Trip Pictures #2

Remember I told you about walking in the clouds? Or did I? Well, here it is. One day we went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we were stopped at one of the overlooks, Savannah spotted this pine tree sticking out of the rocks. I love unique tree shapes, so she took a picture of this one. Pretty cool, huh?

This was the view from the place where we stopped to have a picnic lunch.

The road not taken.....

The higher we drove, the closer the clouds got. The kids thought this was really cool to see the clouds so close.

When we got to this point, the clouds seemed to be surrounding us. I rolled down my window and let the kids stick their hands out the window to touch the clouds. They were so excited!

A clouded valley....

We finally actually got fully into the clouds. And, we found a visitor center. Of course, we stopped and got out. The kids ran for joy in the clouds. It was so neat to watch them. And, it was so cool up there, too! Luckily we had some jackets in the car because we really needed them! Just 15 minutes before it was hot as all get out, and here it was cool enough for a jacket. It was neat to get a "glimpse" of winter weather in the dog days of summer! :-)

This is the visitor center we stopped at. The park ranger who was there said the weather and clouds were like that all the time. See my mom taking a picture of me taking a picture? We laughed.

Finally we headed back down the mountains and as we did, we stopped at several overlooks to enjoy the view. Ashton just had to climb these rocks!

One of the overlooks. See how high it is?? 4760 feet above sea level. I live like 2 feet above sea level! lol

There were several of these covered tunnels cut out of the mountain. They were really cool. We even rolled down the window and shouted just to hear our echo!! lol It was funny.

Another day, we went on a family picnic back at the geyser. This picnic included some second, third, and fourth cousins I hadn't seen in years. It was so much fun! This is the "creek" that runs beside the geyser. Savannah took this picture. She does good, doesn't she?

All the kids played in the creek for a long time. It was hot and then it rained, so they were wet anyway. I guess they figured it wouldn't even matter. It didn't. lol They had so much fun playing together. I really like getting my kids with cousins up there because we don't really have too many cousins down here and certainly none on my side.

Here's another one of the creek that Savannah took. I thought this one came out really good.

While we were at the geyser, the train went by. The kids ran across the whole field to get a good view of the train. I got there a little late, but the conductor had already waved at them.

One day the girls went horseback riding at a friend's ranch. They had a lot of fun. The boys didn't get to go because it cost a little too much for all of us to go. But, they did let Indy sit on the horse.

One night, my SIL Leslie came in and told me to get my camera and go to my room. There sat Levi and Aaron in the chair "reading" Horton Hears a Who. It was so cute! Unfortunately, Levi looked up as I walked in, so it's not as candid as I would have liked. Oh well.

We also went on a "treasure hunt". Actually it's called Letterboxing. You can do a search for letterboxing online to find out more about it and if there are any letterboxes in your area. Basically, people put together some sort of box with a pad of paper and stamp. They post directions online on how to find it and then you take your own pad of paper and stamp with stamp pad. You find it and stamp your stamp on their pad and their stamp on your pad then leave a message telling them where you're from. It's pretty cool to see what people have been there. Here we found one in a state park about 10 minutes from my mom's house. It was a fun adventure.

This is the lake in the state park. So pretty.

My mom likes to play board games with all my kids. She plays Scrabble a lot with Ashton and Uno with Indy and other misc. games with Savannah. Here she's playing one of Aaron's board games with Indy and Aaron.

Well, that's it for group #2. Tomorrow is the third and final entry for trip photos. Just know that I actually took about 400 pictures!! This is only a fraction, but a good array of things we did. See you tomorrow!!

Trip Pictures #1

You're probably wondering just how many "trip pictures" entries there will be if I already have a #1 on this one, aren't you?? Well, lucky you, there's only 3, so that's not too bad, eh? You'll probably get bored with them after awhile, but I'm also blogging for myself, so for now you'll just have to tolerate my pictures! lol In the meantime, please just try to enjoy them!! lol Off we go...

Our trip begins and we are on the road. Mac is thoroughly thrilled...can't you tell?? lol

On the way up, my car had some troubles, which I mentioned in a previous post. After that hubbub, we got back on our way. As we drove, the sun was setting right in front of us. There were rolling hills we were driving and with each hill, we could see a great view of the sun going down. We were able to get a good picture. Pretty cool, huh?

On the first weekend in NC, we "traded kids" with my cousin. He and his wife took my girls and I took their older son, Austin, who is Indy's age. He spent a couple days with us and the boys had a blast! Late on the first afternoon, we took the boys over to the "splash pad" they have in the downtown area near the community center. They had a lot of fun and it was so hot, so it was very refreshing.

Right next to the splash pad is a playground. After they got bored with the water play area, they went to the playground for a little while, then back to the splash pad! lol I think they were finally tired out enough to be able to wind down for the day. After all this playing, we ordered pizza and got them bathed and ready for bed. It was a fun day for them.

Did I mention that my mom got a new puppy a couple months ago? She's so cute! She's half boxer and half we don't know what! lol So, it'll be interesting to watch her grow. I think she was about 2 or 3 months when we were there. She and Mac became good friends and played all the time!! He was only 18 mos. when we were there, but because his breed is larger, his maturity takes longer coming, so he was really much younger, maturity wise. Here's my mom with her new baby.

On Sunday, we took the boys over to some neighboring towns to see the sights. First we went to a historical museum. It was right next to this "creek". The boys loved this and it was so pretty too! Here's me with the 3 boys.

This is one of the cabins on the museum property. A little later, the museum lady opened it for us to see inside. It was really cool!

After that, we went to a nearby natural geyser. The boys loved that too. As a matter of fact, the girls even love this place!! lol Today the wind was just slightly blowing, so the water was gently spraying on us where ever we stood. It was fun. Plus, there were tadpoles in the water. Just a big bonus for little boys. They were catching the tiny frogs that had already grown enough to climb out of the water.

This was so funny, seeing them all 3 laying on their tummies over the edge trying to catch the little frogs!

This was inside that historical museum. The boys were really interested in all the "old" stuff. We read some of the signs to them, but they really just liked to see everything.

This was a big rock at the same museum. Guess what it is??? It's a meteor! It's true! It landed in some nearby farmer's field and he told someone who called someone else, etc. until it finally ended up at the museum. Who cares?? It was cool!! lol

On Monday, we took the 3 boys, plus my other cousin's son, Luke, to the children's museum in Charlotte. Boy, was that a day!! They had a pirate & shipwrecks exhibit on at that time. Here's my little pirates.

Indy enjoyed the blocks section.

Levi liked the weight pulling machine.

Here's Mac and Mom's new puppy playing up a storm in the backyard. Doesn't look like a very fair play date, does it? But, Mac was very good at being gentle enough for the baby and she kept up like a champ. They were both so sad when we left. We heard Mac crying out back the other night....poor thing.

In my mom's back yard, she has a creek. It's a pretty small creek during the summer, but the sides are pretty high...and steep. Indy decided to climb the muddy walls of the creek bed then Levi followed, of course. See how high it is? They got good and dirty and had a lot of fun in the meantime.

My mom's neighbor has a miniature horse, or pony, or whatever. Anyway, their fence backs up to my mom's yard and sometimes we get to see him. This day we got to pet him and feed him carrots. The boys had a lot of fun. And, he seemed very happy to have so much attention!

One day we went golfing with my mom, the boys, my cousin Jason, and his son Luke. Before we get to that, here is Levi blowing a dandelion. We have this little book at home that we read a lot where the little bunny blows "dandelion seeds into the air." We've read it for years, but rarely see dandelions. Well, we found 3 of them on the golf course. Levi grabbed this one and started blowing the seeds "into the air." It was so cute!

Here's Jason giving Luke instructions for his putt.

At some point, Jason was laying down on the grass and all the boys "attacked" him. It was funny. But then, Jason stood up like a monster coming to life. See, Jason is 6'8''. See the boys hanging on for dear life?? They loved that!!

Here's a good shot of all the golfers. I only went to take pictures and make sure my boys stayed in line.

One day we went to a town about an hour away where my grandfather grew up. I mentioned it in a previous post, but my mom had found his house after doing a search. This is his high school that is now an elementary. When I was graduating high school somehow I lost my tassel the day of the walking ceremony. I was devastated. But, my grandfather gave me his tassel from his high school graduation. It was blue, just like mine, though mine was a lighter blue, and he had graduated exactly 60 years before me. Isn't that something?? Needless to say, seeing this high school meant a lot to me. This is the house. There have been many improvements over the years, but we think that the steps are original. Also, the concrete edged around the flower beds out front are actually the base of the old porch. It was really neat to see this house. The kids all saw it and I took a picture of them in front of it, but they weren't impressed. To them it was just a house. They never knew my grandfather. The closest they come is knowing his wife, my grandmother who visits us down here.

This is the kids in front of the house.

Well, that's it for group #1. More to come tomorrow!!

Feeling Yucky...

Today (Wednesday) I went to the dermatologist and I feel yucky. I had some pre-cancerous sun spots on my hand frozen. He told me he was going to do it then he did the first spot and I jumped. He said, "Oh sorry. Yeah, it's a little cold." A little cold? A little cold?!? Is he kidding?? He shouldn't say "a little cold". He should say "It'll feel like a thousand tiny needles poking into your hand," that's what he should say! "A little cold", hmph! Anyway, now I have blisters on each of those frozen spots and I guess I just have to wait until they pop and scab...sorry, gross details.

Then he removed two small harmless mole thingies from my neck and thigh. Thirdly, he took a biopsy of a spot on my left arm, which he believes is cancer just from looking at it. He says he wants to do the biopsy to see what kind of cancer it is so he can treat it correctly. Finally, he took two "suspicious" moles from my back to biopsy. Those two spots needed a stitch or two each and I have to go back next week to have the stitches removed. Hopefully, they'll have the biopsy results by then. We'll see.

The weirdest thing that happened was that after they did my back, which I was laying on my stomach for, I turned over to sit up and the harmless mole thing on my leg had bled through the bandaid and left blood all over both my legs. Yuck. So, the nurse cleaned it up and turned around to get another bandage. While she had her back turned, I looked at the spot, which was a deep, cored hole, and somehow it just hit me wrong and all of a sudden I felt nauseous. I put my hand over my eyes and about that time the nurse turned around and asked if I was ok. I pulled my hand away to see only black and literally had to fight to keep consciousness. I told her I felt like I was going to pass out, so she laid me down quickly. She got me a lollypop and some water and I cold compress for my head. She said I looked pale, then she made me lay there for about 15 minutes more. I felt ok then.

By the late afternoon, the anesthesia was wearing off my back and the two on my back and the blisters on my hand were all feeling achey. By the late evening, I was feeling very tired and run down. I took some Tylenol for the pain and I'm sure by tomorrow I'll feel better.

Menu Plan Monday

Well Hello!! I'm baaack! lol Back to the old grind, eh? Yep! As part of getting back into a routine, I'm posting my menu plan for this week. Hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back to a normal routine....I know I am! Actually, I think this is the first time in countless years that I'm sad to see summer go. I didn't get all my projects done, but the big ones I did, so at least that's good. Anyway, without further ado, here's my menu plan....enjoy!

Sunday- Arroz con pollo

Monday- Creamy Herbed Chicken

Tuesday- Kielbasa with Onion Roasted Potatoes and Julienned Vegetable Saute

Wednesday- Country Skillet Supper

Thursday- Noodle Dish

Friday- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Saturday- Scallops Charleston

Country Skillet Supper

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1/8 tsp. garlic

1 can mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1/2 tsp. thyme

1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 small yellow squash, sliced

1 1/2 c. uncooked corkscrew pasta

Cook beef, onion, & garlic in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add soup, broth, thyme, tomatoes, & squash. Heat to a boil. Stir in pasta. Cook over low heat 15 minutes or til done.

Scallops Charleston

1 1/2 pounds fresh sea scallops

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

flour for dusting

3/4 cup sherry or dry white wine

1 shallot, finely chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Season scallops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and paprika. Dust with flour. Saute in a pan that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray and a small amount of olive oil. Cook until browned on both sides and remove from pan. To the pan drippings, add sherry, shallots, and mushrooms; cook 3-4 minutes.

In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add 3 Tbsp. flour. Mix well and cook over low heat for two minutes stirring constantly. Pour shallots, mushrooms, and liquid from scallops into flour mixture. Mix well and stir scallops into sauce. (If it's too thick, you can thin with a little clam juice or chicken stock.) Transfer to four individual baking dishes, top with cheese and broil for 1 minute, until browned. Serve with wild rice.

**Ok, on this recipe, I use sliced provolone cheese, as my family likes it better. I also use brown rice intead of wild rice, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Julienned Vegetable Saute

1 large red pepper, cut into very thin strips

1 large yellow pepper, cut into very thin strips

2 large carrots, cut into very thin strips

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. olive oil

2 large zucchini, cut into thin strips

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. each Salt & Pepper

Cook 1st 5 ingredients in hot oil in large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add zucchini strips and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly til tender. Stir in basil and salt & pepper.

Home Again, Home Again...

Today is Monday and we got home late, late Saturday night. Yesterday was just kind of a blur with unpacking and readjusting back to home. Nicky has been working up a storm on the tile in our living areas and it looks great! He got a lot of it done and I'm so proud of him! Sunday morning we all slept in, even Nicky. He was pooped and when he woke up, he commented that he couldn't believe he'd slept so late. I told him he was probably more tired that he thought and needed the sleep. He said, "Maybe. But, I think it's because I knew I didn't have to get up and do something around here. It was like I had a big load lifted off my shoulders, having you home." Awww....isn't that sweet?? He really missed us all. :-)

This morning the boys kept asking to have a friend over. I told them no because we had a lot to do, plus the tile can't be overused until Nicky gets the last coat of sealer on the grout today. Anyway, I told them that they were used to having their cousins around to play with, but now they'd just have to play with each other. They hemmed and hawed, but finally started playing together. I later caught them playing Capture the Flag....inside the house!! You know those little American flags that are in classrooms? Well, we have two of those, so they each took one and hid it someplace for the other one to find. I was washing dishes and Indy passed by me and hid his in the laundry room. A few minutes later, Levi comes in the kitchen and asked Indy, "Where is your flag?" He couldn't find it and wanted Indy to tell him where it was. Then Indy replied with, "You tell me where your flag is and I'll tell you where mine is." Wow. That's real intense, strategy-filled Capture the Flag, huh?? lol They're so funny.

In other news, apparently, late last week sometime the power went out for a few minutes and Nicky didn't know it and the outside freezer went off and didn't come back on. Yesterday afternoon, I went outside to put some trash in the trashcans and decided just to check on the freezer. It was completely defrosted. Not a hint of ice anywhere. And, yes, there was food in there: a lot of game, some froze dinners, and some butter and cheese. Thankfully, due to the frozen juice and gatorade bottles we keep in there for just such and emergency, the food hadn't actually gone rancid, but it wasn't cool either. So, needless to say, we threw it all away. Ugh. Today I went out there and cleaned it all out with bleach and the hose. Man, that's a bummer. But, I washed and refilled the gatorade bottles and put them in the bottom and restarted the freezer. It should be good now, but I'll check it soon.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Still unpacking and doing laundry and getting the house back in order. It's wonderful to vacation, but it's always wonderful to come home, too!!

Happy Birthday, Levi!!

Today my baby is 5 years old! My, how time flies!

Levi is so much fun! And, he's such a character, too, as you can tell in this picture. lol We had a lots of birthday parties for Levi and Indy this year. They had one before we left for NC, then another one on their birthdays and we'll have yet another when we get together with our family.

Today, for Levi's birthday, we had lots of family go bowling with us over at the bowling alley near my mom's house. It was a lot of fun, too! And, Levi did a great job! We were very surprised, plus he had fun. :-) Afterwards, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner with everyone. Actually, I think we had 15 people there!! Then, after dinner, we went home and had cupcakes and gave him some presents. I think he had a really good day. He was very excited to turn 5, except that now he has to go to school (kindergarten). He's not thrilled that now he'll have to do schoolwork!! lol That's the only thing he was sad about. Funny, huh?

Levi, we are very proud of you and love you very much. I hope you have a wonderful time being 5, big boy. Though you'll always be my baby. Happy Birthday!!

Fun, fun, fun...

Today is Tuesday and the girls went horseback riding. They had a lot of fun going on a trail ride up and down a mountain. Whew! The place we went to was a retreat owned by some family friends and was up on top of a mountain. There were beautiful views from up there! I wouldn't mind renting a cabin there sometime for me and Nicky. After horseback riding, we went into the nearby town and visited an art studio where the artists are actually special needs adults in an art program. It was really neat and we each bought a bead bracelet made by the residents.

Speaking of Nicky, I spoke with him today and he's almost finished with the tile in the hallway! Yippee!! He's putting marble thresholds at the bedroom door entrances. It should be beautiful and I'm so excited to see all his work!! I think we're going home on Saturday. He's pretty sure he'll be done with the bulk of it on Saturday, so we won't get into too much trouble coming home that day.

Yesterday, I took the boys and ran some errands. I actually visited the cemetery where my dad and some other family members are buried to inquire about purchasing the 2 spots next to my parents. I'm not sure the "going rate" for cemetery plots, but the price wasn't too bad, I thought. Nicky and I aren't sure what we want to do, but I do know that I would really like to get some plots purchased somewhere so I don't have to worry about it. Not sure why I would even worry about it, but it's just something I'd like to take care of.

We also went over to the playground in town and took some lunch. I sat under the pavilion with the picnic tables while the boys played with the other kids who happened to be there. They, of course, made friends. It's the "heat of summer" right now, but man, it sure feels like a South Florida fall! It was so pleasant out there, I could have stayed all afternoon! Neither one of the boys came and asked to leave because they were hot. There was a nice breeze going and it was just so nice. Makes me long for fall!!

Yesterday, I also got to go to dinner and visit with my aunt Robin. She's always been more like a big sister to me than an aunt. She's my mother's sister, but I'm one year closer to her in age since we're only 11 years apart and her and my mom are 12 years apart. Funny, huh? Anyway, we had a very nice visit and just hung out for a little while. When I only spend one week up here, I don't get to visit with as many people as I'd like, and my aunt is usually lower on the totem pole than say my mom and my grandmother, so I like when I can stay a little longer and get to visit with her.

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning and then that afternoon, my mom and I got to spend some time alone. I left the boys with the girls and my mom and I got to visit a local historical house that, I kid you not, we've been trying to get to for 16 years!!! Finally!! lol Anyway, it was neat to see the house and all the old stuff in there and learn a little history of the area. Afterwards, we did some local sightseeing of stuff my mom's been wanting to show me. Then, we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was a nice time out and we didn't have to rush, which always makes it more fun.

In other news, my brother and his family live in Texas. They are coming here to visit for a few weeks, before my brother has to go overseas again with his National Guard unit. They arrived last night about midnight, so the boys had a big treat when they got up this morning. My brother has two sons, who my boys just love, so they were very excited to get to play first thing this morning at 7am!

Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow is Levi's 5th birthday. I can't believe my little baby is 5 already!! Don't we always say that?? lol Anyway, we'll be doing some fun stuff tomorrow so I'll update you later. Have a great day tomorrow!