Ambition

When we brought Minnie home, we brought lots of new doggie toys with us.... they were so cute, so miniature and I had a blast buying them. The reality was, our yellow lab, Bella, liked the new toys too. Bella especially loved the tiny rubber ball with the bell inside. She looked like she was chewing on a gumball when she rolled it around in her mouth....I know, I know, it's a choking hazard.

Anyhoo, in a weird twist of fate, Minnie, the pup had a huge infatuation with Bella's toy (as seen in the picture). This toy is called a "Kong" and you stuff it with a little peanut butter and watch your dog stay busy for at least 10 minutes. She LOVES this Kong! She could fit her whole snout into the hole. I'm pretty sure the toy and she weigh about the same! Too cute! Good times, good times!

......and don't you dare click on the photo to see all of the crumbs and scratches that are on my floor... OK? OK!

The weekend update...

The weekend started Friday night when we made a quick trip to Target, which turned into quite an adventure. My kids just can't let things be....they always have to explore and imagine.... they especially enjoyed the costume section.....
Anna found the cutest doggie bed for Minnie--- so we bought it and brought it home....and Bella thought it would make a beautiful pillow....
What do ya know, Minnie did like it!!!
This was the weekend that our friends, the Osterbergs, had the annual kids vs. parents Kickball game. We attended and were faced with all of these opponents....yikes....they're all getting so big!!
We obviously let the kids win....and it's important to note that we had no major injuries from the game..... but I'm sure the parents were taking ibuprofin last night for all of the aches and pains!! :)

It was time for everyone to leave the party, and I took this shot because I thought the tree was a beautiful color, and it matched our friend, Jay's orange hat!!! What a fun weekend!!!

Ewww....gross

No, these are not ants or beetles or slugs....this is what happens when you make cinnamon RAISIN french toast for breakfast and your picky son doesn't like raisins so he picks them all out of the bread......pitiful, I say!!!

Tasty Thursday

This dessert recipe is a good one.... and it's easy!!! My Grandfather, Lloyd Crone, who's now 92 years old, gave me this recipe.

Peach Thing
2 (1 pound) cans of sliced peaches in heavy syrup..chop peaches slightly
1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1 stick of butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Pour peaches into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix, nuts and coconut over the peaches. Drizzle the melted butter/margarine over the top. Do not mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes...uncovered. Serve with Cool Whip or Ice Cream!! MMMmmmm....

Wordless Wednesday....Watching TV

The Barn Dance

This past weekend we we invited to a "Barn Dance". I've never been to one of these, so I thought it would be fun to check it out..... The hosts cleaned out their barn and workshop to make room for a dance floor and used a side room(workshop) to house the food buffet.
They had good old fashioned entertainment like climbing hay mountains and playing in baby pools filled with corn kernels......fun!!

They also had horses and a pony. Earlier in the day they gave hay wagon rides for the guests. Did I mention that Anna LOVED the horse....no really, she did!!!!


I just hope she understood that those white strips she was holding on to, was really electric fencing. Good thing it was turned off!!!!

The Thresheree

We had a beautiful weekend here. So beautiful that we spent lots of time outside enjoying the weather. The best thing was that Grandma & Grandpa Peterson came up to visit.


We took them to our village's "Thresheree". When you visit this event, you are taken back in time to the 1870's. Our historical society has restored an old mill and farm house, completing them with time period furniture...some being original to the house. This is the Mill.
In the farmhouse, we saw some interesting things. Like this old washing machine...
An old stove. I thought it was very cool that there is a picture of the owner of the house, sitting in the rocking chair right next to the stove. Obviously, these are original pieces. The little girl who grew up in this home was there yesterday...she's in her 60's. That was her Dad sitting by the stove in the picture. It was fun to hear her stories. She even showed us the room in the house where she was born.
Outside, there were many old cars, engines and machines...

They were even giving a demonstration of horses plowing a field...
We are so happy that the weather cooperated so this wonderful event could happen. We ALL learned a lot and it made us VERY THANKFUL for our home and family. Especially for the modern conveniences that we enjoy today......

Have you ever seen a wet rat???

Evidently, Yorkies need frequent bathing. In the 2 1/2 weeks that we've had her, she's been bathed 3 times. Luckily, she's only 2 pounds and very tiny so she fits right in my kitchen sink. Here's a picture of Minnie right after her bath....reminds me of a wet rodent!!!! Love the tongue too!

Tasty Thursday

Let me introduce you to my favorite mother-in-law...or 2nd mom...Grandma Ellie. This is her recipe for the yummiest chili this side of Lake Michigan....what's really special is that I have the recipe, and it's written in her handwriting--I laminated it so I will have it forever!!!

Grandma Ellie's Chili

Brown 1 pound hamburger with 1 chopped onion (I use dried, minced)....drain off grease
Add: 1 quart tomatoes (4 cups)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans
1/2 teaspoon sweet basil (dried)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 Green pepper, chopped
Cook slowly for 1-2 hours...covered
Stir every once in awhile

Wordless Wednesday....Look, no cavities today!!!

Recess

This year, I have decided to volunteer at the elementary school on Fridays. As of right now, I help serve the lunch and then head outside for recess to help corral the kids. Last Friday was the first day that I had helped and they sure kept me busy at recess. I cannot tell you how many times I heard..."Watch me, Mrs. Peterson." My head was spinning by the time recess was over but the kids sure had fun out on the play equipment. (Anna is on the left)
Here's Anna and a few of her friends.... 1st grade, don't you just love it???

And it rained and rained and rained....

Yes, we are just fine in the rain department after this weekend. The crispy grass of last week has now come back to life. We might actually have to mow...it's been a good 3 weeks since the last cutting. Well, let's see... the weekend..... oh, Miss Minnie had her 1st grooming appt. She smelled so good- you couldn't help but hold her and snuggle her.... and she was happy to give you kisses too.
The biggest thrill for me over the weekend was the opening of a new "upscale" grocery store about 10 minutes away. WOW...we had to go check it out!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that this grocery store had carpeted aisles... unbelievable...I wouldn't bring little kids here who might accidentally knock over a pickle jar!!
and then there was the beautiful meat section....I will definitely make some purchases there...but not on that day. I really love the soup bar concept.... mmmmm.........smart choice for hard flooring here :)
and who wouldn't want to have an "olive bar" so close to your home.. (ahem) notice the granite counters too....
While my hubby thought it would be a good idea to do some grocery shopping, I had to practically hit him over the head to stop him from loading up the cart with items that were at least a dollar more than our beloved Piggly Wiggly. In the end, we walked away with some overpriced candy and an $8 loaf of pumpkin-apple bread.....I had to let him buy something!!!!! It was a fun trip!!

Other than that, we made a trip out to our garden and overlooked this interesting cucumber for a few weeks, obviously. Isn't it cute????
Hope you had a great weekend too!

What a good sport...

Someone in our family had 2 baby teeth extracted this week.

Someone has a very itty bitty, teeny, tiny mouth and normal sized teeth.

Someone needed more room on the bottom for her teeth to move forward.

Someone's bottom 2 permanent teeth came in behind those 2 baby teeth....luckily, we wiggled those out ourselves.

Someone was very brave when it came time for our dentist to "wiggle out" the 2 teeth.

Someone even heard the cracking sound it made when the teeth came out and they were still enthralled with the fact that "I can't even feel my chin." (thank goodness)

Someone was very concerned that she would be able to KEEP the teeth so the tooth fairy could visit. (the fairy paid mighty well, I might add)

Well, here are the teeth......is it just me or are do they really have gigantic roots....the biggest I've ever seen....the poor girl!!!

Tasty Thursday...

I received this recipe from a friend at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). I tried it, and loved it.... double the recipe for a big family!

Crock Pot Steak Fajitas
1 beef flank steak (about a pound)
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1/2 c. salsa
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1 small green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
flour tortillas, warmed
Additional Salsa

1. Cut flank steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thin strips. Combine onion, 1/2 c. salsa, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt in slow cooker.
2. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours. Add bell peppers. Cover, cook on low 1 hour.
3. Serve with tortillas and salsa. SERVES 4

Wordless Wednesday....Big and Little

Boys vs. Girls

I was looking through some pictures the other day and ran into this interesting picture that really tells a story. First let me preface the story be saying that this picture was taken as we were leaving Camp after picking up Luke. You may have to click on the picture to see things more clearly but look closely...... See the large sand volleyball court??? See the boys and John walking through the sand to get to the car???
Look even closer on the left. Do you see the little girl running to catch up with her brothers?? Notice....she didn't want to get sand in her shoes, so she ran all the way around the court to avoid it......SHE'S ALL GIRL- and I love it!!!!

Weekend in Review

What a beautiful weekend we had...sunny and highs in the low 70's...my favorite!!! We had a group of people that went to the ZOO.....we're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you, you can come too, too,too, we're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo. Gotta love Raffi and his songs!!
Some even stayed inside long enough to get their homework done....
Some got lots of doggie lovin'....
and of course, there was a lot of adjustment and play between the new friends...

What's your favorite temperature to enjoy the outdoors?????