Summer Fun

This summer has gone SO fast. I know, we still have a good 6 weeks of feelin like summer and all its activities, but to me, its basically over because, well, we're not at the beginning. School is startin soon. Rodeos and county fairs are happenin all over. We're tryin to squeeze in the last few times of campin that we can. This weekend is the first free weekend and the last free weekend we will have until mid-October. By then, my fall decor will have been strewn all over the house for at least 3 weeks and it'll be gettin downright chilly in the evenings. We've camped and grilled and swam and attended birthday parties and just been outside so much that I did not care to be in the house whatsoever at all. So, there is my excuse for not bloggin much at all. Okay, not at all, since the beginning of summer.



















The boys have been busy playin in the mud:





And just bein plumb crazy:











Yes, that's part of Wy's potty training chair. Sorry, but at least it was clean!

Hoss has been tryin out his new Scott Glen look:



Wyatt's gettin real salty behind the wheel:



My mom just flew out after a week and two day visit with us. By the end of her first day, Wyatt already acted like I was chopped liver. If he even ever-so-slightly, just barely managed to bump his arm or miss his step or lose his balance, he immediately stuck out his lower lip (which has become quite a habit when he thinks he's bein cute)and started callin 'Grandma'...*whine*...'Grandma'...*whine*. Off he would go to tell her all about his near scrape with death. He got so bad that he thought Grandma needed to change his diaper all the time. Mommy all of a sudden wasn't good enough!! Okay, I'll throw my hands up to that one!

I'll be postin more on my mom's visit soon...if I decide to stay up past 9 one of these nights.

Blueberry Jello

I've been meanin to post recipes before, but I just haven't got around to it, til now. This recipe is a family favorite. The ingredients can be somewhat of a turn-off to many but I'm tellin ya now, it tastes NOTHIN like you'd think it would, so just give it a try!

For starters, you need 2 of the 3 oz boxes of grape jello, 2 Cups of boiling water, 1 can of blueberry pie filling, 1 can of crushed pineapple, 1 9 by 13 inch dish or the equivalent, like 2 pie dishes.



Dissolve jello in 2 cups of boiling water. Add pineapple (in this case I forgot and bought chunked, so I ran it through the mini-food processor) and blueberry pie filling to jello. When I make 2 pans of this, I pour the jello in the pans first, to make sure each pan has even amounts, then I divide the pineapple and blueberry pie filling evenly among each pan also.



Refridgerate until set. Last Saturday, because it was late, I made up the jello base and threw the pans in the fridge overnight to set, then early Sunday morning I made the topping and put them back in the fridge so the topping would have the length of hours needed to set before it would be devoured. (This dish is ALWAYS devoured).

In a saucepan, melt 16 (or in my case, 19) large marshmallows, in 1/4 C milk.



Let cool and add frozen cool whip and one small carton of cottage cheese.



You won't believe it but the cottage cheese really makes this dish. It adds a perfect blandness, if you will, that tones down what would be the too sweet flavors of all the other ingredients.



Then, because you made two pans and only one of them is goin to a party, feel free to eat half the second pan with your eldest son, before lunch time, because you know, this is much better than any protein your son could eat for lunch! And, one more thing, don't feel guilty about it!!

I'll bet this guy doesn't feel guilty about indulging in a little too much bird seed he finds in someone's backyard! Go for it!

A Day At Santa Fe Lake

Last Saturday a bunch of us went out to Santa Fe for the day.

Uncle Mike, E and the boys:












JD, River (Kendra and Jason's daughter), Wyatt, and mom:


Kendra and her cute baby belly:




Aunt D and her long-time friend, Gina:


JD had his first taste of pickle:






It doesn't look like he liked it but he went in for another bite:


Stubborn?
Nah! I prefer to think of it as 'determined'. God rest my mother's soul.

E, Uncle Mike, Wyatt, Jason, Riverlyn, Kendra, Gina, JD, and Aunt D:


Guess who was in the water all day?

Yup, him! The one that hasn't been in a lake, I think, since he was a kid. I was more than happy to stay longer just because he wasn't drenched in sweat, wearin his usual attire of jeans, sittin on the beach waitin for all of us to get done swimmin.