It's the season of Pioneers... what to bring for the pot luck???

Here in the west... where Pioneers settled this land... it's a time of remembrance and celebration!

Our town's celebration isn't for a few more weeks.. .then end of July... but the next town over is having their big time.

It's a tradition that one branch of our family has a gather for lunch after the parade in one of the town parks... it's a pot luck type deal...

Been so busy with our house building activities that I didn't really have time to pre-think my take along dish. So I went into the pantry...

OK... black beans... corn... I have fresh cilantro growing in the garden and some onions... one of my favorite spices is cumin... and let's see... got some mild picante sauce... oh and garlic powder (next year I want garden fresh garlic... love it!!)

Great... a yummy bean salsa!

Chips... none in the pantry (that's because they get sniffed out by the kiddos and last about 2 seconds after they arrive from the store... LOL!)

Yes, have some flour tortillas!!! A local mexican restaurant that we enjoy going to makes their own chips out of tortillas... Hmm... I guess that I can do that too!!!

Found this video on google: How to make tortilla chips!

Almost done baking chips!!! And off we go!

Ever wonder where it's made?

Barcode info

I never knew that you could tell where a product was made by looking at the first few digits of the barcode... how interesting!

My blogger friend, Sue, just shared how you can know... where a product is made... by looking at the barcode! More here....

It's finally summer!

The weather has finally turned here! Been a cool June so far. But the next week will be sunny and in the 80's or above... bring on the summer!!! Time for my cucumber plants to grow!!!!

Maybe now the kids will be able to get some use of the town's swimming pool! I think that it's so awesome that our little town has a swimming pool! I buy the kids a pass so that they can go whenever they want.

Aaron (my 11 year old who broke his leg in Jan... had screws put in his ankle.. and just had the screws removed on 6/11) hopes to get his stitches out today... and hopes to be able to go swimming really soon... at least by July 4th!

Well, got to "git er going!" I want to make the kiddos some waffles this morning!

Zappp... back to real life...

It's Sunday morning...

Why are there NO towels in the bathroom cabinet? None... not a one...

Why must teen boy... and preteen boy use a fresh, clean towel EVERY TIME they bathe?

A longing for the country...

It's another beautiful day here in Wyoming. Blue skies with a slight breeze. The weather man had forecasted thunderstorms... rain... possibly and it still might happen later... but until then I delight in the beautiful sunshine!

--*--

I grew up in Massachusetts just north of Boston. We lived in a city with lots of people from all over the world. My neighbors on one side were Italian and on the other side, they were from Israel.

What a great experience to live in that place with all it's culture and diversity. I loved going into Boston... to the Museum of Science... the Aquarium... and into Fanueil Hall. Wonderful restaurants with delicious food were taken for granted...

My folks came from the country... eastern Maine and just over the Canadian boarder. We got to visit there. I have memories of traveling by car across route 9 known locally as the Airline to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving.

I remember my grandfather's huge garden... eating beat greens is what I most remember!

This is where my dream of country life began... a longing deep within my soul.

Another beautiful Wyoming Day... and I love it!

Sunset at the Horse Shoe Bend campground in Bighorn Canyon

Bighorn Canyon

Another beautiful day here in northern Wyoming.

I was thinking yesterday how blessed I feel to live here. I am surrounded by sooo much beauty! It really contributes to my well-being!!!

The sunsets are incredible...

the mountains ever changing...

the animals grazing are ever so peaceful...

the bright sun makes me feel happy...

my growing garden helps me feel connected to nature that surrounds me...

the singing birds provide wonderful music that makes me smile...

I am so incredibly blessed to live here...

and I truly love it!

Sunlight Basin. As I toured this area with my son's 5th grade class... I was filled with awe and brought to tears by its beauty!

Got too much Rhubarb?

Rhubarb seems to grow really well here in northern Wyoming. I don't have a plant yet... waiting to get into our new home.. then I'll pick a spot for it.

Recently, I attended a church pot luck... and there... was Ann's Rhubarb Crunch. I took a bite... and my taste buds sang.... sweet... sour... crunchy... ooooo. I ate each bite slowly... and just enjoyed it!

If you've got too much Rhubarb... I learned from Frankie that you can cut it in small chunks, then store it in the freezer.

Comments welcome! How do you use up your Rhubarb?

I've come to love the mountains...

Over the past 5 years since I've moved here from Massachusetts, I've come to love the mountains.

Driving the mountain... well... that's another story! I was very proud of myself last year... when I drove up the Bighorn Mountain for a day of Girl's camp. But now... I can say that I've driven up the Bighorn (Lovell, Wy side)... and it wasn't too bad... coming down that steep slope to go home... well... didn't like that very much!

Here's a fantastic photo of the Bighorn Mountain at sunset on a blogger friends post: Bighorn Mountains at sunset

I have dreams of buying an inflatable kayak and using it on Sibley lake.

Today I'm making pancakes for breakfast!

It's a lovely morning here in Wyoming. Usually it's quiet... but this morning I hear a propeller plane buzzing around.

We have a little airport nearby that seems to be getting some good use this summer.

I promised the boys that I'd make pancakes this morning... the homemade variety! They are sooo good!

Just recently I opened up my bucket of Prairie Gold wheat. It's the very first time that I've used it... and I love it!!! It has a beautiful golden color and a mellow taste.

I'm going to put a couple scoops of Prairie Gold wheat berries in my Vita Mix dry container... and zip it into fresh ground whole wheat to add to my pancakes!

Well, better get going... the boys will be chomping at the bit soon!

Birthday Dinner...

My birthday dinner

In honor of my 40... something... birthday, my Mom invited the whole clan over... and made my favorite dish... Quiche (ham, swiss cheese...) and other yummy stuff!

Everything was delish!

Thanks Mom!

Monday...

Today is house cleaning day! Among many other things...

It's Friday...

Happy Friday!!! It's house building day!

We have a sore boy today. All his medication has worn off... and it just hurts.... Time for some more medicine... but first to get the boy to eat something!

It's a beautiful sunny day here. I just love the sun!

All around town irises are in full bloom. They are absolutely gorgeous this year! The purple irises are absolutely stunning! YES, I'll take some photos to post! My neighbor offered to share some of his when we're ready!

I'll be heading up the house shortly... got to take a peek at my garden! Should be able to pick some more radishes today! And plant some more.

Rich will be home shortly and we'll be working on the house today. Will install the shower on the first floor.

But now... time for quick breakfast... and to get going!

We're back from the hospital... all is well!

These are the 2 screws that were removed.
Here he is... all wrapped up!

Thanks Liz & Mary... and everyone who said prayers... and thought about us this morning!

Aaron's surgery to remove the two screws in his ankle was a success! He's all wrapped up and resting now.

He'll need to have stitches removed in a little while... and NO... Aaron... You CAN'T go to the pool for at least 10 days!

The sun did shine this afternoon!

It was so good to see sunshine this afternoon! Makes me smile! Been overcast and rainy the past several or so days... which has been awesome for my garden!

Spent a good chunk of my day chasing down supplies for my "Adventure in Tiling..." to no avail...

My younger son, Aaron has surgery tomorrow. The doctor said that no one can say that he has a "screw loose" because the screws in his ankle are coming out!

Back in January he broke his ankle clear into the growth plate... playing during recess... of all things! Ok... he was "spinning on a rock... ???"

Hummingbirds

I love Hummingbirds! They are the most magnificent little creatures!

Last year at lilac time, we were having a family BBQ. It was dusk and we were all congregated in a circle not too far from a big lilac bush. I looked up to see bunches of humming birds enjoying the sweet nectar of the lilac bush.

Together we counted about 16 hummingbirds! It was quite a sight! I didn't even know that there were hummingbirds in Wyoming!

I was just poking around Susan's blog. She has a great post on Hummingbirds including pictures that she took of her little visitors!

So if you've ever want to attract them... or wanted to be able to make DIY nector... check out her post: Susan shares about Humming birds.

Cold here...

Welcome to Mary, our blog's very first follower!

It's in the 40's this morning! Burrr... It's June 8th... what's the deal with this cold weather?

And I think that we've gotten all of our 6" of moisture for the year in the past few days!

The cold makes me feel like baking... Hmmm... some good bread... like Mary's Buttermilk poppy seed clusters! I think that we should have homemade pizza for supper tonight!

I've had my square foot garden covered up the past few nights. It was cold most of the day yesterday... so just left the covers on all day.

Today on my mind...

-We're at the point of tiling in the guest bath and boy's bath in our new DIY home... the tiler... ME... is pondering just exactly how to do it... since this will be my first time ever working with ceramic tile. I bought a new tiling book at Lowes on Friday.

I love an adventure... let the tiling fun... begin!!!

Need a Sauce Recipe?

I was just over to Susan's blog. I've been following her garden posts... then looked at some previous posts... and found this great post from the winter loaded with awesome sauce recipes!

So, if you ever need a recipe for a sauce... check out Susan's recipes!

4 white 55 gallon drums...

We're pretty lucky to have a Pepsi bottling plant not too far away.

Did you know that you're able to buy their used 55 gallon drums for $10? Awesome!!!

Well, I got on the waiting list about a month ago... and today I got the call. I rushed over and purchased 4 white drums.

For what... you ask???

1. To make a DIY rainbarrel... or two....

2. To store my 50 pound bags of wheat berries

3. To store my bulk rice

4. To store my bulk oats

Hmm... I may need some more of those drums... for EXTRA rain barrels!!! ; )

Out playing in the rain...

I'm on a mission... a gardening mission...

My mission is to get my remaining 4 boxes filled with Mel's Mix this week!!!

So... with that in mind... I was out playing in the light rainfall and filled what will be my carrot box! Yeah!!!

You should see my shoes! All caked with mud!

Those of you who have traversed this journey... know that... it is NO small feat to accomplish this goal...

For local readers of my blog, who may still be filling their boxes or looking for Mel's Mix ingredients...

Try here:

Peat: The Lumber yard on Main St in Lovell has 4cu' bales of peat for under $7!!!!

Vermiculite: The coop in Powell has it for under $27/bag for 4cu'!

It's raining here

In honor of this glorious rain here in the high desert of northern Wyoming... I'm making meatballs and sauce!

Can you smell it simmering in my crockpot?

Gotta love crockpots!!! They sure are a life saver.

Now to put some bread together... then I'm off (while it rises) to visit my garden.

Sometimes I blog about good deals that I find!

I'm on Staple's email list. Often times they give out $30 online coupons.. which is awesome for me when I need to order shipping boxes for my nursing pillow business.

Here's another thing that caught my eye... and I'm mad... because when I bought my Quickbooks a few months ago... I paid over $100.

So... if you've been thinking that you want to get Quickbooks! Staples has it for $59.99. So... NOT FAIR!

Happy June!

Happy June! Let the summer vacation begin!

My pre-teen boy starts art camp today. It'll run m-th 2-4pm.

He's very creative. I think that he'll enjoy it!

Got to run and pick up ice cream for hubby's birthday party celebration at work.