So quiet, so busy!

The boys are back to school. We're getting into a routine of homework and rising early in the mornings. And I think that they're enjoying it, really!

I'm enjoying the quiet of the house... and NOT having to make lunches for everyone! Am I being selfish?

Aaron gets his band instrument today. When he woke up this morning, he started talking about that... Baritone... that's what he wants to play. Can't imagine him lugging it back and forth to school! Whew...

Matthew's excited to get back to doing Grizz Food Den. That's our high school's student business. The kids run it, keep the books, manage inventory, and shop for supplies. It's a wonderful experience for everyone involved!

House notes...

We're so close to getting a bathroom together up the new house! We've decided to move out of our tiny tiny tiny... tiny... rental house and move into our "to be finished" big big big... BIG.. house this month.

We're meeting with a guy from the gas company today to determine where our gas meter is going... then will begin doing the gas plumbing... which translated means... HOT SHOWERS!

I'm actually amazed at how warm the water is that is collected in the storage tank from the running of the geothermal heat pumps! That could mean WARM SHOWERS until the gas is connected!

I've moved my office up the new house! And cable, phone, and internet have been set up! My little mac wireless router is working fantastic! It's set up in the basement and here I am in the attic receiving a nice strong signal!

Anyway... no more watching TV at the little rental house... should help us get to it up here!

More details on the house progress on my house blog.

Garden notes:

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my square foot garden. It has been such a pleasure to garden this year! Garden details can be found on my Square Foot Garden Adventure Blog!

Let me back up a bit... I wanted a garden so that I could can tomato sauce and I wanted it up the new house. Rich couldn't take the time to till the hard ground and make ready a garden for me... of course!!! So, I went to work building square foot garden beds, mixing soil, growing seedlings... etc.

What I love most about my SFG is NO WEEDS! All I've had to do is water and harvest... OK, I have a weed here and there... but with Mel's soil mix... so loose... I just pluck it easily out! Guess you have to know Wyoming Weeds to truly appreciate what I'm saying here.

Next thing to do in the garden after canning season... and tiling... and floor... mudding.. and painting... oh ya... and MOVING... I want to get all the weeds out of the walking paths and all around! So much to do!!!

Registered for school!

Just got both boys registered for school!!!

Our youngest, Aaron, is starting middle school this year... he's a 6th grader. Our older son, Matthew, will be in 10nth grade.

Last week we got Matthew's school shopping all done... next week it's Aaron's turn.

Matthew picked out an "awesome" black and red checkered tie... interesting...

Chicken noodle soup and homemade bread...

It's Sunday... ah.... I love this peaceful sabbath day!

My guys are a bit under the weather... not sure if it's allergies... or what. So today I've got chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove. Wish you could smell it! I love filling the house with yummy aromas!

Went to the garden and pulled a few lovely carrots, plucked off some swiss chard, a few green beans, some basil, and two little onions. Into the soup they went!

Aaron just had two bowlfuls complete with bread! Guess it has his seal of approval.

Soup time!

In a few weeks...

It's only weeks until the beginning of school. How can that be?

The kids are ready... they're getting to the "I'm bored!" stage.

Soon we'll buying new shoes... oh how Aaron's feet have grown! Actually... he has grown so much this year!!!! He's 11. What a big year for growth!!! I'm just maybe... maybe.. 1/2 inch taller than him!

I had to laugh because the other day he was trying to put on a pair of socks (they're way too small now!).... he was pulling and pulling trying to get them to pull up more.

Add to shopping list:

Socks for Aaron

Shoes for Aaron

All new clothes... for Aaron

Next week, we'll have to have a Billings, MT shopping day.

Went to the Bighorn County (Wy) Fair

Totally missed the Park County Fair last week... darn! We were really working diligently on our new home... couldn't take the time.

But did make it to the smaller fair in Greybull. The highlight is ANIMALS and lots of kids there to show their animals!

There were lots of beautiful quilts too! Didn't take any pictures though.

The big fire...

Last Friday, we set fire to a growing pile of debris.

We've been collecting wood scraps from the house for over a year now.

It was an all afternoon job. My husband said that it took 3 hours to extinguish it!

The big celebration

The Pioneer celebration is about to begin in our little town. Cowley Wyoming was settled by pioneers about 100 years ago.

We'll have a parade down Main Street... and lunch in the park. My favorite event is the Saturday evening talent show. Such talented roots, trunks, branches, and leaves in this town... families gather from all over to sing, play instruments... and share their talents in different ways.

There's a rodeo that lasts all afternoon. My niece is doing barrel racing this year. My nephew usually tries to stay on a bull... but generally only lasts a few seconds. Our kids lost interest after riding sheep.

At our house, we're getting ready to burn a huge pile of wood. It'll be a huge bon fire! Complete with marshmellows... maybe some hot dogs too. Pictures to follow.

How can it be?

I just don't know how I can be the mother to a driving teenager!!

Who then got his long hair cut short. I was so overwhelmed with how good his hair looked short... that I forgot to take the after photo!!!

This is Matthew (our 15 year old son) sitting in the hairdresser's chair... getting ready to have it CUT OFF!

Kind of like Christmas....

Our extra stuff from our move to Wyoming has been in storage for 5 1/2 years... in my brother-in-law's garage.

We've been living temporarily... in a tiny rental house all that time while building our new home.

Today with the help of my two sons (ages 11 & 15), we started going thru some of our boxes and bringing them to the basement of the new house.

My older son found a metal slinky. I guess they don't make them that way anymore... I haven't gotten it back yet...

My younger son found my grab-it thingy for reaching into high cabinets. He thought it was great fun until I took it away. Poor kitty was being tortured with it!

I'll tell you... it's like Christmas... except as I went thru each box... I had a flood of wonderful memories of life back home in Massachusetts. I could remember where I kept each item in my big, old turn of the century colonial home.... sigh... : )

Now, if I can just get the mudding done... and painting done!!! Yes, I know... one step at a time!

I'm just getting impatient because I have all those wonderful kitchen appliances that I want to start using!!!!!

Big day!

(Old Faithful, taken summer 2007)

Matthew is just got back from 5 days at scout camp. He did high adventure... and I haven't heard the whole story just yet... but I did hear that he went CLIFF DIVING....

Our scout camp is located on 40 acres just outside the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park. I hear it is frequented by grizzly bears!!! I found this awesome video overview of Buffalo Bill Scout Camp: See Buffalo Bill Camp!

Worked all day on the house. I'm getting so excited, I can hardly contain myself! It is truly changing from "the house..." to our "home!"

Our kitchen appliances came today. I ordered them back in Nov 2008... so you can imagine how excited I am to finally get to see them! Can't wait to use my new stove!!!!

Getting late... and we've got a big day tomorrow!

The back of my pickup

The back of my pickup has a bunch of buckets and a shovel.

Came in handy this morning when a friend invited me to dig up some of her Shasta Daisies!

It just got me to thinking... how most trucks here in the country have at least one 5 gallon bucket and a shovel in the back... but usually... there's also a dog back there!

(photo of Bighorn Canyon, Wyoming)

Enjoyed a fun family gathering

We had such a nice weekend. Rich's uncle and girlfriend are here from Iowa for a visit.

Dinner outside with family... complete with s'mores and sunset!

And a cool... I mean...totally... rad.... little video involving Cheese Puffs..

Kids say...

Today is work at the house day... until the celebration, BBQ, fireworks...

From the mouth of my 11 year old... in reference to his chores... and the holiday...

Nice try...

"It's Independence Day, a day to celebrate being free... I should be free from working at the house... and doing chores..."

Happy 4th!!!

The sun is shining brightly as I write this post.

I'm so looking forward to this day!

Today, my laundry room will have walls! Yeah!!!

Later this afternoon we'll be celebrating the 4th with friends, food, and fireworks... how awesome is that????!!!!

Wanted to share these pretty flowers with you this morning... Have an awesome day!

Mudding, Gardening, and Yellowstone!

A photo taken at Yellowstone summer 2007. Hope to get back there this summer!!!!

Going to be a busy day..

-got mudding to do up the house...

-and in the garden it's time to dig out the leaf lettuce that has gone by. Hmm... what to plant in it's place???

-veggies to chop up for Clam Chowder for a big July 4th celebration at a friend's house.

Because I've got so much going on today, I threw a beef roast in the crockpot. That'll be yummy for tonight! And there will be lots to share with family that might be arriving today... and with the friends that the boys always have hanging around!

Thought for the day...

Every experience brings wisdom and perspective into our lives.

Mom, would you log off?

So, when Aaron (age 11) reads 5 chapters in his book... he gets 30 minutes on my computer.

Recently he said to me, Mom when you're done on gmail, would you log off?

Hummp.... I was thinking that when he's done... that HE should log off MY COMPUTER!!!

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.

Friday...it's work at the house day

It's another beautiful sunshine filled Wyoming almost summer day!

I was thinking that it would be so cool to setup the tent this weekend... and have a fire at the fire pit... maybe...

My garden is doing so well! There's something very special about planting a seed and watching it mature into a healthy plant... bearing something yummy!

It's another build your own house adventure day!!!! Water lines...

Oh to have a flushing toilet....

I'm am so enjoying this weather!

The kids are out of school now... so summer has officially started!

My teen set up his tent at grandma's... and seems to have taken up residence there... sometimes with a buddy... sometimes with his pre-teen brother...

The weather has been so absolutely perfect! Yes, I'm loving it!!!

Spent a good part of the day working on my garden. Can't wait to get all my raised beds filled with soil... and get my 30 some Roma Tomatoes planted! Visit my garden blog for more details on that!

Happy almost Friday!!! We'll be continuing our work on the waterlines up the new house. How much longer before we have a flushing toilet????

Says the teenager to his mother...

Yes Mom, I wore this T-Shirt yesterday. It's got 3 days left!!!

Says the Mom to her pre-teen son... Would you drink out of this glass? Smell it?

Re-wash the dishes!!!!

The house is very quiet this Memorial Day. The kids spent the night at Grandma's....

It's overcast and windy. The sky is heavily laden with thick dark clouds, a promise of s rain... maybe???

I covered my garden last night just in case the wind got to be too gusty for my tender plants.

The summer has just begun here in my little town... no more pencils... no more books... no more teachers.... Our kids are out of school for the summer!

Rich and I will be pulling more water lines today for the new house. I'm sooooo anxious to move in! Shoot... we even have central air going... while I'm sweltering in this little rental.

It's truly a lesson in patience.... and hard work... and creativity!!! Well better 'git er' going!

True Value Hardware store $5 dollars off coupon

Thought that I'd share this coupon with you!

http://www.startrightstarthere.com/?utm_source=GOOG&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=TV09

I've got to buy some tomato cages... and other stuff. Just printed out my $5 coupon!

chicken fingers

This recipe sounds really good! Homemade Chicken fingers...

Mini Quiche... yummy!

I found this recipe for Mini Quiche.

Made them for supper tonight. Yummy!

Can't we just skip it?

OK... can't we just skip the whole pre-teen... teen thing? URgggGGGG....

Great Coupons

Some how I stumbled upon Coupons.com. Wow, do they have great coupons!

And I get to print them off on my printer! Today, I'm printing off:

$1 off Miracle Whip

$1 off Triscuits

$1 off Tombstone pizza

$1 off Philadelpia cream cheese

$1 off Kraft singles

And my most important coupon... or at least my teenager would say is...

$1 off A1 sauce (this is his most favorite condiment... and the most expensive!)

...and more!

Got to run!

We love quiche!

My family enjoys quiche. I found this easy mini quiche recipe this morning... Would be great for brunch. I bet that it would freeze well for storage!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Mini-Quiche/Detail.aspx

Scatter sunshine... all along the way...

Love the sunshine!!! Most days are bright & sunny here...

The raw water was just turned on! The countryside will be turning green now... which is good... because I'm soooo tired of beige!

I did some work on my SFG yesterday. More on that here. Can't wait to get my boxes loaded with soil... and get some planting done!!!

Friday... date night!

Rich and I went to the movies tonight. One of our favorite things to do on Friday nights!

Went to see the new X-Men movie. I did NOT like it! Way too much violence for me.

Where did the mountains go?

Somehow, spring has become winter... temporarily!

Walked Aaron to school today, but came home wishing that I had worn a hat, gloves... and regular pants... not cropped pants!

I've been spending a lot of time learning about Square Foot Gardening. I'm so excited to enjoy fresh salad fixing from my garden in a little while! And look forward to canning lots of veggies this fall.

Rich and I continue to work on our new home. We're plumbing waste lines now! More on that... HERE.

The boys will be out of school soon! Can you believe that school ends May 22?

I love this time with the boys!!! Love to take them to the zoo... out for day events... and camping.

Well... the morning is fast turning into afternoon! Better run!

This is where I live...

Just watched a great video about this beautiful area of Wyoming. Want to see it? Watch Video of Cody & Yellowstone

The views can be breathe-taking... and sometimes have brought me to tears of admiration... and awe.

What a grand day!

We're wrapping it up down here at the new house (for details about that... go here) and it's just about dusk.

We roasted hotdogs over a fire for supper! That was fun!

We worked a bit more on our fire pit after... digging down about 8 inches or so... and making it a bit larger... and adding more river rocks.

I'm going to try to do some dutch oven cooking. But first... I need to buy a dutch oven!

It was a beautiful day here with bright sun and warm enough to be out in a t-shirt.

Nice afternoon with the family!

How to Survive Lowes...

Mom and I were walking to the post office this morning... talking about our Lowes adventures... and how long we spend at Lowes with our hubbies...

Rich and I are building a house. Have you been to my house building adventure blog? NO??? OK... here's the link: How's the House

Well, when you're building a new home... you spend LOTS and LOTS of time at Lowes! I mean... hours... 3, 4 hours... maybe more. And you spend LOTS and LOTS of money there!

I have to share this with you...

Last week I was to Lowes with my older son who is now 15! He said, "Mom, where is your parking spot?" So, I'm like... "what do you mean?" So he proceeds to tell me that we should have a special parking spot there at Lowes because we spend so much time & money there.

On one of our recent trips to Lowes... this would be ONE of the "we're there till closing... or they're waiting for all of our stuff to be rung up... so that they can CLOSE!" kind... The assistant manager calls over to us from the customer service booth thingy and says, "Don't you guys ever see daylight?"

Oh and YES... we do know all the department heads in the crutial departments... like mill works, flooring, and electrical. Great guys actually! Very helpful!!!

OK... so... How to Survive your 3-5 or more hours at Lowes... when you're the support person...

Step 1... (Mom and I agreed on this one! Actually this was her suggestion.)

Dress in layers. It is so hot in that place. Be sure to wear a t-shirt.

Step 2...

Bring some water.

I get so parched there... this is crucial! A snack might be nice too!

Step 3...

Wear comfortable shoes.

For me... it's my Brooks sneakers or my Keen sandals.

Step 4...

Bring a book along.

I have scouted out all the places where you can find seating.... like in plumbing... or flooring... or the kitchen cabinet area. That cement floor gets to me after a while!

Step 5...

Bring your cell phone.

Well, you want to connect with your Lowes enthusiast when it's time to go on your next adventure... like maybe to Costco!

If I missed anything that you've found helpful, let me know!

Why did I wait so long?

Cold today... we even snow... enough to cover the ground. How can it be? It was 65 yesterday!!!

After spending a few weeks with an aching back and not sleeping well because of this knot in my lower back... I decided to go visit the chiropractor.

It was my first time and to be honest... I was nervous about it.

Well, I was poked, twisted, and thumped. Wow....

Oh my goodness!

I felt sooo great when he was done! That was Thursday. Went back today (Monday) for another adjustment. Can you see the smile on my face?

I only wonder... WHY... WHY??? Why did I wait so long to go?

My whole body feels sooo much better!!!

Every Friday & Saturday... until it's done... or

Just back from "the House." We work there every Friday & Saturday. Sheetrock & Plumbing going on right now....

The guys helped me build some boxes for my square foot garden. And we picked out a place to put them.

Beautiful day today... sunshine and warm enough to be out in a t-shirt... still lots of snow on the mountains though.

Tax Time...

It's that time of the year...

April 15nth is coming fast...

I'll be working on taxes today.

I'm dreaming of...

Greetings! As I sit here in my itty bitty office... in my itty bitty rental home... I'm dreaming of the not so distant future of moving into our new home...

I'm dreaming about....

Gazing out the Family Room windows at the snow-capped mountains... and watching for deer to pass...

Cooking bread in my new 60" RNB BlueStar double oven range.

Working in my new... big... office...

Grilling deep dish pizza

I watched Emeril make deep dish pizza in a cast iron pan... and decided to give it a try.

Oh my goodness... talk about yummy! Here's a photo of the one that I cooked on the grill.

I find that if I set my pizza pan on a brick that it's up high away from the heat so that the bottom doesn't burn.

Last year I learned how to cook lots of things on our outside grill. I made a lot of bread... pizza... meatloaf... yes... regular stuff too. Our stove in this little rental just wouldn't hold the heat in the oven... so I got creative!

-4... but bright sunshine!

Oh my... everything looks so pretty in a new blanket of snow. In our little town we have a dusting... about 1".

As I got Aaron in the truck this morning and turned on the ignition... the truck groaned... what??? -4 degrees F this morning! Wow.. what a change from the warmth of last week.

Looks like tomorrow it'll warm up to 29... then the rest of the week will be in the 40's.

Sure is nice & sunny this morning. Sure doesn't feel like -4...

Pink Panther 2

Rich and I took Aaron with us to see Pink Panther 2.

It was cute... had some good laughs...

I still don't know if Detective Cluseau said "Hamburger" or "Hambereghaa" LOL!

Went for a walk... came back with a chill...

Wow, the weather really changes fast here in Wyoming.

Mom & I were out for a walk a bit ago. I just happened to grab my hat... thankfully... because about half way through... I was wishing that I had worn gloves!

We stopped at the Post Office to warm up and get our mail. My mother-in-law was there working today.

Well... I'm looking around my cluttered office. Time to do some organizing... maybe box some things up that I'm not using. (Can't wait to move into our new home...)

Spring is in the air...

I really do love the weather here in the Big Horn Basin in northern Wyoming.... well... except when the wind blows!

I'm just back from a walk with my mom around town... then to the Post Office. Beautiful sunshine... warming up temperature... so great not to have to defrost the truck in the morning!

My dear friends in New England had quite a storm. Sure don't miss shoveling all that snow... but... I do miss taking the kids sledding!

Hi there! It's a beautiful sunny day here in northern Wyoming!

Being a city girl gone country... I'm always struck by the wonders of my surroundings...

We live in the beautiful Big Horn basin, surround by mountains... mountains everywhere you look!

This morning as I was heading outside, getting ready to take my little guy to school. I heard... the rooster singing... the birds churping... I saw the horses in the pasture next to us all waiting patiently by the hay bales.. all bathed in the gentle morning sun!

Time for my walk! Goal... 10,000 steps/day. I'm heading out to the post office... and around town.

I'm back!

It's a beautiful sunny day here in northern Wyoming. We got some snow yesterday, but it's going away pretty fast!

We've had some really nice weather lately... I'm thinking about gardening! I'm going to give square foot gardening (SFG) a try this year. Got a bunch of seeds ready to go...

Not quite ready yet... still learning about SFG. Have to figure out when to start my tomato plants... and got to buy Mel's soil mixture... but don't know how much I need yet... or where I'm going to set up the frames!

I set up a new site to blog about my Square Foot Gardening adventure! If you're interested, come on by and become a "follower". Here's the link: My Gardening Adventure

Sure is fun to think about all this stuff though...

Aaron went back to school today! We'll see how his day goes...

It's a foggy day here. Can't even see the mountains. The air is very moist... a special treat for this high desert area!

Oh... yesterday... I was driving home from the grocery store (keep in mind that it's all country here) when I saw this big bird in a cottonwood tree in an open field. There it was... a bald eagle!

The stomach flu hits....

My poor little guy has the stomach flu. I'll spare the gory details... It struck on Saturday afternoon at Walmart... bang... temperature...

Took him to the doctor today after noticing quite the rash... all over him! Still running a slight temperature... day 4...

School tomorrow? Hmmm...

Been a long time! I'm back!!!

I slipped on my little guy's snow boots to run to the car this morning. It's a little strange to be able to wear my almost 8 year old's shoes!

I'm on a sour dough bread making kick.

When I lived in Melrose, Massachusetts in my big old turn of the century colonial house, I used to make bread all the time.

Oh, I loved to bang it down on the counter top. What a great stress reliever!

The boys loved my sour dough bread so much that my oldest decided that he was going to sell it. I would make 6 extra loaves each week and he would sell them to neighbors and teachers.

Just walking down memory lane here...

You know you're in the country when...

You're on the way to the movies to see Chronicles of Narnia, moving along at 60ish mph, when suddenly... deer appears out of nowhere and insist on planting themselves in the middle of the road!

Luckily my husband was able to stop the van in time without hitting them!

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We had homemade meatballs with spaghetti and my canned tomato sauce. It was yummy!

Just finished writing my Christmas letter that will be enclosed in my Christmas cards. Actually, I've got the first round of cards all ready to go!

I just love receiving Christmas cards! They are part of our decorations as they get taped to around the doorways and windows. It is so much fun to hear from old friends!

Funny... we've only received one card so far... I was bemoning this fact when my dear husband reminded me that I hadn't sent our cards out yet.

We're off to see Chronicles of Narnia tonight for our date night and supper at the mexican restaraunt. I'm craving their shrimp dish....

Peanut Butter cookies topped with Hershey's Kisses.
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Hershey's Kisses.

At our local grocery store, I found some really cute Christmas decorated felt stockings for $1 each! What a buy!!!

I made cookies to fill them. Tomorrow I'll visit some friends and share these goodies.

We're off to the church Christmas Party in a little bit... but first I'm making homemade pizza for supper.

You know you're in the country when...

You're traveling down the highway looking at the multitude of black angus cows grazing in a passing field with snow covered mountains in the background... and you don't get into an accident.


It's so cold here today! -19!!!

A new day!

Must be about 3 inches of snow out there today. Got a few more inches of that light fluffy (still broomable!) snow. It's a very cold day here in the single digits... Burrrr....

Several weeks ago when the cold hit, I made up quilt curtains out of that warm window stuff. It's like having a warm winter jacket for your windows and doors. I made one for the drafty front door and one for the back hall entry way. It is soooo much more comfortable in here!

Does anyone make Pizzelles for Christmas? Can you recommend a pizzelle maker for me?

snow...

The snow is falling in fine snow flakes. If I was back home in Massachusetts, this type of snow would accumulate into mounds requiring snow blowers and shovels to remove.

But, here in northern Wyoming... it doesn't seem to amount to much. I've got my broom ready to sweep the walk when it's all done.

This is my 3rd winter here. My first winter was very dry and at times cold. Last winter, we had a light blanket of snow throughout most of the winter. This year seems to be much the same.

My husband (he grew up here) says that when he was growing up there would be feet of snow. But the weather seems to have turned more mild and dry since then.

Massachusetts has been hammered since I left in Fall 2003. I sure don't miss all that shoveling!

I do miss the homes all bright with lots of Christmas lights and decorations.
I do miss going into Boston to see the window displays. Downtown was especially pretty this time of year.
I do miss the earthy pine smell of pine bows lining the pews of the Congregational Church that I attended when I was young.
I do miss those Pizzelle cookies that my Italian neighbor used to make at Christmas time.
I do miss all the Christmas Parties at my neighbor's homes.
I do miss going to Mom and Dad's for Christmas Eve. We'd enjoy shrimp and fish chowder... and all kinds of wonderful food.
I do miss Aunt Shirley's New Year's Day Party with all that yummy food and being surrounded friends and family.

OK, let me wipe my tears and gain my composure here. I guess that I miss home at this time of year.

But, I still DON'T MISS SHOVELING!

Again...

I liked Dreamer so much that I took my 11 year old to see it this afternoon. Just the 2 of us. I had him buy the snacks-he had to calculate how much money would be needed and pay the cashier.

Later he held the door for me to go out of the theater and we walked arm in arm to the car.

We just enjoyed a bowl of my leftover Turkey soup. The longer it sits the more tasty it gets!!!

The next showing is at 7pm. I'm going to take my 7 year old now. Just the two of us...

This movie is a keeper. I definitely want a copy of the DVD when it comes out.

Dreamer...

Went to see the movie Dreamer tonight. It was sooo good. A wonderful family flick. Think that I'll take the boys to the matinee to see it tomorrow.

I left the theater thinking... am I dreaming big enough?

You know you're in the country when...
Went to the local grocery store yesterday. A cashier opened as I was waiting in line to checkout. As she was running my groceries through, she noticed a bag of stuff that was not given to the previous customer.

She was thinking out loud when she said, "Now was that Cindy Smith or Joleen Lindon? I know that it was one of them."

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On Wednesday we finally cooked up our Thanksgiving meal. Just a small turkey. Today I'm simmering turkey rice & vegetable soup on the stove and I have homemade sour dough bread that's just about done cooking.

The house smells soooo good. Wish I could share!

Just spent an hour sweeping the snow out of our "in-process" house.

We had such a scare yesterday...

Our town Christmas celebration is tonight. The town is providing turkey and ham. The North side of town will furnish salads and the South side will bring deserts.

I'm off to the grocery store.

Woke up to a dusting of snow. Everything's all white.

As I walked Aaron to school we were noting all the tracks in the snow. Gosh we have a lot of rabbits here!

The calves in the pasture were not too happy this morning. They were crying out for something to eat!

I spoke to a friend yesterday. Shoot the crud is going around again. That terrible flu stuff. She's got it, actually her kiddos shared it lovingly with her.

Traveled to Cody this afternoon. Past lots of grazing cows and horses.

I love how the afternoon sun hits the Pryor Mountains in the afternoon. They turn almost a purple pinky color, just gorgeous! Purple Mountain Majesty!!

For the past few days the Pryor Mountains have been hidden by thick low grayish clouds. Today with bright sunshine, the snow capped mountains seem to be glistening.

It is a good day!

Wyoming thru the eyes of a Massashusetts city girl:

The cows are grazing in the pasture.
The sheep and mini horses are down the street.
I miss the maple trees!
Large Cottonwood line the streets.
I heard an owl hoot.
The neighbor's black angus cows got out again.

Oh Oh... traffic jam...
The cowboys are moving the cattle across the highway.

Just back...

Just back from a craft fair in Powell Wyoming. There were some really nice things there. One gentleman had cottonwood bark carvings of Santa Claus, bird houses... what detail!

There were so many people there that you could stop to see the exhibitors! And that's something for Wyoming!!!!

I had my boys and my neice with me. They had their own agenda which didn't always jive with my own!

Next year I'm going to go at lunch time and avoid the first thing in the morning rush!

Question of the Day...

My 7 year old was snuggled up next to me this morning when he asked...

"I wonder how Santa Claus can go down those chimneys, you know, the ones with the pipe that runs down the middle?"

What an observant little guy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Busy Mom just shared with me her recipe for Fudge Pie. Hmmmm. A chocolate lovers piece of Heaven!

Good morning! Greetings from northern Wyoming, cowboy country. It's really, really, chilly here this early morning. Just a little above 20 degrees. Crispy!

There is snow on the tops of all mountain ranges. It looks really pretty!

A friend here in town gave us 3 dozen fresh eggs the other day. Sure makes me want to raise my own chickens. They taste so good, so much more flavor than store bought eggs.

Didn't get my pumpkin pies baked yesterday... that's on the agenda for today.

I'm also going to get started on my Christmas cards. I love to receive them and love to send lots of them out! It's a tradition to keep in touch with friends. I was actually hoping to pop them in the mail by Friday...

If you're traveling with little ones tomorrow, don't forget to check out that Storynory.com site for some free downloadable stories to take along. How fun!!!

Just finished canning the last of my garden tomatoes. 5 more quarts of sauce! That makes about 55 quarts in total! That's a lot of tomatoes!!!

I even saved some fresh tomatoes for our Thanksgiving Day meal.

Did you go check out storynory.com?

Was over to Busy Mom's blog just a bit ago. She shared a link to storynory.com, a site that features FREE ipod downloadable stories for children. This is awesome!

I imagine these wonderful stories playing as we travel about countryside of Wyoming and Montana. We spend a lot of time in our car. It's an hour to our nearest Walmart and 1 1/2 hours to Billings for Home Depot and Red Lobster... and most importantly... Costco!

I'll be processing the last batch of tomatoes today! We'll have some fresh garden tomatoes for Thanksgiving, but the rest will be safely tucked away into my canning jars for enjoyment later this winter.

Thoughts of next year's garden:
I'm thinking that I'd like to grow sweet potatoes next year. I love sweet potatoes!

Harry Potter...

We stood in line for an hour, then waited another hour inside the theatre for the newest Harry Potter movie.

A few of my dear blogger friends have asked my oppinion of the new Harry Potter movie. I have to admit that I did enjoy it. But... if you have young children, you may want to do a preview run before taking them.

It could be scary for little ones, especially when Harry is dueling with Valdemort (did I spell this right?).

In case the week gets really, really busy...
I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! May you travel safely. May you enjoy the gathering of family. May you eat lots of delicious food and not gain one pound!

Harry Potter TONIGHT!

Just about time to walk little guy to school. It's pretty cold here this morning. I'm not sure that it's even 30 degrees as of yet.

My Christmas Cactus is blooming! I picked it up as a Christmas markdown last season. I've always loved the beautiful blooms of this plant. In my back hall, severely neglected by a lack of water... there it was with beautiful pink blooms.

We're going to see Harry Potter tonight! The boys have been counting down the days. Are you going to see it?

Tomorrow the boys and I are exhibiting my photo postcards. You should see the $$ in my son's eyes! We'll just see how it goes! It will be a good lesson in entrepreneurship.

Good morning. I'm just back from walking my little guy to school. A beautiful dusting of snow covered the ground.

We saw bunny tracks along the way and had fun making our own crazy tracks.

I'm waiting for the water to boil so that I can have some Peppermint Ginger tea( I just pop a couple of these tablets into hot water... hmmmm.) My ears are still cold!

Thanksgivings food traditions...

It is so cold today!! I think that my bones are even cold. Worked with Rich most of the day today on our new home.

I heard that the old theatre in Cody is replacing their wooden seats. I'd love to have some for our media room. I left them a message earlier today about it.

Hey, what are your plans for Thanksgiving? I can't believe that it's next week!!! We'll be local, surrounded by Rich's family eating turkey and the traditional yummies.

What is typically served for your Thanksgiving Day meal? Leave a comment and share!

We have:
Turkey
stuffing (I love pepperide farm stuffing!)
mashed potatoes
squash
carrots
cranberry sauce/jelly
green bean casserole
fresh veggie tray
deviled eggs
rolls

apple pie
pumpkin pie
cherry pie

Oh my! I'm getting stuffed already!

It's Tuesday...

It's Tuesday, but it feels like Monday because the kids were off from school yesterday.

The sun shining bright this morning. Sure hope that it warms up nice today! A big improvement over the wintery weather of yesterday!

I made 18 quarts of Salsa last night. I'm actually coming to the end of my tomato supply. Whew! My pantry is overflowing with yummy canned tomato stuff.

We're getting ready to for a craft fair this Saturday. We're going to be exhibitors! The boys like to sell my photo postcards... so we're going to give it a go....

They are budding entrepreneurs! I thought this would be a really good experience for them. Matthew can be in charge of the $money$ and Aaron can do "promotion."

Matthew wants to raffle off one of my 8x10 framed photos. Probably a sunset photo... Hmmm... we'll see how that goes...

I'm waiting for my photos to come in. I ordered them thru York Photo. Would you believe that they print digital photos for 10cents each without a pre-paid plan? That's the best deal that I've found!

OK... Who ordered SNOW?

Yes, winter has arrived. It's snowing. Looks so pretty.

Guess we won't be working on the house today, though.

My ripening tomatoes are crying out...
Salsa sounds good.

Keeping the Cold OUT!
It was pretty cold here on Saturday night. The furnace was pumping away... The front door and hallway were so cold. There was a nice breeze blowing right through that door!

So I grabbed the warm window stuff that I had purchased last winter with great intentions...

I proceeded to make a very simple curtain to cover the inside of the front door. That worked so great that I then proceed to do the same thing for the back door and one of the windows. It's made a huge difference in the comfort of our little cottage rental!

My Father-in-Law... an update...
We were to see my father-in-law after supper tonight. He has made amazing, absolutely amazing progress. He's no longer in Billings. Thank goodness because that 180 mile trip each day for my mother-in-law was a killer!!! He's at our local care center for a few weeks for continued therapy.

He's walking now and is a "warmer" version of his old "gruff" self.

I just can't get over how far he has come in a few short weeks. What a blessing!!!!

Been de-cluttering...

Oh it feels so good to de-clutter!

It all began when there wasn't room on the pantry shelves for my newly canned tomato sauce and salsa. Look how organized my pantry shelves are!! All thanks to my hubby who has excellent organizational skills!

Then my office/sewing room was next. Wow! What a difference!
My desk still needs a lot of work though!

Tomorrow I'm going to a class at Northwest College Cody campus. I'm going to learn all about selling on eBay. Fun!

Thought that I'd learn all about it because my parents want to get into selling their antiques online... and maybe my mother-in-law might want to sell some of her collections of "stuff." And I have these printer cartridges from my printer that just stopped working... that maybe I could sell???

Return of the red ripe tomatoes!

Saturday cooked more sauce from my abundance of tomatoes. Canned 18 quarts!

Looked at my tomatoes today and decided that I'd better get back to work... lots more ripe ones. So my Vita Mix blended up more yummy tomatoes. Got another stock pot full of sauce and still another sink filled with clean tomatoes...

My pantry needs to be rearranged again to make more room for canned tomato stuff.

We're having homemade pizza tonight. It's a favorite at my house.

I've been having fun on ebay. Just bid on this book on Square Foot Gardening. It's about doing gardening in 4x4' raised beds. Supposed to be easier than the traditional row gardening... It sounds interesting. Thought that I'd read about it.

Yes, I'm already dreaming about my garden for next year!

Busy Saturday...

Hi there. Rich and I went to see the movie, The Greatest Game Ever Played. I really enjoyed it. Would be a good family movie.

Made bacon and eggs for the boys this morning. Matthew is off to the farm to help sort pigs. Rich will be heading down to the house to finish building walls. Maybe Aaron will go with him to help.

I'm teaching the women tomorrow at church, so I've got to get my lesson all together. Also on my agenda is to can up the sauce that has been slow cooking all night... And help Rich with the walls this afternoon...


Busy Saturday!!! What's on your agenda?

Red Ripe Tomatoes

You know all those boxes of tomatoes that I've been posting about?

Well... the majority of them are red... and ripe... and ready to be processed into something yummy.

I've got two stock pots full of sauce simmer... with NO END of ripe tomatoes in sight!

Good morning...

Well, thanks for stopping by. Take a seat at my kitchen table. Would you like some hot cocoa or some herbal tea? Happy Friday!!!

Excuse the dishes... they seem to just keep growing not matter how many times they get washed.

I think that I'll have an Energy drink this morning. I need a boost. Maybe you'd like one too? Rich has been working me pretty hard on that house. We moved a pallet and 1/2 of that heavy chip board yesterday. Things are coming right along, though! We'll have to celebrate when the roof goes up!!!

2nd floor is almost all framed up. Hope to finish it today. Come on by for a visit!

Not as cold out today. Should be quite nice by this afternoon.

We're all getting our hair cut at 1pm today. We are all turning into hairy beasts! Especially me!! I just can't stand it another day!!!!