ATTENTION HISTORY BUFFS

Camp Floyd's History Camp for Kids 
summer sessions registration opens today.

Are your 8 to 11 year old children interested in history? This is a fun option for them to learn about an important part of our nation's history and the role our state played during the American Civil War.

Camp Floyd History Camps for kids are a fun-filled educational experience about how soldiers lived at Camp Floyd between 1858-1861, and how the Utah War served pre-Civil War objectives. 

Participants will receive a 2017 History Camp t-shirt, Union or Confederate kepi, replica rifle, canteen, haversack, wooden yo-yo and more. Campers return home each day with furlough papers. The park may be able to provide carpooling information with others in your area. 

These programs are for both boys and girls, eight to 11 years of age. Each of the five camps are limited to 26 participants and runs from 9 am to 4 pm each day. For more information visit their website at campfloyd.utah.gov.

Registration begins March 1. Registration and a $105 camp fee are required. Sessions are June 6-8, June 20-22, July 11-13, July 18-20, and August 1-3. Register online at 

http://campfloydstatepark.eventbrite.com

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Your first outdoor spring project of the year

Doesn't all this snow shoveling make you want to take a little break from it, build a cheery little fire, and roast a marshmallow? We had a little peek at spring with a February Thaw and now SPRING is what is on our brains.
That February Thaw gave us a glimpse at our yards that have been buried all winter and many of us thought of a few landscaping and yard projects we would like to make this spring to enjoy this summer. That is the magic and beauty of a February Thaw. It helps our minds look forward in time and mentally prepare for those projects we want to do with our spring fever energy.

So, lets think about fire pits.
There is magic in a crisp evening and the crackle of a fire giving off its warmth. A few marshmallows and a Hebrew National dog are a good addition to a marvelous evening. If you don't already have some kind of fire pit, it's time.

There are professional custom built, pretty nice fire pits and there are do-it-yourself custom built, pretty simple ones. Whatever floats your boat and your debit card.

It's pretty simple to whip one together with some gravel and landscaping blocks, or even some cinder block and old barrels. The result is about the same - friends, family, laughter, memories, stories, jokes, burnt marshmallows. 

One of the most appealing elements of a fire pit is it's environment and overall ambiance of the area you place the fire pit. You can go for structured and precise with everything in place or more relaxed and casual with an anything goes feel.

As we finish off the late winter and early spring season, let your mind think ahead to warmer days and get those mental projects figured out and put down on paper. If you have a plan on paper, you can get some preliminary shopping completed so when those warmer days appear, you will be ready to get that fire pit dug and laid out. The more you mull ideas around in your head, the better they become. You can figure out the best placement in your yard, the best products to use to get the desired outcome, and the best alterations to make it just how you want it.

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Midway City is looking for a new flag. And you get to be the designer. The newly designed flag submissions are due in 5 weeks, so get cracking. 

Midway City provides you with a design template you can print off, create, and submit. You can access it if you click here.

The Midway Flag website is pretty great and features an entertaining and informative video clip as well as the information from the video to help you in your design.

Midway residents get to vote on the top 5 designs. Yours might as well be an option. Let's do this and make a flag Midway residents can be proud of and that is recognized everywhere.

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Let's hear it for the neighbors

Do you have great neighbors? Maybe it's time you let them know how much you appreciate them. Here are Heath's Favorite Five ways to acknowledge them and show your gratitude for the good things they do everyday.

1. The first thing Heath said was to host a BBQ. 
Of course. A little neighborhood get together with good food is a great way to connect with neighbors. A nice outdoor potluck party in the warm months will make memories. A warm and cozy food get together in the cooler months is also a fantastic way to unite neighbors and enjoy the longer dark evenings.

2. Take care of things for them when they are out of town. 
If they need someone to feed or care for a pet, get their mail or newspaper, water some flower pots, or take the garbage to the curb in their absence, then you might volunteer to help. If there are other simple chores that need to be taken care of in the case of a short absence, having someone close to home taking care of those things and keeping on eye on the house gives peace of mind as well as builds friendships. Be sure to have each other's phone numbers. A little check in text or call can be very helpful if you see something not particularly right at their house. 

3. Be a considerate neighbor.
If you know your neighbors are having an extended family function in their backyard, please don't think it's a good time to mow your lawn. If you know they are recuperating from a surgery, shovel the snow from their sidewalk. If your dog likes to howl at the moon at 4:00 am, take care of it. If your kids leave their front yard strewn with their bikes, scooters, and pogo sticks, clean it up.

4. Take them something.
It's always delightful to get a little snack on a paper plate that you didn't make. There are all kinds of holidays that make it easy to purchase or make a little gift to share with your neighbors. It's nice to know someone thought of you. Delivering a small pot of flowers in the spring, a slice or two of watermelon in the summer, a basket of veggies from your fall garden, or a holiday basket in the winter goes a long ways to show your appreciation and friendship.

5. Stay in touch, listen, and be happy.
With the weather warming up this month and next, you and your neighbors will most likely be spending a little more time outside. That gives you the chance to see each other more than the winter months might have allowed. Be neighborly and exchange greetings when you both happen to be out. Over the fence chats about the weather, family members, upcoming events, or even yard concerns are great ways to stay in touch with your neighbors. And don't forget the smile. A study completed in part by a sociologist at Harvard tells us "When one person in the network became happy, the chances that a friend, sibling, spouse or next-door neighbor would become happy increased between 8 percent and 34 percent, the researchers found."

For most people neighbors are an integral part of life. Hopefully your neighbors are great. If not, step out and be good to them so they have good neighbors. Try to express your appreciation and let them know how much you enjoy them. The month of February gives us 1 hour and 9 minutes more minutes of daylight. Let's enjoy it.

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Two simple recipes you will want to make this week

There is a misconception that REAL, HOMEMADE, BAKED CHEESECAKE is difficult and time consuming to make. Actually, it's incredibly easy and of course delicious. Here are two real recipes that are really good.

Luscious Lemon Cheesecake 
2 packages of 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ready to use graham cracker crumb crust

Mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, juice, peel and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and mix until blended.
Pour into crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the center is almost set. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
2 packages of 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 ready to use graham cracker or chocolate flavor crumb crust

Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs and mix until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips.
Pour into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

See? So so easy. You will be surprised at how quickly it all goes together and how delicious both of these recipes taste. We've enjoyed both of these recipes for the past few months at our home. Happy cheesecake baking!

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Have a look at the quick video and give me a call for more information about this new listing.

801 631-3430

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com

Gals, this is for you. Heath let us in on a little Valentine's Day gift giving secret. 

Heath has a few ideas that he thinks most of the fellas out there would be happy to receive for Valentine's Day.

- gift card to a favorite sporting goods store

- tickets to a favorite sports event

- tickets to a concert (he is pretty psyched about Def Leppard, Poison, and Tesla this summer in SLC)

- a night getaway to Wendover

- gift card to a hardware store

- any kind of new, fun electronic

- nice watch

So there you have it. I did ask him why the preference for gift cards and tickets. He replied with the fact that many men want quite a few things that they haven't ever expressed a desire for nor told you that they wanted it because it really isn't an option. 

His example was this: If he received a gift card for a certain sporting goods store in town, say Sportman's Warehouse, he would be ecstatic and think to himself "Hot dang, now I can go get that sleeping bag I've always wanted and next year I won't freeze my socks off while I'm up hunting." He might have never mentioned he froze his socks off last year and that a new, nice sleeping bag would have solved that problem, but nonetheless, that is his desire. Sometimes our sweet gentlemen are a bit busy providing and do little receiving. 

I asked Heath if a gift card seems too impersonal to receive and he said most fellas wouldn't think that at all because a gift card gives them the opportunity to get what THEY WANT. So I figure that if they receive a gift card to where ever their interests lie, that is much better than me wandering around Sportman's for an hour wondering what he really wants (because I do know he wants something there) and then getting frustrated and picking up the first XL camouflage shirt I see and busting out of there.

Tickets to events are the same kind of thing. If they love baseball, then tickets to a baseball game are a hit for sure especially if he doesn't normally purchase them himself and go. If you get tickets to a concert or some other performance that you know he is interested in, then your efforts are appreciated and his hobbies and pastimes are enjoyed.

And one more thought about gift cards and tickets. When they open a little card from you with the plastic or paperwork of whatever you give him, he may not be able to use it that day. Or the next day. But that truly doesn't matter. Even if the event or shopping experience is quite some time away, just knowing that they get that experience in the future is a gift. They get to think about it and plan it and run it over in their mind many times before it actually happens. So it is a gift that keeps on giving!

Heath is a wrist watch guy and a techie so anything along those lines are his personal favorites. That is why he included those on the the list. Maybe your guy is the same and would think a new techie tool or toy would make his day. If not, that weekend in Wendover might just be the perfect thing. 

Hopefully Heath's ideas help you in your hunt for a great gift. Whatever you end up finding for your favorite guy, best of luck and don't forget to grab yourself a chocolate truffle or two.

Brought to you by Heath Harvey @ HeathsHomes.com