OH MY FLIPPIN TOMATO!!

8:22 AM Posted In Edit This 11 Comments »

Please save me! I am being overrun with vegetables! Everything in my garden has decided to ripen all at once! Last night I made $16.00 in 2 hours just selling it all out in the driveway! That is more than I make at my job for shit's sake!


I have been giving it away at work by the bag full. Last night for supper we had pork chops on the grill, fresh picked corn from the garden, tomato and cucumber salad from the garden, and fried zucchini from the garden. I LOVE it!! One of my co-workers even traded me a big ol' bag of bacon for some fresh tomatoes. We so made BLT's yes we did!


I am not at all complaining. I just don't want to see any of it go to waste. I have put up pickles, made salsa, and frozen some beans. I don't have a pressure canner, so I am too afraid to try and can anything this time. As much of a beating as my little garden took - this simply amazes me. I hope my other corn rows come back. The other night some winds came through and laid it all down pretty much flat. I wanted to cry. It's not all the way up, but maybe it will be ok. It seems like I have just fought all the elements possible this year. The one thing I am most proud of is the fact that I have used absolutely NO pesticides on any of it! Yes we have some bug damage, but it's all good. I don't have to worry about ingesting that junk at least!

So uh - if yer in the neighborhood - PLEASE come get some stuff ok?!!

I LOVE MILFORD LAKE!!!

4:55 PM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

What an awesome camping trip we had!! This was the view from our campsite at Milford Lake, Kansas! Such clear gorgeous waters!


I hate having my photo taken, but Shane Michael was having fun with the camera, taking pics of everything in sight. He was in awe of the place as well.


We camped in a spot where we could swim, (that's the swimmin' hole up there) go fishing, and use the restroom without driving away from our campsite.


Riley found herself a little toad and played with it until we had to make her put it down. It was so nice to see the kids interact with the nature around them.


Our home away from home. LOOK - a teenager reading a book!! Even Halie had a blast on this trip, and she is now an expert at setting up and taking down a tent!



Our tent was so huge! We ended up buying air mattress floaty things that you are supposed to use for swimming and we slept on them. They worked perfectly and only cost us two bucks each! Sometimes ya gotta work with what ya have - and this so worked!


The fishing at Milford Lake is most excellent! We caught a small-mouth bass, chopped off his head, gutted him, and fried him right on up in the skillet on the grill!! YUMMY!!


This was the first time the kids have ever caught and ate a fish while camping. Shane really dug it, while the girls were not so impressed. That boy was not happy about leaving camp. He would have stayed and went fishing for another week straight!

This time we camped for two nights in a row. Monday night brought torrential rains and heavy winds - the rain was INSANE!! Our tent was so cool though, and only leaked in a few little places. I really can't complain though because the amount of rain was crazy! We just can't wait to go back and do it all again!!!

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

6:01 AM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

When I was a little kid, one of the most fun memories I have of my grandparents, was going over to their house for homemade ice cream. It was such a cool family gathering and it seems like everyone was always happy when it was time to eat! My parents carried on that tradition, and when I had kids of my own I decided to do the same. I however, have always used the little bags of mix that you just add milk to and called it good.....
Over the holiday weekend we wanted to make some ice cream, so we searched all over town for the mix - NONE to be found anywhere. I got all kinds of desperate and starting rummaging through my moms little cookbook she made for me. Voila! It was so simple I could have kicked myself for not doing it this way sooner. It tastes better by far, though you will definitely need a good Kettlebell workout after eating it! I will share...

8 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1 quart of half and half
Mix these together and set aside in a large bowl.
1 quart of half and half
1 cup of sugar
4 tbls real vanilla (I didn't have enough so I tossed in some butterscotch snaaps!)
dash of salt
Heat these ingredients in a saucepan until it sticks to the back of a metal spoon.
Mix this SLOWLY into the cold ingredients in the bowl.
Pour it all into the freezer bucket that comes with your ice cream maker, and chill for 4 hours.

When you are ready to freeze the cream mix, you can add almost anything you want to. Chocolate chips are a favorite around here! Put everything together, add ice, then a layer of rock salt, then ice, then salt ect until it is at the top. My ice cream maker just stops when it is done, but you may have to check on yours after about an hour or so. This is a soft ice cream and is so easy to put into cones - just watch the bottom or you will get leaked on!

Enjoy!!

12 OR 57 KINDS TO CHOOSE FROM

5:49 AM Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »

We got some new kind of absinthe at work a few weeks ago. I want it. It comes in a box with a cafe glass and a spoon just for drinking it with and they look so very groovy. I got to looking through one of our distributors' magazines though, and there are like tons of different kinds of absinthe, all with different ingredients and the like. It used to be illegal here in the states until a while back when I guess the powers that be decided it was ok again. People ask me every day if it is "the real thing" or just a flavor. It's real alright! The problem for me is that it is $65 big bucks a bottle, and I just can't justify spending that much for booze at this point in my life! The money, and the fact that if I drink it I may end up needing a San Jose motorcycle accident attorney by the time the night is over is just a little bit frightening. I just really really want to experience the same thing as so many artists did back in the day - ok and maybe see a little green fairy!!

NATURES' BLESSINGS - HARVEST TIME

6:11 PM Posted In Edit This 1 Comment »

I am so much more than happy to report that I have begun harvesting CORN!!! I picked a pretty good sized bowl of it this morning, and I am cooking it up right now as I type this. Since we try our very best NOT to use pesticides, a few of the tops of the corns had a little worm eating away at them. I just snap off that part and eat the rest!


Not a bad haul eh? Tonight I decided to give the corn a good boil on top of the stove, but sometimes we like to wrap it up in tin foil and cook it on the grill. So good!!


Look at all the pretty colors in my steel sink! (I so wish I had a stainless steel backsplash to go with it! Halie and her dad spent the better part of today cleaning up water that had leaked down the back wall from the overzealous washing of the vegetables. So NOT fun!)


We have been eating a lot of vegies out of the garden this week, and we have also had to give them away by the bag full! I am sure we should have set up a stand on the corner, but I just haven't had the time this year. Giving it away to folks who appreciate it is just a whole lot more fun anyways. Some how through all the storms and winds and bugs, we have still been blessed with more than we could eat. I suppose it's natures way of telling us to share!

CAMPING IN WESTERN KANSAS

12:31 PM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »

Ahhhh we are home from our camping trip at Scott Lake! The excursion made me realize some things, and was a little bit lonelier on the road than I had imagined. If you are venturing out west from Hutchinson, be prepared for a lot of open - deserted - road. You will see a lot of beautiful scenery, but that's about it. Not a whole lot of places to stop and find relief really....


The lake itself was gorgeous, though much smaller than I had anticipated. The kids' only complaints were that it had no skateboard ramps and that the bathrooms were full of bugs at night. Whaddya do? I was a little shocked at the cost of worms and ice at the marina store. I knew it would be higher, but wow those folks are making a killing! I do think the bathrooms needed to be maintained a little better, but really they were not so bad and the park staff did a nice job keeping the place free of trash. If only the people that camped would clean up after themselves too....


They have a little museum of a claim house, but it was all closed up. Kind of sad, but I can totally see why they couldn't just leave it all open. Seems there are a lot of folks out that way that don't care what damage they leave behind.


This was our little camp site for the time we were there - such an awesome view. Most people think that Kansas is flat - but that is just not the case.


We saw a lot of snakes. Very scary. I know that is something you run across more when you are enjoying nature and all - but we saw way too many. EEEK!


I did get to thinkin about just how lucky I am to have so many great things right in my reach. Stuff other people take for granted like a good big clean grocery store, a wal-mart, gas stations ect... I could not believe the costs of things out that way. Seemed like the smaller the town - the more expensive things got. Gas is a good 20 cents cheaper in my town compared to all the smaller towns. We thought we would save a little by waiting to get groceries until we got to a town close to the lake - but oh no. We did finally find a nice market that was clean and had food that didn't look spoiled, but it was way pricey on the goods.
Driving out that way I did notice how friendly the folks were. Seemed like every car that passed had a driver in it that waved hello to us. We aren't so used to that here.
All in all - the trip was pretty nice. We went fishing, went swimming, and cooked hotdogs on our little grill. A nice storm rolled by to the north of us and gave us a bit of a scare, but we waited it out in the truck and eventually went to bed. Hopefully a few memories were made for the kids!

A CAMPING WE WILL GO

9:37 AM Posted In Edit This 4 Comments »

We are headed off into the wild wild west!! My life insurance policy is all updated and I am ready to roll! I am taking the kids out to the lake near Scott City to explore all that it has to offer. I have never been there before, but it is supposed to be a very historical place with lots of natural beauty to be seen. Hopefully when we return, I will be able to share lots of photos! I know most people tend to do these things on the weekends, but with my schedule - this is one of the last opportunities I will have to get out of here with the kids before school starts. I can't believe it's almost that time again. Ugh.
Now to finish the packing - ewwwwwww!! Have a great week ya'll!!

POOR KITTEH KITTEH....

7:39 PM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »

Now that we have a kitty, every time we go to the store, we have to stop and look in the pet section to see if we can bring her home some presents, or pick up a bag of food or litter. Since I have been shopping, I have noticed that there are tons and tons of dog supplies out there, but hardly anything for the kitty kind. What's up with that? What about the poor kitteh kittehs?? Maybe our little Lilly would like to have liver flavored treats too! We found a cute little photo frame set just for puppies - not one for kitties. So unfair!

I think tomorrow we are going to try and go to the lake for a while. It is ungodly hot here and I just feel like I need to get away from this town for a bit. Ya ever feel like that?

SHE'S GOING TO.......

6:47 PM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
COLLEGE!!!


My baby wants a car with lambo doors on it - so it's nice to know that someday she just might be able to afford it if she stays on the road she's on!!

Today she went all by her little self and enrolled in college while I was at work! She even got her student ID and brought it home to show me! I am so excited for her - COLLEGE!! She was a bit undecided for a while of which thing to choose. The military or school. She got her answer after a recent trip to the eye doctor. Her retinas are at risk of becoming detached, and she can no longer be involved in things that involve such rough stuff. Apparently her eyeballs grew to fast at some point, and this poses a risk. No more wrestling, no more football, no military. Whew!
Everything is pretty much squared away except some paperwork for financial aid. She has a book scholarship, so no worries there, and at most she will have to pay around $300 per semester out of her own pocket. If she does well the first semester, more scholarship opportunities will come her way.

GO HALIE!!!

CAN I GEDDA FEEDBACK??

6:48 PM Posted In Edit This 8 Comments »
I made something.

I made something even more groovy than my patio furniture covers.....


For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on building a website for the company that I work for. I am pretty pleased with myself actually - even if it is only a blog. We need to make a little more money before we invest in a dot com, but I think this site will work out pretty well for starters! I would totally love some feedback - let me know what you think of it!


If you don't mind and you have the time - check out the site here! Does it load ok? Does anything about it peeve you? Anything you would add to it? I am also trying to find a really good place to have t-shirts made with that there logo on it. I have found a few on the web but they really cost too much for our budget. Know of any place??

MY DAD LOOKS LIKE MERLIN....

4:33 PM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »

My Daddy was here for the holiday, and we were of course messing around with all the cameras and taking silly pictures. The first one I shot, I looked at it and thought - OMG - Dad totally looks like an old wizard!! So all he needs now is a pointy hat and a groovy cape! He's actually gotten so thin it's almost scary. He's not his jolly old self anymore either. I hate that. It makes it hard to see him. I really need to find the time and motivation to go over to his house for a while. His caregiver is out of commission herself at the moment, having just had surgery on her hand. He needs a good long bath, but it will take both Mar and I to get that accomplished. His shower is not exactly handicapped friendly. He is confined to the wheelchair completely now, except when getting in and out. I need to look for a TV wall mount for his set so he can watch it laying down better too. There are quite a few modifications that are needed around his house to make life a little more comfortable for him these days. Everything just costs so much. I really wish he could get a scooter - I think that would make things easier for everyone, and give him a little bit of independence back. Something else to check out while I'm looking at everything else....

COME TOUR THE GARDEN!!

10:42 AM Posted In Edit This 1 Comment »
video


Me an Mar made a little video of some of my garden! We are a little silly but hey!! And lookit' Mackey - GREEN grass!! Betcha didn't know we had that down here in these parts! Heehee!!
Last night we all went out to the fireworks show at the State Fairgrounds. I shot video of the whole thing, but it's about 15 minutes long and blogger won't let me upload that much material. It sure was pretty though - and put on by none other than my wonderful landlord. It kind of eats at me a little to sit there and watch all that money being blown up in the sky when I can't even get my toilet fixed proper. But oh well - such is life I guess.
We shot a few fireworks of our own off in the backyard after the main event. It was so cool because all around the town everyone was shooting theirs off too and we could see it all from our house. I really love this holiday! :)
I get two more days off work, but sadly I have to go back to cleaning house and take all the kids in for eye appointments. Halie has college enrollment this week too, and I have to read through a few more diet pill reviews as well. One of these days I suppose all my work will be done and I will just be bored - or dead. I guess I'll just stick to keeping busy eh?!

BIG OL' BUNCH A PYROS

11:43 PM Posted In Edit This 0 Comments »
video

If I could watch fireworks from anywhere in the world - I would have to say it would be from the top of the Stratosphere hotel. Can you just imagine being able to see the big ol' boomers pretty much right in front of your face?? A girl can dream can't she?!

So we had our annual Family Fourth Picnic tonight. (On the third) My Dad and his wife, My Marny and all her family, and then ours. We had so much food that it was hard to decide just what to eat. The kids were so good and they had a blast getting to spend time together. Marny made a homemade chocolate cake - and it was really good. Of course I had to give her a hard time about it - we had a pumkin pie incident about 12 or 57 years ago that I have never let her live down. Heeee! The video is one of our little fire sticks we love so much. We didn't have the money to buy a lot this year, but by gawd we blew some stuff up no matter how small!!

Have a Happy Fourth Ya'll!!
August 2009
June 2009