Tag, I'm It

I've been tagged by my friend Emily (tyvm) and I have seen this going around and knew it was only a matter of time before it found my blog. Most of you I'm sure are familiar with this, but just in case - I'll post 6 things about myself that most others may not know, then tag 6 friends and post on their blogs that they do the same. So here it goes:


1. I am without a doubt addicted to collecting recipes. I cut them out of the newspaper, find recipes in magazines, online, off food products themselves, from friends -- pretty much anywhere I can get them. Do I make the recipes I find you ask? Most of the time, no -- it's just the having I think I love. My recipe file is bulging at the seams and in need of a bigger folder. This addiction also includes recipe books. My recipe library grows every year. Now you know when I ask you for a recipe, it's feeding my addiction! :) One of my current favorite sources? Allrecipes -- you know they're good when 456 people rate it ***** :)

2. I have always wanted to work as a grocery store checker. Something about scanning the barcodes has always appealed to me. It started when I was younger and played store. I'll try not to age myself, but when I played store back then, I used a calculator with the paper tape to punch in the prices (yes, pre-barcode scanning, yikes!). If you ever visit my parents house, check the big brown dictionary and you'll find my "grocery store" receipts stuck randomly in the pages-they're still there. Also if you ever go to Walmart with me and I use the self-check out, now you'll know why.

3. I love to garden and get my hands dirty. I had a great garden this year, one that I've been dreaming of for quite some time. I borrowed a roto-tiller last spring and started my 45'x6' plot. I had sunflowers, green beans, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, herbs, and tons of tomatoes and had started everything from seed. I had seeds for a whole lot more, but my summer went too fast and I didn't get it planted in time. My garden next spring will be bigger and have a better variety and I'm also planning to landscape the planters at the front of the house.

4. Here's a random one -- I took Anatomy at BYU just because I wanted to. Who in their right mind takes a 4 credit class with a lab for kicks? It was really hard, but I loved it and got an 'A.' I even got to study on real cadavers for the labs. Really cool and highly recommended!! ;) On the same note, I almost took ASL my last semester (also 4 credits) but the time slots didn't work -- oh well.

5. When I am tired, I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. When I was little, my Mom used to make wedding cakes and occasionally I would go with her to the reception while she set-up and helped with all things cake. One time, she couldn't find me towards the end of the evening and finally someone thought to look under the serving table (with the long floor length table skirts) and there I was, sound asleep on the floor. Another story a little more recent -- while we were living at my Parents house, I would more often than not fall asleep on the couch watching tv. One night, I fell asleep before I prepared Lester's lunch for the next day. I woke up, made his lunch and grabbed a couple dollars for him to get a snack with and a cookie for me to eat before heading to bed. I was so tired, I sat down on a cedar chest in the family room and ended up laying down. I woke up a few hours later when Lester was passing through on his way out and gave him the money in my hand and then ate the cookie on my way to bed finally at 5:30am. Just don't let me drive when I'm tired! :)

and finally 6. I love to play games. Board games, cards, video games, any kind of game. I think that might be why there are so many games in our upstairs closet. Even though I don't get to play them very often, I have them just in case. Maybe that's why I wanted to major in Recreation Management at the Y, it was pretty much all about fun. If you ever need a game, I still have my notebook from my Social Recreation class. 3 credits for playing games, singing songs and throwing parties for a whole semester. It was GREAT!!!! Dr. Palmer was the best Professor! **Well there's a food goin' round that's an icky, sticky g-o-o-o-o peanut, peanut butter** RM majors will know that particular song :) Favorite game at the moment? Apples to Apples, definitely great for parties.

Okay so now the tagging begins. Unfortunately, most of my blog buddies have already been tagged somewhat recently, so those that have not, consider yourself tagged (sorry :) Sherrie, Laurie, Rachelle (when you can), and the Kinneys (even though their blog has spider webs....)

Our Happy Thanksgiving and My (almost) Brush With Fame

We spent our Thanksgiving enjoying the beauty of Northern Virginia (just outside D.C.) this year with Lester's brother and sister-in-law and their family. We had a great time, great food and did some fun things. We braved BLACK FRIDAY and went to IKEA and the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall in Woodbridge, Virginia. Oh how I love the IKEA and the wonders found within the walls of that store! I did find out that IKEA will find it's way to our neck of the woods but not until late next year (and in Charlotte--oh well, 2 hours is closer than 5). The outlet mall was as crowded as you can imagine. One of the stores I had intended to visit was the Gap, but there were so many people trying to get in/out of the store I chose to keep my sanity. The lines were like conga lines--crazy, crazy people searching for anything they could get their hands on I guess. I didn't even buy anything at the mall if you can imagine! Anyway, here are some TG day pictures:
Corben enjoying our Thanksgiving morning walk -- it was a beautiful morning!
Taking a break after playing at the park along the walking path.

So on to my so called brush with "fame." The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we decided to drive up to Baltimore, MD and visit a neat children's museum called Port Discovery. What a neat museum -- it had a 3 story climb-through playhouse that Corben and Lester exhausted themselves on (okay, well maybe just Lester) and all kinds of hands on exhibits -- a kid's diner with menus, food, everything (Madison loved it), ball pits....too much fun! Well since I knew we were planning to go to Baltimore, I had in my mind that one of our favorite shows from The Food Network is based there! Yup, Duff Goldberg and his Ace of Cakes Crew!!!
The windows of the shop are all darkened and probably with good reason. After we stopped and snapped a few pictures, two more cars drove up to do the same thing. I was hoping that by change they'd open the door or something, but not this time. I would have loved to meet anyone from the show, especially Duff, Geof or Mary Alice! A couple more shots of the shop:

Oh how we wanted to be scheduled visitors....and taste some cake! ;)
I did get to see the famous delivery van -- it was parked across the street! It has been in many episodes.
Love the fine details! These cakes are on the awning over the front door! Clever.

Christmas is coming to the Gebski blog! Can't wait! :) At least the music is here now for your listening pleasure.

New Words

So today while we were out running errands, Madison shared with me two new words she knows. How she learned them I haven't the slightest, since I think she's been there only once before. We passed this store while out and about, and I know that it will be a familiar place to most, if not all of you --the words......"Toyz Russ." YIKES!

Always an Adventure

We decided a few weeks ago that for the Veterans Day Holiday, we'd like to venture outside our fine city and see the sights a little. Since the fall color here is gorgeous, we picked our destination as Asheville, NC. I must say, the color was spectacular (as you can see) and no we didn't fork over the $145 it would have cost to tour the Biltmore Estate...We saved that chunk of money and we'll just look at pictures of it :)

We found a company that rents cabins in and around Asheville, and found a little one that would fit the four of us comfortably. The Chestnut Cabinwas as close to a little mountain cabin as you can get. It was adorable! The only thing missing was the wood burning fireplace (it had a gas fireplace), but there were others burning in the area and you could catch that wonderful aroma the moment you stepped outside. A tour of the cabin:

The main living area, very cozy indeed (it even had wireless internet!)
Our bedroom - even had a down comforter...toasty, toasty!
The loft for the kids (watch your head)
The kitchen...all we had to bring was food.
The front porch...too cold this time, but if it were summer....ahhhh serenity!
A different view of the cabin, but shows the back gazebo with an outside fireplace, bbq and a fish pond.


So on to our adventures...... The first day, we got there in the afternoon and Maddie took a little nap. Lester and Corben went out for a walk up the "road" and were gone for over an hour I'd guess. Well, when they returned, Corben was soaked almost up to his knees, and his shoes were indistinguishable as shoes! Yes, that was the only pair I had brought for him. The "road" they travelled, was the creek behind the cabin. They had a rock-hopping, splish-splashing good time. Moral of the story, I should have brought another pair of shoes. We left to go take a tour of the city and had to stop first at the local Sears and pick up a new pair of shoes! I guess that's one way to get new shoes. ;)

Saturday we ventured to Chimney Rock park and had fun going up and down more stairs than can be imagined. The views were worth it, and we definitely got our excercise! We took the elevator to the top, and the stairs down. We took a little side hike to a water fall and another little hike for Corben and Madison. They both loved it!Wherever we go, adventure always finds us one way or another, this time, it was walking into Sears with a boy wearing only socks on his feet. Oh well, we'll never forget that! :)