Don't question a first grader

So a few days ago when I picked Casey up from school I asked him what he learned that day. He was silent for a little bit then said "I learned how to spell...nothing" so I asked how do you spell nothing. Very serious he said "n-o-t-h-i-n-g" just goes to show me he learned nothing.

So its been almost one week since Brent left for hunting and we got a call last night from him. Sadly no elk yet but he did shoot a deer. Not sure why he wanted to shoot a deer, deer meat is not good to eat, at least to me. Hopefully' they will find something today.

I made some chicken and pineapple stir-fry for supper. Before Casey went out to play I asked what sounded good for supper, his answer was "something I like please" I asked him when was the last time I fixed him something he didn't like. Thing for a second he said "the last time you made peas" No it was not a meal of just peas but that is what he remembered. Got to love that kid, thankfully he loved the supper.

Well it time get moving, breakfast and then off to school and bible study. I think I am going to treat myself to a lovely cup of coffee with some of my new coffee syrup - white chocolate vanilla syrup. Yummy.

Hunting Season

Its now hunting season which means we have a week of just us. Not the worst thing but with a son who is such a daddy's boy it makes it a little difficult. I did find a new use for my Crock-Pot...Busy People Breakfast. I put frozen hash browns in the crock-pot and then mixed up 10 eggs, 2 cups of cheese, precooked sausage, 1/2 onion and 1/2 pepper chopped up, and then what ever spices you enjoy. Once that was mixed I poured it over the hash browns and set it on low to cook overnight. Then Friday morning it was ready for the guys to take with them. I was surprised at how well it turned out, the only bad thing, and it really is not a bad thing, was it made the house smell so good overnight. I would have taken a picture of it so share but the guys left at 6:30 and I was not thinking fast enough at that time to take a picture.

On Saturday Casey and I went to Walmart to get him some new shoes. The boy is growing like a weed and going though clothes and shoes like no other. I know this is only the beginning of the growing... We also found some great pumpkins and hopefully we can get them painted sometime this week. Of course we had to get four because there are four in our family, if we didn't get one for Buddy he would be so sad. A boy and his dog is a very sweet thing.

Sunday we would have gone to church but both Casey and are fighting with a cold/cough/yucky thing. Thankfully today I am feeling much better and I believe Casey is over his crude too. We ended up just hanging out in the house and doing nothing but playing games and reading books and doing some homework. Fun fun...

It was funny Sunday night I gave Casey some medicine for his cough and to help him sleep. After taking the drink he wanted to know how many more drinks I had and if he could please have another one tomorrow. Same thing he says about his morning multi-vitamins.

This time of year in Boise always has me amazed. The trees are changing colors and I just love seeing them in the morning light. I have tried many times to take pictures but the camera never does it justice so I just have to be happy with the pictures in my head. If you able to make a trip to Boise dont delay the trees are worth it. If you do make it over we could meet for coffee or lunch or something fun like that. :)

Hope all have a great Monday

Rex Goliath Kind of Monday

So maybe your wondering what a Rex Goliath is, well its some very good wine. I found it from Fred Meyer a while back and they had it on sale a few days ago so I got a few more bottles and after the weekend and the Monday I had its a good way to end the day.

Our weekend was long. Casey wanted to spend the first night on the sleeper sofa, Brent was out of town on a scouting trip. Well the sleeper sofa is not very comfortable and then when you add a 6 year old that sleeps all over the bed...I ended up with about an hour of solid sleep. :( Notvery good. On Saturday we went to the mall to see if we could find some winter clothes for Casey. He is hitting a growth spurt and we are going to be in need of long sleeves and pants here soon. I hate to shop as does Casey so it was an in and out trip. I would rather do my shopping on line but I needed to get an idea for sizes. After our morning of shopping we went to Brent's sisters house for the afternoon and evening. Brents parents were in town to help Jolene get her house ready for winter so we did that and Casey also carved a plastic pumpkin over there. It turned out really cute but we are still going do to the painting here soon.

Sunday we got up to late for church :( manily because of the no sleep from the night before and then getting home late and having to share a bed with the wild man again. This time it was in our room so the bed was better but he still moved like a wild man. Instead of church Casey stayed in the tub for about an hour or more while I got my shopping list and coupons ready for the week. About 11 Brent's parents stopped by to see Casey ride his bike without training wheels and then show off his hitting skills in the back yard.

Brent got home about 3:30 on Sunday. So all in all the weekend was not bad but just long, with no sleep that seems to happen.

Today was back to the old routine of school and life. I must say I love pork roast for supper. Tonight I cut up red potatoes to go with it and it was so yummy. And now I am enjoying some wine and looking forward to a good nights sleep. :) I hope.

What is it

So last night for supper I made this...


Casey saw it and wanted to know why I put carrots in cupcakes and why we were having cupcakes for supper. They were not sweet cupcakes but instead bbq chicken "cupcakes". I just took dough from a can and cut it into six pieces and put it in a large greased muffin tin. Then topped it with frozen veggi mix and cheese. Then baked it for 30 mins at 350. I baked it uncovered for 20 mins and then covered for the last ten just to make sure it didn't burn. Very yummy and very easy.

While the muffins cooked I also baked some spaghetti squash. I love this stuff and figured that since the oven was on I would roast it along side. This time I rubbed garlic over the squash and then used some spicy stuff on it and put it in a baking dish with wine and then covered with foil.

When its done you just take a fork to it and it will come out of the skin just like spaghetti. I love the stuff but it is not a big hit with the guys in the family. So you can tell what my lunch for the next few days will be... Yummy.

This weekend Brent is going to scout for his upcoming hunting trip so Casey and I will have a few days to just hang out. A picnic on the pull out bed and hopefully a trip to the Saturday Farmers Market. Then maybe a second veiwing of Cars2 now that its in the cheap theater but who knows.

Its hard to believe October is so close. Dont know where the time goes anymore but I do enjoy the changing leaves and all the fun that comes with the cooler weather.

The Seventh Day

Casey and Brent were reading in Genesis this morning about how the earth was created. When they finished Casey said he knew what happened on the 7th day. God watched football. :) Got to love seeing the world though the eyes of a kid.

I'm Back, again

I think I am back...I have been having trouble with getting this blog to work with pictures. Hopefully it will work today.

So what have we been up to for the last few weeks. Casey still loves school, infact he was very upset when he had a day off for Labor Day. It also took a few weeks to get the weekend to be ok but now I think he enjoys the weekend. We are starting to get a good routine down for the day. His day starts at the same time in school 8:40 just like last year. But now I don't get him until about 3:15. I have found that it works better to get to the school by about 3:00 so I can find a parking spot. Its nice to have that time to talk to the other parents or just hang out for a few minutes. Then when we get home Casey has homework and being the mother that I am I make him get it done before he goes out to play with the neighbor kids. Being in first grade his homework is reading page of words and now a daily spelling test. This routine took about two weeks to get him willing to do. It took me telling him one day that we did not have to do the work but when he gets to school he would have to tell his teach why it was not done. Its amazing how that has made him willing to do the work. As far as the spelling test, he has had two so far and aced both of them. If you get all of them correct you get a jolly rancher. A great motivator for Casey.

Casey has come even farther out of his shell. There are about four families that live on our street and they all have kids around Casey's age and since our neighborhood BBQ he has been willing to go and play with them. Its nice to live in a dead end street like we do because it cuts down on the traffic and I know they are safe. These new friends have gotten Casey to take his training wheels off his bike and have gotten him to just open up in general. He is in the house long enough to get his homework done and then have a small snack and its out to play. One huge plus is he is sleeping much better at night now. The other nice thing is I know the families some what and they are all good families for Casey to be around.

Over Labor Day weekend we went to McCall for a race for Brent. One of his running buddies wife was doing the race as well. It was a fast trip, just one night but still fun. McCall is a very pretty place and not to far away. Here is Casey and his friend playing in the McCall Lake. We told them to not get to wet...it took about a blink of an eye before they were soaked. Thankfully the hotel was close and the weather was nice and warm.


Hard to believe but the strawberry patch is still producing. I did not realize it would still be going this long. Now that I can enjoy them, I love it. :):) As for the rest of the garden...lets let the pictures do the talking.
My peppers are coming back after almost being pulled out

One day this is what I found. :)

Found this today.
Sadly the squash you see in the back did not come out of the garden. I had to buy him. :(


Here is a picture of Casey at the zoo when we went this summer. So much fun.

Well this is kind of a here it is post. Hopefully I will be better about posting now that I have my schedule a little more worked out. Brent is still working from home two days a week so there is very little computer time for me. Not a big deal because I am starting my bible study for the next few months. Its "Bad Girls of the Bible" our first bad girl is Eve and the author takes the story and makes it work for today. With Eve she took the story and made Eve a daughter of a gardener and there is a group of trees that she is not to touch. An evil man comes and gets her to touch it and taste its fruit and when her boyfriend comes she gets him to taste the fruit as well. This Thursday will be the second class but I already love the book. I also love the ladies in the class, they were the same from last year and are just so much fun. So I will try to keep you up to date on that as well. But now its time to get moving before my afternoon gets away from me.

Day Two

We now have a full first grader in the house. The second day of first grade went great for Casey. He is getting back into the morning routine so far. Its a good thing he has never been a late sleeper because it takes a little for him to fully wake up in the morning. When I picked him up at 3:15 he was so excited to tell me all about recesse and PE and lunch. The only problem is when you ask him about the rest of the day he cannot remember. He told me that the learning part of school is hard to remember, the fun stuff pushed the learning stuff out. Its not hard to learn the new stuff just to remember it to tell me about it. Another great reason to help in his class this year. Once home we spent about two hours playing battleship, yes almost two hours. Only two games in that time frame as well. I found a U-Build it Battleship game, its just like the good old battleship game but you get to build the boats out of legos which Casey finds just as much fun as the game.

As for my day, I spent it running more errors. Brent it going on a climb this Friday night and Saturday so I did the shopping for his supplies. He also worked from home yesterday so I got other odds and ends done, like getting a couple of goodie bags made for a couple of kids that have birthdays coming up.

Today is day three so we will see what new expression Casey has today. Not sure what our weekend will hold, I am hoping to talk Casey into going down to the Farmers Market but if not we will find something to keep us busy on Saturday. Somehow we always do.

1st Grade

Yesterday Casey had his first day of school and loved it. Although I was told that it was not really the first day because it was only a half day of school and that he is not yet a first grader he is only half a first grader. After today he will be a true first grader. :) Got to love the way his mind works.


I figured the first day would go just fine and it did. We got to school and found that the parking lot was packed and there was not a single spot to park. So we had to park at the near by park and walk a little bit. Not a problem, it was kind of nice to get the fresh air. Once in the school we found his name on his desk, got his supplies unpacked and we were then told to leave so the kids to get to the fun. He knew about 5 of the other kids in his class and the teacher seems very nice. When I picked him up he was very talkative about how much fun it was to have recesses and be with his friends. He was also very sure to tell me that it was only half a day to the next day will be the real first day of school.


As for what I did while he was in school...Drank a cup of coffee and read some of my book. I got number 17 in the Stephanie Plum series and have not been able to read it. Then went out and did a little shopping, came back and cleaned the house, then it was time to pick up Casey. Its amazing how fast time goes. One of my goals it to get a school book started for Casey. I have a neat album and want to make a few pages for each grade.


I better end this post and get the little half first grader ready to walk out the door. Hopefully I will be able to get pictures posted soon. Have a wonderful Thursday all.

Short Break

So I have taken a short break from blogging but I hope I am back...

The last few weeks have been busy but not crazy. Casey starts school on Wednesday which is crazy but its part of life. We went to the school last week just to do a final check on the time it starts, 8:40, which class he is in, Mr. Trumble, and where the class is located. We also got to see his kindergarten teacher and met one of the other first grade teachers. I just wanted to make sure to know where the class room was located for the first day. Casey is very much looking forward to it which will be a huge help for all of us. We have all his supplies ready and his backpack from last year is still a hit, big bonus there. It will be interesting to see what stories he has for me after the first day. As for me it I am looking forward to having a little time to myself but am looking at the idea of finding a job that will allow me to be home when he is home. I do have a bible study starting in September which I am very much looking forward to...The Bad Girls of the Bible is what the study is going to be on. I am looking forward to it for the class and to be back with the ladies.

A couple of week ago Casey and Brent went to Idaho Falls for a few days to help his dad with harvest and I stayed in Boise. I had a dr. appointment on Monday and they were going to be gone Saturday to Wednesday so I would have to miss the appointment. I found out that I have plantar facitias...not as bad as it sounds but still annoying. There is a tendon that runs on the bottom of your foot and when I tripped I rammed my heel into the floor and made it snap. The dr. gave me a brace thing to wear which has helped so much. But back to the guys being gone. I spent Saturday doing nothing, just being home and getting the house cleaned, they did not leave until after 2:00. Then on Sunday my wonderful nephew came over to spend the day with me...He got here about lunch time so we went to Baja Fresh. Love that place because they have a salsa bar and wonderful food. Then he went to play golf with Gabby and Hannah. After his golf game he came back and picked me up and we went to the Hawks Baseball game. The best part of the game...we got free tickets and sat right behind the home plate. We just got to the gate at the riht time and a guy had extra tickets that he did not want. The game was so so but still fun. William then decided to stay the night which was fine with me...I love having that guy around. He has a great outlook on life and just makes everything fun.

Monday was my foot appointment which I was so thankful to have it just be something simple and not a broken bone. The appointment ended up being close to an hour because I had to wait for the dr to see me and then he was a talker, nice guy but glad I did not have anywhere else to be.

Tuesday was more of just doing things that needed to get done. I wanted to spend time working on my pictures but kept putting it off. I did end up getting up to 2010 which is good but not as much as I would have liked. Hopefully once Casey starts school I can get the rest done.

Wednesday the guys got home about 5:00, so I spent the day doing laundry and getting the grocery shopping done. It was so nice to have the time to myself but also nice to have the guys home. Casey had a great time helping with the harvest and I think Brent also had a good time working on the farm again. He likes to go back and remember his childhood like that.

Since them we have been getting things ready for school and just being. Casey and I have gone to the zoo with some friends and then had a picnic afterwards. We also went to the Discovery Center which Casey loved. It is a great place and I believe we will be going back soon.

My garden was doing great until...Buddy. I must have left the gate unlocked because a couple of morning ago I went outside and my one squash was in the yard, half eaten and some of my tomato plants were tramped as well as my cucumbers. I only hope they can come back and be ok. I have gotten close to 10 tomatoes this year so far so that's good.

So that's a small catch up on the last few weeks of our life...I wish I could show you pictures of my garden but this blog will not let me load them so maybe next time. Pray Wednesday goes well for Casey and for mom. :)

Where has summer gone

Its hard to believe how fast summer seems to go by now a days. It even harder to believe that Casey is going to start 1st grade on the 24th of this month. It seems like just yesterday he was getting ready for Kindergarten.

Kindergarten memories...School Picture, A poster he made of his likes and his favorite backpack

Our month of swimming lessons comes to an end tomorrow. Casey has done great again and really enjoys it. I love the place we have found for him and its nice to have the 30 minutes to just sit and soak up the sun.

As for my garden, I have red tomatoes. I found them yesterday. I also have a zucchini starting to come and there are a bunch more blossoms on the plant. As for my cucumbers, there are a hand full of tiny ones and many more blossoms. If my garden does what is it promising with the plants I will have veggies for days. :) Not a problem for us, I found a great recipe for zucchini bread so the more of that we can get the better. And Casey loves cucumbers, minus the skin. And as far as the tomatoes goes, I eat those like candy so...

Buddy has really grown over the summer. Yesterday I found myself sitting outside eating lunch and just watching him do his thing. He is very entertaining with is rock and his game. He chases the thing around the yard by pushing it with his paws and then when he gets tired he picks it up and heads for the shade. The funny thing was yesterday he decided that the plane that was flying over head should be barked at. Its normal for him to try and catch a bird or two but an airplane.

I found out yesterday that the Discovery center here in Boise is having a Space Exhibit for the next couple of days so after swimming lessons I think that will be our game plan. Since its right around lunch I figured Casey and I would enjoy a little picnic before hand and then check this place out. I have wanted to take Casey there for a while but have never gotten around to it so this seems like the perfect time.

Well my coffee pot just sang that it was done :):) so off to enjoy some coffee and my daily bible versus. Enjoy your day

Monday Monday Monday

I am so happy, this week I get to start off with a working microwave. Our old one died over a week ago and we got the new one in yesterday. Its amazing how much you miss something when its gone. Casey is happy to have it back to because now he can have pizza bites for lunch. I know you can make them in the oven but on a hot day it was hard to turn the oven on just for a few pizza bites.

Our weekend was pretty good. Brent did his yearly hike on Saturday so Friday night Casey and I slept on the pull out bed. For some reason he likes to sleep on that bed when Brent is gone, so you know where I will be sleeping for most of hunting season. On Saturday we did a lot of nothing...played game after game after game. Life, Candy Land, Memory, and Checkers. Casey is getting very good at checkers, he beat me in the first game and just about had me in the second. Then at about 5:00 my bro called to see if we would like to go to a Hawks baseball game with him and his family. Of course we jumped on it and had a great time. Its funny you know if Casey is comfortable around you by the way he talks. If hes a chatter box then hes just fine with you. I dont believe he stopped talking all night. We got home about 5 minutes after Brent did so Casey was able to have his nightly routine back, brushing teeth with daddy and what not.

Sunday came with heat and another day of just being lazy. Casey and I went to church after I made pancakes for breakfast. Brent wanted to get some work done so decided not to go to church with us. Once back from a great message we got the new microwave in. The thing was not heavy but in such a place that made it awkward to install. Right over the stove and when your short like me it makes it a little interesting. But its in and works great. :) After that job Casey and I went to the store and got some yummy fruit. I love summer for the fruits and veggies that are so good.

So that was the weekend. Nothing to exciting but still fun. Hope you all had a good weekend. We are off to the last week of swimming lessons for the year. Its amazing how fast time goes.

Camping Pictures

The view from the lookout tower. There were so many butterflies up there and this is what the inside of the tower looked like. This tower was not opened for the public.

More pictures from up at the tower.

Here is the double rainbow that came out on our 4-wheeler ride.

Here is a view of the tower on the way up. More of the rainbow.

We rode for 62.9 miles on the two trips. Sore butt after all the riding but it was fun.

The first trip for Buddy. He did great. Here's our home for the two nights. The view I got to enjoy with my coffee and muffins on the second morning.

Fishing on Sunday. I love the sound of the water

One of Caseys fish. Inbetween fishing Casey decided to climb the mountain.

Here is the first lookout tower.

This tower had someone working in his. He was there for five days at a time. Just him and his dog...not a life for me. It would drive me crazy being there by myself for five days at a time.

Sorry the pictures are backwards but that is the only way I could get them to load on the blog. Lots of fun and looking forward to the next one. Not sure if we will get another one this year but at least I got one in and Casey got two trips in.

Camping Fun

And were back...well we got back on Sunday evening but with Brent working from home on Monday the computer was unavailable to me. Which was not the worst thing because I was able to get a lot of other stuff done. During our camping trip I noticed that Casey's shoes were on their last legs so we found a new pair of fast running shoes for him. Then we started the second session of swimming lessons and got the rest of the odds and ends from camping cleaned up. So what was the camping trip like...here is a small peak into the weekend. I have pictures but the blog will not let me upload them so they will be in the next post...I promise.

On Friday we left on at about 3:00 which made it nice since we were headed to Challis for the camping. I had Casey help me pack up the cooler and get a few other things in order, we then made some sandwiches for supper and headed out. We made it to Challis at about 7:00 and met up with Brent's parents. After checking the map we headed out to find out first camp site for the night. We found a place that worked for our tent and for Brent's parents camper and got things set up. Since we had already had supper the camp fire was more for warmth and to roast a few marshmallows and besides what is camping without a fire. So after filling our bellies with chocolate, marshmallows, crackers and beer, (juice for Casey) we headed to bed. As we were getting in the sleeping bags Casey said he wanted to sleep in, please please dear son that would be wonderful. It was a very good night, I slept warm and only had to leave the tent once to use a tree. That would be the only bad thing about a lot of our camp sites, we dont camp in places where there are designated potties to trees are used but its not to bad.

Saturday morning was supposed to be a late sleeping day for us which turned into 6:30 a.m., yes that was sleeping in for Casey. :) The morning was very nice and crisp, not to cold but not hot either. We started a fire and got the coffee going and then had some muffins to snack on for a prebreakfast. We took Buddy on this trip and he did very well. This was his first camping trip and he did not keep us up at night and even stayed close to the camp and out of the food. All good things for a camp dog. Once we got going LaDawn got breakfast started, pancakes, sausage, cantaloupe and fresh raspberries. While breakfast cooked I got out tent and sleeping stuff put up since we were going to find a new place to camp for the second night. There really is nothing better than fresh raspberries on a pancake with a view of the mountains and camp coffee, ie grounds in the cup.

After breakfast and getting everything cleaned up we unloaded the 4-wheelers and set out to explore the area. Our first ride took us to Twin Peaks Fire Look Out. Very pretty ride and very pretty site. The guy that works in the tower was there so we talked to him for a while and then headed back down the mountain. Once back at the camp site we loaded up the 4-wheelers, let Casey and Buddy run and then headed out again to find a new place to camp and a new place to ride. Brent wanted to check out a place called Iron Creek which is still in the Challis area.

We found a good place to pull the trucks over and have lunch. Sandwiches, chips and many salads were on the menu. LaDawn brought the sandwiches and potato salad. I asked/told her I would bring the other salads mainly because I have a couple of good recipes for salads. My favorite pasta salad and then a four-bean salad and cole slaw were on the menu. I did not dress any of the salads so they all stayed fresh for the trip. After our lunch we unpacked the 4-wheelers and headed out to check out more sites. This ride ended up taking us to another lookout tower. This one was not manned but still fun to see. On the trip back on this ride we hit some rain. Thankfully it all cleared up as we got back but there were a few minutes of wondering if we were going to have to sleep in the truck or in the camper because of the rain. This is the site we saw when we came around the corner. Thank you Lord for your wonderful promises. If you ever wondered what was at the end of the rainbow...its a herd of elk.

Back at the truck and packed up again we headed out to find a camp site. This one ended up being off the side of the road and close to the river and just enough trees for privacy. It was late and there was no fire ring so we just grilled the hot dogs on the camp stove and had the marshmallows the same way. Casey was not to pleased with this idea but thats all we could do. Even not being happy about it he had two hot dogs...he can eat when he wants to. We got things put away and went to bed. Then about 1:00 we got a storm move though but nothing major from it. Just a lot of wind and a little rain. Morning came with a lovely sun rise and the chance to see some deer very close to camp.

Sunday morning we had the rest of the muffins and coffee and got things cleaned up. Instead of riding 4-wheelers this day we decided to try and find a few fish. Ended up catching about 10 fish but only keeping 4, some were to small and why did we need all of them. After fishing for the morning we did a little more driving and then had some lunch and set out for home.

It was a very fun and relaxing weekend. We got back to Boise at about 6:30 and got cleaned up. Nothing better than a shower after a long camping trip. Brent and Casey got the pickup, the cooler, the dog crate and the dog a washed down while I got the rest of the stuff unloaded and ready to be washed. Casey thought it was so fun to give Buddy a bath in the back up Brents truck and it helped to get him a little clean as well. Then bath time for the guys and pizza to cap off the night.

So that was our weekend. Hopefully you stayed away for the long story. Now its back to real life in the city. :) Got to love it.

Some days

What a day...I dont think I sat down until Caseys swim lesson and then even though I was sitting I was still running a mile a minute in my head. In the end I always end up with more time than I plan on but I still seem to stress when I have list of things to do.

Lets start from the beginning...another appliance has gone out. The microwave is now not working. It runs but does not heat anything and has a very funny smell. This happened yesterday so this morning Casey and I went to Home Depot to look at new ones. Found one that was nice but had to wait because I did not have the measurements for our old one. Then after his swim lesson we stopped by Best Buy and they had the same one for about 30 bucks less, the only thing is they did not have black in stock so we will be without a microwave until Tuesday at the earliest. Not the most pleasant but since we are camping this weekend it wont be to bad.

The camping I am really looking forward to...first trip for me of the year. :) Brents parents are coming to that will be nice as well. I offered to make a couple of salads and bring the snack stuff since Brents mom is going to bring the meat and other stuff. So this morning I made a pasta salad, a bean salad and dressing for cole slaw. Why just the dressing, because I bought the cole slaw mix from Fred Meyer and I figure we can dress it when we eat it, that way it will not wilt and those that like lots of dressing can have it that way. Of course my stress came from trying to get all the stuff cooked and then cleaned up after before we left for swimming lessons. Why did I not just wait until after...good question I dont really know. But anyway...its not all done and I can sleep in peace.

Did learn one thing tonight, Dont leave food on the counter when the dog is in the house. I went outside to get the trash cans up and Buddy decided to finish off the last two pieces of pizza. He just went into the kitchen and put those paws of his on the counter and had a nice little dinner. Live and learn.

Good night all...sleep well and hope you have a great weekend.

Metal Free

What a great day. I am now free of all the metal in my mouth and truly getting back to normal. I still need to be careful with some of the foods I eat, I mean after almost six weeks of not really using my jaw, it needs time to get back into shape. Basically I am going to try and stay away from really hard candy and very chewy candy, steak and sandwiches with chewy bread. The nice thing about this visit to the doc was I came home and was not so out of it as to not remember anything. Infact the only thing I dont really remember is the time right after the appointment and the drive home. This time I was able to eat some lunch and supper. Very nice since I was told not to eat anything from midnight until after the appointment which was at 10:00. That meant to breakfast, no coffee not even any water. So not a good morning for me but willing to do it for the end result.

As for the teeth/mouth. No really pain, the gums are very tender and when I try to brush them they bleed a little but thats to be expected. So all in all this experience is one for the record/history books.

I believe this weekend we are going to try a camping trip. With summer going by so fast it will be nice to get out for a couple of days and just get away from it all. The best part is I will be wire free, something I was very concerned about when Brent went on his last camping trip. I had wires and only two rubber bands it just did not seem like a wise idea so I am really looking forward to this one...even if all we do is fish and hang around the camp fire it will be fun.

Casey is still loving swimming lessons, he had to miss today because of the doc but I made it up to him with a happy meal for dinner. I believe we are going to sign him up for two more weeks of lessons which will put him very close to the start of first grade. Thats something very strange to say, I have a son in first grade. Where does the time go.

Speaking of time I better get moving, time to get things cleaned up and get ready for bed. Wire free boy its wonderful :)

And their off

That's what we got to hear last night. We took Casey to the horse races here in Boise. It was a lot of fun and funny to hear him try and pick his horses. Saturday turned into a very fun unplanned day. Brent and Casey went out to try out Brents new gun and I did a few things that needed to get done, return books to the library, return clothes and it was so nice to do it when Casey was able to be with Brent. He is good when it comes to things like that but does not enjoy it. So once they got back we headed to the races. We watched six of the eight races and for each one Casey would pick his horses. Usually it sounded something like this...

Mommy: Which horse do you want to win Casey?
Casey: Well I like horse one, two, four, five and six.
Mommy: Whats wrong with horse three?
Casey: I just dont want him in this race.

Then when the race started horse three was in the lead.

Casey: Wait I want horse three to win...go three, go three, go three

Thats pretty much how the entire evening went. But he had fun and there was no money spent on the ponies so no harm done. After we finished there we stopped at Applebees for dinner, Casey got a free meal from the library for his reading so we redeemed it. I had their Fajita Burger which was a hamburger in a tortilla shell, it was very good...I just removed the shell and added extra pico.

It is supposed to be a hot day today. Somewhere in the 100's but we will see if that mark is hit. I believe Brent wanted to float the river today but not to worry. I will sit this float out, I know I am being overly careful but I really dont care. There is a lot of moving and bumping on a river float and thats the last thing I want/need to have happen to my face. As of Tuesday, the metal will be gone...:):):):):) SO happy, my poor mouth is raw. The metal has started to rub the inside of my cheeks and it just hurts. But only for a few more days.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great next week.

How My Garden Grows

I have been wanting to get some pictures of my garden and I finally did it this morning. So here are a bunch of pictures for you to enjoy.


My tomatoes are starting to come.

My zucchini plant it starting to overtake its spot.

Here is the bed that Brent and Casey built for me.

Here are more chocolate peppers ready to pick. Their flavor is not quite as sweet at a red bell pepper but more sweet than a green bell pepper.

Our strawberry patch. All those strawberries came from this little spot

Just decided to take a picture of the front door with the wreath I made.

Buddy with his favorite toy...a big rock.

This rose bush started as a very little plant and this is what it is after one year. It is the rose bush from my dad's funeral. I love that its doing so well. He would have loved it.

So thats what I did with some of my morning...all pictures taken before 7:30 a.m. I get more done in the morning before 10 then for most of the rest of the day...at least thats how it seems sometimes.

A Day of Baking and Swimming

So call me crazy but I bake to relax. This morning I decided that I need to relax a little so I baked these...They are chocolate, cranberry oatmeal bars and the picture does not do them justice.

I ended up sending some with Brent tonight for after his bike ride, mostly because if they all stayed home I would end up eating most if not all of them. They are so moist and yummy, it is defiantly a recipe that will go in my box for another time.

Chocolate, Cranberry & Oat Bars
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 squares baking chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cranberries and orange juice and microwave for 1 minute. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in cranberries and chocolate. Spread dough in a 13x9 pan that has been sprayed.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely before cutting.

Of course I cannot just leave a recipe alone so I made a couple of changes. Instead of 1 cup of cranberries I used 3/4 cup cranberries and 3/4 cup raisins. Then since I did not have any squares of baking chocolate I used 2 cups of chocolate chips. The rest stayed the same, I also made a powdered sugar and OJ glaze for them. Yummy Yummy if I do say so myself.

This is the second thing I made...A strawberry cake. I found a strawberry cake mix at Winco and decided to give it a try. I made it in a bunt pan and put have of the mixture in and then added some strawberry jam, them topped it with the rest of the batter. It just looks like summer to me and tastes very yummy as well.

So that was my morning...baking and cleaning. Then it was off to swimming lessons where Casey did very well with the class. I am so thankful he likes it.

After the lesson we had to run to Cabela's for Brent and then made a fast stop to get a watermelon. Nothing like a juicy red watermelon on a hot day.

So all in all it was a great day. Hope you can say the same.