Slow Shutter Fireworks

Happy Birthday USA

This is cute... Enjoy!

Camera on Elise

Flour Power?

I expect that my neighbors are curious about my recent actions. Last evening I walked around both the front and back yards, flinging flour around. Even Bode was a bit confused but that didn't stop him from following me around and having a taste or two. At one point he was licking my pants. I wonder why?

Here's the deal. We once had a pretty back yard. Some of it is still pretty but other parts, not so much.

We've got an ant problem. I have tried and tried and tried to convince those ants to practice birth control and to maintain a private area for their own living situation.  They have ignored my pleas. I don't really want to hurt them but I have come to the conclusion I am going to have to be mean.

In an effort to avoid pesticides, I am trying some natural remedies. I tried a little cornmeal already. Maybe I didn't use enough? I don't know. This time, I used a LOT of flour, both white and whole wheat. I'll let you know if it works. In the meantime, do any of you have natural solutions that worked for you?

For once I am hoping it doesn't rain tonight. Flour and water makes paste, doesn't it? Uh Oh!

Floating

The charge nurse told me she wanted me to float today. It turns out she didn't mean what I had hoped she meant.

The Kind Pink Monster

We attended a little art festival in our community yesterday. Our son-in-law, Eric, is the curator for the art museum that sponsored the festival. I am certain he will be tired when the event is over but he has done a great job and the week-end event is going very well.

Our granddaughter, Cordelia, was excited to have her face painted. We stood in line for quite some time before her turn came. I spoke with her about what she might want painted on her face. Would she like a butterfly? How about hearts? Nope. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to have her face painted as a pink monster!

As Cordelia sat down in the chair for her turn, the artist excused herself to run to the restroom. As we waited, Cordelia ask me, "Will my face be a pink monster forever?" She didn't seem too worried about it, just curious. I guess she was ok with it if it was a forever paint job.

Cordelia was really interested in the artistic process.

She sat still quite well for a 3 yr. old.

Elise may have been a bit concerned about the situation.

The result was adorable!

Although Cordy noted that Grandpa was scared of her 

as a pink monster, she assured me that she was a 

KIND pink monster. That was a relief!

Esther's Heavenly Dipped Strawberries

You are going to love me for this!

I don't very often post about recipes but when I do, it is because I've found something too good to keep to myself. Remember that Hot Fudge Crockpot Cake? There you have it.

This week I remembered something I learned years ago. I can't believe that I hadn't done this in awhile. When we were in our 20's (just a couple of years ago) our little family moved to Issaquah, Washington. Mike was going to college there and  we knew we'd be there for a couple of years.  It was a big adventure but we didn't know anyone in the area.  Not to worry. One of the first things we did was find a church home. That is one of the best places to make new friends!

It was at church that we met an older lady named Esther. Although we felt we were a long, long way from little Turner, Montana, we'd found a piece of home in our new church clear out in the Pacific Northwest. You see, as it turns out, Esther was also from Turner, Montana! She had moved away many years before but we knew her relatives and she knew Mike's relatives. That felt so good! In fact, the "shop" at Mike's family's farm had been an old schoolhouse, moved a few miles to their property when Mike was a little boy. Esther had taught in that little building...or maybe she'd been a student in it, I'm not sure I remember the story exactly but she had some sort of connection to that building. 

Anyway, considering how small Turner is, we had not expected to meet anyone in the Seattle who knew where it was. Esther became a sweet part of our time there. She gave us many gifts and had us over for supper...things like that. This "recipe" comes from one of our meals with her.

OK, are you ready for this?

Wash some pretty red strawberries. Put some sour cream in a nice little bowl (Maria, I bet vegan sour cream would work wonderfully well), along side brown sugar. hold a strawberry by it's leafy top and dip it first into the sour cream and then into the brown sugar. Taste and enjoy!  That's it! That's the recipe to delectable bliss!

On a less than healthy note, I discovered that if you have left-over sour cream and brown sugar in your bowl at the end, you can stir it up together and use it as a dip with potato chips for a wonderful sweet and salty experience. It may not be good for you in any way, but it is yummy!

  

Thrifting and Mall Lunch and Floating the River

Yesterday I do believe I made good use of my day off. I did do some laundry, bought a few groceries and did a teeny bit of cooking, but otherwise I just had fun.

Sam came with me and we met up with Maria and Elise for some thrifting.  Cordelia was having a play date with her preschool teacher, Teacher Gwen. She was sooooo excited and felt so special to be invited to the teacher's house (or maybe she invited herself...not sure)! 

Anyway, Elise found a hat she needed.

FYI, she is wearing clothes that Maria wore as a baby.

Sam was a good sport and tried on

some fun things. I had his photo here but decided maybe

he would not appreciate that.

I will definitely save the photo, though, in case

I need to blackmail him someday.

Cordelia was back with us in time for mall lunch.

She had some fun at the little indoor playground there.

Actually, one little girl was kind of rude to her.

Cordelia is baffled by such behavior.

She went right up to an adult man and asked him why his

daughter was being mean to her!

He very kindly told her that girl wasn't his daughter so Cordelia

headed toward an adult woman to ask the same question.

Maria and I intervened. 

Elise doesn't know that she is smaller than Cordy.

She just takes off and plays like the big kids now!

 When Grandpa arrived, both girls wanted him!

By lunch, Cordelia was beat.

She was sad.

She said she missed Teacher Gwen.

After the mall, Mike and I had a river date.

It was our first float of the season!

 We have a new raft!

I think Mike missed the old way we rafted

but I think we looked cooler in this new raft.

It was a good day.

Turning the Pages of My Photo Album

It is my day off and I decided to start it by opening up my digital photo album.