Water Day

It seems to be an unwritten rule in our family, that if this boy gets out that football, and there happens to be a pool of water nearby…

somebody’s gonna get wet.

Usually it means…

that all the guys have to give it a try.

Kortney–you are so dang awesome.

No wonder this nut job married that gal. They’re perfect for each other.

Intermission: Lily needs a drink.

Beckham too.

Now we have the water blob game, where you toss hose water up in the air, just so, and it forms into big huge blobs–hence the name–

and you try to catch them in your mouth. If you do it right…

you get a mouthful of water. If not–

water goes up your nose and straight into your brain…

and you drowned.

Clap for Kortney. She did not drowned. Yep. Daney-boy married the right girl.

I, however, was in the background trying to shake water out of my brain.

For some people there is a very fine line between being a team player and needing to be medicated.

Sheesh.

This Week~

Three years ago…

August 28 033

we made scrumptious Corn on the Cob

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and luscious Peachy Pancakes

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and Miss Chompy was…um…chomping.

Two years ago…

we made Peanut Butter and Jelly “Sushi“…

strung Cheerios necklaces

and had a round of croquet with the Bald Kid–Oh, how I miss him!

And one year ago:

we made our own Hula Hoops

mailed a package to my Siberian Boy

and said, “Good-bye” to Harry Potter.

Oh my-my, how time flies!

How long have you been with us? Please tell me–I’d love to know. 

:}

::Whole Wheat Sugar Cookie Crust::

I know, I know–this isn’t a sugar cookie, it’s Fruit Pizza. We take it with us EVERY, SINGLE time we go to the Balloon Festival in July. But since last year, we’ve been trying our very best to make a few healthier choices, and one of those includes phasing out white flour. After all, it was my mom that used to say, “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead,” with a smile on her face. Yeah, ignore that if you can.

So, if you’ll be so kind as to look closely at our crust this time around. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh–that’s right. You are looking at genuine whole wheat sugar cookie crust for our magnimonious creation. Yes it’s a word…I swear. But the best part is–it was really good…great even.

Best part is–it totally fooled the kids. We made two pans this year and brought home…

exactly

zero.

Now, that’s a hit.

Whole Wheat Sugar Cookie Dough

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

In small bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar; beat mixture until combined. Stir in egg, and vanilla; beat mixture until well combined.

Stir in the flour mixture and milk just until combined.

If using for Fruit Pizza– press into ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. Cool.

If using for cookies- Shape into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake cookies in a preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

I found this original recipe from the Kansas Wheat website. It is, however, tweaked…by me.

 

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Whole Wheat Sugar Cookie
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
  1. In small bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar; beat mixture until combined.
  3. Stir in egg, and vanilla; beat mixture until well combined.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture and milk just until combined.
  5. If using for Fruit Pizza- press into ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.
  6. Cool.
  7. If using for cookies-shape into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
  8. Bake cookies in a preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

 

 

Bathroom Redo

or UPdo or undo. You can decide.

Now then, it goes without saying, though I’ll say it anyway, that anyone who shows you their bathroom on a busy day is indeed calling you a friend…in the truest sense. Seriously, you should be so flattered.

Having had several weddings, a dozen or so hairdo tryouts, a million make-over parties, a bridal shower and too many friend sleepovers to count, in the last few months, I could pretty much pick any day of the week and call it a busy, noisy day…and mean it.

After seeing the place, you would be a believer too.

Then, one afternoon, I had a thought. “Hey,” said that inner voice, “you don’t actually have any kids living with you in this basement anymore. So, why on earth do you have guy’s shaving cream in your cabinet and strawberry body spray made in 1987, on the shelf?”

I don’t know, inner voice. I don’t know.

So the gutting began. I hope you’re picturing puffs of smoke and things flying out the door right now–cause that’s how it happened, I swear.

Hair spray, foot spray, tanning spray, baby oil, baby powder, light bulbs, lovely smelling lotion, nasty smelling lotion, travel cases, body scrub, wet wipes, pump soap, polish remover, hair brushes, mirrors, flashlights, peroxide.

Oh, and six different sized curling irons.

Is there no end in sight?

Apparently not. Soap I love, soap that makes me gag, hair gel, bath tissue, toothpaste, spare sink parts, hand sanitizer, pomade, scissors, dental floss, cleanser, essential oils and a magic eraser.

Sort, sort, sort. Pile, pile, pile. Toss, toss, toss.

Some things went in a stack to keep, some went in a box to give away, tons went directly into the trash…without passing Go and everything else went into a big bag for all those married girls of mine, to sort through, because, well–because it’s quite likely that half this stuff was theirs in the first place–a decade ago.

Next, I picked up 10 baskets from the dollar store and stood in front of the shelf for a while trying to decide how I wanted it all to be arranged. What exactly did I need, where?

In the last 35 years, I’ve never been completely in charge of a bathroom, that had no one else in it, so I was free to get rid of anything that wasn’t positively mine. What an odd sensation.

Yes, it was very odd…but kinda fun too.

And since I live in my daughter and son-in-law’s basement, and they aren’t all in love with my kitty friends, I even made a place for Beany and Jiff to eat that is more out-of-the-way than before.

I found some hookey suction cups and tacked a shower rack in the window for the my Dove soap and scrub brush. The Serenity bath bar I hang in crocheted mesh bags to keep them from getting mushy. Razors go in a suction cup toothbrush holder to keep them from sitting in water–they last twice as long that way.

Yeah, I’m feeling pretty darn clever right about now.

My pretty little plants…

a flowery calendar…

and some soft crocheted rugs look just perfect…

now that it’s only me…all alone. Perfect, except for one thing.

It’s a bit tooooo quiet around here.

There They Go~

You know, we’ve gone to the Balloon Fest this time of year forever and ever. Since my kids were the kids anyway–and that’s a lonnnng time ago. It’s so fun to watch them sitting back, enjoying the same events and traditions with their own families, just like we use to.

The place is the same, the food is the same, and many of the balloons are the same. But over the years, we’ve added a few choice people to our crowd.

And they’re keepers– every. last. one.