the venue was ready for us. We were greeted with a beautiful lei greeting and a drink as we were ushered to our seats.

This is the description that the resort gives:

“The island’s most extreme fire knife dance finale” – Staged outdoors amidst a scenic oceanside setting alongside the shores of Ka‘anapali Beach, at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa’s Aloha Pavilion. A spectacular setting to immerse yourself in a pure, Hawaiian experience. Discover the legend of the mischievous demigod Mauiakalana, said to have revealed the secret of fire-making. Wailele Lu‘au takes you on a journey through a time when written language did not exist, the ‘oli (chant) and hula (dance) was a means of preserving the rich fabric of cultural knowledge, keeping our Hawaiian heritage, myths and genealogies alive.”

Before the dinner service and show began we managed to get a family photo by the photographer at the resort. This will probably be our Christmas card and letter photo this year. So if you’ve seen it here before our Christmas greeting reaches you…act surprised.

Since there were 12 of us we were at two tables next to each other.

We enjoyed the views of the sun setting. It was a show within a show. Something we didn’t have to pay for.

Birthdays and Anniversaries were honored, so our two 40 year olds stood up. Katie and Jamie were born about 19 days apart.

The Lu’au included an all you can eat dinner buffet and dessert offerings along with a generous offering of drinks.

It was an entertaining show. On the way out of the resort we had a few more photo ops.

Our sweet Lei Princess!

And that was the end of our last full day in Maui.

On Friday morning the 9th of October we were all packing up to get ready for our drive to the airport and flights home. I was on the deck taking in the morning view one last time when I looked over to our next door families deck and saw Addy’s decorations.

 

Thank you, LORD, for allowing us the privilege of this family vacation enjoying each other and your beautiful creation of the Island of Maui framed by the mighty Pacific Ocean and the sky above that proclaims your handiwork. We are forever grateful to You for your love and mercy and grace poured out abundantly on us.

Aloha and Mahalo Maui!

 

Hello November Hodgepodge

Hello November Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce, for a fresh set of questions!

1. Our  November Hodgepodges always include a question related to gratitude. What is one small thing you’re grateful for today? 

Since you said small, I’ll say thank you, Lord, for weather that makes a hot shower feel so good.

2. Chrysanthemums-pansies-burning bush-ornamental cabbage-camellias…your favorite in an autumn garden? Would we find any of these in your yard/garden this year? 

Pansies, pansies and more pansies (or Johnny jump ups). These are in Autumn and Spring!

3. If you could clear out or organize one physical space or mental habit before the year ends, what would it be?

I feel like a broken record but it would be our outdoor planters. I need to cut back the lavender and trim all the dead stuff. Time will tell if I put it off till early Spring.

4. Brussel sprouts…love ’em or no thank you? If you said love ’em how do you like them prepared? 

Love’em steamed or roasted, simple or fancy.

5. It’s reassuring to know that____________________. 

It is reassuring to know that God is compassionate. God cares for His children and acts on their behalf.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Tomorrow we mark a special anniversary in our family…

November 5th is the 4th anniversary of Greg’s stroke. We remember, remember, the 5th of November for our own personal reasons. Our friends in Britain are having bon fires for another reason. We continue to thank our Lord for sparing Greg’s life and allowing us more years together on this earth. We both trust the Lord with the timing of our ‘going home’ to be with Him. Until then, we want to live the abundant life God is gracious to give us.

From November of 2022…

 

October Finale

We were so happy to make our yearly tradition of conquering the Corn Maze again this year. Thanks to Uncle Josh and Auntie LoLo for driving over for the weekend events! They arrived on Friday afternoon and we were at the Maze at 4pm.

We took some time to treat the local animals.

We had dry skies and sunshine that made our trek more enjoyable.

We made it to marker 9, only one more to go. Addy did an exceptional job of leading us through the maze this year.

Once we made it out of the maze it was time for the Grands to pick their pumpkins to carve.

One more stop first to give the horses some more green grass.

From the Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch we gathered at our Country Bungalow for soup and sour dough and brownies. We played a hilarious game of King Elephant that had us all laughing till we cried!

Saturday morning Addy had a basketball double header.

JJ keeps score and helps with any back issues. 🙂

From our double header we went to an open house to help celebrate Granny Great’s 85th birthday. I did not take any photos…and on the subject of photos, most of these were taken by Auntie LoLo and some by Uncle Joshie.

Time to get ready for the last event of day which was the Fall Fest at our church, First Baptist Colville.

The eagle and the pineapple. They are such good sports!

Our Colville kids’ costumes were as clever as ever. Do you agree?

We heard that there were 1500 attendees at the Fall Fest! Hats off to the many volunteers who make this event such a success.

It was a full day! October ended well.

Sunday morning we filled a row at church for a glorious time of worship with communion, in remembrance of what Our Savior did for us.

A great start to November.

 

A Golden Hodgepodge

Got leaves? We chased down some golden hues of Autumn this past Saturday.

And just like that it’s the last Hodgepodge of October. Thank you, Joyce!

1. What most recently gave you goose bumps? 

There have been a few nights in the last couple of weeks that our night sky has put on an amazing show of stars. With no street lights or big city close by we enjoy stars in such an amazing display it will give you goose bumps. I could never be able to capture the sight in a photo.

‘In the stars His handiwork I see’, did any of you sing that song in the late sixties or early seventies?

The stars, a glorious sunrise or sunset turns my mind to their creator, the one true God.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3

Who are these like stars ap­pear­ing,
These be­fore God’s throne who stand?
Each a gold­en crown is wear­ing;
Who are all this glo­ri­ous band?
Alleluia! Hark, they sing,
Praising loud their heav’n­ly king.

2. What does Halloween look like in your home and/or neighborhood these days? Do you participate? 

These days the only trick or treaters we get are our favorites, our Grands. We live in the country on a road that does not have lights and where there are acres between homes. That is not conducive to having trick or treaters. We get special treats for our Grands and always love to see their creative costumes.

Our church has a very popular Harvest Festival with Trunk or Treating and we have had up to 1500 from our community come to enjoy the creative trunk or treats, the smores, hot chocolate and indoor bouncy houses. Our church membership donate up to 500 pounds of candy for this event. We always include a handout with a clear presentation of the Gospel.

3. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia…your favorite seed on the list? What’s something you like to make/eat that calls for one of these seeds in the recipe? 

I have been a fan of good sunflower seeds (semechki) since my childhood. Growing up we would stop by the seed man after ‘Big Church’ in Boyle Heights (Los Angeles) to buy packets of ‘plain’ sunflower seeds that came in brown paper packets and pumpkin seeds that came in clearer paper packets.

Boyle Heights — Tucked into a small red box of a building on Lorena Street, A&Z Nut Wagon had been a local source for all sorts of treats, from nuts, of course, to jerky. But after several decades in business, A&Z Nut Wagon closed up for good at the end of February.

There is nothing in my regular repertoire of cooking that calls for seeds.

4. What’s the most (or one of the most) ‘fall photos’ you’ve ever taken? Share it here. Just one. 

I’ll choose this one from 2012 for the color and for the memories. This was taken on a hike on our son’s first property in Chewelah, Washington. Our hike in the Fall afforded us the first views ever of Larch/Tamarack trees and the all encompassing gold this time of year. Little did we know then that we would be moving to this county in 6 years time.

5. Somehow we’re rolling in to November next week. If your October were a chapter in a book, what would the title of this chapter be? 

Twelve Celebrating in a Tropical Paradise

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

After Addy’s first basketball game of the season on Saturday, Greg and I chased down some October Gold. We drove south to Chewelah for lunch and enjoyed the golden treats along the way.

Maui Day 6

On Tuesday morning October 6th one of our cars packed up for two different adventures. I’m happy to report that Katie and Andrew were done being sequestered and ready for our Molokini adventure. Only four of us opted for Molokini, Andrew, Katie, Greg and me. Josh and Dan were our drivers for the adventure. After they dropped us off for our check-in, they carried on south for their Golf tee-time. They would return in time to pick us up at 1:00 pm. Our trip started at 8am and their tee-time was at 8:30 am.

We are headed to that crescent shaped crater where you can see other boats docked for snorkeling.

Here we are with 100 of our fellow passengers! Our excursion offered breakfast, lunch and snorkeling gear. They had lifeguards out on the water and also offered any help you might need including instructions for snorkeling.

Katie ordered corrective snorkel masks for herself and for her dad. Those were game changers for them. I’m not sure if Andrew needed them, I did not. They did not cost much more than regular snorkel gear.

We were told that we were very fortunate to be at Molokini on this day since the waters were calm compared to the day before.

The temperature of the water and the clarity viewing the fish and coral reef was exceptional.

The birds were also interesting to watch on the crater. This bird might be the ‘Iwa (Great Frigatebird), a large seabird frequently seen soaring above Molokini Crater. ‘Iwa means thief, the bird is known for stealing other birds’ food.

It really was a gorgeous day to be out on the water.

 

While our sons were golfing at the Wailea Golf Club with views of Molokini, they sent us this photo! They could see the boats at Molokini.

They were very impressed with this beautiful golf course and all the amenities it offered.

From Molokini our boat anchored at a turtle bay before we headed back to the docks. Katie was the only one of us who actually spotted a turtle on this part of the anchoring. We enjoyed a barbecue lunch while the boat was at this spot. By the time we arrived at the turtle area the water wasn’t as calm or clear at this spot.

After docking we walked back to our drop off location for our sons to pick us up and take us all back to the resort. This was at 1pm and the air was so still and hot with humidity above 80%. We missed the lovely breeze that we enjoyed on the water! While waiting for our ride, I found a wood carved turtle that fit the bill for JJ’s wish list!

Mahalo for stopping by…

Maui Day 5

This will be part two of our Monday October 5th adventures.

Monday October 5th had a variety of activities with fewer participants. Dan and family left early to deliver Granny and Granny Great to their Helicopter ride. Dan and family enjoyed breakfast at a restaurant close to the helipad while they waited. The waitress brought these to Addy and JJ ‘on the house’ because she thought they were such a cute family. Addy’s dream come true to drink out of a coconut!

The rest of us had a leisurely morning before our car left the resort to meet up with this crew after the helicopter ride. We would meet at the Maui Zipline company on the grounds of the Maui Tropical Plantation.

These six brave souls were our zipliners. Granny Great (85) decided to take over Katie’s spot since Katie was still being sequestered on this day. Andrew was feeling a lot better.

The staff are in the bright yellow shirts. Besides our six there was another family of five.

Granny and Granny Great!

Gramps!

After three platforms Granny and Granny Great opted out of any more rides.

JJ and Auntie LoLo in the distance making videos. JJ knew he did not want to zipline. Me, Jamie and LoLo opted out and preferred watching along with JJ.

Addy was a trooper and had the time of her life!

The grounds were really beautiful and the farm grows over 65 varieties of tropical fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs and flowers.

I’ll save the rest of this day for another post or two. We were a little bummed that by the time our group was done with ziplining the whole farm had shut down so we couldn’t peruse the gift shop or get a refreshing drink. On the way back we stopped at a roadside grouping of shops and food trucks for some refreshment before making it all the way to our resort. Leoda’s Bakery Cafe specialized in all kinds of house made pies like turkey, beef, chicken and sweet pies. The sweet varieties were banana cream, chocolate macadamia, coconut and apple.

Fall Back Hodgepodge

This photo of JJ and Addy covered with leaves is from Fall 2019 after the leaves fell with the famous Western Larch tree in the background.

Here we go again with some fresh Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions. Thank you, Joyce!

1. This week’s Hodgepodge lands on ‘Back To The Future Day’. October 21, 2015 was the date the movie characters (Marty McFly, Doc, and Jennifer Parker) traveled to in the future in the 1989 film Back To The Future Part 2. 

Did you see the movie?

I think I’ve seen the movie…

Tell us a something about what was happening in your life in the fall of 2015. 

Looking back at October and November of 2015 was emotional for me. This was the most significant family event that took place over October and November. Our brother-in-law, Nick,  had a major health event prompting me to get on a plane to spend time with my sister and her family on October 19th. I stayed in Southern California with my sister through October 26th. Nick was airlifted from Hoag in Newport Beach to Cedar Sinai in Beverly Hills the day I arrived. My family and others rallied around our sister Vera and our niece and nephew. I was able to see Nick in intensive care and tell him one last time that I loved him. I knew it would be the last time. He passed away on October 29th. We all flew down to Southern California again for his funeral which was on Veteran’s Day at Riverside National Cemetery. Nick was a Viet Nam Veteran and the Patriot Guard Riders of Southern California showed up to honor Nick.

2. Which -ber month is your favorite? (September, October, November, December). Explain why. 

I love all the ber months for different reasons.

September ~ Greg’s birthday, getting back into a more regular routine and for Fall Bible Study

October ~ the colors of Fall and the annual trek through the corn-maze

November ~ Thanksgiving meal and time with family

December ~ Our anniversary and Christmas

3. Red, yellow, orange, bronze…your favorite fall color to wear?

Red is a color I have in my closet but it is not dominant.

To eat?

I enjoy butternut squash and sweet potato, so orange is my answer.

To see in nature? 

One of the things we look forward to in the Fall is our Western Larch/Tamarack trees changing from green to golden…

4. What do you miss most about being 20? 

I was 20 in the year 1971. I wouldn’t want to go back to that time but I do miss my sharper 20 year old memory, my 20 year old flexibility and my 20 year old stamina not to mention my youthful skin.

Back to the present, I’ll choose joy in all the glory of growing old which includes experience, retirement, being further along in my sanctification, and enjoying dinner at 3pm!

5. We’re roughly three quarters of the way through the year. What’s one goal, habit, or mindset you want to purposely carry into the final weeks of the year? Elaborate. 

I want to plan something fresh/different at least once a week to enjoy for dinner! Woohoo after answering this question on Monday, I actually made something new, a Lemony Orzo. Thank you, Sandy.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 
We are still enjoying our memories/photos of our time in Maui. I’m just on Day 5 in my journal memory posts on my blog with several more to come.
Although my computer screen says 9:21 we were three hours behind in Maui so it was actually 6:21 am while I enjoyed the sun rising from our condo deck.

Maui Day 5 Early Morning

On Monday early morning Greg and I finally walked on the beach to see the sunrise.

Just outside the main lobby we stopped to say hi to one of the resident cats.

Our walk at dawn was a beautiful peaceful way to start our day.

Later in this week we did see one of these sea turtles come up out of a wave. Too fast for any camera to be able to capture.

We made it back to our room for some breakfast before heading to our zip lining destination.

Before we left I saw this boat out on the water and had to take a couple shots!

Off to our next adventure…

Maui Pineapple Farm

After our trip up above the clouds to Haleakala Volcano we made our way to a Pineapple Farm. By the time we arrived at the farm our daughter Katie was feeling very sick and our son Josh volunteered to take her back to the resort. There were now 9 of us taking the tour instead of 12.

This was our second adventure on Saturday, October 3rd.

Before we got on the air conditioned bus we walked through some of the areas where the pineapples are processed.

On the bus we drove down the road to the pineapple fields.

We enjoyed some breezes that brought some moisture from the rain forest that the farms were situated adjacent to.

When we were done on the pineapple farm Josh arrived from his roundtrip to take Katie back to the resort. What a guy! We packed up our 12 pineapples and made our way to Whaler’s Village where we had reservations for dinner at the Hula Grill. The ten of us were able to be seated together which was nice. We were refreshed from our long day of adventures with some good food and a nice breeze.

After some photos on the beach at sunset we had a little time to shop at the ABC store before driving back to the Resort.

Saturday was done and we looked forward to a free day on Sunday.