It's a Win Win

When I go to the Fair I always visit the Farm Friends display. It is informative and usually they have beautiful photographs. I am on the look out for the freebie cookbooks too. If a friend is working the booth I ask for the cookbooks. Farmers promoting a product have good recipes. It's a well known fact that if the product looks good and tastes good we'll buy it. It's a win win.

This year I was given a copy of Fresh by Darigold. Loved the recipes and the photographs are beautiful. Darigold had some copies left and donated them to the museum gift shop for us to sell. I priced them at $4 for you, less than the retail of $4.95 + $2.95 s & h. It's a win win.

This weekend my favorite Farm Friend left me two* copies of the new issue of Fresh on my desk. So when I got to work I had a nice surprise. Again packed with recipes and beautiful photographs. This copy is $5 and available here. It's a win win.

I feel a bond with Darigold, I buy a lot of dairy products**. And my house came from Darigold. When Mr. B built the Stone House he built it from the stone and brick of the old Darigold building. As they tore down, he carried it home and built up. That was around 1925. Two weeks ago when I got to work and a copy of this black and white photo was on my desk I was thrilled. Mr. Zuidmeer dropped it off for me. He knew I'd like a copy. He knew the history and my history and put it together. It's a win win.

I am thankful for my town and all the connections. Living in a small farming community is a win win.

*Shelly, I have your copy ;).
**I kept buying milk at my usual pace after Sam left, yesterday I realized I had four gallons in the fridge. I guess we don't drink a gallon a day anymore. Butter consumption has not gone down...

Around Here

Around here the corn is being harvested. Cornfields make great neighbors.

Around here on Thursday we may drive on the driveway. Concrete is curing. Saturday I got groceries, drove up, put on the flashers, jumped out and put everything on the driveway. Hubby was home to help carry in. My house is messy cuz I kinda know that no one can stop by...

Around here the gardens are all looking like the last rose of Summer. I need to pull things out and trim back.

Around here Fall is in the air. It was pretty chilly this morning at 5:40 as I jogged down to my car to go to boot camp. I am starting to get some Fall things out in the house. And starting to think about some serious Fall cleaning. I baked a batch of Oatmeal cookies with craisins and white chocolate chips this morning. I was ready for the smell of cinnamon baking.

Around here my day is full of appointments, errands and appointment making. Max's football game is at 5:30 so I think I'll make supper to go and have a small tailgate party with Hubby in the bleachers.

Around here it is different without Sam. He called and is doing well. He needs to eat faster, he has lots of blisters from his boots, and is either hot or cold. Still focused and ready for the challenge. We miss him. A. Lot.

New Normal and Work in Progress

We have a new normal.

*Sam is on his way to Basic and we won't be able to call him. Or send one of my famous texts, 'U?'. Loosely translated, "where are you?" My guys receive this text on a regular basis. I have my own texting shortcuts. Yep, they make fun of me.

*Yesterday I received this text, "I swear in in like 5 minutes. Where are you?!" Stuck in traffic. We made it, with 20 seconds to spare.

Sam flew out this morning with three other guys. Two of them will also be studying to be medics at Fort Sam Houston after basic training.

*We have no driveway. Our bridge is gone and has been all week. We park down the street and then cross over another ditch on foot. I need groceries...
The Colacurcio crew has been so nice to work with, it's been a pleasure.

*Max is now an only child. We have a lot of work to do with him yet and he will be PARENTed a lot. He is thrilled. Definitely a work in progress.

*I'm going to clean Sam's room and it will stay clean. Loving that new normal. I like to think about inspections from his Sergeant.
{insert evil mom laugh}

*Thank you for all your kind words. It is different but okay. Yesterday I won a beautiful journal from Arlene's blog.
Made my day.

Early Thanksgiving

We had such a nice time at my folks last evening. Sam is saying his good byes and getting ready to leave. Not much to pack. He has plans tonight so Hubby and I are going to Max's football game.
Tuesday I bring Sam to the recruiter and he leaves for Seattle. On Wednesday Hubby, Max and I will see Sam's swearing-in ceremony and say our farewells. Then on Thursday morning Sam flies to Fort Sill. It's kind of a process. I do LoVe all the ceremony parts.


Thanks for all of your encouraging comments yesterday. They mean so much!
God is good.

Fall Weekend

It is Sam's last weekend at home. Hubby has to work and I am battling another sinus infection. Sam is busy with friends. Saturday morning(3:25 stinkin' A.M.) I woke up to some heavy raining. In. The. Living. Room.
It's not bees, nope now we have squirrels. Damaged the roof. Please don't tell me that you think squirrels are cute.

Friday Night Lights-Max is #83 in case you didn't recognize him. LC lost. I had blog material at the game but Hubby said, "NO".
So, that's all I got.
There is something wonderful about a high school football game on a fine Friday Fall evening.
Max and friends went to the Seattle Sounders game yesterday and sat in the Red Bull suite. Apparently, it was amazing, the seats, the game, the autographs, the suite, the parking, the jerseys the goalie signed,and all the Red Bulls a guy could drink. Next time Holly and I should definitely accompany Max and Tyler. Why should they have all the fun?

Sam is busy. Seeing friends, seeing them again. And again. Maybe having too much fun. He has reserved today for us. Grandma is making turkey dinner tonight and Grandma from George arranged a special dessert.
Whoever said food isn't LoVe is wrong.

This is not like when Danny left for college and I bought bedding,towels, and coordinating doo dads.
Sam leaves with a backpack.
One change of clothes.
No ipod or computer.
Sam may not call for weeks.
That Sam I Am will be pushed and tested beyond his imagination for nine weeks. Sam is ready, he is excited with a touch of nerves. His Sargent called to move his leave date back to Tuesday. On Wednesday we go to Seattle to MEPS for his swearing in and leaving.
All the reading I've done tells me to be Army Strong for Sam on Wednesday. I'm tearing up typing this so that may be difficult. Sam is strong and already received a promotion.
Sam is fine, but it's still hard for Mom...

Mini Van to Little 'Snowflake'

Doesn't this just change your thinking, actually your whole mindset, of a "grocery getter"?

It has mine.

*Car came with name Snowflake.

S'more Bars

Summer is over and it went fast at our house. Never even made s'mores. If you bought the fixin's for s'mores and never sat around the fire this is the recipe for you. It's another Paula Deen recipe so that pretty much guarantees it will be yummy. There may be some butter involved...

S'mores Bars
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flower
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6 sheets)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 (1.5 ounce) Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars
1 1/2 cup marshmallow creme

Here we go...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed, until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat until combined. Press half of dough in the pan, spreading evenly. Lay chocolate bars on top of dough, breaking apart as needed to create an even layer of chocolate. Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate bars.
*Tami's tip- A jar of cream has 30 tablespoons, pretty much used the whole jar and didn't bother with measuring cups. That stuff is stickY, so I try to minimize the contact.
Spread remaining dough over marshmallow creme and chocolate bars.
*Tami's tip-I run my finger tips under the faucet and then pat dough into place. The moisture keeps it from sticking and lifting off the marshmallow cream.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven temperature.


Lastly, get out your Fat Girl jeans cuz you're going to need them. I'm sorry :(

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

Gorgeous, sweet, juicy peaches from Hubby's folks delivered by BIL Bill on Friday evening were made into jam and peach pie filling on Saturday evening by Becky and myself.
Sounds easy enough.
{insert Peaches sung by The Presidents of the United States of America here} Yep, we played it.
Saturday was very warm. Becky and I had a really busy week. We were tired but jumped into the process. I've always made my filling and then froze it in a freezer bag but this year I had seen where Paula Deen used a different recipe and froze it in the pie shell. We lined the pans with wax paper and filled, covered with foil, froze and then later I slipped the whole pie into a freezer bag. When we're ready for a peach pie this winter we just have to make the crust and pop in the frozen disc of filling.
Important tip! Foil pans are much cheaper at a dollar store.

Becky and I were tired and hot, we made some mistakes, we were not looking good and I forgot some ingredients at the grocery store. So, we made a deal with Max. He had to go to the grocery store and find *fruit fresh, bottled lemon juice and *quick cooking tapioca. Then he was allowed to go to Kassie's house.

*I have never bought these items and had NO clue where he should look. If he couldn't bring back the goods, no go.

Hah!

He found them, like I knew he would.

Some days a Mom just has to use what little power she has left to her advantage.


Our peach jam didn't set. Max thinks it's okay though and had it for his game day breakfast. It is a tad runny but tastes delicious. I think it will be good on pancakes or a pork roast.

Sam and I went to the game in Lakewood last night, LC lost but Max caught a pass and played a pretty good game. This was the only game Sam could catch before leaving.
Obviously I need a press pass so I can get closer for photo ops. Max is on the left.

Living It Up On the Road

Let's revisit the Tin Can Tourist show.
I may need help remembering why I took the photos that I did, so I'll just journal it on the blog and then you can come along too.

Sometimes the wood can't be restored and this one had a clean, simple and pretty paint job. I liked the stove hood green. And our wood may need paint.

No joke, this trailer looked like a Restoration Hardware catalog. Made me want to get Hubby a smoking jacket and move in.



Good idea-an antique bed warmer. Better start looking for one of those.

Beyond clever! A bathtub in the bench of the dining banquette.

I loved this idea of having a headboard and reading lights. So civilized.

This trailer is an Aloha and I think it was a 1958. They embraced the Hawaiian theme with a surfboard table, a rattan ceiling and happy hour. They took out the stove, probably looked like ours, bought a new cook top and made a small bar area. Rethinking the original space. Curtain sewn from sarongs.



Loved her upholstery! I may choose a different color for mine but this looked sharp and she had a good tip, use a marine upholsterer.

Uhmmm yea, I don't plan on the Great Pumpkin coming to our place anytime soon.

Some used metal in the kitchen area.

Loved this car and the owners. A young family towing a trailer similar to the Aloha. He showed us where they put the play and pack crib for the baby. I could only imagine all the great memories they are making with their children.

Cheerful cherry theme going on here. I like the "hutch" idea in the center.

As I went through all my pics I decided this one had to be a favorite. If you look through the window you'll see Holly scoping out the next place. It appears that she stepped out back for a smoke but really it's a tootsie pop one of the owners gave her. Holly was great to go with because she isn't shy about asking if we could go in, take photos, whatever. Thanks Holly! I hope it wasn't so stressful that you had to take up smokin'.

A fun afternoon with Holly and I could just feel the creativity vibes coming from the Tin Can Tourists. Loved it!

We Like Old Junk

You all may have thought we were trailer trash before but now it's official. Several years ago Hubby showed me a travel trailer over at his folk's farm. He told me he thought we could fix it up. Well, we've been a little busy, got side tracked and what not but the time has come for this little teeny project. We are the proud recipients of a 1957 aloha travel trailer.
It has potential.
Probably the potential to push us both right over the edge but here goes nothin'.

Yes, we plan on replacing the formica.
The stove and oven need a little work.
This is where our bed will be. Can you see it?
If you look behind the extra windows you'll notice the cutest ice box evah!
I have high hopes of restoring that screen door.
Some parts can be saved and some areas need to be gutted.
Today I went with Holly to the *Tin Can Tourist Rally. I got some groovy ideas. Now I just have to decide if I want to go vintage, luxury, kitchy, with a theme, practical or do whatever I want to. And what colors? Flooring, fabrics and formica, oh my!
What do you think?

*Later I'll give you a peek at what I saw at the rally. Vintage travel trailers are not for the faint of heart. But the end results are very, very. very cool.

Oh, I'm just so excited. Could you remind me when I am tired of the process of restoring about how excited I am today.

Thanks-

A First

Caleb and Emilyn came over last night. After dinner,where my guys told E. to back off the meatballs-for crying out loud, I made plenty, had leftovers. I guess Max and Sam just LoVe to tease Miss E., the little sister they never had. Anyway, after dinner...we went for a ride to get some ice cream for dessert.

This was a first for Caleb and Emilyn, they had never ridden in a convertible, on the road. Not sure what that means, maybe Fair or Disneyland rides are considered off road. A good time was had by all.


Sometimes it is the little things in Life.

This afternoon, tomorrow morning and Monday I am at Sole Obsession. Now that the kids have all their new Fall clothes I think it is time for mama. Come in and I'll fix you up with something stylish. Hubby is working doubles all weekend, so I may as well work too.
I do have a little fun planned though.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend-could be the last of summer...

Family Reunion

We had a family reunion at Silver Lake Park Labor Day weekend. This was with my Dad's brothers and his sister's families.
The leaves were turning and it was so beautiful up in the hills.




We did a lot of catching up.


We had a home tour. Uncle Darryl had to get his spot cleaned up because we were coming his way. Some stayed in the day lodge, some in motor homes or trailers and cabins. Fortunately no one stayed in a tent as we did have some rain.

The Vander Haaks and their spouses.

My Dad, Rich, Uncle Ed, Aunt Nelda, Uncle John and Uncle Darryl. Really they were happy to be together, they just don't smile BiG for pics.

My sisters, myself, my Mom and Hana, who jumped in unannounced.

Every reunion need some little kids! We had an abundance of high school kids. I was thankful they came.

Whoa kiddos! You may have a bar but Kathi will hand them to you. They made some mud and were a bit dirty.

Risk. The game of world domination. Hours and hours were spent taking over the world. The guys had their own cabin, nice idea.

We had craft night for the girls and made mini albums out of lunch bags. Now we just have to print some of the pictures we took over the weekend and glue them in. It was fun to see all of the creative ideas, everyone's book turned out different and cute.


Every once in a while it hits that Sam is leaving in two weeks for Fort Sill. Here it is hitting Uncle Bill.

On Monday morning Fred made the 'fat boy breakfast' and Bill made the lattes. Our guys jump in and help. Saturday night Jeff grilled flank steak and made stuffed mushrooms, Fred chopped up some fresh salsa for an appetizer, Bill was our barista all weekend. It makes it more fun for everyone when everyone jumps in and gets busy.

Now I am unpacking and doing a lot, no make that a mountain of laundry. Fun times!