Texturing, priming, new floor install including raising the living room floor 1/4 inch and 452 trips to Home Depot because I can't find the right paint color...that's right, we're remodeling. We've been consumed.
My poor little blog has taken a back burner, but I have a story I want to share.
Last September, my dad came to visit from Arizona. He's not a fan of the summers but endures them anyhow. Needless to say, he was thrilled to be able to enjoy the relative cool of our Montana summer. One afternoon, we were able to spend a few minutes together on the front porch. I grabbed a couple camp chairs from the garage and a couple beers from the fridge and out we went to catch up.
God must have been especially fond of my dad that day, because a summer rain storm started right after we sat down. Our summer rain storms are lovely. They're more like thunderous downpours though. As the rain poured, I looked over at my dad. I swear I've never seen such a relieved and contented look an a human being. We sat, sipped our beers and stared out at the sheet of rain. Meanwhile, my dad gave me a history of Porter and India Pale Ale types of beer.
For the simple cost of a couple malted beverages, I now have a special memory of my dad I will always treasure.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Castle of Doom
Children really are easy to please. Here are a few sure-fire crowd pleasers:
Making cut out cookies.
Play dough.
Lego's.
Running through the sprinklers.
Marshmallow cereal.
Boxes...
My brothers and I loved when our parents got new appliances because we knew the box would be ours. I don't know anyone that doesn't share some kind of variation on this memory. We loved forts of any kind and boxes made them easy to create.
We didn't get any new appliances this past week, but I did cruise the appliance store in search of some big boxes. The boys decided that a castle fort would make these cold, dreary, February days a bit better. We're all suffering a bit of cabin fever and a fort project was just the medicine we needed.
The first pass at the store yielded a range box, which I had to talk a guy out of with my 'it's for the children' speech. We happily took it home and began our work. It wasn't long, however, until we realized that our range box just wasn't going to cut it...we needed a tower. Castles need towers.
On our next pass at the appliance store, we hit the jackpot! A refrigerator box...the mack daddy of all boxes. I was ecstatic! The boys shared my joy and we giggled the whole way home.
It took a refrigerator box, a range box, a can of spray paint, an entire roll of duct tape and a lot of mommy's patience, but we finally finished our project and the Castle of Doom was completed. You may be thinking 'Why the ominous title?' Well, it's the only one the boys would agree on.
The fort is a hit with all the neighborhood boys too...oh, the wars that have been waged! It's time for some new duct tape. And I'm already scheming for our next fort.
Making cut out cookies.
Play dough.
Lego's.
Running through the sprinklers.
Marshmallow cereal.
Boxes...
My brothers and I loved when our parents got new appliances because we knew the box would be ours. I don't know anyone that doesn't share some kind of variation on this memory. We loved forts of any kind and boxes made them easy to create.
We didn't get any new appliances this past week, but I did cruise the appliance store in search of some big boxes. The boys decided that a castle fort would make these cold, dreary, February days a bit better. We're all suffering a bit of cabin fever and a fort project was just the medicine we needed.
The first pass at the store yielded a range box, which I had to talk a guy out of with my 'it's for the children' speech. We happily took it home and began our work. It wasn't long, however, until we realized that our range box just wasn't going to cut it...we needed a tower. Castles need towers.
On our next pass at the appliance store, we hit the jackpot! A refrigerator box...the mack daddy of all boxes. I was ecstatic! The boys shared my joy and we giggled the whole way home.
It took a refrigerator box, a range box, a can of spray paint, an entire roll of duct tape and a lot of mommy's patience, but we finally finished our project and the Castle of Doom was completed. You may be thinking 'Why the ominous title?' Well, it's the only one the boys would agree on.
 |
The original version. The bump out on the end is the bathroom...a must have during a long battle. |
 |
| The addition! |
 |
| Spy flaps. |
 |
| The drawbridge. |
 |
| A spy hole from the bathroom so the enemy won't catch you with your pants down. |
The fort is a hit with all the neighborhood boys too...oh, the wars that have been waged! It's time for some new duct tape. And I'm already scheming for our next fort.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Meatballs
When trying new foods and recipes for my family, I always have to wonder if my kids will actually eat what I've made. The peanut sauce and noodles Monday night were not a hit. Jacob didn't think that peanut butter and noodles were a good combination, though he finally choked it down with lots of water. Ah, the memories this conjured up from my own childhood.
My older brother, Joe, was always able to get it all down. He'd set a determined look on his face, hold his breath and start shoveling. Little brother, Casey, and I were always in awe. And very jealous. One dinner, I tried to follow suit and started shoveling. My gag reflex didn't allow it though and it all came back up. The good news is that I didn't have to eat my dinner. The bad news were the glares from my brothers as I was excused from the table as they weren't. It took me a while to get back under the good graces of my siblings. I'd like to think we've moved past that, right? Joe? Casey?
There are a few foods, however, that I don't have to think twice about my kids liking.
Macaroni and cheese
Peanut butter and jelly
Applesauce
Beef jerky
Pizza
Spaghetti
And lets not forget...candy. I never have a problem talking them into eating candy.
Meatballs are never really a problem either. They're good in spaghetti, doused with barbecue sauce, or under a blanket of gravy. I've attempted them before, but I want to make them more often. After checking out several recipes and taking parts of each one that appealed to me, here's what I came up with. They were flavorful, juicy and easy to make. Oh...and there weren't really any leftovers.
Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small pan. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender and starting to brown. Place onion mixture and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together with your hands. Form meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and lay them on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 15 minutes. This will help the balls stay together when you brown them.
Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Place 6-8 meatballs at a time into the oil and brown them on all sides. Remove to a baking sheet and continue the process until all the meatballs are browned.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the meatballs for 20-30 minutes or until they are cooked through.
I served these with roasted potatoes, gravy and a big salad.
Enjoy!
My older brother, Joe, was always able to get it all down. He'd set a determined look on his face, hold his breath and start shoveling. Little brother, Casey, and I were always in awe. And very jealous. One dinner, I tried to follow suit and started shoveling. My gag reflex didn't allow it though and it all came back up. The good news is that I didn't have to eat my dinner. The bad news were the glares from my brothers as I was excused from the table as they weren't. It took me a while to get back under the good graces of my siblings. I'd like to think we've moved past that, right? Joe? Casey?
There are a few foods, however, that I don't have to think twice about my kids liking.
Macaroni and cheese
Peanut butter and jelly
Applesauce
Beef jerky
Pizza
Spaghetti
And lets not forget...candy. I never have a problem talking them into eating candy.
Meatballs are never really a problem either. They're good in spaghetti, doused with barbecue sauce, or under a blanket of gravy. I've attempted them before, but I want to make them more often. After checking out several recipes and taking parts of each one that appealed to me, here's what I came up with. They were flavorful, juicy and easy to make. Oh...and there weren't really any leftovers.
Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small pan. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender and starting to brown. Place onion mixture and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together with your hands. Form meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and lay them on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 15 minutes. This will help the balls stay together when you brown them.
Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Place 6-8 meatballs at a time into the oil and brown them on all sides. Remove to a baking sheet and continue the process until all the meatballs are browned.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the meatballs for 20-30 minutes or until they are cooked through.
I served these with roasted potatoes, gravy and a big salad.
Enjoy!
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