peach pies

Every fall my mom and I buy boxes of yummy peaches & apples at our favorite farmer's market in Nampa. After we're done eating our fair share of them, we make apple jelly, apple pie filling and peach pies to stock up in the freezer for the winter. Yesterday we were able to get 4 peach pies made. I peel, slice and get the pie filling ready while my mom does the crust. I know we'll enjoy them this winter!

I recently gathered the green onions from the garden. And, there is still another row left to harvest. We've been eating lots of green onions around here :)

Cool dudes

One Cool Dude Another Cool Dude

Casey and I had a great time in Reno yesterday! We left the kiddos with my parents and enjoyed a day together, just the two of us. Granted, going to Reno and back in the same day does make for a long one; we left around 7am and got back home around 10:30 last night. And although we were exhausted by the end, it was a good day. We got our shopping done, except Costco... I didn't realize they closed earlier on weekends! We were also able to have lunch with my cousin, Michael and, see lots of awesome Harley Davidsons at the Hog Wild motorcycle rally. We soaked up the quietness of eating two meals out without having to get up once :) and, jammed out to our favorite music that we don't usually listen to with kids in the car! And, we cheered for the Broncos while they played against Oregon.... although, you can't cheer too loudly when you're in Wolfpack territory! lol And, of course, the total 6 hours of driving time gave us time to catch up after the busyness of last week.

And, as always, we miss the kids when they're not with us. Things are just so much quieter without them and it's strange when you can go in and out of stores so easily and quickly! And, I got to drink a whole Starbucks frappucino all by myself. Yep, by this morning I was definitely ready to see them again.

Thankyou, Honey, for an awesome day with you! I love you more and more everyday.

"B" day

This week in school, Katie's class has been learning the letter "B" and the number "0". Then, on Friday they each wear or bring something that begins with the letter that they learned. As you can see, both Katie and Taylor decided to wear their blue shirts and matching headbands!

Dress

On Saturday I sewed this new fall dress for Katie. This was my first attempt at sewing completely on my own (usually my mom is around if I have any questions) Well, I did have to call her once at work with a question but, other than that... I did it!! It definitely has it's imperfections but I guess I'm the only one that knows them :) And, Katie loves her new dress! I finished her dress just in time to whip up some tacos for dinner and watch the BSU vs WYO game. It was a great game; although, not really much of a game since BSU slaughtered WYO! On Sunday the boys were still sick with their colds so I stayed home with them. And, so far this week has been busy helping my parents pack, clean and move into their new home. Fall is definitely on its way... the mornings have been considerably colder and I've noticed the trees changing their colors! I love this time of year!

Swingset

We were recently blessed with a new swing set for the kids! Our old own was beginning to fall apart and too dangerous for the kids to play on. So, it made a trip to the dump... Casey has a friend that he used to work with that is moving back east. So, Casey asked him if he was taking his swing set with him? Could we help out by taking it off his hands? (btw, I would never have the guts to do that!) His friend wasn't going to be taking it and happily gave it to us! We have plans in the future to build a big playland/playset for the kids but, for now this one is a huge blessing! The kids are loving the slide....

Three Little Monkeys

Squash

Our recent acorn squash from the garden... they just keep coming! My friend also gave us a spaghetti squash. Some people think the strand-like texture of the spaghetti squash is too weird for them but, I actually enjoy it. There are lots of recipes where it treats the squash like a spaghetti noodle... so your kids will eat spaghetti not knowing what those noodles REALLY are! As a side dish for dinner tonight, I'll be cooking this:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

1 (8 in) spaghetti squash
1 c. chopped onion
2 med cloves crushed garlic
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 c cottage or Ricotta cheese
1 c grated mozzarella
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp basil
dash of thyme
1 c fine bread crumbs
butter for saute
parmesan for top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Bake it, face down, on a buttered tray at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cool until handleable, scoot out the insides with a fork (should shred easily)
While the squash bakes, saute the onions and garlic with salt, pepper, mushrooms and herbs. When the onions are soft, add freshly chopped tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates.
Combine all ingredients. Pour in buttered 2 quart casserole. Top with lots of parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees, uncovered about 40 minutes.

Abby

On Monday my parents got a new Basset Hound puppy named Abby. After their last dog, Diesel, passed away a few months ago they said that they weren't going to get anymore dogs. But then Abby came along! They fell in love with her while at the Aten's on Sunday evening; once they found out that she was looking to go to a lovable home... well.... you get the picture! She is super mellow, great with kids and has those sorrowful, hound dog, droopy eyes that will melt your heart everytime :) While my parents wait to move in to their new home, we are enjoying having Abby "visit" us! btw, Abby is also a wonderful friend for Sammy, who just LOVES Abby and her long ears!