Pumpkin Seeds

As a family we just fulfilled our annual quota of carved pumpkins. The next step for us is always to then cook the pumpkin seeds for yummy munching.

Here for you is the perfect kid job, as they cannot REALLY help in the carving department with little sharp knives, yet they are persistent in getting their hands involved in some way...
While Bruce carves, my kids seperate the seeds from the orange gush, to then wash for... PUMPKIN SEEDS!

Surprisingly, everybody doesn't keep the seeds from the pumpkins they carve, but disgard them... WHAT?! How incredibly wasteful!

Pumpkin Seeds:

1. Wash and Dry the seeds.
2. Combine approx 2 cups seeds, 1/4 cup salt and 1 quart water in a pot.
3. Bring to boil and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Drain and spread on towell to dry.
5. Place seeds in a shallow baking pan and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
6. Cool and store in dry place.

Please Vote!

If you are on my blog, please vote- I am not speaking about the election our country is prepping for, I am speaking about our own family poll to the right!

There is much anxious excitement in my family as to who is going to win most favorite Vernon, 4 days left to vote!
If you can't decide who to vote for, just vote for me! ha ha

(Please vote in the upcoming national Election too, go Republican and yes on 102)

"City Bus Trip" Video

So, my friend M.B. told me this summer that she took her kids on the city bus. I was like, what a GREAT idea! When I was a kid and visited my grandmother in phoenix, she had never learned how to drive, so we took the city bus anywhere we went. My kids were all so excited when I informed them we were taking a city bus trip to the mall. And our neighbors, Rachelle, Vannessa and DJ came too. As Usual.

So, since you learned in an earlier blog post that I like to make videos, enjoy another couple minute long
Vernon Studios Production...




What a great advertisement for the Valley Metro Bus system!

Highschool Musical 3 Review

I am giving this movie 5 Stars!!

Quality- 5 Stars

Entertainment Value- 5 Stars

Favorite Song/Dance number- The Boys are Back

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I have heard it recieved some bad reviews, I have heard that some say it is "cheezy" or "too lovey" between Troy and Gabriella. My reply to this is: yes, it is a bit, but it is a Musical! It's NOT a drama. The genre of movie itself forewarns that it will not have a deep, intellectualy involved story line.

The music/dancing in it are so entertaining! After the first song I said, "I wish every movie were like this". All movies should intermix scenes with huge musical numbers where everyone dances and sings- ha ha! About 30 minutes in to it, it was a little slow and I wasn't so sure what I thought, but by the end, we left loving it!

Our ward halloween party happened to coincide with the opening day of Highschool Musical 3. That was a dilemna, to which do we be loyal? Well, there was little question, we clearly had to do both, and left from "Trunk or Treat" for the 10:00pm showing with friends, sisters, cousins.

We have here Sharpe represented by 2 different outfits. Emma and her cousin Amber may not have normally chosen that as a halloween costume, but knowing they were going to the opening night of the movie, it was a way to secure the perfect attire for the occasion.

Fabulous!

How can I not want to support a movie where the teenagers are dancing and singing, and not drinking and making out (or worse).

Loved it!

On a side note, someone just invited me to see a scary movie with them because it is Halloween. Let me just voice my opinion here and say, "not with me, not a chance." I am still baffled as to why it is considered recreation to watch some psychopath go on rampage and butcher people, and when did that become entertainment?

Vernon Summeration 2008

Our family tradition for the last 4 years has been the "Summer List". On the Monday (Family Home Evening) night before summer starts we get out a plain piece of paper and compile a to-do list. The kids each get to take turns naming something (within reason) they want to do that summer. We include any scheduled family vacations and it thus becomes our objective to check off all items. This year we titled it "Vernon Summeration" and it was taped to our chalkboard all summer as we checked things off. Here are a few:

Baking Party- Check

Ride City Bus to the Mall- Check

Jet Ski/Boat Trip- Check

San Diego Trip with all of Blake family- Check

"One Crazy Morning" Video

I am one who does not scrapbook. BUT the way I manage the guilt caused by this is that I VIDEO scrapbook. I love to make short movies of events and pictures.

One summer morning the whole family was hanging out in pajamas (for so long we actually went well in to the PM portion of the day), when Ashlin and her friend Vanessa started taking silly pictures... a video was made to remember that silly day.
It's a couple minutes long.

Sit back and enjoy a Vernon Studios production:

A glance at 2008...

Since I am new to the blogger world, I am going back a little

and documenting some highlights of 2008.

Here we are "powering up" at Disneyland. We went in Feb with our dear friends from Veterinary school, The Statens. We made matching Mickey Mouse shirts. Before any scary rides we had to get our brave on by powering up. I am sure you will recognize this pose (ha ha) as taught to us by good ol' 5 year old Loge... anyone, anyone?? Yes, we are indeed doing what Transformers do as soon as they transform from vehicle, to standing robot position.

The Reynolds cabin with my sister Carrie's kids for Spring Break.

As you can see the jackets are all a crazy variety of not the perfect sizes, as we don't need to keep, in sunny AZ, a current snow jacket for each child. The warmest clothes we have are zipper sweatshirts. Those aren't so great in the snow, as we learned last year the cold and wet way. So this year we scrounged it up for another snow trip!

Can you see the snow falling??

Ok, get ready for some Rockband...

So, the husband comes home with Rockband one day, trying to convince me it is a great "family activity", not just another video game gadget. Well, he turned out to be... right! Notice even little Lily gets involved, watching carefully her part on the screen as she plays on her upside down Tinkertoys box.

Another night, another party, this time the best kind of

party there is,

what is that, A cousins party! Oh ya.

Just in case there's some old highschool friends scoutin the blog... Here was a get together at Olive Garden with some Highschool friends for Karen's baby shower. I left thinking, wow, I really had/have such nice friends, just great people! How thankful am I!? Missing some of my favorites here though....

Introducing the Fam...

Ashlin (Smashlin)

Dallin (D-Chuck)

Dallin is the lizard man and can catch them like no other.

Record: 17 in one evening.

Emma (M&M)

Logan (Loge)

Trying to jump over the bean bag from the top of his dresser and clearing it = ouch.

Little Lily (Silly Lily)

My cousin Emily set me up a blog...

Being that Bruce and I both still have a our original T-Mobile cell phones we got 7 years ago... it becomes obvious we don't generally keep up with latest things! But my cousin Emily set me up a blog AND added it to her friends list before I did anything with it. Because people have been accessing it through her, but for a few months it contained a BIG NOTHING, people have been asking me, "What's up with your blog?". Pretty lame nothing blog. Feeling thus pressured... here I go diving in to modern life! A bit shocking, I know.