Birhday Shoutout

My favorite hubby (OK he's also my only one) is having a birthday today. Most men tell people they are 32 years old. I'm pretty sure Dean is also 32. Although most times he acts like he's 18. He fist bumps, listens to rap, and skis like a maniac. Through life's ups and downs, this guy has made my journey so fabulous and so much fun. There is never a dull moment at our house when Dean is around. With his strength, he keeps our family together and laughing all of the time. Love him!

Happy Birthday Deano

This is one of Dean's favorite places, the Uintah Mountains.

Reading his favorite book "Two Badd Babies" to
Francesca and Chet.

He's the man...looking very cool in Juicy glasses.

Izzy the doodle.

Izzy has been with our family for 2 years now. This big white ball of fluff is a Golden Doodle (cross between a standard poodle and a golden retriever). Everyone who meets Izzy wants to take her home because she is so sweet and good natured. Before bringing Izzy home I read up on raising puppies, watched The Dog Whisperer, and even made her a quilt. Yup I did! I wanted this puppy to adapt to our family and feel instantly at home. This bunch is a bit dog crazy... you should meet the Grand-dawgs. Above all Izzy is always there when we need some puppy love. Here are a few of my favorite Izzy pics over the past 2 years. Happy 2nd Birthday Izzy!

Izzy just after her last grooming...complete with pink bows.

Izzy da smart doodun...yet again we are
dressing up the dog.

Izzy the puppy doodle. Notice how her fur changes as she ages.

Izzy the teenager with my fabulous teenager.

Izzy being tormented with Cassandra's

"My little baby Baby" rendition.

Izzy as a glamour girl..."Juicy Creature"

Izzy sporting her "poodle look" don't worry we

won't let that happen again.

Izzy teasing her sister Kenya with a good

old-fashioned tail biting.

Izzy in desperate need of a haircut with Chet.

Izzy deciding the back seat is stoopid, and

lonely...move over Dione.

In a brown paper bag

A couple of weeks ago I woke up and told Dean I

needed to go to the liquor store and asked if

he'd come along. He laughed and said "OK, bad day?"

I use white wine to cook with on occasion and

the cooking wine in the grocery store is beyond bad.

So game on... we went to the State Liquor Store. We are

so naive we had to ask some dude in the store what to buy.

He was very helpful and it turns out the liquor store stuff

is much cheaper than the grocery store. And you

get your wine in a brown paper bag when you leave...

just like the movies.

FYI... in case you go, the helpful dude in the store

suggested buying the cheapest wine since you are going

to burn out all the alcohol anyway.

As Bob says... VACATION !!!

The Garlick family decided to take a hint from John Grisham

and Skip Christmas. We spent a week in the beautiful Florida

sunshine for some well deserved rest and relaxation. We rode

some wicked roller coasters (Sheikra, Montu, Kumba, Hulk),

played in the sun and surf and frolicked in a water park. But

most of all we shared some very good times together. Bob

taught us to get crazy and yell out VACATION whenever

anything went just a little bit off. Try it sometime. I also

recommend skipping Christmas once in your life.

Bob and Cass buying pickles at the world's

largest flea market... so white trash.

Chet soaking up some Florida sunshine.

Cassandra convincing (OK maybe shoving) Dione
to go body surfing in the Atlantic.

Message to our girl...

A beautiful Florida sunset.

Christmas Eve in front of our villa.

Chocolate Island desert...yummy!

Our own little Christmas tree.

Presents!

Flippers Pizza...so nice we ate there thrice.

Pie Night 2008

Pie Night has become an annual Garlick family tradition since the year 2000. It began as a way to wish our neighbors Merry Christmas instead of coming up with a new gift for each year. I remember one year where we handed out a quart of ice cream and a scoop with a clever poem which read..."You've been naughty so here's the scoop...this years gift is snowman poop!" I make roughly 20 different deserts that are mostly pies, but also include cheesecakes and an occasional cake or two. Yes, I make them ALL from scratch in one day. I change it up each year, but I am also careful to include the favorites. One of my best pies is a White Chocolate Banana Cream pie which takes about 2 hours to prepare and is always the first one to disappear. Perhaps my favorite thing about pie night is to watch the wives chastise the husbands over how many pieces they have eaten. And then I promptly catch their eye and pass them another when the wives aren't watching. Shh... keep that a secret!

The pie display.

3 tiers of fruit pies.

The blackberry pie I made this year was so

beautiful before I had even baked it that I

just had to have a picture. This was Dione's

favorite pie this year.

This is my friend Francesca who flew all the

way from NYC with her parents Lisa and

Frank to come to pie night

My friend Leisa is sampling a couple slices.

Mike looks very happy with his choice

of the red velvet cake.

Here I am serving it all up.

Caroline is having a difficult time deciding which

one... so she just tried a slice of 8 different

pies. That's right 8. She said she worked out

the next morning.