Hangin’ Out with Family

We had a visitor!!  We like having visitors from afar.  A couple of months ago, my cousin who lives in Illinois came through on her way to a summer job in Montana.  Over the years, we have been able to stop and rest at my aunt’s in Illinois when we would travel to and from my mom’s.  So, we got to play role reversal – my aunt was on her way to see my cousin in Montana so she traveled and stayed with my mom a couple of days and then she traveled and stayed with us for a couple of days.

Of course she brought goodies – bags full of clothes for this kids and books.  It was like X-mas going through the bags of hand me down clothes – we love hand-me-downs!!!  Lots of usable things for them – Thank you Aunt Janet, Jackie, and Michael. 

The kids couldn’t let her visit without playing Doodle Dice, which was a game they played at her house with my cousin.  The kids love this game!!

We decided to Skype with Jackie in Montana.  We got to see her new little kitty that has a broken tail that looks like a lightning bolt.  It was neat to see her little cubby-bunk area with the pictures and postcards hanging on the wall.  She even had some pictures and engraving art hanging on the wall that Mackenzie sent her.

Mackenzie loves putting puzzles together and she talked Aunt Janet into doing some with her.

 

Then they decided to color.  Cassie had called and wanted to chit chat, but everyone was busy – the girls coloring, Zack playing the Wii, and Jay & I were getting dinner together.  Once Cassie found out Aunt Janet and Kenzie were coloring she wanted to join in the fun and conversation too.  So, we Skyped her into our evening activities – see the picture above she is in the top left corner. It was actually kind of nice because we could have a casual conversation while we were doing our own things she even colored some pictures and shared them with us.

After dinner, Mackenzie showed/taught Aunt Janet how to crochet.  She actually crocheted two book marks and then started a scarf. 

It was a very nice visit.  Unfortunately when she travels back to Illinois she is going a different route so we won’t get to see her.  We will get to see her in late August when we travel to St. Louis with my mom & sis for her other daughter’s bridal shower.  We’re looking forward to that weekend – a bridal shower, a baby shower, and my birthday!!  Well, we won’t be celebrating my birthday, but at least I can claim it.

building a model

Zack and Jay have picked out or received several models over the years.  Jay, anticipating father-son time, started picking them up here and there when Zack was little.  Zack has received several as gifts over the years, but has never actually sat down and worked on any.

When we go to Hobby Lobby Jay and Zack like to check out the models.  This last visit finally sparked the boys to break out a model and build. 

Zack likes working with his dad, but that time is limited so the model gets a little TLC each day.  Zack is afraid to work alone on the model.  Once the model is finished I will post pictures. 

thankful thursday

i almost forgot about my intentional post- i’m still not in a routine of doing it.  After spending the day with my aunt, i realized how fortunate i am to have a relationship with my aunts and uncles.  with that said, i am very thankful for those relationships and not for only the time i get to spend, but also the time my kids get to spend to get to know all their family members! 

Tasty Tuesday

For my first “Tasty Tuesday” post I have picked making homemade pizzas because it has become one of our favorites.  When we lived in Ohio we had pizza every Friday night and then when we moved to ND we started having pizza on Monday nights.  Now, we are having homemade pizzas at least once a week and not on any particular day.

I have come across an awesome pizza sauce – actually I read a few recipes and then concocted a sauce we have all agreed is very tasty . . .

1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce, 1 – 6 oz can tomato paste, 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 3 T. grated Parmesan cheese, 2 T. honey,  1 tsp. onion powder, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp. dried red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.  Whisk all ingredients together and then let sit for one to two hours to let flavors meld together.

We have tried various store bought pizza crusts and a couple different from scratch, but we LOVE the one we found in the bread machine’s cookbook.  The best part is we just throw all the ingredients {in the order listed:  1 c + 2 T warm water, 2 T EVOO, 2 tsp. minced garlic, dry mix (whisk in separate bowl before adding – 3 c. better for bread flour, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp. garlic salt, 2 T grated Parmesan cheese, 1 handful of asiago cheese, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning), then make a small well at top of dry mix and add 2.5 tsp. regular or bread machine yeast} into the bread machine’s bread pan . . .

. . . and after one hour and thirty minutes we, actually Jay has the perfect dough to work with. This batch will make two 15” thin to hand-tossed crust pizzas.

 

We learned a few little secrets from family that have made our pizzas a favorite and requested quite frequently.  The most important is cooking it in a 500 degree preheated oven on a stone (place the stone in the oven so it preheats too).  Plus, topping it on a pizza pan with cornmeal and making sure it continues to move so it can slide right onto the hot stone.

 

After the toppings are added and just before placing the pizza in the oven – not before because it will stick to the pan – we brush a little EVOO on the crust so it has a nice look and texture.

 

After it cooks 5-7 minutes (depends on amount of toppings), use a Pizza Peel or paddle, just like the pizzerias, to remove the pizza.  Now your oven’s ready for the next one.

The finish product always looks good . . .

. . . and tastes great.  Look at that light and fluffy crust.  It is a garlic Italian herb and Asiago cheese crust.  Yummy, it is really good.  Try it and let us know what you think.

Our 4th of July Evening

After deciding to hang out at home, the kids decided to play a little tennis in the driveway while we waited for the sun to set so we could watch the Bismarck 4th of July Spectacular from afar. 

We could see fireworks going off everywhere around us for miles, but Jay and the kids decided to climb up on the roof to see if they could get a better view. 

After a little while, they came down and we finished off some sparklers we found that were left over from a tween bonfire at our Ohio home last year. 

Then they went back up to watch.  After a while, Zack came down and watched with me, but Kenzie & Jay stayed up there a while and watched even after Zack & I came in to take refuge from the biting mosquitoes. 

I tried taking pictures of all the different fireworks, but I couldn’t get any good shots. 

Bismarck had a nice display and we could see it all they way at our house.  What we did find interesting were these things that were released.  Jay said they looked like floating luminaries and there were A LOT of them.  We’re not sure if they were released for a specific reason or if it is just something they do here after the conclusion of the fireworks. 

Up in the Sky

The last few nights there have been fireworks every where, and as I type this I still can hear them in the distance - well past the eve of the fourth. We are located on the top of a hill and we can see Bismarck, the lone captial building which is the tallest building in the state, and beyond for miles. Apparently, it is legal to shoot off fireworks from June 27 - July 4/5, and the law goes in great detail to explain that sparklers and snakes are fireworks, too.

Anyway, we had contemplated going down to the capital lawn to watch fireworks on the 4th of July because we figured the crowd would be nothing compare to what we have encountered in Pickerington, Reynoldsburg, or even in Colorado Springs, CO. But over the last few nights, we had been able to stand out in our driveway or our back deck and watch fireworks light up the sky for miles - all the way to the horizon where we see the sun set - best guess 40-50 miles away. So, we decided to remain home and watch from the comfort of our driveway and have the flexibility to go inside when we wanted to.

I don't know how to explain this. I mean seriously, we have never seen so many fireworks going off by private individuals. It was amazing. Today I was talking with someone who too this was their first 4th of July here and he said it best, "It was amazing how much money went up in smoke."

Jay captured a little bit of video with my camera, but it still doesn't give you a true picture of how many people were letting off fireworks . . .

Favorite Fair Food @ home

We, okay me more than some, love funnel cakes.  It is always something I look forward to getting at the fair.  Love that ‘not good for you’ fair food!!!  If you live in Columbus and frequent the zoo, you know you don’t have to attend a fair to get funnel cakes or fried Oreos.  They sell them right there in the main entrance area, but only this time of the year not in the dead of winter. 

Well, we obviously don’t live in C-bus anymore so I’m missing my funnel cake fix about now. 

I have had a funnel cake recipe for some time, but just haven’t tried making it.  Well, the other night we gave it a shot and they turned out pretty good.  It’s amazing how simple they are to make and how few the ingredients, which makes me wonder why they cost so darn much at the fair!!

‘Not good for you’ fair food no more.  Now I can have it anytime I feel like heating up a skillet of oil.  Which won’t be that often, but who knows maybe once a month we should do a ‘not good for you’ fair feast.  HMMMM . . . there’s a thought.

4th of July

Celebrate your freedoms

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Please remember only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you...JESUS CHRIST and the AMERICAN SOLDIER. One died for your Soul, the other for your Freedom. ...GOD BLESS THE USA!!!(a friend posted this on Facebook – well said!!)

Happy 4th of July!!

Be smart & Be safe!

our fireworks display

SPARKLER FUN . . .

sparklers are one of our favorite 4th of july activities.  the kids love running around with them. 

A PRIVATE DISPLAY . . .  

this is the first time we have bought fireworks to shoot off our own.  the kids are older now and jay thought it would be something fun to do with them since we live out in a remote area.  it’s amazing how many places are around here selling fireworks.  kid you not, there are semi-trailers in fields with cows where you can go buy your stash.  i have to admit for the $16 he spent, he got quite a few different things. 

the wind was somewhat of a problem.  it was difficult to light the fireworks and then it would blow the fireworks.  so we think we didn’t get the true effects because of the wind.

 

 

 

 

this one was crazy.  once it was done . . .

. . . it exploded and just left a pile of dust behind.  all the others left their casings fully intact, but not this one.