Monday, July 30, 2012

What Once Was Green

Did you know that brown is the new green?  At least since a severe drought has effected a huge swath of the U.S.  It is not look too good in these parts.  We are under water restrictions and for the first time I ever recall burn bans, which means no outdoor fires.  

It is only July and it is starting to look like fall outside.  Leaves are falling from the trees.  The grass is brown.  Huge cracks are forming in the parched earth.  Gardens are dying, crops are dying, and trees are dying.  It is going to take a lot of rain to get us out of this one.  

We had a bad drought like this when my sister was a baby.  We were on well water, so I do not remember water restrictions.  I do remember that the river in the back yard, dried up to just the channel.  It was about 50 yards (47.7 meters) across the cove until you reached the narrow channel that flowed through.  Further downstream it flowed into the lake for the town we now live in.  I remember that my brother and I played in an old duck blind on the edge of the channel that summer.

I took a walk around the yard earlier and have included a few pictures of our sad summer time yard.

this was new england aster

brown yew bushes

even poison ivy is not immune

grass or fire kindling?

a spirea bush that is browning off

these were hostas at one time

the pond's cove has dried up

poor, poor yard

time to change colors already?

 this is really the only brown we should see

Here is to hoping that we eventually get the needed rainfall.  It may be too late for this year, but we need to start some time to make next summer a lot greener.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Snow White

Sometimes life feels like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  There are those good days in life.  There are days filled with work.  There are days when you are running for all its worth.  There are days that you feel like one of the dwarfs.  And then, there are days that witch and the poison apple appears.

I thought that the poisoned apple would make an appearance yesterday.  Yesterday the memorial bench for my mom and grandpa was installed at a local nature center.  It was nice to see it accomplished, but at the same time it was a sad reminder that they are gone. Next week will be the two year anniversary of grandpa's death and mom's two year anniversary will be the next month.  

To add to the day, I went with my dad to his doctor appointment.  We both had anxiety going into it.  What would the doctor say?  Would the cancer be gone?  If the cancer is not gone, what would happen next?  Thankfully the doctor said that the cancer was in remission. Yay!  Thank you God and thank you to everyone for the prayers!  

But, I have been thinking over the past week and one of my biggest worries is, if dad ever did pass would I be the one to find him?  I honestly don't know if I can do that again.  The day that mom passed, I was the one to discover that she was gone.  Grandma was in the other room on a phone call and I desperately tried to find a pulse, a breath, anything before I told grandma what I thought to be true.  Then I had to make the call to the hospice nurse to come to the house to confirm that mom had passed.  It was absolutely terrible.  I know that mom is in a better place and I know that she no longer hurts from the cancer, but sometimes you feel frozen in time and cannot as hard as you try get a horrible image out of your head.  I'm hoping with time that memories of that day fade, I just am not sure that I can relive them again anytime soon.

Thankfully my thoughts have not been all dank and dreary this week.  We took the kids to the library and finished the summer reading program.  The kids really enjoyed themselves with the program this year.  They both received a book for completing the program.  Pumpkin got "Mac And Cheese" by Sarah Weeks.  Princess got "I Love New My Toy!" (an Elephant Gerald and Piggie book) by Mo Willems.  I picked up a few books too, so hopefully one of these days maybe I'll post about another book that I have read.

"Whistle While You Work" infected me yesterday afternoon.  I purchased and replaced the dryer ventilation tubing.  I also purchased some pipe and duct work insulation for hubby to do some work in the crawl spaces.  I fixed a stuck kitchen drawer (the back was separating from the sides).  I fixed a squeak back door, gotta love WD40.  I also fixed supper. ;-) 

Pumpkin and Princess were a riot this morning.  They were fighting over which one of them is Mommy's friend.  So they argued back and forth, it was quite cute.  Then Princess called herself a pretty princess.  Pumpkin told her that she could not be a princess, because she is not pretty.  Then he called himself a pretty superhero, because superheroes are good and he wanted to be good.  Hahahahahaha  I know what he said was not nice and thankfully my pretty little Princess didn't really pay any attention to him anyway, but it sure is funny to hear how kids process the world around them.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's Hot! Hot! Hot!

Whew, it is still hot!  The temperatures today was forecasted to reach 103 Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius).  I really am not sure how hot it got, but it was toasty!  Thankfully we are suppose to get a reprieve starting tomorrow.  Maybe we will even be lucky enough to receive some rain, but alas it will come too late as local water restrictions started this week.  The crops look terrible, the ground cover in the deciduous forest look terrible, and lawns are brown.  Not a typical summer around here.

On a lighter, we have been having a very busy summer.  Tomorrow night we will be finishing the summer reading program.  Yay!  Each of the kids will get a paperback book as a reward for completing the summer program. I cannot wait to see what type of book they may choose.

I meant to keep on top of things and post the books I read and the favorites of my kiddos, but it just did not happen.  Well, there is always next summer!  

Oh, I tried a new recipe earlier this week: Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits.  They were pretty good.  I might tweak the recipe a little here and a little there.  We had them with left over cold ham and fresh hot green beans.


We have a few more projects in the works, but those will have to wait for another time.  Time to round up the kiddos and get them settled for the night.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

What a day!

Today has definitely been a journey of sorts.  

The kids and I got up early for a Saturday.  We ate breakfast, got dressed and skipped Saturday morning cartoons.  Hubby called from work to let us know about an bummer of a start to his morning. Then grandma showed up at our house early and we left for our interesting adventure.  

First stop, Pumpkin's school-to-be which was having a rummage sale to benefit Relay for Life.  Second stop, a glorious store full of jeans that are actually long enough for my LONG legs.  Third stop, a rummage sale that had nothing we needed.  

As we drove back to our part of town, Pumpkin was having a conversation with Princess in the back seat about their shoes.  He told her that he had straps spelled "N.O.P." and then velcro spelled "N.O.T." on his shoes.  I told him that he spelled "not" instead of "velcro", so then he spelled "V.O.P."  Hahahahaha  Well at least he got the first letter right!

Fourth stop,  FINALLY the grocery store. We got the usual groceries and our usual donuts.  While we were at the store we got some tempera paint to do a project later in the day.

We got home just in time for lunch,  Pumpkin wanted me to fix spiral macaroni & cheese (one of my favorites).  So to get their donuts they had to eat their lunch first.   Pumpkin- mac & cheese, a banana, and ice water.  Princess- mac & cheese, strawberries, and ice water.  They did pretty good and both cleaned their plates for once.

I got the kids down for nap time/ quiet time in record time, since we had a project to do later.  During the lull of the day we actually got rain.  Oh, it was fabulous.  Our area is suffering from a severe drought right now and I we will probably be placed under water restrictions soon.  I ran outside with my camera to take a few shots, then I set the camera in a safe place, took my glasses off, and ran into the driveway for a few twirls in the rain.  That was fun!  It rained for about 30 minutes.

Slow splattering of rain

Happy downpour

Steady rainfall

After nap time/ quiet time we went outside with the tempera paint.  The kids had a blast.  We started in the driveway (which had dried off) then had to moved to the covered porch because it was sprinkling again.  But, bring on the rain!!!!!  We definitely need it.

Sister's dog

Mommy's painting

Princess a budding artist???

Pumpkin painting roses with thorns

Hubby discovered that a glass jar next to the garage filled with water during the rain storm.  It was empty yesterday and today it had 4.5 inches of water in it.  He poured it down a hole in the flower garden and was surprised by a toad with a large slug in its mouth.  Pretty cool!!!!!

Amazing jar full of water

Toad hiding in the hole

To conclude our adventures; we had lemon-butter chicken, corn on the cob, and hawaiian sweet rolls for dinner this evening and now the kids are watching a movie we rented.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Oh To Be A Blob

I think my gas tank is running on low, 
I think I would like to be a blob.

Oh to be a blob, to chill all day.

To hang in one spot without a care.

Oh to be a blob, this headache would go away.

To mold myself to the couch and watch a movie marathon.

Oh to be a blob, no responsibilities here or there.

To drink a tall glass of ice cold Tang.

Oh to be a blob, it would be a delight.

To read a long book all day and all night.

Oh to be a blob, SPLAT!!!!!!


Saturday, July 7, 2012

I Have Re-Discovered . . .

. . . cold food! 

This summer has been HOT!  The temperatures have been setting records.  Earlier today it was 105 degrees on our outdoor thermometer (40.5 degrees Celsius).  Needless to say we have spend most of the day in the house.  Which lead this story to the kitchen, unfortunately none of the windows in the kitchen have window coverings.  In recent days our kitchen has been over 90 degrees with the air conditioning run.  Yuck!  Hot!  Not even going to turn the oven on!  So grandma came over today with a thick length of cloth that we folded over and pinned to cover the south facing window.  It is much better in the kitchen this evening.  

Last night I made a tomato-basil salad and this evening I tried something new with the cucumbers that grandma brought over.  I have eaten cucumber and I am definitely not a fan.  I enjoy pickles which are made from cucumbers, but I think I found a non-pickle way to fix them that makes them more tolerable.  Thankfully the quick topping I used is the same dip that I make for sugar snap peas.  Yummy!!

Tomato-Basil Salad


Ingredients
2 medium ripe tomatoes
2 green onions
Handful of fresh basil leaves
salt
pepper
Greek vinaigrette

Instructions
Slice tomatoes into medium-thin slices and arrange on a plate.  Slice green onions into thin strips and sprinkle over tomatoes.  Chop fresh basil leaves and sprinkle over tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Lightly sprinkle with Greek vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Dill Rounds


Ingredients
Cucumber
Cream cheese
Dill
Garlic Salt

Instructions
Scoop out a few spoonfuls of cream cheese into a bowl.  Sprinkle with dill and garlic salt to taste.  Mix well.  Cut cucumbers into medium-thin slices and top with the cream cheese mixture.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Yummy In The Tummy

In honor of the 4th, here are some recipes that we have cooked up the last few months.  Have a happy & safe holiday!

Pumpkin Blossoms


Ingredients
pumpkin blossoms         2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. water                  salt
pepper                           1 cup bread crumbs
cooking oil for frying

Instructions
Remove center stem of pumpkin blossoms.  Wash blossoms gently in large basin of salted water.  Pat dry on paper towel.  Beat together egg, water, salt and pepper.  Place bread crumbs in separate bowl.  Dip blossoms in to egg mixture and then into bread crumbs.  Saute in hot oil until golden, turning once.



Capsaicin Free Potato Salad

  
Ingredients
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
3/4 cup Hellmann's mayo
1 tsp Plochman's yellow mustard
6 cups cubed cooked red potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions
Mix mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper in large bowl.  Add celery, peas, and onions, mix.  Then add potatoes and eggs and mix lightly.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Grilled Reuben Sandwich


Ingredients
4 slices rye bread
1/2 lb. corned beef, sliced
1/2 cup sauerkraut, well drained
2 slices swiss cheese, halved
1/4 cup thousand island dressing
4 tsp. butter, softened

Instructions
Cover 2 slices of bread with layers of corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and dressing; top with second bread slice.  Spread both sides of the bread with butter.  Cook in skillet on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

Stay cool & enjoy!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Time Flies


It has been some time since my last post.  I was going to put a post up two Saturdays ago, but decided that it was best not to post when I was brimming mad.  So instead my grandma and I switched out Princesses winter clothes to summer clothes in the next size.  I know a bit late, but better than never.  Oh, and I read ALOT that weekend and said forget it to the chores!   I think I finally got back to normal yesterday.

Anyway, two Sundays ago Princess woke up with a 103 degree fever (39 degree Celsius).  So we spent that Sunday cooling her down.  She went to the doctor the next day and had a throat infection with very swollen tonsils.  By about Wednesday that week, she decided to start eating food again.  Pumpkin, of course, had sympathy pains for her.  I really think he wanted to go with her to great-grandma's house instead of daycare.  He kept saying that his "heart" hurt and he should go to great grandma's.

Two Wednesdays ago, Pumpkin and Princess both had the chance to go to a nature camp.  Pumpkin learned about mammals and birds.  Princess learned about dirt and worms.  They both had a fun day and will get to go to camp again next week.



This past Friday, we took the kids to see their second theater movie ever: Disney's Brave.  Pumpkin had his eyes glued to the screen the whole time.  Princess on the other hand. . . . was another story.  I put her into one of the theater seats and folded up on her (like last year).  We ran into another family that we knew at the theater and they gave us the idea to use a booster seat.  Aha!!!!!!  That definitely worked.  Princess was good to go.  We watched the short cartoon at the beginning, which was awesome by the way.  Then the movie started and just when we were just getting into the movie.  "Mommy I gotta go potty!"  Ugh!!!!! No!!!!!  I must see the movie!!!!!  So I carried Princess to the bathroom and low and below the sound of the movie was playing in the bathroom.  Jackpot!!!!  So we returned back to our seats.  A little bit later.  "Mommy I'm afraid of the dark."  Ugh!  Sit in mommy's lap.  The bear scene came along. . . . . "Mommy, I want to go HOME!"  " Mommy wants to see the movie.  How about you turn around and hug mommy?"  Finally the movie was over.  "Princess, did you like the movie?"  "Yes!  It was good."  Hahahahahahaha  


Brave was really a good movie and I love the quote at the end:
"It’s about going on a journey, facing your deepest fears and surrendering yourself to the possibility that in attempting to change your fate, you will inevitably be changed...

So let’s not settle for being brave. Let us instead aspire to do brave things. Let us live boldly. Let us transform the world as we have been transformed."
This past weekend the kids spent time playing in the kiddie pool with their daddy while I worked on catching up on a few chores and cooking meals.  I would venture out more if daddy would not let the kids have domain over the hose.  I really do not want to be soaked from head to toe with really cold water.  



 
Pumpkin and daddy have also been fishing in the pond over the weekends.  Here is a green sunfish that they caught.


We have been busy reading.  I hope to have another post soon with the books from week 3 & week 4.  I have also done some cooking too: Pumpkin Blossoms, potato salad, and much more.  So hopefully, I will have a post on this soon too.

Boy, I sure am rambling a bit.  Hopefully the next post will be more focused.