End of summer party

    One thing I love about my family is that we not only enjoy eating lol but we enjoy getting together for big meals.
   In August we do a fish fry for the end of summer and summer birthdays. My uncle and aunt provide the catfish, chicken and shrimp and my Uncle does the frying. Then we all pitch in sides and desserts.
  The weather was very hot but I'm thankful that K gets family time and lots of cousin time. I'm also thankful that my husband loves the get-togethers just as much as I do!
   This year it was a bit different. A cousin and her family moved and didn't attend but we all still had a good time. The best thing was my Uncle getting his bday gift a few months early! When he was younger my grandpa on my Dad's side sold my grandpa on my Mom's side a horse and saddle. My Uncle loved that horse and he stayed on the farm until he passed. The saddle had been put up, along with all those memories for many years. My cousins got together and had the saddle restored to how it originally was. You rarely ever see my Uncle cry but the tears were flowing today! My aunts and my Mom cried too. 

Gymnastics is underway

    To say K loves gymnastics is an understatement! She's always been a little monkey and very brave doing anything, can work a trampoline like nobody's business and loves to be active. When a friend at work said her friend was opening up a place on the square, decent priced, good staffing and flexible class times (I wanted something after work but not so late she would be dragging to bed) we asked K if she'd like to do it. Of course it was YESSSSS!!! We told her she has to keep her school grades up, any homework has to be done before she goes to her class and she has to remember it's the first time she's ever been.
   The class has all ages and sizes and I am very impressed with the staffs hands on approach, fairness and ability to work with the girls.
  We go for two months then you can sign back up for another two months (same time slot or another if preferred) with preference given to the girls who are in the class first.
   My only thought was parking would be nutty at the time of our class on the square but so far so good. 

It's always a good day for a peach pie

    S loves peach anything with peach pie or cobbler being his favorite. So being the sweet wife I am ;) I tried out a new recipe. It was a hit!
    1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4-1/2 cups sliced peeled peaches (you can use canned)
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches) 
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
Mix your sugars together in a bowl add sliced peaches (If you use can, drain any liquid into another bowl then add peaches to sugars). Let sit hour if you use fresh peaches, half hour if you use canned. Drain fluid off of peaches into bowl (in with the previous liquid if using canned). Sit peaches to the side. In a sauce pan put cornstarch, nutmeg and cinnamon, stir together. Add reserved juice, mix (I used a whisk). Bring to a boil then let boil for 2 minutes. It will get thick and almost like a thick sauce. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and butter, mix well. Pour over peaches in bowl, gently mix together. Pour peaches into pie shell, add top pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 mins. Let cool. 

The Good Life

   Our garden and our chickens love us :) Fresh green beans, tomatoes, purple bell peppers, cucumbers, chocolate mint, and brown eggs. Add in we have a massive amount of Thai chilies coming on and lots of jalapenos in the fridge!! Our garden didn't do as well this year as last year but the heat/rain has been rough. Our sweet little hens slacked off a bit last month with the heat etc but seem to be bouncing back. Thankful our girl knows where her food comes from....and the elbow grease it takes to get it. I feel that makes her appreciate what is on her plate a bit more :) 

Love this picture

Nearly every Sunday on the way back from my Dad's we stop at the river or the slough in hopes of seeing creatures or just something neat. This time we managed to catch a crane and a turtle in the same picture! 

First day of school

  Open house last night went well. One nervous girl who wasn't so sure about her teacher instantly smiled and relaxed seeing the picture of a spider on the teacher's desk. Why? Because the teacher has the same interests as her and immediately sparked a conversation. Pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, kleenex and all the fun needed supplies dropped off...and one lil girl much more at ease!
    I did excellent on the first day....something just got in my eye on the way back down the staircase after leaving her ;) Of course my sweet husband had to tease me a bit. But..it's not easy. But to say I'm proud and excited for her is an understatement.
   She excitedly informed us of all her class fun, how things would work, that she likes the kids sitting by her and that she thinks her teacher is going to be awesome. Apparently the PE teacher grew a beard and that not only makes him approachable but also makes him more fun...yeah lol  She loves that art will be an hour this year. I am almost certain her mouth did not shut all evening!! :) :) 

Well...it's August...

     Seems the summer has flew by. Here we sit, last weekend before school officially starts late next week. It's been insanely hot, humidity has been out the top. When it's not so hot you feel you'll melt away then it's raining. Very interesting summer.
     In a mere 5 days you will be a ..second grader. Gulp. Yes. A second grader. You are the "senior class" of your elementary school and your classroom is upstairs. I'm trying hard to see the new year through your eyes. Excitement, fun, new things, new friends, old friends, class trips and the feeling of being big. I'm proud of your independence and our wings grow with yours. But..I can admit through a Mamma's and Daddy's eyes...it's a bit harder.
     I can say we've had a fun, wild summer! We've managed to do something every single weekend of the summer. You've watched two movies in the local theater that you loved. You've had a wonderful belated birthday pool party with all your cousins splashing along with you (really...that permanent smile you wore all day made our day!!). You've had ice cream on the front porch. Played in the creek, played in your pool. We've hit farmer's markets and quirky little places along the way. You've had cousins stay all nights many nights this summer. You've went to cousins houses and played. We've watched the stars. We've hiked trails, had long walks...and even better long talks.
  We've had smores and read stories. We've snuggled in bed and watched movies. We've talked to your Uncle and his gfriend (your buddy) who seems so far away when we look on a map...but oh so close in your heart and ours :) We've went to the fair and to festivals. We've played in the rain, splatted in the mud. We've danced to the radio and we've done yoga. We've done one of the most important things...we've been together <3
  We've enjoyed every single day of summer. And..we'll enjoy every single day of the school year. 

My school work

  My Intellectual History of the West and America was cancelled due to not enough people enrolling. This set me up to have a break until my other class (Local govt) started in September. I had two options: take another class to make up the points and stay on track for my degree date or take the approved break (since I didn't drop the class...it was cancelled by the school). 
   You know me...I took another class. It works in to my degree field and it's better to just take it and get it done. An extended break would have been nice but I'd rather get my classes done.
   So far my college work is going well. I've had all A's and only 1 B (in Criminal Law) but it was a B I'm proud of (that class was NOT the easiest!!). I multitask well and it's a good thing. Full time work, full time school, full time parent and spouse...plus garden, family obligations etc....yes multitasking is a good thing :)
  I can say I like my classes and so far most my teachers. I can say sometimes how I see the world is in contrast to some in the class but that makes for a better learning situation.
 I also like that K's proud of me as well as S. They are my biggest cheerleaders and K says little pep talks like "if your teacher doesn't say anything on your posts it's because you are so smart there's nothing for them to say!!" Not always true but I appreciate the vote of confidence.