Warren's BBQ

With the cooperation of the weather (or lack there of) we were able to make it to Burley for the annual BBQ. *It's been a pretty miserable month for a hay farmer with the daily rain showers and all, but I haven't minded a bit.* Every year in June, my family celebrates my dad surviving a gas tank explosion. It was the last fuel tank that he has welded on. This year, it just happened to be on his birthday so it was double the fun. The weather held out until everyone had gotten food, but then the sky opened up and it rained.

It's always a good chance to be with family and see old friends.

Last Laugh

Last time I had the oil changed in my car, they offered to replace my in-cabin air filter for a mere $39.99. I told them no thanks and went across the street to Auto Zone and picked myself up one for only $14.99. I laughed.

In the parking lot, I popped the hood and had it replaced in a matter of minutes. I laughed again. Only to find out that I had left my keys on the seat when I popped the hood and they were now locked inside. Aargghh! Not so much laughing this time.

So, I called a locksmith. An hour and $40 later, I'm pretty sure the guys at Jiffy Lube were laughing now.

Yesterday when I drove past the location of my incident I laughed again.

Waiting Up

It's pretty pathetic that I'm waiting for my four year old to get home so I can go to bed.

Ever since 7:30 this morning Hudson has been waiting to go to the hills.
At 8:00 am, he called Grandpa. "Are you going to the hills? Today? Can I go with you?"
After doing some things around the house he said "You're taking too long!"
We went over and helped load cows, but Grandpa wasn't heading up yet.
By 10:30 he had his lunch eaten and was waiting.
After mowing both lawns, he convinced me to take him back to Grandpa's.
At 5:30 pm he FINALLY was headed to the hills.
This could have been the longest day of waiting of his life.

Branding, vaccinating, tagging, and sorting took place over the past weeks. It is eerily quiet without all of the bellarin'. (My spell check says this is not a word, they haven't heard it. To me, bellarin' is very different than "bellowing.)

Family Affair, Dirty day of Branding

The kids were well prepared for the long day.
Brother's job was keeping the alley was sprayed down.
Sissy sat as sentinel of the sunflower seeds.

Welcome Summer

Happy Memorial Day Weekend- the official start to summer. Let the party begin.
We've been enjoying ourselves around here. . . Except for a concerned child that is afraid that winter is going to come back and take away our summer. Here's hoping it won't be for several months.

Just Wondering

Dear Naptime,

Why do you have to be so brutal? I put my precious and meticulously groomed daughter (not really, but we do try hard) down for a nap and this is what I get back. A street urchin.
Why?

-K

P.S. Dinnertime, you seem to have the same affect on my kitchen floor.

Tender Mercy

I hate to whine about being sick and pregnant because it seems so insensitive. I know there are plenty out there who have not yet been able to become pregnant and those that experience sickness greater than mine. But Sunday night after days with horrible nausea and throwing up, I was at my ropes end. I didn't know if I could keep on going. So like any pregnant lady, I cried about it. And then prayed.

After some persuasion and coaxing by my husband, I decided I'd go and get my super expensive prescription filled. At $30/pill last pregnancy, I decided to be miserable instead of swallow away our life's savings. So before having the entire prescription filled, I asked about how much it would be. "$10.00!!" I was in complete shock. Our insurance paid $393.99.

I called Brent crying. It truly was a tender mercy, because we don't have very good prescription coverage at all.

They're not magic or miracle, but they have helped and I've kept my food down.

A Hunting We Did Go

Camo, rifles, and permits were left home.

After some preliminary scouting, the kids and I got busy hunting on an overgrown ditch bank. With grocery bag in hand, we uncovered lots of emerging spears. It took Hudson's "eagle eyes" to find most of the asparagus growing out of the grass.

I've always loved asparagus hunting and the kids seem too as well. But after a 1/2 mile of stopping every few feet to pick a newly spotted spear Hudson proclaimed, "You're driving me crazy! Just forget about it!"

Happy Mothers' Day

It was a mother's payday.

Hudson stood in front of the primary and gave his talk like a seasoned orator.

Sissy went to nursery for the whole time.

Oh, and we shared our exciting "Mothers Day Secret."

At the beginning of the week after Hudson asked why I haven't been feeling well for awhile, Brent and I decided we'd share the news with him. "I have a baby in my tummy that sometimes makes me sick," I explained.

"I know that! I'm 4 years old and I know that kind of stuff." (And to think he doesn't even ride the bus yet.)

We asked him to keep it a secret until Mothers Day. After a weekend at Grandma's house with all sorts of cousins, I figured it would be old news. But after Sunday, he was dying. "Can I please tell Grandma our secret?"

Our family is excited for our December baby.

Wedding Day Survival Kit

With bridal season in full swing around the corner, you're sure to know someone getting married. I came up with the idea for a survival kit for a dear friend getting married. I Googled the idea and realized it wasn't such a new one. But it's fun even if it's not original.

It's amazing what you already have in your house to get one started. Unopened and unused of course- a pack of gum, toothbrush, toothpaste, trial size deodorant, clear nail polish, first aid kit, headache medicine, wet wipes. Your imagination or container is the limit.

I simply wrapped decorative paper around things to give it a classy appearance. Brides are the only ones that can use them. Think any mom involved in the wedding party. It a fairly inexpensive way to let you know you're thinking of them.

Colors of the Day

This post was brought to you by the colors GREEN and YELLOW.

Come with me on a walk around the place.

Color coordinator of the tour.

Forsynthia

DaffodilsTulipsSpreading SunshineSplash

If you'd like to be a kid again, put on some rain boots and do some splashing. It takes years off your life.

Now didn't that feel like springtime? Go on and get you some.

My Reverent Boy

Brother has been anticipating this day for a week now. Last week he was sent home with a slip of paper asking him to be the reverent child. He couldn't wait. He's been practicing all week long. He made sure to wear his "missionary" attire and be ready early. He walked into the church with his arms folded. He asked me to take him up on the stand. I led him up the front and let go of his hand. He bravely walked to the designated spot, looked out on the crowd, ducked his head and came running to me.

Maybe next time him and Sissy will be asked to do it together. She'll drag him up there and wave to the crowd. Funny how different they are.

Grandma JoNan

Since Nikkala and I are close in age we share many of the same memories of Grandma. But one of my most vivid memories of Grandma had to do with me spending the night at her house. I suffered from homesickness for most of my "at home" years. Invariably, nighttime would roll around and I would find myself crying for my mom. No matter how insistent or heart wrenching my pleas, Grandma would always say "crying isn't going to bring your mom home." I never found any sympathy or consolation. It was a harsh reality for me.

I also remember shopping trips to Twin where Kandice, Nikkala, and I would convince Grandma into buying us things. I still have the porcelain doll that she bought for me at Cowley's drugstore/Ace.

Thanks Grandma. I sure have benefited from being one of your grandchildren.

Easter

Our Easter Weekend got off to a great start at the community egg hunt. You couldn't have asked for better weather, it was beautiful. It should come as no surprise that Hudson would only pick up green eggs to put in his green bucket. We were just thrilled that he actually wanted to participate. Sissy was rearin' to go, but I had to retain her until the siren sounded. And then, she only made it to one egg before rest of them disappeared in the swarm of toddlers. Rest of the day was spent working in our yard.
Miss Dalanie got a frilly little dress and Hudson was just happy I let him wear his green tie. Here's the updo Sissy sported. (Pillaging through her Easter basket was a great way to keep her entertained and keep her still.) I'm posting a picture because I'm not so sure we'll ever be successful again.

Springtime in the Rockies

Drat, I woke up to wind and cloudy skies. It makes me cherish the past few days of sunshine, breezes, and 60's. We've been busy working out in the yard. I couldn't wait to get out there and burn weeds. Springtime for me means the yearning to get burning.
The kids have been playing so well together outside. There's just something about the fresh air and sunshine that makes everything better.
We've been enjoying the baby calves being so close. After requests all winter, we've finally gotten the 4 wheeler out and ride it out through the field of cows. The calves this year have so much personality. In the past we've always had purebred angus. That just makes for a lot of boring, black babies, but now that we're crossing with charolais the results have been much funner. We've got all sorts of brown combinations, spotting, and tail striping.

Tutti Fruiti

Pictured here on a crepe. One of our special occasion breakfasts since it's like eating dessert for breakfast.
I love to mix yogurt or pudding with Cool Whip and top with Tutti Fruiti

I got sick of having to refill our sticky, sugary, syrup container after every few breakfasts. I had been on a fresh salsa kick, so I came up with my own fruit one. It's perfect for topping waffles, pancakes, crepes, anything you would with syrup. And with a dollop of whip cream, it's better than syrup. The kids love the name "Tutti Fruiti" and frequently request the healthier alternative.

It's simple to make, I just quarter any fruit I've got on hand and throw it in my blender. I only peel the kiwi, everything else I throw in with the skin on. After a few pulses, it's chunkily delicious. It depends on the fruits I use, I occasionally add a few tablespoons of sugar to sweeten the deal. You can also use it like a jam or atop ice cream. And since it's low in sugar and high in fiber, it's a healty substitution.

My favorite combination is strawberries, a nectarine, kiwi, and an apple.

Eating Frog

Meet our April Fools appetizer, Mr. Frog. He tasted a lot more like a granny smith apple and grapes than chicken. We got the idea from Family Fun. You simply quarter the apple, remove seeds, slice grapes for the feet and legs, and roll eyeballs out of cream cheese. Insert a chocolate chip and voila! A new friend is born.
The kids LOVED this project.

Food Storage Follow Up

Once my bulk goods have been placed in their buckets, they get several self-adhesive labels slapped on the lid and around the bucket noting the contents and date. That way I can easily see from the side what's in the bucket instead of having to unstack all of them, looking at the lid.
After all of the storing is done, the real fun begins. Using it!
The pictured cookbook is one I received as a gift. I wanted to hunt one down for a giveaway, but they're no longer published. sniff. Crystal shares a lot of the secrets that the book has at Everyday Food Storage. Check it out if you need ideas.
One last thing, having the right tools makes it a lot funner. Some are expensive, but I look at them as an investment. Any time I can justify buying "tools" like my husband, I jump on it. In my mind, there's no real need to store wheat unless you have a wheat grinder. I've got a Whisper Mill, or Wonder Mill as they're now called. Freshly milled flour is awesome and nutritional. A Bosch is the only "bread machine" I'll ever own. It's not the machine for everything, but definitely for mixing up big batches of dough.
There you go. Just my thoughts.

Thank You's

I am a huge proponent of "thank you" cards. It seems that in this electronic age, invitations and correspondence can all be sent to an inbox and thank you cards have been on the decline. Not true here at our household. If you remember, Brother just had his birthday and received many nice gifts. I'm trying to teach him the importance of thanking people for their niceness, not just let him assume that it's standard procedure to receive.

I got him a stack of cards and printed "THANK YOU, HUdSON" on a slip of paper. To my utter amazement, the greeting was transferred on a card when I returned. (This was the first time he's copied letters like that.) "This is going great" I thought as I had him write names on envelopes too. With each card written, the excitment wore off and it became a bit of a struggle. We finally broke it down into installments, a card before he got to watch tv. And then when that wasn't working, I had him print it one last time and we made a few copies.I didn't want to push the subject too much for fear that he might choose to forfeit future birthdays so as to avoid writing thank you's.
Overall, he enjoyed the task and would tell me all about the person or gift as he was writing their card.

And now for a few random pictures that make me smile.
This is a face of enjoyment. Sissy loved lying down in the bath and covering her ears. I love her toothy grin. She's got some crazy teeth.
Why do kids look so adorable in chore clothes? It doesn't matter how yucky the weather is, this girl insists on helping me feed the chickens.
Brother has been put in charge of feeding the fowl. He gets to decide how much wheat and corn to feed them. Rest assured, it's always plenty and the chickens are as happy as can be. We've been getting 10 eggs a day. Not bad for 10 chickens. His egg selling business continues to grow and we're even getting calls for egg delivery now. (I think the old people mostly do it just for a visit.)Even these hens are ready for spring. We still haven't gotten their run installed, so as soon as the door is opened they stampede. They love scratching and pecking in the dirt.
We're going green, no more dirty cups for us. It's easier to crawl on the counter for your drink.

Tell Your Friends

Remember the dolls? Now you can pick up your own pattern for several of her adorable dolls for only $5.00 (regularly $9.00) but you've got to act fast. The sale ends tomorrow. Go here to go to Bit Of Whimsy.

Food Storage

After a run in at the local cannery with a "self proclaimed food storage expert" I realized how opinionated I might be when it comes to stockpiling food. Instead of giving him and earful, I decided to share it with my readers.

Here was a man that has stockpiled over 200+ #10 cans of wheat and hundreds of cans of other recommended goods. He's hoping not to have to touch his stockpile in the next 30 years. After 30 years, he hopes to just give it away. He admitted that his family doesn't even use wheat on a regular basis and they have devoted an outbuilding for their stash.

I listened skeptically as he droned on about how much him and his family have accumulated, fielding questions from food storage novices.

Where was this guy from that he can afford to pigeon hole so many tin cans and the building to boot? Why would he like to wait until his family was in distress and relying upon their supply to introduce them to "whole wheat?" I just hoped he has an equally impressive supply of toilet paper and Immodium.

This brings me to my working food storage practices.

First of all, not everything goes in a #10 can at our house. It's got to be something "special," meaning something fairly expensive or something I don't plan on using within the next 12 months to 2 years. The cans cost right around $1.00 (by time you buy the oxygen absorber and lid) and since you can't reuse them it's a pretty steep investment.

I like to pick up buckets from the local bakery. They come in 2, 3, and 5 gallons sizes and cost me $1.00. They seal up tight and are food grade. I can fit 25# of beans in a 3 gallon container and use 2-3 oxygen absorbers. Best of all, once you empty one out you can turn around and refill it.

Some of my baking goods that I got though is large amouts (flour and wheat) are put into an old chest freezer that I picked up from the dump for free. (You could also watch Craigslist or Classifieds for one.) The dump has removed the freon and it's great because it is water and rodent proof. Plus it's insulated so it serves as a buffer between dramatic temperature shifts. Mine is in the garage, but you could easily put it outside so long as it has a roof over it.

to be continued. .. .

A Little Secret

Image from www.kalev.eu

I love chocolate, or better yet- chocolate meltys. And although I've eaten my fair share, that's not really the reason that I love them. They are awesome for adding detail without much effort. There's just something about them that can make the ordinary something to remember.

Here's what I do.

1. Buy chocolate meltys in bulk section at Winco. They offer white, milk and dark meltys.
2. Place in a heavy glass bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between, until they are thoroughly melted. A lot of times I'll just let them sit after a minute or two and the heat from the bowl will finish off the job. You have to be careful not to scorch them.
3. Transfer melted meltys into a ziploc back, cut a tiny triangle from one corner and you've got yourself a chocolate marker.
4. Pipe designs onto wax paper.

**For more detailed designs or ones that I want to be consistent, I'll print them off on a piece of paper, slide it under the wax paper and simply trace it. It's so simple, but the results impress.

Real life application: The birthday cake I wanted to make for Brother suggested cutting dinosaur bones out of sugar cookie dough and baking them. It all sounded like a little too much work for me. So I found a good dinosaur skeleton, slid it under the wax paper and traced. It turned out great, and in less than 10 minutes. Compare:
You can easily "drizzle" strawberries, shortbread, store bought cookies (thin mints, etc.) for extra pizzaz. Just make sure to cut a very tiny bit off the corner and work back and forth, extending past the object so there are only straight lines.

To elevate desserts, premake some simple designs with the meltys to place on the top as a garnish. (grids, snowflakes, hearts, swirls, flowers)

The fun doesn't have to stop there. You can also color the meltys with food coloring. I recommend the pastes, or oil based dyes, for best results. Otherwise the color can look mottled and splotchy.

A Winner

Those of you who commented got your name put on a slip of paper. We placed them in my son's Tonka truck and he drew out one lucky winner. . . Deanna! If you could email me some contact info {karisahillman@gmail.com}, I'll make arrangements to get you your doll.