My Highly Caffeinated Life

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

My boy as Doctor Benjamin Franklin! Last year he was General George Washington - yes, he is quite the history buff.

Snapshots of Life: 5pm 10/28/10

2010-10-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

My husband surprised me with a quick getaway to an amazing B&B in Stillwater, MN - Rivertown Inn. Some friends watched our 7yr old while we slipped away!

2010-09-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

On the menu this week! Super busy week on tap - very simple suppers...nothing fancy here.

MONDAY:
leftover lasagna, mac n’ cheese for Sam, side salad, crusty bread and baked apples for dessert.

TUESDAY:
tilapia with lemon pepper, squash and broccoli

WEDNESDAY:
black bean burgers (from Costco) with avocado, side salad and Rocky Road pie for dessert (jello pudding recipe - will post later).

THURSDAY:
pasta with alfredo sauce, peas, fresh mushrooms and cubed ham, spaghetti for Sam, Italian blend veggies (from bag) and crusty bread.

FUN FRIDAY:
breakfast for supper! Scrambled eggs with peppers, onions and cheese and whole wheat pancakes (freeze remainder for breakfast next week).

This week's menu!

2010-09-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Monday – Labor Day!
Whiting fish, broccoli and four cheese potatoes (from a box)

Tuesday
Cowboy beans, corn on the cob and fruit salad

Wednesday
Dijon chicken, green beans and sautéed cabbage with balsamic vinegar
(pg 275 Bittman)

Thursday
Lasagna, salad and bread

Fun Friday!
Out to dinner or left-overs!

It's back to school...

2010-09-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of school for my little guy. He had a really great summer - taking rocket making classes, swimming, going to VBS, camping on the North Shore and visiting out-of-state relatives.

Peter Hobart always has a great Welcome Back celebration for the kids - complete with a bubble machine and parents lining the sidewalks cheering the kids on their first day of school.

Have a great school year!

This week's menu!

2010-08-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Monday: Bob and Sharon coming to dinner…grilled salmon, green beans, roasted potatoes and beet appetizer. Lemon cake for dessert!

Tuesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and crusty bread

Wednesday: Whiting fish, sautéed cabbage with balsamic vinegar (pg 275 Bittman)

Thursday: Tilapia, quinoa and bag of frozen mixed veggies.

Fun Friday! Brats on the grill, broccoli and pudding pie (use chocolate pie crust)

Menu Plan the week of 8/8/10

2010-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

On the menu this week at our house...

Monday: Tacos with the Lilya’s! Southwest salad and watermelon for dessert.

Tuesday: Spinach salad, mandarin oranges, feta cheese, slivered almonds, poppyseed dressing, crusty bread - fruit for dessert! Left-over pasta and salad for Sam.

Wednesday: Burgers on the grill, corn on the cob and fruit for dessert!

Thursday: Breakfast for Supper: whole wheat pancakes (freeze extra), scrambled eggs and fruit

Friday: Going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house

I'm also making some fruit dip - thanks to Jane from This Week for Dinner.

Err...Happy Halloween?

2009-11-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

Is it Thanksgiving already? Since I started a consulting job, I haven't had time to update my blog with pics from Halloween, this fall or anything else!

Since I had so much time on my hands this summer, I was able to pull together a pretty cool costume for my little guy. Being George Washington was his idea - yes, my 6 yr old LOVES history. I was able to find the jacket, vest and pants are garage sales and Goodwill. I sewed on the cording, painted the buttons gold and did some 'alterations'. The hat was the most expensive item - more than the rest of the costume combined. It's actually a pirate hat that I painted black.

Apple Pickin' Time

2009-09-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

The weather has been unseasonably warm this last month of summer - yesterday was in the mid 80's. The funny thing is that the beginning of the summer was cold - yes, cold. We only made it to the pool one time - and then it wasn't incredibly hot, just barely warm enough to go swimming.

Anyway, I had these big plans to go to an apple orchard and wear "fall like" clothes and maybe get some pictures for our Christmas letter...no such luck. Plan B - wear what you want, let's just pick apples and have fun!

I can always count on this boy to be a real ham!

It was a beautiful day...

Cornballs!

Our favorite orchard is Apple Jacks...it's a small, family owned orchard. It's just big enough to have a nice variety of things to do and small enough that you don't have to park 3 miles away, fight the mobs of people and be bombarded with too many activities ($$).

Happy Fall! I need to get to making apple pies....

State Fair time...

2009-09-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

The State Fair is a BIG deal in Minnesota. I hate to admit that I have been to the fair more times since my son was born than I have in my entire life. Yes, I was born in Minnesota and lived here all of my life but I had only been to the fair once before my son was born. OK, so maybe the fair is a BIG deal to some people in Minnesota.

It is definitely a BIG deal to these two kids:

Bumper Boats - a big deal.

Joe Cool.

Can you believe this...he is only 6 yrs old! My boy is holding hands with someone other than is Mama!

And I think he likes it!

My boy was so brave...going on the pirate ride all by himself.

No visit to the State Fair is complete without at least one order of cheese curds - they are evil. Our friends with introduced us to deep fried green tomatoes - YUM. Sorry no photo - I ate them too fast.

Good grief!

My other handsome boy...

2009-09-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Good grief ~ who would have thought a life-long cat girl would loose her heart to a dog? Yes, this guy makes my heart melt. Just look at that face...

It's back to school time!

2009-09-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of school in our district and, as you can see, my boy was just a little excited. Although we had a great summer together and he did a TON of fun camps, outings and other adventures, I think he missed seeing his friends everyday. He is quite a social bean...

2009-08-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

Look at these two boys ... goof balls! My cousin was in town for business with her son the other day so we arranged for the boys to spend the day with each other. For anyone that only has one child, you know how truly wonderful it is to take care of other children. I know this sounds weird but having more children around actually makes my job easier ... they entertain each other! Unfortunately, my son has no first cousins on my side of the family and only 2 cousins his age on my husband's side of the family... and they live 8 hours away. When I was growing up, we spent so much time with our cousins - Mom's and Dad's side of the family. I feel bad that my son won't have that same experience. So we improvise! Second cousins work just as well as first cousins.

End the Search Chocolate Chip Cookies...

2009-08-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Straight out of the camera.

After adjusting the lighting in Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.

Photo Title: End the Search Chocolate Chip Cookies

Equipment Used: Canon PowerShot S3 IS and Adobe Photoshop Elements7

Technical Details:
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: unknown

ISO Speed: unknown
Exposure Bias: 0 step (not sure what this means)
Flash: No Flash

Photo Editing: I adjusted the lighting in Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.

Setup Details: I set up on a half wall in my entry and used the wall as a backdrop. I used only natural light at about 5:30 pm. No flash.

Props: Small white plate and glass from our everyday dishes. Really, nothing fancy.

Additional Tips: I do not have a fancy camera and I am just starting to play around with Photoshop Elements....definitely a beginner! I decided to submit a photo just to learn from others and get inspiration!

Oh, and by the way, the cookies were great! Two thumbs up from my family.

Here is another photo from this group that I edited using Photoshop Elements 7 and Picnik (on-line photo editing site).

Seer's first two months at his new home...

2009-08-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone?

2009-08-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

Is it possible that school starts in about two weeks? September 1st to be exact. I know, I know, many schools around the country normally start before Labor Day but in Minnesota school normally doesn't start until later because the State Fair is a BIG deal (it runs until Labor Day). It almost feels sacrilegious to start so early. Oh well, here are some fun pictures from our "Summer of Fun". Enjoy...

Being silly with Auntie on the 4th of July.

Toured our state's capital building and gardens on beautiful day.

Ate plenty of ice cream!

Had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa!

Who is this cute guy? Oh, our new puppy, Seer!

Went to a great BBQ at great-aunt Sharon's house!

OK, this is just a fun picture...I love bees.

My garden ~ not really. I am envious of my Aunt Sharon's tomato plants...they are amazing!

Flirting with Coach Wendy. Goof ball!

Our good friend, Miss Myrt joined us for a Little League game!

Strawberry pickin' at Apple Jacks (yes, it's an apple farm in the fall).

What have you been up to this summer?

July Cookie Carnival

2009-07-23T15:04:00.001-07:00

This month's Cookie Carnival cookie voted on by readers of her blog, was the Lemon Ricotta Cookie with Lemon Glaze. Yes, it got my vote, too! Check out the recipe here.

The recipe came together extremely quick and is a good recipe to keep handy in case you need to throw together cookies for unexpected company. They are very moist and have adequate lemon flavor ~ very "summery". These are definitely best eaten the same day you make them. I found that the next day mine stuck together and were a little too soft. So be sure and gobble them up the same day...if your household is like mine, it won't be a problem.

Not only did my husband and 6 year old son give these cookies a "thumbs up", but our neighbors on either side of our house did the same! Looks like another keeper. Thanks Cookie Carnival for the great recipe again this month.

Allow me to introduce...

2009-06-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

... the latest addition to our family - Seer. He is a one year old Golden Retriever mix. We just adopted him from a wonderful agency called RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota) today. He is still very much a "puppy" although he is full grown ~ we've got plenty of work ahead of us. He is small for golden standards - only weighing 43lbs. He is such a sweet boy!

Thanks to the wonderful folks at RAGOM and Seer's foster Mom, Denise, for helping us adopt Seer.

Plenty more pics to come!

Father's Day at the Dome!

2009-06-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today my husband took our son to a Twins game for Father's Day. What a great father-son bonding experience! They went with other folks from our Little League organization and were allowed to go down onto the field to run the bases.

He looks good in a baseball uniform!

Yesterday in the 85 degree heat...walking in the Parktacular Parade.

Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake

2009-06-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

You know a recipe is good when your husband, after tasting the finished product, says "will you marry me?" This is one of those recipes. Surprisingly, it was so easy - our 6 yr old helped me make it this afternoon. If you love the combination of blueberries and lemon - this recipe won't disappoint you. It's tangy, lemony and very light.

Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake

3 large eggs, separated

2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 2 quart souffle' dish. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice. Add flour, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth.

Beat egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold one quarter of beaten egg whites into lemon mixture, gently fold in remaining whites. Pour batter into baking dish; transfer dish to a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of baking dish. Sprinkle blueberries over pudding.

Bake until top is puffed and light brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from water bath and let cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Enjoy! Thanks to All You magazine for a great summertime dessert.

Pirate birthday cake

2009-06-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

I found the cutest cake ideas on the Betty Crocker website last night. Here is my version of the pirate birthday cake....I am giving it to a special boy I know!

It's the first time I've made a cake like this - and it was really very easy! I would do some things differently next time but it definitely got me over the fear to attempting a theme cake. Already I am "looking" at candy differently ~ "how can I use that on a cake?" Check out the Betty Crocker website for yourself! They have great "how-to" videos and quite a few girl AND boy ideas.

My Little Sous Chef

2009-06-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

Meet my little sous chef! Every time he hears me pulling out the gear to start baking, he runs to get his apron, chef hat and of course, his stool.

Reporting for kitchen duty!

Patiently waiting....

"Daddy, come check this out!"

Last Day of Kindergarten

2009-06-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

What a party we had today at Peter Hobart! There was face painting, space bouncing, ring toss and the incredibly popular dunk tank. The morning started out dunking the SLP Fire Chief and continued with a 3rd grade teacher from Peter Hobart as well as Mayor Jacobs. Keep in mind the temperature this AM was in the 50's and never got much above 60 degrees. Talk about dedication to the kids! Thanks to the Peter Hobart PTAO for raising the money to give the kids a wonderful last day of school!

June Cookie Carnival (OK, a little early)

2009-06-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was so darn excited when I saw this month's Cookie Carnival ~ oh, how I love strawberries and I have NEVER made a cookie with real strawberries in it. So maybe I am a little early with my post but I had all the ingredients in the house and some free time on my hands. Voila, cookies!

When I saw the recipe was from Martha Stewart, I was a little skeptical. My experience with her recipes is that there is always some tedious step or obscure ingredients. But to my surprise, these beauties were so easy. They would be perfect for an afternoon tea. They were tender and not too sweet - they reminded me of a mini scone.

One thing I'll do when I bake these again (and I definitely will!) is mix the dough longer after adding the strawberries. I noticed that my cookies do not look like the picture from the recipe but I think it's because I was afraid that mixing them too long would make them tough. Although I think the "less blended" version looks more afternoon tea-ish.

Thanks Cookie Carnival for the delectable strawberry cookie!

Slow-Cooker Eggplant and Tomato Pasta - really easy!

2009-05-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight for dinner I made a really simple recipe for Slow-Cooker Eggplant and Tomato Pasta. I found the recipe in the current All You magazine. I love to toss in a slow-cooker recipe into my repertoire when ever I can - it makes my life so much easier!

There are a couple of things I would change about this recipe as posted on MealsMatter.com 1.) peel the egg plant. It probably won't "hold up" as well but there was something weird about the skin on the eggplant after it was cooked. 2.) cut the eggplant into smaller pieces. The recipe calls for 1/2 inch pieces and I think mine were much bigger. I really LOVED the pasta. It was springy and so much fun! It was definitely a recipe I would try again - it got a thumbs up from my 5yr old. We served our dinner with a side salad and Sister Schuberts yeast rolls .

First Little League Game

2009-05-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sam has another game coming up this weekend so I figured I had better post pictures from his first game before the season is over!

It's so fun to see 5 and 6 year olds playing baseball.....who's on first? Organized chaos! Needless to say, Sam did score a run. It's all good fun.

I love, love, love cookbooks!

2009-05-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I love cookbooks? I do! I generally try to get them from the library first and, after trying a recipe or two, I may or may not buy my own copy. There are so many mediocre cookbooks out there. Here is a new cookbook that my husband got me for Mother's Day. It has a lot of really great basic information in it. I love those kinds of cookbooks. My husband has a Betty Crocker Cookbook that his mother gave him years (I mean years) ago that is my "go to" cookbook when I need just a basic recipe or need how to do something.

I also received this book from my husband! I've been faithfully reading Tuesday's with Dorie for quite sometime. Her stuff looks amazing. I have yet to try a recipe - but that's about to change this week! Wish me luck.

Thank you Cookie Girl Creations!

2009-05-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

The postman brought me something today...this beautiful necklace and earring set. I recently won them from The Cookie Girl Creations. This picture does not do the set justice - they are so amazingly beautiful! Thank you again, Cookie Girl!

You will love this food blog!

2009-05-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite food blogs is Joy the Baker! It is very easy on the eyes (not super busy with ads everywhere) and the recipes are amazing. Here is one of my favorites - it's for Spicy Sweet Almonds. I made these last Friday - really quick, super easy and very tasty! Let's just say we managed to polish them off by the next afternoon.

growing up too fast...

2009-05-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

My son is growing up too fast! A couple of night ago he says "Mama, now that I am a big boy, can I sleep on the top bunk?" Until now, we made him sleep on the bottom bunk and told him he could move to the top when he turned 6. Well, he's not 6 yet, but he rides a big-boy bike with no training wheels, finishing kindergarten soon, loosing teeth at an amazing rate - so how could I say "no"?

The only problem is that now it's nearly impossible for us to have our special "cuddle time" when I tuck him into bed each night. I thought he wouldn't care but he said to me last night, "Mama, can I sleep on the bottom bunk again?" He is still my little boy!

Little League season begins!

2009-05-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Little League practice started this past weekend. Yes, he is still wearing his "church shirt" during practice. He is playing for Sam's Club this year - how fitting! Their first game is this Saturday. Good luck!

really nice folks

2009-04-30T02:06:00.000-07:00

We met some of the nicest folks on Saturday at an event sponsored by the Minnesota Kite Society. Who knew there were groups of people that held meetings, planned events and had a website all about flying kites. It's pretty serious business! At this event in St. Louis Park, we met a bunch of really great people that demonstrated and even shared their kites with us. This is my son with a gentleman that makes his own kites. Sam was really in love with this American flag kite not only because it looked like our flag but because it was the biggest kite there!

Little League try-outs

2009-04-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

On a chilly Saturday morning my son had tryouts for Little League. He was just a little excited!

flying kites

2009-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

We went to a park on a gloomy Sunday afternoon and flew some beautifully bright kites!

bright spring day

2009-03-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

yes, please...a large!

2009-03-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog and just had to have it! Does anyone know which coffeehouse sells these?

mini cupcakes

2009-03-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down a purchased the Wilton icing bags and tips. I am still getting the hang of how they work and looking for a good butter cream icing recipes...but it sure was fun!

a sure sign of spring!

2009-03-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

On our recent trip to the Westwood Nature Center we found that many hearty Minnesotians had two-wheeled it. Granted it was a beautiful day- I don't know that it was warm enough to ride a bike there. Obviously, some thought it was!

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-03-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Oh...I just love the collage feature in Picnik! Check it out for yourself - it's fun.

Learning how to make our own maple syrup!

2009-03-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on Sunday at Westwood Nature Center learning how to collect the sap from sugar maples and make our own maple syrup (although Sam looks crabby, he had a great time). Sam is determined that next year we will be tapping the two silver maple in our yard and making maple syrup!

bye, bye winter...

2009-03-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's official - I am washing all our mittens, scarves, hats, coats, etc and putting them away for the season. Yesterday was 57+ degrees and today might hit 60! Hellooooooooo spring.

that face...

2009-03-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

does this creep you out?

2009-03-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

Something about this picture gives me the creeps. It's a close up of some type of fern-like plant at the Como Conservatory. The plant has not yet "bloomed". When I look at this, all I think about is the "Octo-mom" with all those babies inside her. Is it just me or do you see it too?

do you see the resemblance?

2009-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Here is my boy standing in front of a self portrait that he painted at school. Do you see the resemblance?

my sissy

2009-03-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

...here is the final product

2009-03-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

How to catch Lucky the Leprechaun

2009-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

My son and I created this awesome trap to try and catch Lucky the Leprechaun. The lid to the oatmeal is removed and a piece of felt put in it's place. When Lucky climbs the ladder to steal the piece of "gold" on the top, he will fall into our trap.

Every year Lucky does all sorts of mischievous things around our house...turns your milk green, pees in the toilet and doesn't flush (the toilet water is green), puts green kisses on our faces as we are sleeping, and leaves us silly notes around the house bragging that we cannot catch him. This year we are sure to catch him with this great trap! We found the idea in Family Fun magazine.

reflection...

2009-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

can you guess my hometown?

2009-02-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

Minnesota? Are you sure?

2009-02-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

This is definitely NOT Minnesota today...it IS the Como Conservatory last week.

Grandma's salt n' pepper shakers

2009-02-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

sunken garden

2009-02-24T05:45:00.000-08:00

I recently spent an afternoon at the Como Conservatory taking pictures for a photo class. The flowers and the smells in the sunken garden are amazing!

crusty toes

2009-02-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

sunny summer days...

2009-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

for the love of Krispie Bars!

2009-02-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

What's my secret? Twice the butter, marshmallows AND a jar of marshmallow cream and of course, a little vanilla.

we're "fish-sitting"

2009-02-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

While Grandma and Grandpa are down south, Sam is taking care of their fish.

I dream of sunny summer days!

2009-02-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

tea set

2009-02-10T03:19:00.000-08:00

polish me...please

elephant mask

2009-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Tragedy was narrowly avoided on Friday as he brought home his elephant mask on the bus. As usual, Sam was "messing around" on the walk home from the bus stop and slipped on the melting ice. His mask fell into a huge puddle of water! Tears galore - for hours. Luckily, we were able to dry it out and staple the ears back on. Whew...

fireworks!

2009-02-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Chris the cat

2009-02-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

dusk

2009-02-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

scissors

2009-02-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

great-grandma's lily

2009-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

strawberries

2009-02-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution?

2009-02-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

I 'm taking another photography class with Sharon Lyons. We meet weekly, get assignment and critique each others work. My plan is to post a new photo every day to keep me actively taking pictures every day...will this end up like every other New Year's resolution? Keep your fingers crossed.

Civil War Re-enactment

2008-09-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went down to Farmington to Dakota City. A customer from my shop was participating in a Civil War re-enactment and invited us to check it out. It was great fun and the actors (I guess you call them) really stayed in character. We not only witnessed the cannons being fired with real gunpowder, but toured most of the building on the site. I would highly recommend Dakota City to anyone that's going to be in the Farmington area. Check out their website for the upcoming events around Christmas...I heard a rumor that Santa was going to be there!

Look who came for dinner...

2008-09-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a very interesting guest during dinner. As we sat outside enjoying our meal, Sam says "Mommy, look at that big bird up there". Sure enough, there was a "big bird" circling around above the trees ~ a good hundred or so feet up. A few minutes later, Sam jumps up and runs to the garage yelling that the bird had landed between our house and the neighbors. Suddenly, the bird flapped it's wings and was sitting on the next-door neighbor's handrail with a big old mouse in this mouth! He proceeded to hang out in the back yard for 10-15 minutes while he enjoyed his "dinner".

Soccer is a hit - so far!

2008-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of soccer practice and it appears to be a real hit so far. Sam was a little apprehensive at first but as soon as he started kicking the ball around he was having a blast! It also helps that his friends Courtney, Jack and a new friend from kindergarten, Izzie are on his team.

The First Day of Kindergarten!

2008-09-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, Sam was up at 6am on his first day of kindergarten.

No sleeping in for this guy, he's got things to do!

First, a good breakfast! Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage (Sam's favorite), raisin toast and of course, chocolate milk!

Here he is! All ready to meet new friends.

Sam and Daddy.

Sam and Mommy.

He is such a brave young man! Good luck, Sam.

The boy is finally home...

2008-09-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

A week with Grandma and Grandpa: 7 hard-charging days filled with four-wheelin', cap-gun shooting, bug-collecting all-out fun. Two out of three of the people in this picture look a little tired, don't they? Everyone had a great time. The weather was beautiful, mainly clear and not too hot for late August. Sam was able to roam the five acres (or "the ranch" as he started to call it) at will when he wasn't helping Grandma or Grandpa. Summer's last hurrah before he starts kindergarten next week!

Nothing like a good ol' 4th of July parade...

2008-08-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

My boy contemplating his strategy for getting the most candy.

Going through pictures on my camera I found these from the 4th of July in Brainerd. Plenty of farm implements and not much candy. I actually ran into someone at the Raspberry Festival parade a couple weeks later, who had gone to the Brainerd parade, and they said the same thing ... not enough candy! What happened to the good old days when they threw out candy by the bucketfuls? And you had a giant stash that would last you until Halloween when you could stock up again!

A lot of tractors ~ not many floats!

Wait, there is a Jeep. Wow.

Hold on, another tractor.

You can tell his enthusiasm is fading.

This is what a 5 yr old in 'meltdown mode' looks like ... when they have had enough of the parade and just want to go home. There is always next year.

Four Wheelin' Cowboy!

2008-07-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

OK, isn't that enough to make your heart beat fast ... it looks like my 5 year old is driving Grandpa's four wheeler. He's not really ... but I bet HE wishes he was!

Sam got a set of cap guns - complete with a holster - from Grandma and Grandpa. He already had the cowboy hat and boots. He looks like a real-life cowboy! OK - minus the Pie Eating Contest T-shirt. :)

These pictures are from earlier this year when Sam spent 5 days at G & G's house.

Off to camp!

2008-07-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today my boy and his friends are off to YMCA camp! It's not an overnight camp ~ just day camp but none the less it's CAMP! Last night we packed his backpack with all the necessities ... swimsuit, camera, bug spray! Everything a young boy would need in the wilderness.

This will be the second time Sam has rode the bus ~ the first time was to Orchestra Hall for Kinder Konzert (and then Mommy came along).

Sam with his best buddy ... all smiles!

The whole gang ready to go and have fun!

Summer Vacation to South Dakota!

2008-07-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

So I just figured out how to use the the Microsoft Plus! Photo Story sample version on my computer. It only allows me to upload 5 photos but it's still kinda fun! Here are a few photos from our recent trip to South Dakota. Enjoy!

Will summer ever get here?

2008-06-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday started out as a beautiful day ~ warm, sunny, the perfect summer day. Around 5pm we were at Erik's Bike shop when the sirens sounded. We headed for home and within about a half an hour the weather totally changed. It was blowing and hailing like mad! All my work on annual flower boxes and perennial gardens was ruined. Check out some of these photos:

This is my guy across the street at the neighbor's house ... yes, that is hail piled up on their steps. Thank goodness we only had minor damage to the house and no one was hurt! Just before the storm hit we were picking up my husband's bike and had it been an hour earlier, we would have been on a bike ride when the storm hit! YIKES!

what have we done...

2008-05-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

I guess there is no turning back now! We finally took the plunge and removed the "critter condo" that was our deck. Tonight there are probably misplaced mice, rabbits and possibly a raccoon looking for new homes. Soon there will be a beautiful paver patio in this spot.

Sam was there the entire time helping us haul boards and chunks of concrete to the waiting bagsters ...

We "rewarded" Sam by getting him a pretty fancy trail-a-bike (photo to come).

Another one bites the dust...

2008-05-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, Sam lost another tooth last night ~ his second one! It was the other bottom tooth that fell out ... er, should I say, I pulled out with the help of some dental floss. Let's just say he really didn't mind when I pulled his tooth out. In fact, he jumped up and down and told me "Mom, you are the best tooth puller!" Now that's not a title every Mom has bestowed upon her! Here is the photographic evidence:

And here is my boy ~ minus yet another tooth! Yes, the tooth is in the glass of water he's holding. Sam agreed to actually give the Tooth Fairy the tooth this time. You may recall that he insisted on keeping his first tooth so Mommy could put it in his scrapbook.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

All I wanted was a nice picture of Sam and me together on Mother's Day ~ impossible! He was such a wiggle wart. This is what I ended up with - it's still nice but.......

It was a really beautiful day...we went to church, we all took a nap, Sam & Daddy worked on the deck and finally, we had a really delicious dinner. I received the weather radio I was hoping for and TONS of beautiful flowers from my two most favorite guys in the whole world. I love you, Sam and Scott!

Like I said, Sam and Daddy spent time working on the deck. Here is my little guy hard at work!

Happy Mother's Day!

Serious Boy

2008-04-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of Sam from a couple weeks ago at the Minnesota Zoo. We rode on the monorail for the first time and it was REALLY windy the day we were there. Sam seemed just a little nervous...

Yes, this picture is amped up using Picnik. I really like the CinemaScope effect ~ very fun!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's a couple days late but I needed some time to get pictures off my camera and edit them! This is our family with my sister on Easter ~ pre meal (although we look pretty "stuffed" already!) The Easter Bunny brought Sam a basket (which he found right away) and a bunch of eggs.

Guess who is coming to our house!

2008-03-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

Today Sam lost his first tooth and he was such a big boy about it! I am surprised that it didn't come out earlier ~ it's been hangin' on all week. So today I told Sam I would tie a piece of dental floss around it and he could try to pull it out ~ well when I tugged on the dental floss to make sure it was tight ~ out popped his tooth! It was crazy!

Look at the size of that tooth ~ the root is just about as long as the tooth itself. Yikes!

Here is Sam after his ordeal - minus a tooth.

BRrrrrrrr! It's cold outside!

2008-02-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Sam and Daddy took advantage of some relatively warm weather we had this past weekend to work on Sam's igloo. They are only partially done and are waiting for the temp to get above negative 10 before they go outside to finish it up. Hopefully this weekend with warm up a little!!

Basketball lessons

2008-02-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

Sam has been taking basketball lessons at the local YMCA and really loves it! This past weekend they gave all the kids metals for being in the class. You don't think Sam is proud of his metal, do you?

Oh, dag ... Sam takes a spill

2008-02-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Sam took a pretty nasty spill at school. He was in the gym burning off energy when he tripped and fell, face first, on a wood block (a pretty big block). He pushed his front 4 top teeth into his gums and one of them is pushed to the side. He also got a pretty nice fat lip! We made a trip to the doctor and dentist and it appears that he is going to be OK ~ just pretty sore for a while. There is a pretty good chance that he will loose some or all of his front teeth before they would normally fall out on their own.

He was such a trooper. When I arrived at school to pick him up, my eyes welled up with tears ... he says to me "don't worry Mama, I'm OK."

We went to the grocery store and Sam got to pick out all the 'soft' food he wanted ~ pudding, jello, cottage cheese, yogurt drinks ~ you name it!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today Sam had a party at preschool to celebrate Valentine's Day. Talk about candy galore!! He came home with an awesome crown and some pretty fancy face paint. I also make him this giant crown that on his head ~ the one on my head is his from school. Obviously, the one I made is MUCH better ... I really know how to crap it up!

Grandma and Grandpa we miss you very much and hope you enjoy this picture of Sam.

My Little Chatterbox...

2007-12-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's Sam on the phone with Grandma Matthews. Anytime any of the grandparents call, Sam instantly wants to get on the phone with them. Talk about a phone hog! You practically have to pull the phone out of his hands. The funny thing is, he actually has interested, thoughtful conversations with them!

Here he is rocking in his chair, chatting away just this evening!

Candoo ... we love you!

2007-12-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

My son's classroom has a special friend ~ Candoo! Every child gets to take Candoo on adventures of their choice. Some children take him on vacation, some just have Candoo enjoy the adventure that is their life. Candoo spent the week with us warming in front of the fireplace, sledding outside, going to rehearsal for the Christmas pageant and a play at the Children's Theater. Sam was very sad to say good-bye to Candoo but it's time for him to go on an adventure with someone else! Look at the scrapblog I put together to document Candoo's stay. We love you and will miss you Candoo....

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my Mom & Dad (we trade holidays with my in-laws each year). Here we all are about to dive in to our Thanksgiving dinner!

Sam had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house with Buffy (the cat), the 'exploring' outside and oh, the yummy treats!! My sister and I were up at the crack of dawn on Friday AM searching out the deals. I think this practice is WAY overrated. I have done it for many years now and this year might have been my last. People are crazed and it's just too darn much work for a couple dollars!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here is my boy as an adorable scarecrow. Today was the UNICEF parade at school. This is him with a couple of his buddies....the 3 amigos!

... then trick or treating at night! We have enough candy to last us the rest of the year!

... but before the 'gathering of candy' ~ there was the carving of the pumpkins!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Grandparents Rule! (in Sam's world)

2007-09-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it ... my son loves someone more than me ... and of all people, it's my parents. Who won't love chocolate milk every day, no naps and cake every night! Where are the parents that raised me ~ obviously they have loosened up a little. My husband and I got a much-needed reprieve from Sam for 5 days while he visited my parents about 2 hours north our home. He helped Grandma in the garden every day, picked up twigs with Grandpa and had a jolly good time ~ all without me!

However, all good things must come to and end. On Sunday when we picked him up he cried and cried that he wanted to stay! By the time we got home the 5 days of no naps, going to bed late and excitement had caught up with him. MELT DOWN CITY! According to Sam, he will "never stop crying" and aimlessly wandered around the house looking for something he could send to Grandma and Grandpa as a gift (see what lack of sleep does to a 4 yr old!) I am so heartbroken that I am no longer my son's favorite person ~ in fact, I am "mean Mom" many days.

where did the summer go?

2007-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! Has it really been 4 months since my last post? Every year the first week in August our family spends some quality time together camping. This is the first year my 4 year old was really into it! For almost a month before we left, he would ask me on a daily basis "are we going camping after this day?" ... meaning "are we going camping tomorrow?" And every day I'd have to deliver the same message "not tomorrow, honey, but soon."

We spent time swimming, fishing and hiking at Itasca State Park. The day Daddy caught a fish with Sam's $12 Zebco, Sam ran through the campground screaming "Daddy caught a shark" ... actually, it was just a small northern. It probably seemed like a "shark" in Sam's world!

Sam was just a little excited about Grandma and Grandpa's new "camping truck".

To top things off, we bought tickets to see Thomas the Tank Engine the day before we left for camping.... Talk about overload for a 4 year old!! Do you think he had a good time? Nah...

you gotta be kiddin' me...

2007-05-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

OK, love the recipe for Pico de Gallo from my new favorite website Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, but, unless you have a mouth of steel, I would skip the jalapeno seeds....or at least try it first, then add them in later! I made this recipe for a Cinco de Mayo party a couple weekends ago and put three jalapeno, seeds and all in it. There was only one person that really gobbled it down ~ freak. Most people loved it but had a margarita close by to wash it down with! The best part of the recipe is all the fresh, yummy cilantro! I also made the guacamole recipe using the Pico de Gallo and it ROCKED. The avocado helped cool it down. Or...is it possible that I officially have Minnesota taste buds?

my new favorite website...

2007-04-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

A gal from work told me about this awesome website she found ... I guess it's more like a blog....Confessions of a Pioneer Woman.

Is it just me or does Ree have a bizarre obsession with testicles!

Check out some of her recipes ~ I think Pico de Gallo will definitely be on the menu at the Swisher house this weekend! I LOVE the detail to her recipes and the photos...a cookbook without good photos isn't worth the paper it's printed on!

Happy reading...

we love play dates!

2007-04-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Nothing is better on a cold rainy day than a play date with a good friend. Check out some pics from our play date yesterday with our friends Melissa and Shira. We had a great time at the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul. It's just big enough to keep the kids interested but not soooo big that it's overwhelming. We even saw Chloe the sloth at the Tropical Encounters exhibit ... just like Snook from It's A Big, Big World!

The Sunken Garden is amazing! The garden features a red sea of tulips, as well as hydrangeas, peonies, daffodils and lilies. Over 10,000 bulbs and 500 hydrangeas were used to create this wonder treat for the eyes and nose! Sam and Shira loved watching the koi!

what's for dinner, mom?

2007-04-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Do you find yourself dreading these words? I know that I struggle most nights to get something on the table that nutritious and both my son and husband will eat. I've tried a menu service but found the recipes were kind of hit or miss. I love the idea of planning out my menus for a week ~ I just can't seem to master the art of menu planning without some 21st century help. Last night my husband told me about an online menu planner that FREE. Check it out: www.mealsmatter.org Granted, everything is not already done for you ~ like the service I used ~ but with a little effort, I think I can make this work. It even has a feature where you can create your grocery list on-line and print it out before heading to the store. Some of the other features are a women's fitness planner and a personal nutrition planner. It's kinda cool. Now I just need to spend a little time and energy to use it!! Well, I am off to start supper...

going through old photos

2007-04-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wow...going through photos on my computer I found a couple really cute pics of my son. I'm trying to organize all the pictures files and finally get the nerve to delete some!

Tanya Villano is one of my favorite local photographers. She took this b&w photo of my son this past fall.

Check out her website at: www.tanyavillanophotography.com
I love this picture because she was able to document my son just being himself ~ silly. She focused on the candid moments that really captured his awesome personality.