A Fishy Circle of Life

Seth and I headed down to Campbell Creek Park to watch a Fish and Game presentation on the cycle of life of a fish. Seth's school is going to take care of these eggs through the winter and release them in the spring. We learned there are 5 types of salmon and when the guy asked what the second name for the King was, I told Seth to yell out Elvis, but he said, "mom, that's not it, it's Chinook." I guess there is a difference between being smart and being a smart arse.

Did you know that once the adult fish is ready to leave the ocean to return to their spawning ground in freshwater they quit eating and that is why they turn red. Well, you do now.

Did you know that one fish can have up to 3000 eggs in her? You do now.

Autumn Colors

Morning Frost Fog






Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay

Happy Birthday Dad

I often wonder what my dad would think of the world if he were still here with us. I know he would love that you could be on the internet and not get kicked off when the phone rang - in its earliest years this would happen and having 2 teenage daughters at home caused the phone to ring a lot. He would shake his head that we are looking at either a black american president or a female VP (from Alaska). I could see him walking the aisles of Home Depot asking Glen "do you have that? you gotta have that, I wish I had something like that back when..." I wonder if he would be impressed with his daughters and how they turned out - I know he would have been relieved to see me in a wedding dress - "yes dad, I promise I will wear one if that ever happens." I wonder if I would have gotten my pilots license if we had more time. Missing you tons.

How to Peel an Egg without Peeling

Now don't you just want to run to the kitchen and try this? Except for my friend Anne, who was once grounded for the weekend because she refused to eat her scrambled eggs before school. She detests, loathes, and is disgusted by eggs.

Strike a Hat Pose

Grandma is in the house and she always has a camera ready to shoot pics - the many happy faces of Sydney.

Crockpot Cake

Well, I must be going through a chocolate something phase or maybe I am trying to redeem myself for the mug cake but I have heard of this Crockpot Cake from several sources and finally was gifted the receipe from Cjane - so fate it is and therefore I bake.



By the by, its been posted on Cjane that Mr. Nielson was able to visit Stephanie in her room the other day - please go read her love story post - goosebumps people - and just another reason to celebrate with cake.

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 container of sour cream (8 oz)
1 cup chocolate morsels
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Mix cake mix, sour cream, chocolate morsels, water, egss, oil and pudding mix in a bowl by hand. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Makes about 12 servings (if you plan on sharing).

Glen was wondering how to get it out of the crockpot and I said I did not think that far - but I think I might just dive in with a large spoon.

Show-offs

Just another typical run to the store and then you see this. Your first reaction is - oh, its moose season - second is Eeeewwwww - and the third is this could be bloggable ** Click

Conversations with Seth

Seth is much like me, not a morning person. After 8 years of marriage, my husband knows to tread lightly and not converse AT ALL, but that all changes once I get my coffee. I have learned that if I nudge Seth to wake him and then leave the room he goes back to sleep - I can't really blame him. So now, I have him get out of bed and come into our bedroom and we "wake up slowly." We wait for a beep from a digital watch and then get up. Between us getting back to bed and the beep we have quiet conversations to help wake up to. This one happened this morning:

Mom: hey, Seth I think there is one more doughnut left, do you want it for breakfast?

Seth: hmmmmm, yes.

Mom: Do you want the whole doughnut or half and I can put the other half in your lunchbox?

Seth: Oh, I have a good idea: I can eat half and give you the other half because I love you so much.

Its the little things that get you.

Man vs Wild Clip

I cannot resist passing up on these shows. His face is swollen from bee stings he received when he took out a honeycomb from their hive. Now he has to deal with a snake and what he does next is just crazy but if you are stranded in Baja you do what you have to do. Just another reason to stay by the timeshare for me - Happy Hour is every hour.

mouse romance

(photo by KSB) Gotta love the animal world - even they show acts of kindness
Beth will tell me this is photoshopped and I will remind her she is a party pooper.

Pranksters R Us

I have learned this about us Bennett sisters. If you ask for our assistance in trying to pull something on someone - we are game. I have personally assisted on deceiving several birthday victims, I even kidnapped "tree dog" (a fake evergreen christmas reindeer decoration) from my sorority sisters and sent him on adventures to San Francisco, Tahoe, and around campus to be photographed for no reason but to taunt those that missed him, they eventually got their precious "tree dog" back. Last weekend may have been the biggest and might I say best prank - and I was not even in on it.

Our good friend Carl was turning a young 70 and his family wanted to surprise him - He has been to both my older sister's and my wedding receptions and they knew he would not miss Beth's. They went as far as printing out one lone invitation for him to read. They even made a sign to display in the parking lot so that he would still think he was there for Beth- As he entered the room, I think it took him about 30 seconds to get that we were all there for him.

The other funny thing is that Beth's boyfriend Benjamin did not know he was being a part of this and was not there. So we had to explain to the guests that the groom was a no show - well, then Benjamin called Beth to see where she was and he showed up so we showed him the sign and the invite but followed that with "...but there is no pressure."

Not all chocolate is Alike

So I tried the Coffee Mug Chocolate Cake, it was fast to put together, it did cook in 3 minutes, but when comparing it to my Chocolate Molten Cakes, it just did not match up. I will have to share the receipe (handed to me from Krissy) next week now that Molten Cakes are on the brain. The part about it overflowing the coffee mug obviously did not happen either - but my favorite mug is a bit oversized.

Good Ol' No Bakes

My mom used to make these and then for years I had forgotten about them until one day at a potluck it was like seeing an old friend. I tried to capture a picture that did not look like a pile of "you know" but realized they are a cookie that tastes better then they look.

2 cups Sugar

4 T. cocoa

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 T. Vanilla

3 cups Oatmeal

In a Sauce pan melt butter, sugar, cocoa and milk

Boil for 1 minute

mix in Peanut Butter (till dissolved), Vanilla and Oats

Drop or Plop on wax paper

...and if that is not enough chocolate for you on this fine friday, then try this receipe I am trying tonight.

Coffee mug chocolate cake

(receipe sounds similar to my chocolate molten cake so I shall investigate)

1 Coffee Mug

4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) - or in my case - DUH!!

Small splash of vanilla - or in my case small pour

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well . Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using- again refer to above) and vanilla, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (anyone know how to set that?)

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!-Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 (thighs?)

-Why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Amen sisters!!!!

Kids are Fun

I am very fortunate to have a daycare at work where I can bring the kids for the few hours that I work. Yesterday, the daycare lady, Amber had her infant son with her and he was acting up, ready for food and a nap so Amber attended to him. Sydney watched this and grabbed a doll and started doing the same thing. Holding the baby doll, rocking it, and using a Lego as a bottle. Very cute - maybe a maternal instinct. I recall Seth on the other hand, when once in a similar situation, cover his ears and say "your baby is loud, can you make it quiet" - okay, not so paternal. When Amber's little guy finally dozed off she put him down for his nap, Sydney then took a cue and did the same - only she put her baby doll in the Fisher Price microwave and shut the door.

Seth has been watching Jon & Kate plus 8, the family that had sixtuplets, and the other day Seth, in a very timid tone, said "I don't want a baby to come out of me" I assured him that Daddies don't have babies, only Mommies do - an instant relief came over him and the questions stopped - thank goodness.

An Apple a Day

It must be Fall because the bestest apples ever are in the store. If you get a chance to indulge in a Honeycrisp Apple do so. I love the changing seasons, even knowing that the snow will be upon us. The colors, the smell of crisp clean air, the putting away of summer items to make room for the event items: Halloween, Turkey day, Christmas. Pulling out the Harvest Yankee Candle, signing Seth up for Hockey, stashing the lawnmower in the shed and locating the shovels and sleds. We may try skiing this year and I may take snowboarding lessons with Seth - any thoughts to skiing vs. snowboarding as what to learn or do first?

Fall has Arrived

Denali Park

Hurricane Gulch

My friend Cathie was up in The Denali Park this past weekend and took these photos. The Fall color change has begun. I hope to get up to our Chugach Mountains when I start seeing some reds - could be next weekend.

Going Ubba National

This morning the Today Show and Matt Lauer did a segment on the Nielson family. Click Here
I am thinking that since Oprah is waiting to have Sarah Palin on till after the elections then there might be an opening for this story.

yummy brownies

Awhile back I tried having Seth help me with brownies and it was disasterous. I am a bit of a neat freak when I bake and when I have to dig for egg shells, clean up brownie mix off the counter because someone stirred too fast or knocked over the bowl then it just turned into a chore. I know, have patience. This time around, the words do you want to help were responded with an enthusiastic yes and this time it was all good.

Being very careful

see, no shells

Story Going National

The Nielson story and movement continues to amaze me and reaffirm that goodwill exists and thrives in the blogosphere. I started my blog just to keep family informed, but have since realized its so much more then that. Its a living journal of the Aasland Happenings that my children can look back on but also a portal to other blogs that have other purposes and an awakening to how others live. The New York Times has run a story on the Nielson family: READ HERE.

Jeans & Headers

Remember these pants from a few posts ago. Well, I took them off the wall for a lets see and low and behold I was able to put them on. They are still a bit too tight for my liking - as it reminds me of the tight pants Donny Osmond wore way back when - but they fit and we will run with that.

If you are wondering about my most delightful header - I did win the auction:Headers for a year and this is Jills first installment. She does this as a business and would love to help you with yours. You can contact her here: http://www.jillscripps.typepad.com/ it puts alittle ooomph on the blog.

Kicked to the Curb

I am finding the little moments of signs that the kids are growing up. Sydney slept in this morning so I grabbed my coffee mug and walked Seth to the bus stop. Well, we did not get all the way there because just as we were approaching the corner he tells me, "mom, this is far enough, you can go back now." I stood there, not really knowing what to do and when he saw that he would be the first one there - he took off running. I did not even get a good-bye kiss. This is happening way tooooooo early. I watched as he ran away and then he turned around, waved and yelled "love ya mom" - So at least I still have that.

Then I come home, relaxed a bit and I hear Sydney waking up. She is singing her ABC's, not really the letters, but the sound of the song. This I do not interupt and I should really get a recording. After I got her up and started blogging - I hear the TV come on and pitter patter of feet. So I go to the room and there she is sitting on the couch with the remote. SLOW DOWN, let's think baby steps here people.

Later in the day:

I come home from work to see Glen holding Seth at the front door. Tell mom what you told me - "mom, I have a girlfriend"

Mom - "you do? what is her name".

Seth - "you know her name, its Brianna"

Mom- "oh, we like Brianna"

Seth - "well, actually I have 2 and the other one is Chloe"

I am raising a loverboy.