Sunday, March 8, 2009

It's Spring!

Tip-Toe Through the Tulips!



Spring brings tulips and daffodils

Farah singing in the Spring Concert


LHS Spring Concert

Amanda Murdock & Falyn
A Spring Break Visit


Wednesday March 4, 2009 We attended Farah's annual spring concert at Lemoore High School. Grandma and Poppy took us out to dinner then attended the concert with us. Scott missed dinner, but made the concert! Farah sang, "You Can Fly" Not So Boring Minuet" "William Tell Overture" and "Help Me Find A Dream". It is always a treat to hear Farah sing.

Friday March 6th, Falyn drove to Bakersfield to pick up Amanda Murdock from the airport. Amanda attends Weeber State, she is spending spring break with us. Falyn and Amanda have been best friends since they were six years old.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

DID YOU KNOW?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!



Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-lowand heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.



Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.



Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.



Reheating refrigerated bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.



Newspaper weeds away

Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for- get about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.



Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.. It will keep the mosquitoes away.



Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.



Flexible vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and .. ta da! ... static is gone.

Measuring Cups

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.



Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.



Goodbye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!



Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!



INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS

The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't see the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes

and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your

house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long

time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with

hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months.

He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

"Without A Trace"


Filming on Set "Without A Trace"


Falyn, Movie Set Neighborhood


Falyn & Andrew on Set of "Without A Trace"



Andrew trying out his FBI chair


Falyn on location

"Without A Trace" CBS 10:00 P.M. Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Eric Close, Roselyn Sanchez, Enrique Murciano, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Camera Girl, Cousin Julie Helton.

Falyn and her friend, Andrew Haslett had fun touring Warner Bros Studios. Cousin Julie Helton works as a camera girl on the TV show "Without A Trace"; and she gave Falyn & Andrew "All Access" passes to the studio. They had so much fun walking through movie sets, and trailers. They watched Julie film the series two days in a row, on set and location. Falyn & Andrew ate dinner with the entire cast and crew both nights. Also at dinner was the cast of "Two and a Half-Men". Anthony LaPaglia asked Falyn if she was a fan of the show, and she said, honestly she's never watched it. Anthony laughed, and Falyn promised to watch the show next Tuesday.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

"Oh, girls, just wanna have fun"


Bring back Springsteen, Madonna way before Nirvana There was U2 and Blondie, And music still on MTV, 19, 19, 1985...

Farah was channeling the 80's last night for her high school dance theme. She had a lot of fun, dancing all night! Skinny jeans, lace pumps, bright colors, beads and big hair! Ah,,, I miss high school! LOL

Monday, February 16, 2009

President's Day Weekend

Andrew, Falyn, Grandma, Farah, and Shelly


Farah & Poppy



Andrew & Falyn @ Grandma & Poppy's, Bakersfield, CA


Falyn & Andrew @ Aunt Barbara & Uncle Harry's in Monrovia, CA



Farah & I drove to Bakersfield this afternoon sans Scott (work) to have dinner with Grandma, Poppy, Falyn, and Andrew. Falyn's boyfriend Andrew is visiting this weekend. They went to Venice Beach, Hollywood & Vine, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, still to come Disneyland, and hopefully a tour of "Without a Trace" TV show from Julie Helton (my cousin). Falyn & Andrew stayed Thursday and Friday night with Aunt Barbara & Uncle Harry, and two nights with Grandma & Poppy. In spite of being on a college budget they are having FUN! Did I mention Andrew is Falyn's FIRST boyfriend? Scott is in serious DENIAL!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Many Thanks!


Driving in Rexburg



I'd like to thank: Julie Larsson for the buddy pass from Jet Blue, Shannon Freedman for picking me up from the airport, and also for being an amazing hostess, Aunt Nancy & Uncle Henry for the wonderful Sunday dinner, and for keeping us over-night, thanks to Debra, Shawn, & Kathleen Fitzpatrick, John, Lisa, and Amber Bowen, Butch & Julie, Brittney & Taylor, The Larssons, and Brigette Bowen, for having dinner with us, and for visiting with us at Aunt Nancy's. And, thank you to Uncle Jeff & Aunt Karen, Melissa, The Roberts, for driving to Rexburg with a trailer, loading and storing Falyn's bedding, kitchen, and bathroom until April!

The first picture says it all... driving in Rexburg. Falyn LOVES BYU-Idaho, and she hated to drop her winter classes and come back home; but after sliding off the road (twice) she conceded to the Rexburg snow and came home until spring semester! It’s hard to say good-bye to amazing friends and family. We are looking forward to April!

Falyn, Shelly, Julie, & Taylor@ Aunt Nancy & Uncle Henry's home in Lehi

Austin Favero Falyn's best friend and BYU Neighbor


Falyn & Aunt Shannon @ Shannon's home in SLC

Monday, January 5, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009


Farah, Scott, Great Grandma Terrill, and Falyn, at Terrill Family Party


Madison Ciesla & Farah at Terill Party



Farah & Falyn at Terrill Party


Scott, Falyn, and Farah in San Juan Capistrano


Shelly, Misty Bowns, Thad Bowns, and Kelly Hansen at House Warming


Misty Bowns & Kelly Hansen at House Warming

Scott & Tim Nanstiel at Hal's COC


Shelly, LoraLee Nanstiel, and Stacey Murdock at Hal's COC

Lyndsie Wynn & Falyn, Best Friends... Home from College!



December was a wonderfully busy month, filled with friends and family... The first week of December, Dad Fortner came to visit. We went to Clovis for a house warming to celebrate Misty & Jon's new casa. Our family attended a "Change of Command" for our best friend Hal Murdock, good bye once again to Hal & Stacey; we wish them well at their new home in Pleasantview Utah! Scott & I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. Scott turned the big 4-5; Falyn flew home from BYU-Idaho. Grandma & Poppy came to our home for Christmas. We drove to Monrovia for the Terrill Family Christmas party. Enjoyed a day at Laguna Beach and lunch in San Juan Capistrano. Then our car decided to fall apart... so we invaded Casa de Ciesla for three days trying to repair the Explorer. It was eventful going to junk yards searching for a steering column. Falyn said the high-light was riding the tracker through the junk yard, just like the tram at Disneyland... Happy New Year!!!

IANVARIVS. III. MMXII

Senior Pictures, Falyn 2008

Senior Pictures, Falyn 2008
By Contemporary Images

Falyn 2008

Senior Picture

Falyn in Black & White

Falyn in Black & White

Senior Pictures

Senior Pictures
Falyn 2008

Grandma & Poppy

Grandma & Poppy

August 2008 Avila Beach, Falyn & Farah

August 2008 Avila Beach, Falyn & Farah

Sisters, Best Friends, Worst Enemies...

Sisters, Best Friends, Worst Enemies...

The Family @ Avila Beach, CA

The Family @ Avila Beach, CA

Falyn

Falyn
Falyn enjoying Pier 39

San Francisco

San Francisco
Farah at Pier 39

Channel 9 News

Channel 9 News
Falyn and best friend, Amanda Murdock Anchor the News!

Isn't she lovely?

Isn't she lovely?
Farah on her 8th Grade Graduation Day

The Musician

The Musician
Farah playing her clarniet at the spring concert, held at Fresno State

The Graduate

The Graduate
Falyn, standing next to her Senior Star on the Walk of Fame LHS

Seniors 2008

Seniors 2008
Hooray! Class of 2008

QUOTE

we ought to hear at least one little song every day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and if possible speak a few sensible words.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe