A Family Visit

Stan's parents have come and gone, and it was a great visit! We got a lot of talking, and eating and laughing and watching movies and everything else packed into less than a week. We took them to Gunther Toody's Diner where AJ works and Grandma Mullis was greeted and fussed over by every single waitress there. His co-workers all love AJ and were anxious to meet his other grandmother since they'd met Grandma and Papa Hillyard at Christmas time. This is a photo of Joann and Jim as we were having breakfast there on a cold, rainy morning. They were surprised the next day to see a new batch of snow on the top of Pike's Peak! It is a lot different from San Luis Obispo, California, let me tell you.

We tried to take them to Manitou Springs, but we opted to drive up there on Saturday and it was PACKED! Turns out it was the weekend of the wine festival and it was shoulder to shoulder crowds of people and the streets were so packed with cars that we saw people leaving their cars in the middle of the street (between the two lanes of traffic) to rush into the stores they needed to get to. It was crazy. Here's a photo of Stan and his dad Jim when we went to Jose Muldoon's in downtown Colorado Springs.

Sunday we had a big family BBQ. Jim's brother Bob has a daughter, Dorothy, who lives here in the Springs about five minutes from us. She and her husband John have five children, and one two-year-old grandson. Dody and John joined us along with their two youngest, Killian (who is the same age as Kevin...in fact they're just a day apart in age!) and Dionna who will be a freshman this fall. They also brought their grandson Mason who, at 2, is a ball of fire! He gave us a lot to talk about and had us all dashing about after him from time to time. All in all it was a terrific day with lots of catching up, lots of laughing, and LOTS of good eatin' due to Stan's fantastic barbeque. At one time we had all the men in the kitchen working: Stan getting the meat ready, John shucking corn, and Jim supervising the fire. Dody, Joann and I had cold drinks and sat with our feet up talking in the living room. Now that's living!

When they finally left we were sorry to see them go, but happy we'd had a chance to see them. This final picture is one AJ took of Stan and I with his folks as they got ready to leave. Hopefully it won't be so long until our next visit!

Summer's Here!!

I know, I haven't been terrible consistent about blogging, but I've been busy! I've started a new novel and it takes up most of my free time. The boys are out of school now and Kevin proudly tells us that he is now officially an upperclassman. This fall he will begin his junior year. This summer AJ will start filling out his mission papers. He turns 19 in October and is chomping at the bit to get on his mission. It will be a busy summer.



Kevin was honored at the end of his school year by the fine arts department which gave him a special award as best 2D artist! Here are a couple of his pieces which he gave me. One is a pen and ink drawing of a mountain scene, and the other is a watercolor of a flower. I think is is tremendously talented and I am very proud of him!



Stan's parents arrive Wednesday and we are looking forward to a nice visit. I'll try to get pictures. Have fun!

20 Years and Counting!

We are all getting ready for summer in the Mullis house! AJ has already completed his first semester of college with terrific results. He discovered that he truly loves college. And Kevin is winding down his sophomore year as well. My Memorial Weekend we'll be ready to usher in summer! Yeah!

Stan and I will celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary next Wednesday, May 21st! We can hardly believe it's been that long, but looking at our 18-year-old and 16-year-old I guess it's true! We are planning a big bash with our boys, plus some romantic alone time.

The other good news is that I saw my cardiologist this week and he gave me a big thumbs up! I feel so much better. After seeing him in February he made me feel as if I had weeks to live. But after all the test and lab results it shows that I truly am doing better. The surgery was a complete success, and he is now weaning me off my heart medication (which will take about ten weeks). I still need to continue to exercise and work on my diet, but at least things look good!

Our other big news is that Grandma and Grandpa Mullis are coming for a visit! They will arrive June 4th and we're all looking forward to a good time with them. And maybe it won't snow!

News From the Homefront

More news from the Mullis Family -- Kevin has just made the Jazz Band at the school! We're so excited and proud of him. This is quite an accomplishment, since the director only selects the finest musicians to be in the jazz ensemble. For those of you who don't know, Kevin plays the alto saxaphone in the concert band. For the jazz band we don't know if he'll play alto or tenor sax, but whatever he is chosen for, it will be a lot of fun to go to the concerts and hear him play.

In addition to this, Kevin has also been working on composing his own music. This will come in handy when he will be called upon to improvise in the jazz band. This morning we went and purchased him a manuscript pad for his compositions as well as a music book of classic jazz music (such as Duke Ellington's Satin Doll) for him to practice over the summer.

This morning Kevin and I also went out for his second driving lesson. Spent about thirty minutes driving around and through the Stetson Hills building parking lot to help him get the feel of the car and how it handles before we take him out on city streets. Don't worry, I'll alert you all so you can stay clear when he does take his act on the road!

AJ is continuing to prepare for his mission, and his big news is that he is also getting ready to be ordained an Elder on May 11th! I gave him the new Tabernacle Choir CD "Called To Serve" which is a missionary album. We both agreed that it's an almost perfect recording; the selection of hymns is the best! We think this is a good recording for any home.

All in all, the Mullis Boys are Growing Up!!

What a Week!

This has been quite the week for our family. Lots of stuff going on these past couple of weeks. First, let me back up and tell you that Stan was caught speeding a short time ago, and had to go to court Wednesday. Since he was going 19 mph over the speed limit in a construction zone, it wound up being a costly little outing--over $400!! That was fun.

The big story was Stan's Jeep which has needed new brakes for awhile now. Stan and the boys were planning on replacing them this summer when things warmed up a little. Monday morning when Stan came home from work he noticed that the brake fluid was leaking and that he had to get on it ASAP. However, as he was working on it, the Jeep slipped of the jack and crashed onto the driveway. Luckily Stan was unhurt, but the Jeep had some damage to it. We had it towed to the shop and, well, several hundred dollars and a few days later the Jeep is back on the road.

Let me tell you, it's hard living with only one vehicle, even is only for a week! Makes me want to keep these in good working order.

But we got through it all and are looking forward to this weekend when we can relax and spend some nice time together. If the weather holds, we might even have a BBQ! Hope you all have a good weekend as well!

Scotcharoos!

It's time to get back into our routine. AJ started back to school last week after his spring break, and Kevin goes back tomorrow. That also means getting up early to get him to seminary. *sigh* It's been so nice sleeping in!

One of the things we made over break was one of the Mullis' favorite recipes: SCOTCHAROOS. This is a recipe we make and bring with us a lot and we always get requests for the formula. So, I thought I'd put it up here and you could try it if you like. Made with Rice Krispies, it's not exactly like those marshmallowy Rice Krispie Treats, and it is a recipe Kellogg's used to put out in the 1970s, but don't any longer. It's really very good, and I hope you enjoy!

SCOTCHAROOS
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Lite Corn Syrup
1 Cup Peanut Butter
6 Cups Rice Krispies
1 Package (6 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Package (6 oz.) Butterscotch Morsels

Combine sugar and syrup in 3 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until mixture begins to bubble.

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix well, until peanut butter is melted and combined with syrup mixture.

Add Rice Krispies. Stir until well blended. Press into buttered 9” x 13” pan.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch morsels over hot but not boiling water, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat; spread evenly over Rice Krispie mixture.

Let cool, and cut into bars. YUMMY!!

Here Comes April!

Here we are at the end of March already. Can you believe it? The first week of Spring break is over, and AJ returns to school tomorrow night. We had a terrific time last week.
We went to see the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day which we all adored. Tuesday Stan and the boys had a guys night out. They saw a double feature of I Am Legend and Rambo. Then they went out for tacos. Sounds like a perfect testosterone filled evening to me.
I, on the other hand, stayed home and finished a new short story that I am mailing off tomorrow to a magazine in hopes of selling it. It's a psychological suspense story. If you're interested in reading it, let me know!
My sister Cheryl and her husband Don arrived Wednesday afternoon and stayed until mid-morning Saturday. We had a terrific time; lots of talking and catching up. We also took them to the diner where AJ works and they seemed to enjoy that as well. After they left the house seemed quiet to us all.
The weather in Colorado continues to be ever changing. We go from 65 degrees to 22 with a windchill of 14! I, for one, am ready for spring and one of Stan's famous BBQs! Come on warm weather! Hope all is well with all of you. See ya!

Spring Break

Well, we're now on Spring Break and ready to roll! Both AJ and Kevin have no school this upcoming week, and we are looking forward to having some family fun. Stan and the boys helped some friends move this morning while Maureen was busy baking a cake for Easter tomorrow. After all that we went out to lunch to launch our break.

Easter Sunday is also Grandma's birthday and we are looking forward to calling her. Monday AJ and Stan both have off work so we're planning on catching a movie, the first we've seen since last fall. Tuesday is a "Guys Day Out" when Stan will take the boys to a movie and dinner without Mom. It should be fun.

Wednesday we're expecting Maureen's sister Cheryl and her husband for a visit for a few days. Sadly, Don's father died. They will be stopping by to see us after attending the funeral in Kansas.

But, as is often the case in Colorado, after a few warm, sunny days, we are ushering in Spring and Easter with snow. It's been snowing all day here and it's cold too. Well, that's Colorado for you! Happy Easter everyone!

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Mullis Family Blog! We are Stan, Maureen, AJ (Arland) and Kevin Mullis and we live in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This blog is for our friends and family who are so far from us. We will try to keep it up at least weekly, and keep you all up-to-date with the goings on here in the Rocky Mountains.

Stan and Maureen will celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary on May 21, 2008. AJ is 18. He attends Pike's Peak Community College and works at Gunther Toody's diner. Kevin is 16, just got his learner's permit, and is a sophomore at Sand Creek High School.

Life is great in the Mullis home, and we'll be letting you know the latest and the greatest in future blogs!