Provo Temple

When Grandma & Grandpa got married, the Provo Temple had not yet been built. It was announced about 1 year after they were married. On June 8, 1966 Grandma & Grandpa were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Although they weren't married in the Provo Temple, it holds a power house of memories. Great-grandpa Pratt worked here for years. Grandma & Grandpa have done thousands of baptisms for our ancestors here with teens from all of mom's sisters families. David & Heidi, Susann & Frans, Rachel & Brian, and April & Garrett were all married here. Grandma & Grandpa love to see the temple and hope all of you do too!

Next Stop: Daily Herald (On Freedom Blvd.)

FM offices

This is where Grandpa started his workday bright and early - usually by 6:30am - for 17 years. He was a mechanical custodian for the church. A true "handyman!" He did things both big and small, from changing lightbulbs to replacing heating and air conditioning units. He was in charge of maintining 30 buildings!

Next Stop: Provo Temple (drive to the top of the hill)

BYU

Grandma & Grandpa (Roger & Rose) lived in the house where Rachel & Brian now live while Grandpa finished his last year at BYU. Everyday Grandpa would walk to BYU and back and climbed those stairs by the botany pond. He graduated from BYU in August of 1971 with a bachelors degree in Agricultural Economics ("Ag Econ"). He also had a minor in German with his 30 month mission to Germany!

Next Stop: FM office (behind church building at Wymount)

400 North 400 East

Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa Pratt moved their family to a big old house on this property (where the park now is). They took in boarders who lived in the 3 upstairs bedrooms and the family lived on the main floor. Dawn, Sheryl & Grandma slept in one double bed. When they were older, they took in girl boarders and Steve went on his mission. Dawn, Sheryl & grandma moved to the bedrooms upstairs. At Christmas time they were allowed to have their own little tree on the landing at the top of the stairs. Their family let Santa decorate the Christmas tree. It was very exciting to creep down the stairs and peek! They would make sure to step carefully so the stairs didn't squeak! They would creep through the dining room, past the fireplace and plug in the tree lights to see the wonderful "fairy land of sparkling wonder!" Such cherished ornaments and the pine smell was glorious!
One year there was a TV by the tree! Wow! They were not in every home yet and still in black and white. Joy of joys! One year when they heard their dad coming and knew he'd send them back to bed, they hid in by the washer and dryer. There was a toilet in the room. Sheryl was pushing grandma to go farther and farther until she got stuck behind the toilet! Great-grandpa laughed when he found them, got them out and sent them back to bed!

Next Stop: BYU Botany Pond

Peppermint Brownies

mmmm, here's a tasty treat I'm definitely going to make again (and I'm pretty sure all my neighbors wouldn't mind if I used this for neighbor gifts every year!)

I found my {inspiration} here (mint filling), here (ganache), and here (brownie).

1 cup granulated sugar

⅔ cup brown sugar

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

2 tablespoons water

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then lightly grease. In a large bowl, cream the sugars, butter, water, eggs, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry mix into the wet mixture and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes.

After completely cooled spread the peppermint frosting/filling onto the brownies:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

3-4 drops peppermint essential oil (or 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract)

1-2 TBSP Milk

red food coloring (1-5 drops, depending on your desired color)

Pour & spread ganache over top:

1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

1/4 Cup heavy Cream

Mix & stir over low heat (or use a double boiler) until chocolate is completely melted.

Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the top to make it pretty. :)

Chill in the refrigerator before cutting.

ENJOY! (and share so you aren't tempted to eat the entire pan!)

Peasant Dress

So much has happened in my personal life this year - partially causing the blogging hiatus. Slicing my finger which required surgery to repair the nerve & tendon, dealing with a torn ligament in my ankle, finding out baby #3 is on the way, and finding out we'll be having a GIRL!

I've been wanting to sew girl things for a while, but have yet to make it to the fabric store to stock up on girly fabrics. However, in an attempt to be more organized, I was gathering up items to donate and realized I do have girly fabric... just in the form of other items. A lightly used scrub top worked perfectly to provide me with more than enough fabric for this sweet little peasant dress!

So my project for today? Finally tackling one of the many ideas I've gathered on Pinterest!

Abby's tutorial on Sew Much Ado is fantastic - so simple & thorough, not to mention FREE! Love it!

Blackberry Apricot Jam... Oh MY!

Canning season has begun! And this gem of a recipe is making me super excited! We have already enjoyed pounds of strawberries, a few summer squash & Zucchini, and now we're moving on to the Apricots & Blackberries! The last two weeks have been spent processing apricots. I've made lots of fruit leather and then I found THIS recipe. The smell is divine and the taste is absolutely scrumptious! It's a keeper for sure! What a great way to help us use up our produce!

A few hints (and things I want to remember when I make it again), the recipe makes about 4 1/2 pints. Also, although it says to process in a water bath for 10 minutes, after talking with my mom and looking at a few other recipes, I decided it was safe to skip this step. Instead I poured my boiling hot jam into super hot jars (leaving pretty much no head space) and tightened the lids- which I had in nearly boiling hot water- on as tightly as I could. Make sure there is no draft. I chose to cover mine with a dishtowel to keep drafts away. Within about 20 minutes I started hearing the little ear-pleasing "pings" indicating the success of our venture! 4 to store for later, and a half pint to enjoy now. Yum!

4 cups apricot puree (pit apricots and puree in blender or food processor until fairly smooth)
4 cups blackberry pulp
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 packets liquid pectin (one box)

In a large, non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron), combine the apricot puree, blackberry pulp and sugar and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture reach a boil, stirring frequently to prevent it from boiling over. Add cinnamon and lemon zest/juice and stir to combine. When the mixture appears to be thickening a bit, add the pectin. After adding the pectin, let the jam boil vigorously for at least five minutes.