John and I painted the pottery we made.

It was fun to paint, but we really had no idea how exactly the pieces would turn out. The paint on the pottery looks very different before and after firing.

BEFORE:

John’s bowl

Shannon’s bowl

Shannon’s vase

A week or so later I went back to bring home our painted babies.

AFTER:

John’s bowl

Shannon’s bowl

Shannon’s vase

In October I held my annual chocolate tasting party. It’s an excuse to get girlfriends together for good company and good chocolate.

I prepared 18 samples of chocolate–milk, dark, spicy, and fruity–for us to taste and rate.

We had water to and unsalted crackers to help cleanse the palate between tastings.

And, because we are nerds like this, we used scorecards with “Chocabulary” ideas to keep track of our opinions.

The clear winners:

MILK CHOCOLATE
Godiva Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel 31%

DARK CHOCOLATE
Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate

SPICY CHOCOLATE
Lindt Dark Chocolate with Chili

FRUITY CHOCOLATE
Dove Silky Smooth Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Swirl
Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Strawberry Creme

And the #1 loser:

DARK CHOCOLATE
Godiva 85% Extra Dark Santo Domingo Chocolate

Ironic that one of our favorite brands (Godiva) also made our least favorite chocolate of all. The milk with salted caramel was sweet and salty and delicious. The extra dark was bitter and sour, and no one liked it. Another unfavorite chocolate was in the spicy category: Sunflower Market Dark Chocolate with Chili Chipotle. People thought it was too spicy.

After the chocolate was tasted and rated, can you believe we ate more chocolate? My table was spread with delectable chocolate desserts that people brought to share.

Oh, boy. We had a good time.

And when it was time to go home, there was more chocolate to take home and share–or not–with the family.

Only one more year until the next one!

Last month John and I had a Saturday afternoon date where we got lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries (um, yum!) and then went to an art studio to make pottery. It was a Groupon deal that offered half off two pottery making classes (you make the pottery in the first class, paint it in the second).

The last time I remember using a pottery wheel was in the seventh grade, and if I remember right whatever I tried to make didn’t turn out great. John has never used one.

Thankfully we had help. The teacher really knew what she was doing and helped us significantly so what we were trying to make turned out decently.

We started by getting a ball of clay and kneading it to remove air pockets. Then it was time to sit at the wheel! This was the fun–but deceptively difficult–part.

It works a little like a sewing machine with a foot peddle to control speed. Our teacher said slower was better for beginners, but faster was funner!

Actually molding the clay on the wheel was tricky; it often had a mind of its own. It was fun to get our hands in the clay and work with it, but when it came to turning that clay into something beautiful our teacher had to help us a lot. She said that art students at BYU are required to spend 40 hours at the wheel before they’re considered competent. We had about one hour. So, like I said, she helped us a lot.

But doesn’t it look like we know what we’re doing?

After our bowls were molded we set them in the sun to dry a while. I also made a vase that’s not pictured.

We’ll go back next week to paint them. Now we’re pretty much artisans!

Wesley’s Favorite Grandpa

Carissa’s Favorite New Skill

Carissa’s Favorite Team

Wesley’s Favorite Activity (watching football) with His Favorite People (his family)

Recently we ate lunch at Tucanos. Carissa ate the whipped cream off my sundae.

Wes ate nothing.

This afternoon I took the kids to Costco to return an item. We couldn’t leave without ice cream–or, as Wes says, “ISCWEEM!”

Costco sells waffle cones with three scoops of gelato (berry, pistacio, and chocolate chip) for just a buck-fifty. Good price. Good eats.

And aside from me helping lick up a few dribbles down the side and sneaking an occasional bite of cone, Wes ate the ENTIRE thing by himself. All of it.

Here’s proof: Wes finishing off the cone tip.

Later in the day we spent a little time at the water at Riverwoods. Wes LOVED playing in the water. Carissa got really excited and screamed happily as she toddled around, until the water squirted her in the face and then she needed some love from Mom or Dad before going back in.

There’s nothing better than seeing your kids happy.