The Night Before Christmas...

Jess and I decided we were going to start our own family traditions during the holiday season and on Christmas Eve, we ventured out to the city of Layton to see the beautiful display of lights. There were so many people waiting in a long row of cars attempting to drive through the park to see the lights from the inside of their toasty car. We, however, thought it would be fun to walk around the park to get a better view... little did I know the treat Jess had in store for me!

After walking around the park and seeing all of the animals and characters that were lit up, we headed back to the car (or so I thought) to drive home. The next thing I knew, Jess had the trunk of our car open and was carrying a big duffle bag and two camping chairs?!?! I began to think "what on earth does he have up his sleeve now?" He set up our chairs underneath a big tree in the middle of all the lights and popped out an electric heater, a few bottles of water, some hot chocolate mix and a pan to heat up the water with. "HOW CUTE!" I thought to myself, we were going to drink hot cocoa and watch people come through to see the lights and sit in the snow. It was so romantic. Well... unfortunately, something did go wrong and that was the electric heater was a peice of ... work.... and did not end up coming through for us. So we could not heat up our water. But it did not matter to me one bit; it was such a thoughtful and romantic idea, Jess never seizes to amaze me.... he is so creative when it comes to showing his love for me! It was definitely the thought that mattered most to me... I love my husband so much! =)

Wrestling Matches at a Christmas Party?!?

The fabulous Dickson Christmas party was held this past Sunday at Jess' parents house. It was quite interesting as we all gathered together to eat some good grub, exchange white elephant gifts, and enjoy a few delightful rounds of Ultimate Fighting - Dickson style.





This little devil is ranked at the top of my "favorite people" list. Jamel Patton (aka Jess' best friend and best man at our wedding) is one of THE FUNNIEST people I have ever met. He currently lives in Florida and was out visiting us for a couple of days before Christmas. Jess and Jamel can be quite the pair when they are together and there isn't a time that goes by when Jamel comes to visit- where the two of them are not found wrestling eachother.

Well after these two crazy cats battled it out, they decided they wanted to see a few of the Dickson GIRLS wrestle. Yes - that's right, girls wrestling. I thought this was all fun and dandy until Jess wanted me to wrestle one of his sisters. Of course I could not refuse.

If any of you know these Dickson girls- seeing this picture of Julie and Jill wrestling is not the norm. Jill - maybe. Karlee- definitely. Julie - no way would I ever guess she would wrestle! I was quite impressed with how tough Julie was and how she fought to the end, although Jill did come out winning the set of 3 matches victoriously!

Next came my turn to wrestle Jill. Yes that is me on bottom. Yes I did lose, ... all 3 matches.

Everyone was shocked that I lost so poorly, being I am married to a high school region wrestling champ and all.... I think that made Jess a little disappointed that I lost so poorly. Yet at the same time, I know I made him proud that I accepted the offer to wrestle in the first place. It just became a bit frustrating when he was shouting moves at me the entire time; I guess I better learn the wrestling-lingo pretty fast so I can have a rematch with Jill ;0)

One quilt down... One more to go!

I'm sure all of you are so very anxious to find out whether or not I ever found a quilting frame ......(NOT)..... that's OK.... I'm proud to say that I did not use a frame whatsoever and still managed to complete this quilt in only a matter of about 8 hours of blood, sweat and maybe a few tears ;)

So here is what the final masterpeice looks like. I chose this fabric that has deer, moose, bears and fish on it because it looks like something Jess would pick out and I made it solely for him to take hunting. (Plus it was an easy grid pattern that I could follow along when I was tying my knots.) He always uses our good blankets to take camping and I figured this way he could always take the same quilt hunting with him and think of me while he was gone =) haha just kidding. But if any of you would like to make a quilt in a short amount of time and don't have a quilting frame handy... just give me a jingle, cuz I've got the secret solution! (Jess' sisters Jill and Julie helped me out with this project tremendously with their sewing skills- thanks ladies)

It's a twin size which I think is just perfect to take camping/hunting. Plus it reminds me of a sleeping bag and it has really thick batting. On to project numero dos - a KING SIZE denim quilt, complete with photos of Jess and I through the last four and a half years together.... which should be finished before his birthday in precisely two months... so I will keep you all updated on pictures... I'm sure you all can't wait! =)

Fudge-Fudge

My grandma Colleen came down to Utah to spend a couple of days at my mom's house while she recovered from a surgery she had last week to remove some skin cancer on the side of her face. I had been asking her for months now to teach me how to make her famous homemade fudge so that I can pass the recipe onto my children and grandchildren one day as well. Thankfully, she was feeling up to the challenge during her time spent with my family and I am so grateful I was able to learn how to make one of my favorite Christmas treats!

Making this fudge really made me miss my Grandpa Taylor. He passed away this past July and my grandma was telling me that he was always the one to help her beat the fudge. You have to lay out the fudge on a marble slab and beat it over and over until it gets thick enough that it won't fall apart and dissolve back into sugar.

She is such an amazing cook - especially when it comes to making candy!

Christmas Card

In case I decide to be too lazy to send our Christmas cards, or if I forget to send this to one of you (accidentally) here is a sneaky-peak at what it looks like:

Quilting Frame anyone?!?!?!

Does anyone have a quilting frame by chance? Or have any idea of who might own one? I bought this fabric to make Jess a big blanket to take hunting with him and I would really like to have it completed to give to him by Christmas... if not, its going to become his birthday present. Since I'm not working (AGAIN) I have plenty of time to finish it... I am just struggling to find a quilting frame! I don't know too many ladies in my ward yet well enough to ask them to borrow something... so I'm wondering if any of my family or friends out there who read this might have one??!?! Please leave me a comment or give me a buzz if you can help me out with this!! Thanks!!

Jess is in the Dog House... Literally!

To find out what happens in the doghouse.... click on the following link =0)

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/video.aspx

Another SCRUMPTIOUS Turkey Dinner!

Last weekend my mom decided that since her and her girls couldn’t all be together on Thanksgiving, she was going to make her kids a turkey dinner on Sunday after church. She is such a good cook; I have forgotten how yummy her meals are because I haven’t lived at home for so long…

My amazing mom made us the best dinner: turkey (of course), stuffing, peach jello, potatoes and gravy, green beans, and rolls! MMM! She even made the dinner table look beautiful, I love her!

One of the best things about my mom is her creative side! She came up with these adorable name tags for everyone around the dinner table. She cut out pictures of each of us and attached them to tags with little pilgrim outfits! It made it that much more fun! =)

Jess makes for a very attractive pilgrim.. wouldn't you agree??

Thanks Mom... You are the BESTEST!

1st Annual Dickson Turkey Bowl

The day after Thanksgiving, Jess' family decided that they were going to play a simple game of Flag Football. Little did I know that it would turn into such a big deal... and it was so much fun to watch! (I was the photographer on the sidelines =) The entire family joined in (minus Katie since she just had a baby 3 days ago, and Tym because she has been in Texas with Katie and baby Zeke for the past 3 weeks now) Everyone met up over at the park right next to Doug and Tym's house. Jess' older brother, Tom, took this whole game pretty serious - he even made a trophy for the winning team; it was a wooden football that we gave to the MVP (Jared) after the game.
Notice the goofy wardrobe that Jess and his sister Tammy are wearing, it cracks me up!

Also - Jess sticking out his tongue, that shows his personality in every way!!

Here is my husband's UNIQUE football outfit, not too sure why the shorts are over the sweatpants?! I didn't think that would really help keep him warm with how chilly it was outside, but what do I know?!?! Lots of the Dickson kids were wearing gear like that. I just couldn't stop laughing at how creative this family is - they used those long winter socks, the real thick kind, as their 'flags' and stuck them in their pockets. It was quite the show!

Any suggestions on how to get these groady grass stains out of his sweatpants would be greatly appreciated =)

Team Huddle

I thought this was a nice action shot of my hubby - quite the athlete when he wants to be!

"Winners" - Doug, Jared, Karlee, Tammy, Jess, Matt and Trent.

"L" is for Losers - Jill's friend Jedd, Jill, Juston,

Tommy, Lacee and David (Dickson cousin)

Group Photo

It was so much fun to watch this game go on for a little over an hour.. I think Jess really had a good time. Apparently this is going to become a Dickson tradition and I can't wait to see what they come up with to wear next year!

Its Christmas Time Baby!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Can You Spot Jess?

Last Saturday, my FEARLESS and ADVENTUROUS husband decided that after many unreturned phone calls from Rocky Mtn Power, he was going to take matters into his own hands and attempt to trim the towering trees we have in our back yard. We both hate these trees because they shade all of our surrounding neighbor's houses - but of course, our house receives no shade from them whatsoever. The leaves are another thing we hate because of raking duties... and the fact that many of the biggest branches hang right over our powerlines... some are even touching them! The power company has yet to respond to our calls so Jess got out his extension ladder last weekend and climbed to the tip-top to see how many branches he could get rid of with his trusty DeWalt chainsaw! I don't think I remembered to breathe the entire time I watched him up there and it was probably one of the longest prayers I've ever said... pleading that he wouldn't fall! Thankfully Jess made it back down safely each time - now I'm just hoping our future children don't have that same wild hair that Jess will never get rid of! =)

New News

Just a little update on our fam... I am going back to work on Monday! Hallelujah! I am so excited because I have been so bored here at home the last couple of weeks... except I'm sure Jess has enjoyed me cooking dinner for him EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! I also got my first calling in our ward, I am the Mia Maids advisor - so I teach girls from 14-16 yrs old. I'm pretty stoked because it hasn't been too many years since I've been out of YW's and I would be more than happy to go to Girls Camp all over again! Yaye! Jess is working like crazy, plumbing his little heart out and working an extra one or two side jobs a week! What a hunk!! I have also decided to start my own photography business after Christmas and I plan to get things moving at the first of next year... In the meantime, I am working on getting my website built, doing alot of trial-and-error work with my family as models =) and marketing to really get my name out there for weddings next summer. Hopefully by this time next year I will really be moving with my business. I plan to snap shots of weddings, families, babies, senior pictures... you name it! I am so excited about this and cannot wait to get going! SO the reason I am rambling on about this is because I would love all of my family and friends opinion on what you think I should name this new company of mine???? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated by leaving a comment! I have came up with a few ideas but would like to hear any creative ideas you folks may have. Thanks - love ya all!

MAN TAG!!!!!


I saw this on someones web page and thought it was a fun little questionairre ...
•What is his name? Jess Forde Dickson
•How long have you been together? Married almost six months! I know.. time flies!
•How long did you date? 3 1/2 years
•How old is he? 23
•Who said I love you first? He did, but I already knew I loved him.
•Who is taller? Jess- but just by a couple inches, I'm 5'5" and he's 5'10"
•Who sings better? Neither of us. Jess will try singing in church with a really deep and VERY loud voice, I don't know if he is doing it to embarrass me or just be funny, or if he doesn't even realize it, but it makes me laugh every time because people always give us the weirdest looks. Oh well, I guess I should just be grateful he sings, alot of husbands won't in church :)
•Who is smarter? I'm probably more book-smart, school smart, but that is probably just because I like to read alot more than Jess does; but common sense wise, definitely him!
•Whose temper is worse? Most definitely me. Jess says I am the one to try and pick fights and even though I try denying it to him, I know he's right. He has the calmest temper, he is the peacemaker in our home for sure.
•Who does the laundry? I do the wash - but when we have more than two baskets of clothes to put away, we usually watch a movie together and Jess will fold the clothes and I'll put them away; its become sort of a tradition I guess.
•Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jess because he has to sleep closest to the alarm clock, otherwise if I sleep on that side I turn it off the second it starts beeping... and Jess is not happy when he is late for work... oops...
•Who pays the bills? We both make the money, I pay the bills. I am trying very hard to teach him though, in case something were to happen to me, (knock on wood) he would have no clue as to where to even begin paying them!
•Who mows the lawn? Both of us
•Who does the dishes? We made a rule that whoever cooks, the other person has to do dishes. I cook 90 % of the time, but somehow I usually end up as the dishwasher too... how does that work? I guess its because I'm a clean freak and have to make sure everything gets cleaned the way it should.
•Who cooks dinner? Most of the time me. Unless we're grilling, that is Jess' job.
•Who drives when you are together? Jess - it bugs when the girl drives, too weird.
•Who is more stubborn? I say Jess - Jess says me ;0)
•Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Depends on whose fault the argument is
•Who kissed who first? It was a joint effort
•Who proposed? Jess did on Groundhog Day, (Feb 2). He took me snowshoeing late at night and carved "Whit will you marry me" in a tree and had a nail in the tree with my ring hanging off of the nail. He had set up a picnic with lots of goodies, flowers and balloons and had our song playing... I know, I was beyond shocked, he's the best! Very creative!!!!
•Who is more sensitive? Me, hands down. I would be worried if he was more emotional than his wife.
•Who has more friends? Him, but that is probably because we hang out with all of his married friends from his high school. I don't see my friends as much as I'd like and most of them are still single, so its usually a girls night when I get the opportunities to see them.
Who wears the pants in the family? Goes both ways, we listen to each others opinions and concerns, and making each other happy is important to both of us.


ALRIGHT - I'm tagging Karalee, Jessica, Joni, Lauren and Lanae! HAVE FUN GIRLS!

Homemade Onion Rings

Last week Jess came home with about 4 or 5 huge bags full of onions! He got them from a friend that works out in an onion field and we have so many I don't know how we will ever use them all up!! We have been trying to give some of them away to family and friends because we have so STINKIN many! So last weekend Jess suggests we try making homemade onion rings... and they turned out to be so good! We made them before eating dinner - so we ended up eating a bunch of onion rings on an empty stomach and got sick, but they were so tasty that we kept making more and more! So I thought I would share the recipe I found for them with all of you ... in case any of you have a love of this yummy appetizer! And.. if any of you need onions ... just give us a call! I would be glad to get rid of a few!

Homemade Onion Ring Batter:

1 egg

1 c milk

1 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Beat egg & stir in milk. Add sifted dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Dip onion rings in batter. Fry in oil on med. high. Drain on paper towels. ENJOY! ;)

Reba & Kelly Clarkson Concert!!!

Back in July I surprised my mom with Reba & Kelly concert tickets and last weekend was finally the day of! It was at the Energy Solutions Arena on a Friday night and we had a blast together! I really wish I would have gotten tickets for my sisters to come with us, they would have loved it! If any of you have watched the sitcom 'Reba,' and know who the character Barbra Jean is, she did a comedy act for the opening celebrity guest. She is so dang funny!! I have been to tons of concerts - but this was by far my favorite! We had such good seats - except some of these pics might be off focus because my camera is a peice of crap! ****HINT-HINT 4 Christmas ... Jess ;) It was so much fun because I am such a country fan but Kelly Clarkson is also one of my favorite artists as well - and Reba, talk about gorgeous! My mom and I made some fun memories together and it was a great mother/daughter bonding time!

Little Behind the Game....

I'm sure most of you have had a blog up and running for months... or maybe years now, but I'm brand new to this. I thought it would be a good idea to make one for all of our friends and family that we are not able to see as much as we wish we could... So my hopes of this is that it will be something all of you can view and feel like you aren't missing out on what's happening with the Dickson clan... and perhaps we will be able to get a small glimpse of your lives as well...