Happy Halloween.

Happy Halloween!!!

The boys, especially my Luke, are so excited about

Trick or Treating tonight.

Luke loves all of the holidays! He wants to put the

CHRISTmas tree up today.

Halloween is just about one of the most fun days of

the year!

*Everyone loves to get candy.

*It is fun to smell your Halloween candy. It smells

just like the Halloween candy you got trick or treating

when you where a little child.

*My boys like to come home and look at all of

their loot.

*It is fun to put all of the candy in rows, by

category.

*It is fun to trade your Halloween candy.

*Snickers is a favorite Halloween

candy in our home.

*We always remember the house that gave out

cough drops . . .

*I wish that my boys could get homemade treats

like we used to received when I was little.

It is going to be a looooooong day for my Luke.

He cannot wait to hit the Trick or Treating Trail.

M.

MUCH FUN!

Celebrate MY state! We are going to have a

fun day with the kiddos carving pumpkins,

making chili, baking cookies . . .

MUSIC. MARVELOUS MUSIC.

Congratulations to our Tim. He auditioned to play guitar

on a cruise ship with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

HE GOT IT!!!!!

We are so thrilled and proud of him!!!!

M&Ms.

I could not sleep just thinking about these

cool looking HALLOWEEN M&Ms.

I love the purple, lime green, black, and orange

M&Ms. Halloweeny!

MICHAEL.

We are addicted!!!

We saw the movie MICHAEL.

He sure was a talented man.

Great Day Ahead.

Ten great things about today:

1. Heading to the BIG CITY to have tons of fun with the kiddos.

2. Putting the finishing touches on Halloween costumes.

3. Going to the ever anticipated PUMPKIN PATCH.

4. Tim's big audition!

5. Going to the MJ flick with the boys.

6. Working on United States capitals and map with Luke.

7. Listening to Sam tell all about Algebra and Spanish.

8. Giving Zach a quick call . . . he is always busy.

9. Waiting for Mike to come home . . . XO.

10. Thanking the Lord for all of my blessings, wonderful family,

and sweet memories.

Mooooooonwalk.

Watch Sam do the Moonwalk. He has some pretty good moves!

World's Best Pumpkin Cookies.

Wildflour Bakery's Famous Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups shortening

2 cups white sugar

1 29-ounce can pureed pumpkin

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Caramel Frosting:

12 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

2 cups brown sugar

6 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions: To make cookies, cream shortening and sugar, don't whip. Mix in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture. Scoop on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes.

To make frosting: combine butter, milk, and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Take off heat, let cool. Be sure not add the powdered sugar until mixture is really cool. When cool, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if mixture is too thin. Frost cookies and serve. Makes 42 medium-size cookies.

This makes so many cookies that the minute they are cool, I put them on cookie sheets in the freezer until the frosting hardens. Then I put them into big ziploc bags laying them flat. They taste SO good right out of the freezer and are great for making ahead of time to pull out in a pinch . . . if you don't eat them all first!

Yummy!

Trick or Treat Tietjen Style.

Memories are wonderful! We have shared so many fun

and exciting Halloween memories over the past 22 years!!!

Our sweet Tim as a clown!!! He is 22 months old in this picture.

My Zach's first Halloween . . . as a cute pumpkin - or punkin -

as we like to say it!!

Our Zach and Tim as CRAYONS!!! Zach was 12 months old in

this picture!!!!! Could Tim be any cuter???

Our Dad is the "bestest" pumpkin carver EVER!!!

He has carved many, many pumpkins over the

past 22 years!!!

Zach is 2 years old in this picture . . . He was an M&M.

Someone added the funny glasses.

Tietjens and Johnson in their Halloween best.

One cute little Indian!!! Luke was 2.

My hobos and their 1 year old clown brother, Sam.

Dale Evans herself . . . ME . . . in 1966.

Missing Gram.

Today would have been Gram's 94th birthday.

We are all thinking about and missing her today!!

Seven months have passed since she went home to live

with her Heavenly Father.

Gram was a special person to everyone in our family.

Family dinners on Sunday were sooooo much fun with

Gram's talents in the kitchen.

Gram and Grampa.

Gram's senior picture.

Gram was a wonderful mom.

As a young girl, Gram loved to ride horses.

Gram loved her children sooo much!!

Here's to you Gram. You certainly changed the

lives of everyone in our family FOREVER.

We rejoice in the fact that you are now at peace and

at home with your Savior.

Selfishly, we miss Gram, busily taking care of her home,

baking yummy cookies, and preparing wonderful meals.

We.miss.you.Gram.

Staycation!

A great place for a staycation is the SOUTHPOINT HOTEL right here

in fabulous Las Vegas!!!!

We had soooo much fun!!!! Everybody did exactly what

they wanted to do!!!!

Tim, Grandy, and I went to TWO movies!!!!

Amelia - a definite must see!!!!

Couple's Retreat - too funny!!!!

Sam and Luke saw Astro Boy, went to the ice cream parlor,

swam in the huge pool and went in the jacuzzi.

Two great people to go on a staycation with!

Ready for fun!!!

Texting, texting, texting!!!!! Always part of a staycation!

Tim tried his hand at blackjack!

Yummy, yummy Mexican food . . . awesome guacamole, bean

dip, chips, enchiladas!!!!

Three of my very, very favorite people!!!!

A 20 Year Tradition.

It is definitely true!

Grampa has taken the boys to breakfast on Friday

mornings, rain or shine, for TWENTY YEARS!!

How lucky could boys be?!?

Nobody would miss it for the entire world!

When boys are home from college, that

is one of the first things that they do . . . head for breakfast

with Grampa!

What a wonderful tradition!

Grampa.we.love.you!

College Bound.

I just had to give a shout out to my Sam.

He started taking two hard courses at the

Community College this semester at the age of 13.

The registrar informed us that he is the youngest

student ever . . . in the state of Nevada.

Sam is taking college algebra and a conversational

Spanish course.

We are so proud of him! He has done so well and

has really shown that he has the determination

and skills necessary for college course work.

We are getting exciting for the catalog to come out for

next semester . . . possibly Biology, another

Spanish course, history????

Congratulations Sam!!!

Pizza Party.

It does not take much for Luke and I to have a PARTY!!!

So, we decided to have a PIZZA PARTY. Not really, but

if you know me, you know that just about anything is

a party!!!!

We whipped up our own pizza dough.

Slapped on some pizza sauce.

Added some yummy grated cheese and olives.

Popped the pizza in the oven.

And had our PIZZA PARTY!!!!!

Luke is my party companion!!!!

Thanks, Luke!

ScArEy CoOkIeS.

Oooooooooooooh! The Halloween cookie cutters

crept out of the cookie cutter drawer today!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! We got the mixer going!

The rolling pin jumped into action rolling out the dough

in anticipation of goblins, witches, pumpkins, and bats!

Here they come off the assembly line . . .

Yummy and Gooey . . . Our Halloween Favorite!

Gram's Popcorn Balls

1. Pop a huge bowl of your favorite popcorn, then add the

following mixture over the top.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons butter

Mix the brown sugar, honey, and butter in a saucepan.

BOIL the mixture over medium heat, stirring often

as not to burn the sugar.

Pour mixture over popped corn.

*Use butter on your hands to form the popcorn balls.

WARNING: These disappear in a matter of minutes. Double

the recipe!

So You Think You Can Dance?

Sam went to the Homecoming dance with a group of friends.
We went over to the girls' house where they had been getting
ready . . . all day!!!
They had fun exchanging corsages and boutonnieres.
Off they go!

A really great time was had by all, as they danced to Michael
Jackson hits, 80s tunes, and other favorites.

After the dance, they all headed over to the bowling alley
for more food and fun.

Good times!