Colors

We also took a trip up to Maine where we took these beautiful shots of the fall colors.

Jordan's Furniture?

Bethany and Melissa watched the girls one night while they were here so that Allen and I could have some much needed us time.
Some friends of ours had talked highly of Jordan's Furniture...I know, really a date at a furniture store, but this isn't just a furniture store.
Anyhow, Allen and I loved it so the next day we left Allen at home studying and had some fun at Jordan's.

They have:

Trapezing....


And creations everywhere made entirely of Jelly Belly Beans...


And an ice cream shop...

And my personal fav. the waterworks show (which cannot be captured on film, you really just have to see it, but here is what we did get).

Fall Festival at GCTS

While Melissa and Bethany were still visiting we all attended the annual Fall Festival on campus here at Gordon-Conwell.

It was really fun.

They had cookie decorating...



And Face Painting...

And a Bounce House...



And balloons...



And a hayride...


And so many more things that made for a wonderful saturday afternoon!

Leaves Everywhere

With all these gorgeous leaves we decided to go out and get some good photos of each other and the girls.
Here are some of my favorites:

Too Much Fall Fun

Well, Melissa, Bethany and Heather have come and gone. It was a lot of fun.
Here are a few pictures from their visit:

We drove into Maine for some shopping and "exploring"

Ellie and I went with the ladies to Boston to visit MIT and Harvard
(Ellie loved the train sooooo much, she must get that from her Pa)

The women all went to the Wenham Teahouse (our nations oldest teahouse that is still going)
Pinkies Up!

More pictures to come
Stay tuned

Cookie Monster...

...that's me. I loooooooooooooove cookies! So when I was recently tagged to post a cookie recipe I began salivated over the many options and how maybe I should make sure they are still good recipes by trying them out. Unfortunately my waste line screamed "please no, please don't" so instead I will share this one "secret recipe" for my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I really just pulled from a cook book.

Oatmeal Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: Approx 8 minutes per batch (I just keep checking them until they aren't glossy looking anymore)
Oven: 375 degrees
Makes: About 48 cookies (for normal people though we usually end up with around half that number)


3/4 cup butter (softened)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour (we use whole wheat though the recipe calls for all-purpose)
2 cups rolled oats

In a large mixing bowl beat butter then add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Stir in the flour. Once combined stir in the rolled oats.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart (really I just make sure they are all the same size and have a couple inches between them).

Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes depending on size of cookies, or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool (or just eat them like we do!).

We all like our oatmeal cookies with different things, so I usually do the first batch or two plain then I add 2-3 small packs of raisins and bake a batch. Then I add chocolate as needed, or desired :-) for the final batch(es).

Enjoy!!!

There is too much

There will be many posts to come, but my sister and a couple friends have come to visit for the next couple of weeks, so this will be brief.

Ellie took her first step!!!!!!!!!!!! It was adorable. Just after she did it we tried to get her to duplicate, but she was so excited over the ca motion that she couldn't even stand up without falling right back over (jumping doesn't help standing on wobbly legs).

Hope all is well for everyone reading!

My Man Meme

Thanks Mandy for the opportunity to do some husband bragging with this meme :-)

1. Who is your man? Allen

2. How long have you been together? Almost 8 years

3. How long did you date? We dated for 2 years -We were engaged for over half that time, but dating none the less

4. How old is your man? 26

5. Who eats more? Well, it depends, are we talking more on the whole or more chocolate dessert :-)

6. Who said I love you first? He did after a very long conversation at a coffee house with both of us wanting to say it, but not really knowing if it was the right time.

7. Who is taller? Allen by quite a bit. (10 inches to be precise)

8. Who sings better? Allen hands down. He has a wonderful voice, so if you want a Hutchison to sing, pick him, never me. If you ask me you may regret it (LOL!).

9. Who is smarter? Allen definitely picks up on school work much faster than I ever could, that is one of his many attractive qualities.

10. Whose temper is worse? Well, not that either of us are quick tempered, but I would have to say probably him.

11. Who does the laundry? me, generally, though he does pitch in sometimes.

12. Who takes out the trash? Allen, always Allen.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, since it is closer to the window (I am always warmer than he is, always!)

14. Who pays the bills? We both do, though most of our bills are done automatically.

15. Who is better with the computer? Hah! This question makes me laugh. Anyone who knows us would be able to answer this one no problem. Allen is a computer whisperer compared to me.

16. Who mows the lawn? the lawn crew at the seminary..

17. Who cooks dinner? mainly me.

18. Who drives when you are together? Allen unless he is especially tired.

19. Who is the most stubborn? Me. No comment.

20. Whose parents do you like the most? Silly question, both!

21. Who kissed who first? Allen kissed me at Haystack rock on the Oregon Coast

22. Who asked out who? We mutually agreed to go out together.

23. Who proposed? Allen of course, and it was perfect (Baker Beach under Golden Gate Bridge, just gorgeous).

24. Who has more friends? Allen, he is a lot better at that area than I am.

25. Who has more siblings? We have the same (Each one Sister and one Brother, though if you count their spouses he has more, since mine are still working their way in that direction :-) )

Pray, Pray, Pray

Found out tonight that some friends’ (from school here) one day old baby had to be rushed to Boston Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery tonight. This hits a little more than close to home. That’s what I can share now. Pray for Nathan and Johanna and their new son, William.

And honestly, pray for us too that we would know how best to help. Obviously we want to help, especially considering the circumstances. But we don’t know them super well so we don’t know what exactly would help them most. If nothing else, I think we’ll try to go down to the hospital tomorrow.

UPDATE - 10/5

Little William got the surgery he needed and came out okay! Praise the Lord! He’s still gonna be in the hospital for a bit yet, but today’s surgery was a success. Please pray that his little body adjusts to the trauma it just went through. And for mom and dad to cope with the trauma they just went through.

Not What We Expected

Well, it is technically October and one would imagine that October in the New England States would be cold and wet, but here is this weeks weather forecast:
South Hamilton (ignore the 2 rain clouds as they may decide to leave and return when the temperatures are more Fall-like)

Just for a little comparison here is a southern cali's weather for the week:
San Diego, CA