Affectioknit

...A really big surprise...

2012-02-02T06:52:00.001-06:00

Guess what we found under the blue carpet...

...only in the bedrooms...we'll still have to get hardwood for the living room, dining room and hallway...but having it in the bedrooms already is such a blessing...

...this is Scout's room...and yep...there are still a couple of boxes in there...

...housewarming...

2012-02-01T07:57:00.002-06:00

...we've had so many nice people bring by food and housekeeping necessities...

...but I wanted to show you this basket of vegan goodies...

...all locally obtained...

...so happy to be living in a vegan-friendly place...

...and a

BIG THANK YOU

to everyone who's stopped by with welcome wishes!!!

PS...see that little bit of bare floor behind the table...the blue carpet is gone...

...unpacking...really heavy boxes...

2012-01-31T06:59:00.003-06:00

...our AWESOME movers packed the dishes in special dish boxes...

...called dish barrels...

...these boxes full of dishes are very heavy...and they're in the garage...

...so I take some baskets and open a box and unload about 2/3 of it into my baskets...then I can carry the more manageable weight in the baskets upstairs...and finish unpacking...

...clothes are really heavy too...heavier than I would have thought...and the same process applies...

...practically everyone here (except maybe Jack) is still looking for something that is still in one of the boxes in the garage...even though the boxes are labeled it's still a bit of a 'treasure hunt'...

PS...have I mentioned that there's carpet in the kitchen (you can see it in the picture above)...ICK...

...unpacking...and contac paper...

2012-01-30T08:25:00.003-06:00

...you may well be asking yourself what those two things could possibly have in common...

...well...the latter must be removed before the former can be accomplished...

...using a hair dryer to soften the glue I started pulling contac paper off the kitchen cabinet shelves...as there really seemed no point in unpacking the dishes and then moving them out again to remove the contac paper...

...so imagine my surprise when I found little bits of another older design beneath the top layer of sticky paper...and sometimes full sheets of it...so just double the time that it takes to pull that gummy stuff off...and you pretty much have my whole weekend...

...and when I finally got all the contac paper off the shelves were still sticky...and they were still sticky after a good wash...

...so I just lined them with tea towels...for now...when I find my sewing machine and have a little more time...I'll fashion some proper liners from a nice cotton...striped I think...

...and then I got on with the business at hand...

...so how's Jack doing?...

2012-01-28T08:05:00.002-06:00

...some of you have sweetly asked how our Jack-Jack is adjusting...

...just fine...

...he has certainly landed in a dog loving neighborhood...

...other people's things...

2012-01-27T08:53:00.010-06:00

...I wonder...

...about the things that get left behind when we move from one place to another...this little Bible was left all by itself in a kitchen drawer...

...I love it...the verses she chose...the DATE...the childish crayon scribbles...

...we bought this home from an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife and moved into a nursing home...and they just left some things behind...

...these things were all left in the kitchen cabinet beneath the drawer with the Bible in it...

...I love the mixer...Yep...I plugged it in and it still works...it's heavy though...

...and the coffee percolator...with the little baggie of cords...surely one of them fits the percolator...

...and the sweet pitcher...I think maybe she collected antiques...some of the items still have little estate sale type tags...

...in the bathroom...her drawers were left intact...I'm thinking it may have been too painful for him to go through some of her things...

...it makes me wonder...what did we leave behind in North Dakota...

...a few (scary) 'befores'...the blue carpet version

2012-01-26T07:54:00.006-06:00

...you may want to shield your eyes...these are some pretty bright images...

...the Man chose/bought this house for it's 'good bones'...and also for the nice neighborhood...

...not it's decor...obviously...

...there's a lovely bright blue carpet throughout the upstairs...

...it will be (one of) the first things to go...love the fireplace though...

...guest room...blue carpet...check...

...master bedroom...blue carpet...check...

...hallway...blue carpet...check...

...some people could probably take this colour and run with it...bright bold colours and some matching/coordinating furniture...but I'm not that person...I want neutral colours and white walls...at least the walls are white...

...some more new things...the Organic version...

2012-01-25T09:01:00.006-06:00

...remember how I used to lament that the health food store in ND was 90 miles away...

...now it's about 1.5 miles away...and it's not even a Health Food store...I got all this at my corner grocery...so YAY!

...First Days in West Virginia...

2012-01-24T08:17:00.006-06:00

...Scout and I had a nice flight to our new state...three flights...actually...and leaving North Dakota - the plane's de-icer sensor was not working properly...so we were 45 minutes late leaving...de-icing is extremely important though...so I'm not complaining that they fixed it before we took off...but it gave us only 15 minutes to make our connection in Minneapolis...

...everything else went smoothly...

...our first glimpse of the new Church...

...a little bit more in focus...we passed the Church first on our way to our new house...

...our first glimpse of the new house...

...the new backyard...it's so nice to be back in the hills...smelling familiar smells and hearing familiar sounds...

...home...

...last days in North Dakota...

2012-01-23T08:04:00.002-06:00

...Scout and I spent our final days in North Dakota at a friend's farm...

...it was like being on retreat...

...we had a lovely soft sticky snow...and temperatures dipped well below zero...so we had a nice taste of North Dakota winter before we left...

...just a few peaceful days before all the NEW starts in West Virginia...

...it was lovely...

...Last Things...

2012-01-21T07:58:00.001-06:00

...wanna know what's the very last thing I did before I locked the parsonage and left the keys at the church...

...I took a picture of the wall where we marked Scout's growth through the years that we lived here...

...Oh my...how he's grown...

Karate Purple Belt

2012-01-20T07:07:00.006-06:00

...we had a couple of reasons to stay in ND a bit longer than the Man...so that Scout could complete the semester at his school...

...and so that he could complete his purple belt test at Karate...

...this test was originally scheduled for Saturday...so we purchased plane tickets for Monday...then the test got pushed out a week...

...and we were like "YIKES"...after all our planning he's going to miss the test anyway...

...but Sensei graciously changed the date of just Scout's test so that he could test before we moved...

...all the reugular components were there...the pattern...sparring...terminology...and the other students participated as a practice test instead of a real test...

...Scout passed to purple...

...and Sensei gave us a couple of options for dojos to look for in our new home...

...Click here to see a much smaller Scout pass to purple at Tae Kwon Do...aaahhh the memories...

Hi from WV...

2012-01-19T07:16:00.006-06:00

Sorry to be off-line for so long...we're just wading through a sea of boxes here...and there's so much to be done before I can even put some of it away...

...but first the move...

...the Man left early with a few fragile things and all the critters...'Mander...Sir Isaac (the newt)...and Catty...the Cat Fish...remember all the other fish went back to the pet store...

...then Scout and I finished packing up the house...

...and the movers came...

...what a great group of guys we had for movers...and they couldn't have asked for better weather..it was about 35° above zero...and it could have been 35° below just as easily...

...last year by this time in January...we'd had 4 blizzards and the fence was completely covered in snow...

...after they left...

...we said a few more good-byes...and cleaned the empty house...so very sad...

...we...mostly Scout...has a few more things to finish up before we can leave ND...more on that later...

My Memories Digital Scrapbook Page Giveaway...Page 3

2012-01-14T08:21:00.001-06:00

...this is the final set of giveaway pages...

..just click on the photo to be taken to My Memories website...and then download your free template...

Please note that all of these are .png files only, not MyMemories Suite Templates. They are usable in any software. These freebies include 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. Just open in any editing software and then layer your photo behind the open box. From there you can add journaling, embellishments and more to truly personalize!!

I hope you'll try these out! These are fast and fun, and a great way to embellish your photos. You may not think you can "scrapbook" - but with Quick Pages it is easy to just layer your photos behind the page, add a little journaling, and voila - ready for printing or saving for the web!

...and don't forget to use the code STMMMS45453 when you order from My Memories...

...my next post will be coming to you LIVE from our new home state of West Virginia...

My Memories Digital Scrapbook Page Giveaway...Page 2

2012-01-13T08:21:00.001-06:00

...another set of pages from My Memories

..just click on the photo to be taken to My Memories website...and then download your free template...

Please note that all of these are .png files only, not MyMemories Suite Templates. They are usable in any software. These freebies include 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. Just open in any editing software and then layer your photo behind the open box. From there you can add journaling, embellishments and more to truly personalize!!

I hope you'll try these out! These are fast and fun, and a great way to embellish your photos. You may not think you can "scrapbook" - but with Quick Pages it is easy to just layer your photos behind the page, add a little journaling, and voila - ready for printing or saving for the web!

...and don't forget to use the code STMMMS45453 when you order from My Memories...

...check back tomorrow for another set of free pages...

My Memories Digital Scrapbook Page Giveaway...Page 1

2012-01-12T08:13:00.001-06:00

Over the next three days...as we are busy moving...I have some Digital Scrapbook pages to giveaway...Courtesy of My Memories Digital Scrapbook...

..just click on the photo to be taken to My Memories website...and then download your free template...

Please note that all of these are .png files only, not MyMemories Suite Templates. They are usable in any software. These freebies include 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. Just open in any editing software and then layer your photo behind the open box. From there you can add journaling, embellishments and more to truly personalize!!

I hope you'll try these out! These are fast and fun, and a great way to embellish your photos. You may not think you can "scrapbook" - but with Quick Pages it is easy to just layer your photos behind the page, add a little journaling, and voila - ready for printing or saving for the web!

...and don't forget to use the code STMMMS45453 when you order from My Memories...

...check back tomorrow for another set of free pages...

...Southern Sampler...

2012-01-11T08:19:00.005-06:00

...this was one of the Man's presents...he loves the old Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs shows...and his Blue Grass Band once opened for and played with Lester Flatt (years ago)...

...anywhooo...the old shows were sponsored by Martha White Flour...with Hot Rise...and in each program they had an advert with a recipe...so I was searching online for some of their booklets for a present for the Man...I didn't find any...but I did find this compilation book of recipes...

...and since we still need quick breakfast ideas for Scout here in ND for a few more days...we decided to whip up a batch of Cinnamon Biscuits for breakfast...

...hardly anything could have been quicker...a pretty marble-y dough...

...and with the wonder of 'Hot Rise'...by the time Scout was out of the shower we had lovely fragrant sweetly iced cinnamon biscuits...

...they were really good...or to quote Flatt and Scruggs...'Goodness, gracious, sakes alive . . . they're good!'

...winter moon...

2012-01-10T07:55:00.005-06:00

...our last full moon in North Dakota...

Mom's Black Walnut Pound Cake...the Vegan Version

2012-01-09T08:00:00.002-06:00

...of course there was a big covered dish dinner at Church to celebrate the last 6 and 1/2 years with our Pastor (affectioknit-ly known here as the Man)...

...and so...also of course...I needed a really special dish to take to the dinner...and I decided on Mom's Black Walnut Pound Cake...I think I've told you before how, as a Girl Scout - many years ago, I was so proud that my Mom brought this cake to the Bake Sale...as it was the first thing to sell and for the highest price too...
...anywhooo...I left the photo of Mom's recipe large so you can print it out like that if you want to...

...and not wanting to have a mess in my oven again...like I did back at Easter when I made this cake...I buttered (with Earth Balance) and floured my fancy cake pan...and another little loaf pan...just to be on the safe side...

...I had to scrape the jar to get enough coconut oil to substitute for the shortening...

...I creamed together the Earth Balance and Coconut Oil and the sugar...

...then I added the egg replacer and started adding the flour...

...you add the flour and nut mixture - this sort of releases even more walnut-y goodness into the cake...then you fold in the last of the nuts without mixing - so you have some whole nut pieces in there too...

...bake at 325° for a long time - until cake tests done...I baked mine on a cookie sheet...just in case...

...cool in the pan for about 1/2 hour and then turn your perfect cake onto a platter...

The Vegan Version of 'Mom's Black Walnut Pound Cake'
1 cup of Coconut Oil
1/2 lb. of vegan margarine...I used Earth Balance
Egg Substitute to equal 5 eggs - about a cup of flax seed goo mixed with about 5 teaspoons of EnerG egg replacer
3 cups Turbinado Sugar
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Black Walnut flavoring
1 cup Evaporated Milk - recipe here - or do like I do and add powdered soy milk to soy milk - or just double the amount of powder mixed with water.
1 cup Black Walnuts

Cream margarine and Coconut Oil. Add sugar and beat well until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer and beat well. Add flavoring. Mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1/2 of the nuts. Sift rest of flour and dry ingredients and add, alternating flour with nuts and beat well, starting and ending with flour. Fold in the remaining nuts, do not beat. Bake in greased and floured cake pan(s), or in a tube pan, 1 hour and 20 minutes or until - at 325° F.

...a few little things before we go...

2012-01-07T09:04:00.009-06:00

...with just a little bit over a week before we go...I was cleaning out my photos and I found that I had never posted these...of the house numbers we made for this little house that we love so well...

...you see...it never had any in the 6 and 1/2 years we lived here...there were very faded numbers on the mailbox that we replaced...(and we did put numbers on the new mailbox as well...but they're hard to see from the street)...

...so...on one of my trips to drop things off at the Second Chance store...I spied this lovely little whatever it is...and thought it'd be perfect for some house numbers...

...so I got those at the local Stuff-Mart...and arranged them on the board...

...drilled some pilot holes for the tiny little screws...

...not sure why the tone of this picture is so different...but that's all the little holes...

...and screwed the numbers into place...and in about 5 minutes and for less than $5 we have some pretty house numbers to leave for the new pastor...

...here it is hanging between the garage doors...I was going to put it by the front door...but it wouldn't be visible from the street there...

...we also put one of the reflective green number signs by the road...it may get covered with snow...in years past this fence was completely covered...but this year...who knows...
...you can see that most of the snow that Scout was shoveling the other day is gone...this has been such a weird winter so far...

...Epiphany...

2012-01-06T08:09:00.001-06:00

...tonight the Magi will come...

...this is the only part Christmas we still have...all of the other decorations have already been packed...and the tree is outside by the road waiting for the citywide pickup...

...shoveling...

2012-01-05T08:03:00.002-06:00

...Scout's been shoveling the snow here...and he'll probably still have that job when we move...we were checking the WV weather...and saw that they had about as much snow as we do here...

...Glass Drinking Straws...

2012-01-04T08:22:00.002-06:00

...this was another one of my Christmas presents...and I thought it deserved it's own post...

...you know how we're trying to eliminate plastic from anything that touches our food...nice bokeh...eh?...

...and especially acidic foods like orange juice...and even tea is slightly acidic...and we all know how much tea I drink daily...

...so we got a set of glass drinking straws...and we love them...I like that they're washable and reusable...and they're even guaranteed not to break...

...they're from GlassStraws.com...

We have ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

2012-01-02T08:14:00.002-06:00

...we finally have some snow again...

...just a few inches...and it blew...so it's plastered to the west side of the tree...

...it made for a lovely quiet foggy morning...

...and the first time this year that the snow removal guys have had to plow the Church parking lot...

...a Day on the (frozen) Lake...

2011-12-31T13:39:00.004-06:00

...we spent a day on the lake with the Boy Scouts and Search and Rescue...

...we had the opportunity to ride in the air boat that the local Search and Rescue Team uses to rescue people stranded on the ice...or who have fallen through...see the previous post on what to do if you car goes into the water...

...it took a while to get the boat unloaded and turned around...

...it was a bright and sunny day...and with no snow on the ice it was like a sheet of glass...

...so the boys were busy horsing around on the ice while the men got the boat ready...

...the first group dons their life vests...

...and heads out onto the frozen lake...

...one of the Search and Rescue guys dons a special wetsuit and walks out onto the ice to see if he can break through...then the guys in the boat were going to do a little practice rescue...but he couldn't break through as the ice was already too thick...I was surprised as it's been so mild here this winter...but he said it was probably 8 inches thick...

...the view out the back through the propellers - you have to give 500 feet of clearance behind the boat...it really kicks up some dust and rocks...and it's really loud...we all wore hearing protection...and the S & R guys wore the same type of speaker headsets that pilots wear...

...the fancy gps system that shows our track on the lake...

...the view out the front...

...and the boys were thrilled that we finally broke through the ice out in the middle of the lake...it was exciting...and we were so glad we were in a boat when we broke through and not a car...whew!

Packing...Packing...and more Packing...

2011-12-30T08:27:00.005-06:00

...it seems like that's all we've been doing lately...

...there are boxes everywhere...

...I'm not really sure how Scout is getting into his closet...I guess he squeezes behind those boxes...and his big aquarium stands empty...we loaded up all of his tropical fish and took them back to Petco...I was so amazed and happy that they would take them back - we just called ahead and they set up a quarantine tank - she said they'd have no trouble re-selling the fish so they were happy to take them back...relief...fish are very difficult to move anytime...but especially in January...

...so our life pretty much consists of packing and trips to the Second Chance store to get rid of things we don't need anymore...that's one good thing about moving...at least...you do go through all of your 'stuff' and really get rid of what you don't need anymore...

...and man oh man...do we have a full social calendar right now too...

Christmas Winner...

2011-12-29T07:50:00.002-06:00

...that would be me...in that I won this awesome giveaway from At Home with Michelle...

...three pretty sparkly ornaments...and one of them says Peace!...

...and the little card to the right - that I didn't quite get into the photo...is a $15 gift card to Target...and in just a few more weeks I'll live in a town that actually has a Target...so that will be nice and fun to use...

...a great BIG THANK YOU to Michelle for hosting this awesome giveaway!

...the year without a White Christmas...

2011-12-28T10:56:00.006-06:00

...have I mentioned that we have no snow at all...

...and we didn't have a White Christmas for the first time since we moved here...even the old-timers can't remember a year like this...with temperatures in the 30s and no snow (we had some back in November and thought for sure that we'd have snow at Christmas...but that was not to be)...and it's our last Christmas here in North Dakota...

...so the day after Christmas...the Man and a friend got together and took down Scout's old swing set...it was getting pretty rusty and rickety...and after so many hours and hours of use it was just plain worn out...and we were worried that it might be a safety hazard for the new pastor's family...

...I was sort of sad to see it go...it was such a reminder of our little Scout...

...an Antique Christmas...

2011-12-27T08:18:00.001-06:00

...I got a few little antique-y things for Christmas as well...

...these candle holders...they're from the 1876 Cape Cod Collection by Avon...

...I can remember the Avon woman calling on my Mom back in the 70s...

...often she would leave little Avon catalogs...and I remember the fancy red dishes that were featured in the booklets...

...and this little blue banded yellow ware bowl...

...it has a chip in the rim and in the bottom...

...but neither affect its functionality...I love it...it's so cute...

...and finally two Gay Fad Fire King bowls...

...hand painted at the Gay Fad Studio...

Christmas Waffles...

2011-12-26T09:35:00.003-06:00

...of course we got up early on Christmas morning...

...we made Christmas Waffles...because you need a hearty breakfast to make it through all that present opening...

...I've posted the Waffle Recipe before...

...I love these crispy, chewy, sweet waffles...I usually just eat mine with some Earth Balance...

...both the boys prefer theirs with some syrup...

...such a sweet and yummy start to a beautiful day...

...Jack was the first one to start opening presents...he had a lot of fun trying to get into his stocking...

...Scout opened his stocking first...as always...it was chock full of Ender's Game books...the first five...highly recommended by Karen...thanks Sis!...

...this year's gold wrapped Santa present...a Garmin GPS...just like the ones we used on the Pembina Gorge campout...

...Scout loves it...

...then the Man and I opened a few gifts...

...I'll show you some more tomorrow....

...but I love my new travel mug...it's ceramic and it holds about 2 cups of tea...and it's just begging for a little knitted cozy isn't it...?

I hope y'all had a lovely Christmas with your families as well!

Christmas Light Show...

2011-12-25T06:32:00.007-06:00

...we all piled into the car (even Jack) and took our annual drive around the neighborhood looking for pretty Christmas lights...

...this tradition started when Scout was pretty little...as a way to keep him occupied on Christmas Eve...when he was so excited for Christmas to be here...he'd have a bath and put his jammies on and we'd strap him into his carseat and drive around in the dark looking at all the houses with Christmas music playing...and by the time we got home he'd be really sleepy...and we'd just tuck him in bed...

...of course now...none of us wear jammies...and none of us get very sleepy either...but it's still a nice family tradition...that we enjoy every year...

...we saw lots of pretty lights...

...but we're always happy to drive back up in our own little driveway and see our own cozy little home...

...be it ever so humble...

...wishing you all a very Merry Christmas...

Childrens' Christmas Program

2011-12-24T11:52:00.000-06:00

...you'd never believe the chaos back in the Sunday School rooms this morning would turn into a lovely program...

...but somehow that magically happens every year...

...looking forward to the candlelight service tonight...

Kids Christmas Shopping

2011-12-23T08:09:00.003-06:00

...the kids are out of school for Christmas break...

...and our LYO and the Sunday School children went on their annual shopping spree...

...and bought lots of presents for needy children in our area...

...we brought everything back to the Church and wrapped it up...

...this is so much fun...

...we have adult helpers on hand...but usually the kids want to do the wrapping themselves...

...like the presents they've picked (each one perfect for the recipient)...the wrapping is perfect too...

...we even had one little girl who was sick...she had come to Church and was so sad that she was too sick to be able to go shopping...she was crying as she left...so I asked her what she would buy for a little girl and told her we would be sure to get just what she said for a little girl on our list...her choices...a baby blue top and some Twighlight Mist perfume...so of course we found just those things...and wrapped them up for her...

...they carried all the presents into the Sanctuary and placed them around the Chrismon tree...

...lovely...

...C.G.E.S.P. ...or P.G.S.E.C...

2011-12-22T09:30:00.002-06:00

...the Man had enlisted a few children to help with a sermon illustration at our Advent service last night...

...Called...
...Gathered...
...Enlightened...
...Sanctified...
...Preserved...

...it was adorably cute...

...Elving...

2011-12-21T07:59:00.001-06:00

...amidst all the packing...I've been working on a few little handmade gifties...

...these have been sent on their way...I love a handmade Christmas...don't you?...

...gifts are arriving...

2011-12-20T08:05:00.003-06:00

...every day now...the doorbell rings...

...and the postman...or man in brown...or flower deliverer...arrives...

...and we have new gifties to place under the tree...

...and brown boxes that open to prettier boxes...

...full of delicious things...

...and we have sunny fruit to brighten our days...

...and pretty greenery too...

...hoping you are enjoying the gifts of the season...

...Facebook version of Jesus' Birth...

2011-12-19T09:42:00.004-06:00

...have you seen this yet?...

...loved it...

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway Winner...

2011-12-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

...and the winner is...

11:34 AM
Kristina said...
I love the Gingerbread Land template!

...this sure was a fun giveaway...I'm still loving this software package...and I'm planning on making a Christmas scrapbook right away this year...instead of 5 years from now when I get around to it...

SEW MAMA SEW GIVEAWAY WINNERS!...

2011-12-19T07:58:00.000-06:00

...without further ado...

...the winners are:

8:35 PM
Stephanie and Carlos said...
My theme is recycled! I made some wreathes from curtain rings and they are so freakin adorable!!

xo Steph

6:44 PM
Judi said...
I love the ornaments my kids have made or given me the most - ones with a meaning behind them.

4:53 PM
bassenav said...
My favorite ornaments are the trees my 4 yr old daughter has made over the last few years. Most of them have googly eyes all over them! They always make me smile!

6:36 PM
Jeanne said...
I have to say my favorite ornament ever was the "coal shovel" that my dad used that my sister had painted in a rustic country Christmas Theme. It still makes me tear up every Christmas when it comes out for display.

...it really was a lot of fun reading about everyone's favorite ornaments...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

...Here we come a caroling...

2011-12-17T11:01:00.000-06:00

...the LYO went caroling and took the cookies that they had baked to all of our shut-ins...

...we had a lot of fun...it was cold and snowy...and FUN!...

...a Post Office Tour...

2011-12-16T08:38:00.001-06:00

...one of the requirements for the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge is to tour a Federal Facility...

...and so we chose to tour the most convenient one...the local Post Office...

...the Postmaster met us in the lobby...

...and took us behind the closed door marked 'Employees only'...

...we saw where and how the mail is sorted before it's sent out...

...and the loading dock where the trucks come in laden with incoming mail and get loaded with outgoing mail...

...and where the mail carriers do their final sorting before delivery...

...and we even got to tour one of the trucks...

...I've never been inside a Post Office before and it was certainly interesting...there's even a private walkway above the entire facility - accessible from outside that the Postal Inspector uses in secret...

...just one more thing to love about the Boys Scouts...

...a simple wedding...

2011-12-15T09:26:00.005-06:00

...last night...as a pastor's wife...I got to be a part of something that I had only read about...

...an evening wedding...with just the couple...and a couple of their close friends as witnesses...I won't go into any of the details of the situation...but it's all very sweet...they called the Man...and asked if he could do a quick wedding ceremony for them after Church on Wednesday...

...so of course I immediately set about trying to make it as special as possible...

...I stopped at the local second chance store...and bought a couple of toasting glasses...and embellished them with some little 'Bride' and 'Groom' tags...

...then I baked a white cake (vegan of course)...and frosted it kinda pretty...

...I looked for some sort of topper...I didn't want to go with the traditional Bride and Groom toppers as this wasn't really that sort of a wedding...and I found this little ceramic potpourri holder...it says "Wishing you a lifetime of love"...sweet...

...the Man did a traditional wedding ceremony...and I played a short prelude and recessional on the piano...

...and we all rejoined in the fellowship hall for some refreshments...

...the Bride and Groom cut their cake...

...and we all toasted their happiness...

...I felt a bit like I was part of an Andy Griffith show...it was sweet and simple and fun and memorable too...as all weddings should be...

A Christmas Concert...

2011-12-14T08:21:00.002-06:00

We went to Scout's Christmas Band Concert...

...he is First Chair...aaahhh...I remember band tryouts and how important the coveted First Chair was...I however only ever made it to Second...

...Scout said they had held a tryout for his replacement as First Chair when he leaves for WV in January...and that the teacher let him help her judge...I thought that was so sweet and made him feel special...

...and now for your listening pleasure...

...more...

...I was surprised that they actually played Christmas carols and not just generic holiday themed music...

...they take a bow...

2011 Peace Ornament...

2011-12-13T08:39:00.001-06:00

...we're still packing like crazy around here...pretty soon we'll be living out of boxes...

...but I couldn't let the Christmas season pass without making an ornament...or two...or three...to commemorate the year...right?...

...so I sketched out my design...and then went in search of materials...and found these sort of particle board pieces already cut into neat squares in the garage (which we're in the process of cleaning and packing up by the way)...I have no idea what they were used for...but they were here when we moved in...and they were about to be thrown away...there's a whole stack of them...

...so I lined up 4 and traced my pattern on the top one...I think 4 is about the limit I can easily cut through with my coping saw...

...then we also had a couple of tubes of caulk that were about to be thrown out too...and I thought I could use that for some dimensional effects...

...I just squirted a bunch onto the wooden ornament and smoothed it with my fingers...

...then I gave them a quick coat of white primer...and painted the little dimensional cap silver...

...next I painted the body of the ornament blue...

...even the back...

...then with a dry brush...I lightly brushed on some walnut stain...for a little antique-y effect...

...then back to the tube of caulk for some snowflakes...I made a pattern of dots...

...and then using a straight pin...I pulled the caulk to the middle to connect them...

...then I wrote 'Peace' on them (my favorite Christmas word)...

...gave them a quick coat of high gloss...

...sprinkled on some glitter...

...and they were done...

...except for the hanger...which I hot glued to the back...

...it's just a circle of beading wire...

...and now they're done...

...you can win one here...

...Peace be with you this Christmas...

SEW~MAMA~SEW GIVEAWAY DAY!

2011-12-12T07:49:00.001-06:00

...it's time once again for the Sew~Mama~Sew Giveaway day...

..Up for grabs we have a few of this year's Peace ornaments...

...I'll post a tutorial tomorrow too...

...Just:

1) Leave a comment below:

- you can say anything really - but one of the tips at Sew~Mama~Sew was for me to give you a suggestion...what was the theme of your favorite ever Christmas ornament?...obviously mine is 'Peace'...

or for a couple of extra entries - I know you're busy visiting a bunch of giveaways today - you can also:

2) Become a follower...or leave another comment saying you're already a follower...
3) Post about the giveaway on your blog...
4) Tweet or Facebook...

I will ship internationally and I'll choose the winner randomly!

Very best wishes to you all!

...AND THEN for a chance to WIN an awesome Digital Scrapbooking Suite from My Memories...CLICK HERE!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway...

2011-12-10T09:40:00.000-06:00

...this is my first ever commercial giveaway...

...and you know that I would never do that for a product that I didn't absolutely love!...

My Memories offered to give me a copy of their digital scrapbooking software...AND...a copy to give to one of my readers...

...y'all know how cautious I am about online offers...but I clicked on their link and had a look-see at their software...and I was so impressed that I replied yes...downloaded the software and gave it a try...

...and...let me tell you...it was so easy...

...I really didn't think that I would ever become a digital scrapbooker...I've been scrapbooking with scissors and paper for years...but I'm afraid I may be hooked...this was just TOO EASY...and the results...well...I'll let you see for yourself...

...I got started right away with one of their templates...so easy...

...I changed the colours...they have lots to choose from...and different patterned papers as well...I'm doing the Grand Canyon trip...so I'm using mostly desert colours...I love it!...

...uploading and cropping the pictures couldn't have been easier...

...I loved the layout...and it was so easy to add text too...

...I've only been working on this scrapbook about 10 minutes and I have THREE pages done already...

...a few more clicks and another page is done...

...all of the pages are available at the bottom for easy editing too...

...another page complete...easie...peasie...

...next...I went back to their site and downloaded a bunch of free templates...and played with those for a few minutes...

...in no time at all I had created a pretty family Christmas card...sadly we've not taken our family Christmas photo yet this year...but it's super simple to insert a photo...

...and I just couldn't stop there...I downloaded some free Christmas tags and printed those out...this is so much fun!...

...I am so impressed with My Memories Suite software...

...If you've been wanting to try digital scrapbooking software this is your chance...

...BUT WAIT...there's even more...you can use this coupon code STMMMS45453 for an extra $10 off of anything on their site...

For your first chance to win:

1) Visit - just choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then come back and comment on which ones you chose...

...and for a couple of extra entries...you can...

2) Become a follower...or leave another comment saying you're already a follower...
3) Post about the giveaway on your blog...
4) Tweet or Facebook...

I will choose a winner randomly next Friday!

GIVEAWAY DAY!

2011-12-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

...it's coming...and of course I'll be participating...

...somehow...I've missed out on all the hype this year...it should really be a lot of fun!...

...come back Monday for the big Giveaway!...

...also...you can enter the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway...it runs through next Friday...

...Yellow Christmas Cactus...

2011-12-08T08:38:00.005-06:00

...it's still really cold and frosty here...and the windows are still frosted...but the sun is shining...

...you've seen my Christmas Cactus before...it's the regular red variety...

...recently one of our parishioners gave us another Christmas Cactus...and it's YELLOW...

...and it's blooming...just in time for Christmas...

...I've never seen a yellow Christmas Cactus...have you?

Hospice Tree Lighting...

2011-12-07T08:02:00.001-06:00

...we went to the hospital...

...and stood out in the cold...

...to participate in the Hospice Tree Lighting again this year...the Man did the readings...

...we lit our candles...

...and sang a song...

...this is a lovely and very meaningful...one of the lights on the tree was for Daddy...

...Here and Now...

2011-12-06T08:58:00.001-06:00

...we've dipped into the negative numbers as far as temperatures go for the first time this year...-3° F = -19.4° C...

...the windows are frosted...and we're bracing for a really chilly day...

...O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree...

2011-12-05T08:03:00.001-06:00

...well, I'm certainly a little bit behind...but on December 1st, we finally did get our tree decorated...

...I think this is the only year that we haven't done the tree the day after Thanksgiving...although we did buy it that day...and it was perfuming the house with Christmas-y scent since then...but with all the packing going on we just didn't get it decorated...it's just sort of hard to pull things out of boxes...when you're trying to put things into boxes...

...we have a picture like this of Scout every year...since he was two I think...he's been putting the topper on the tree...of course then he was supported by his Papa...oh...the sweet memories of Christmases past...

...we're really trying to keep things simple (even more so than usual) this Christmas...as we try to get things packed and ready to go to West Virginia amid all of the usual Advent busy-ness...but, we keep accepting invitations...as we know how important all of the good-byes are...so the packing sometimes gets pushed to the middle of the night...and that's sort of fun too...as the Man and I talk quietly while Scout sleeps...and discuss plans for our new home as we're packing...

...New Socks...

2011-12-03T09:12:00.001-06:00

...I just realized that I'd not ever shown you these completed socks when I put them on this morning...

...they've been finished for a while...and I've already worn them a couple of times...they go really well with jeans and a lime green sweater my Mom gave me a couple of years ago...

...they're pretty short anklets...and I should have made them taller as I have lots of yarn left over...oh well...

...I still love them and with this melange of colours they will go with just about anything...

...I've started packing the craft supplies so I'm not sure I'll be doing much more knitting before we move...I think I'll just keep out some cotton and make dishcloths...I don't want to start any big complicated projects until after we move...

...and of course I've been searching the web for yarn shops in our new hometown...found a couple too...YAY!

...Happy Chaos...

2011-12-02T08:20:00.000-06:00

...that's what's going on with LYO lately...as we near the end of the year...

...we're getting ready for our annual Christmas Caroling Cookie Delivery trip...

...so we gathered in the kitchen to bake some cookies...

..it was loud and warm and lots of fun...

...we made peppermint cake balls too...

...that was new for this year...and the kids had a lot of fun with it...

...we had quite the assembly line going...

...from mixing to baking to cooling...

...and we rotated the 1st years out of the assembly line briefly to make their shirts...we used the same freezer paper stenciling that we've used before...

...and then everyone got to rotate out and make a Christmas card to attach to the cookies...

...we just used a simple stamp and the kids each coloured it in...

...I am going to miss this group of kids SO MUCH!...we've had a lot of fun together...

...Search and Rescue Presents...

2011-12-01T08:03:00.003-06:00

...WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CAR GOES INTO THE WATER...

...some very nice gentlemen from the local Search and Rescue did a presentation at our church on just that...

...cars go into the water here 5 or 6 times a year on average...and it's just a good thing to be prepared...or at least have some idea of what you would do in that emergency...it could happen anywhere...remember I-35W...

...they showed us the equipment they use to get to a car under the water...and often under the ice as well...YIKES!...

...some of their advice surprised me...

...did you know?

...your electric windows and door locks WILL almost certainly still work even under the water...

...you should leave your seatbelt fastened so that you won't get disoriented if the car turns upside down...things will still be where you expect them to be if you're fastened in your seat...

...roll down your window or open your door...as you probably won't be able to hold your breath until the pressure equalizes enough so that you will be able to open the door from the inside...

...when you get out of the car you probably won't be able to see...and it might be difficult to determine which way is up...so let a couple of bubbles of air out of your mouth and follow those up to the surface...

...here are a couple of videos:

Inside a Sinking Car

Mythbusters Sinking Car

Mythbusters Sinking Car Episode

Mythbusters Inverted Car Underwater - Multiple Parts

...anywhoo...scary stuff...

...they gave us one of the little glass breaking seatbelt cutting tools...cool...
...you just have to put it somewhere that it won't move around if the car flips...and then remember where it is and not to panic...

...Be Prepared...Stay Safe...

...Stuff-A-Truck...

2011-11-30T08:41:00.001-06:00

...it's that time of year again...

...when all of the food collected at our local grocery store needs to be transported to the local food bank...

...so 'who ya gonna call?' to get that job done...the Boy Scouts...of course...

...this year there were probably more monetary donations than actual food...also a very good thing...

...and guess what...the boys were actually interviewed and appeared on the local news...

...so the boys got busy loading all of the food into carts...

...the local newscaster videotaped several segments of the action...I know Maria is going to be so jealous of our close proximity to a newscaster...

...the stuffing of the truck...

...more video taping...

...the UN-stuffing of the truck...

...and the stuffing of the local food bank...it's a very good thing...and so needed during the Holiday season...

...one more thing...

2011-11-29T07:51:00.001-06:00

...I'm going to miss a lot...

...the wide open prairie views of sunsets and sunrises here...

...a very busy weekend ... and a 20 mile hike...

2011-11-28T08:08:00.014-06:00

...of course we got our Christmas Tree and set it up on Friday...

...that's all...it still looks exactly like that...we've been too busy to decorate...

...we knew once we announced the move that we'd be visiting with a lot of people...and for that we're thankful...spending time with people now will make the leaving a little easier...

...so I made the Vegan Tofu Chocolate Mousse Pie to take to a little after Thanksgiving gathering...it's always a big hit and you should try it if you haven't already...this time I made it with my homemade vegan chocolate chips...except that I didn't make the chips...I just mixed it up and blended it with the tofu...that's it...so easy...

...then as soon as the Scoutmaster (who also goes to our Church) found out that we were moving...he scheduled the final hike (a 20 mile one) for this weekend so that Scout can finish his Hiking Merit Badge before we move...super nice of him wasn't it...

...the hike was planned for a few trips around the bike path...and we started at 9 AM...

...there was some blowing snow...I thought it was interesting how the wind blew the snow off the path...but left our footprints...

...only two boys accepted the challenge...as it was 30° F (-1° C) and the wind was blowing 35 mph...

...so that means that it feels like 14° F (-10° C)...and it was quite chilly...so we dressed warmly...

...still there was lots of horsing around...

...the boys took every opportunity to walk on the frozen sloughs instead of the path...

...even though we cautioned them that it was more difficult to walk on the slough...and might wear them out more quickly...

...still the lure of the frozen slough was overpowering...and they even went exploring far from the path...

...more rowdy fun...

...throwing snowballs...they never seemed to tire of this...

...every time they passed a bush...they laid down on it to rest...so funny...

...I was actually enjoying the stark weather and light...

...when we walked behind the Catholic School...there was a pile of snow...

...with a partial tunnel that had to be explored...

...and then a train snowplow...

...past the water tower...

...more exploring...

...the wind never let up...

...more resting in bushes...

...another bare tree...it's too cold of course...but it would be fun to do some sketches...

...past the soccer field and more horsing around...

...snow angels on a frozen pond...

...but as the afternoon wore on there was more resting as well...

...crossing the railroad tracks...I love looking up and down railroads don't you...they seem to go on forever and beckon you to travel on them...

...or to lay down and rest beside them apparently...

...through a small grove of trees...

...walking the tracks...

...the sun is setting and we have about 2.5 miles to go...

...so the Man brought Jack to us so he could walk with us...and so we wouldn't have to walk him when we got home...so thankful for this...

...we walk through a residential neighborhood and enjoy the Christmas lights...

...it's getting pretty dark now...

...and it's completely dark when we finish the 20 mile hike at 5:45...so it took us 8 hours and 15 minutes to hike 20 miles...we took a half hour break at 10 miles for lunch...

...we needn't have worried that the hike would be too boring...the boys found plenty of interesting things to see and do...

...so glad to have this hike and merit badge finished...the hikers only need to complete their worksheets and have a Board of Review and Scout will get his Merit Badge before we move...

...and I learned a lot...I learned that 20 miles is really a long long way to walk...I learned that a 35 mph wind will make you really cold...and I learned that boys will have fun no matter what...

We're Moving...

2011-11-26T08:26:00.001-06:00

...I'm so glad I can finally let y'all in on a BIG secret...we'll be leaving our upper midwest home in mid-January and moving to the mountains of West Virginia...

...it's all happened so very quickly...but I couldn't tell y'all until we'd let the congregation know...and all that...nothing bad has happened we just want to be closer to our families in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina...now we'll be within an easy one day drive...

...I can't begin to tell you how emotional this all is...we've left a few congregations during our lives...but none that we were as loathe to leave as this one...we were welcomed as family here and it hurts a lot of people that we're leaving...when we moved here the Bishop likened the relationship between a pastor and his church to a marriage...so for some people this is almost like a divorce...it's a very painful process even if they wish us the very best...

...there is so much I'm going to miss here...and I've already started thinking in terms of 'the last time' I'll do certain things...but we're really excited to meet our new congregation and start a new journey with them...

...I also want to apologize to you my faithful readers...for not responding to your posts as I should have over the last month or so...I have read them all...and I promise to get back on the ball with some replies soon too...

...we've been so busy getting things ready to move here and buying a house there (YES - we're homeowners once again - a home I've never set foot in (the Man has of course)) - and of course I trust his judgement completely...and really a house is just 4 walls and a roof...and it's the home that I'm interested in...what we will make of it with our own little family and our new friends...

...so I'm expecting a chaotic Advent and Christmas season filled with lots of boxes and packing...

...a Thanksgiving Day hostess gift...

2011-11-25T08:42:00.007-06:00

...I took some autumn coloured thread...

...and embroidered a little saying on a dish towel I had made...

...crocheted a little ribbon...

...and wrapped up a little gift...

...to give to our hostess for Thanksgiving....

...this was a quick and easy little gift to throw together...oh...I also included a little jar of Nanny's Russian Tea...

...we had a lovely time visiting with friends and our 'adopted family' yesterday...hope you did too!...

...Happy Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T09:05:00.003-06:00

...we're celebrating all we have to be thankful for...and it's a lot...

(photo taken of our church on Thanksgiving Eve)

...wishing you all a lovely Thanksgiving with your families as well...

Super Simple Diagonal Baby Blanket...Free Pattern

2011-11-23T10:36:00.005-06:00

SIZE

Receiving Blanket Size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

about 30 x 30

MATERIALS

Lion Brand Homespun Yarn

colourway - Windsor

Recommended needle size:

1 set US #10

GAUGE

gauge is not terribly important

DIRECTIONS

cast on 2 stitches

knit in stockinette stitch increasing one stitch at the beginning of each row until you have 110 stitches

knit 2 rows in pattern

continue to knit in stockinette stitch decreasing one stitch at the beginning of each row until you have 2 stitches

bind off

...Great Aunt...Grand Nephew...

2011-11-23T08:23:00.004-06:00

...in addition to the snow...we came home to another lovely surprise...

...my nephew and his lovely wife just had their first baby...in Italy where he is stationed serving our country...(not my pics...I snagged them from facebook)...

...so I am a great aunt for the very first time...it doesn't quite seem possible that the little baby boy that I first held back in the 80s now has a little babe of his own...but so is life...

...and babies need blankets don't they...

...this was my first time using this new-to-me Bernat Premium...which they now carry at my LYS...(aka Stuff-Mart)...

...I liked it a lot...it's very soft and fuzzy...perfect for a little boy's blanket...I used my own pattern...but made it more receiving blanket sized instead of the rectangular crib size in the pattern...

...then because you can never have to many baby blankets...I knit another one using Homespun (also from my LYS)...this fuzzy loopy yarn is a little bit harder to work with...but I love it anyway because it's so soft and fuzzy...

...I knit this blanket on the diagonal like I do for the dishcloths...just increasing one stitch at the beginning of each row...I was going to do a crochet border on this one too because I was afraid the edges would curl too much...but I don't know if it's because of the heavy yarn or what...but it actually lays nice and flat...this is the stockinette stitch smooth or knit side...

...but I prefer the bumpy purl side on this blanket...

...and I'm loving this diagonal pattern...that may become my go-to baby blanket pattern...I'm going to see how it works with a thinner yarn too...

...home to snow...

2011-11-22T08:02:00.001-06:00

...we came home from our desert trip to snow...Scout was thrilled and has already started building a fort...

Grand Canyon Adventure...Days 4 and 5...

2011-11-21T08:19:00.015-06:00

...We started pretty early...hitting the trail about 7:30 AM...with some horsing around...holding up the rocks...

...we met a mule train...so we took to the inside again to let them pass...

...they were coming down into the canyon this time...they must have left really early...to be this far down this early...

...so pretty...it was a hazy morning...but that was a good thing as I think it kept things a little bit warmer overnight...

...it's chilly...and it doesn't take long until we start to see some snow...

...but it's pretty melty and really a muddy mess...not that the boys mind at all...but it's a little bit slippery too...

...as we continue to climb...and I do mean CLIMB...it's just like walking up stairs for miles...

...we see more snow...time to put the crampons back on...

...another thing we walked right past on the way down...these awesome petroglyphs...

...I was really hoping to see some petroglyphs...so I was really happy...we couldn't climb up to them...but you can make out lots of deer...

...the the final turn and we're back at the rim...
...as we were leaving the canyon...we stopped at the Kaibab National Forest...

...actually...we had been driving through this forest most of the way up to the canyon...it's huge...

...it's mostly a pine forest...not a lot of hardwoods...and spaced out quite a bit...so not a lot like the Pisgah National Forest where we grew up...but still nice and peaceful and beautiful...

...when we got back to the hotel...we realized that our boots were a MESS...and we had not brought any other shoes...and we had BIG plans for the afternoon...so we had to clean our boots...and Scout had the great idea of saving the dirt that we scraped off our boots as a souvenir...you're not really supposed to take dirt or rocks out of the canyon...but this dirt would have just worn off on the sidewalks and such if we had left it on our boots...so I put it in a baggie and saved it...

...and then washed the boots semi clean...

...we're kinda airport junkies around our family...we have so many pilots...so we drove out to the airport and had a little look around...

...and the Scoutmaster's son works for the tour company...we saw some of their planes flying over the canyon...

...so he gave the boys a guided tour of the inner workings of an airport garage...they let the boys climb into the planes and sit in the pilots seats...

...it was so interesting watching them park the big planes...

...it was a really tight fit...they had to set the propeller a certain way and guide it into the hanger with one man holding the propeller so that it wouldn't hit the side of the hanger...amazing...

...and they opened them up and told the boys about the motors...and propellers and such...it was great fun...

...we saw the Heliport that launches the helicopters that we saw over the canyon as well...

...and they gave us complimentary tickets to the IMAX theatre!...

...we got to see the Grand Canyon Movie...on the BIG screen...

...you're not supposed to take photos...so I just secretly snapped a shot of the big screen during the previews...the movie was awesome...

...after the movie and pizza at a local pizza place...we headed back to our hotel...to sleep in real beds...YAY!...

...bright and early the next morning we were on the road back to Phoenix...

...the scenery was awesome again...

...driving back through the desert...

...and the snowy trees...

...with the desert hills...

...and mountains in the distance...

...We are safely home and we had an uneventful flight with lots of airport food and lots of airport walking...that part of traveling with teenaged boys is fun too!...

...anywhoo...we're happy to be home...and we'd do it all again in a heartbeat!...

Grand Canyon Adventure...Day 3...

2011-11-19T08:32:00.002-06:00

...dawn at Phantom Ranch...Boy's tent...my little tent...and the Scoutmaster slept in a bivy sac...

...and here's the promised photo of my little tent in use...I felt snug and secure in there...the night-time temps were 35° F (1.6° C)...

...the mule train heading up the mountain...with some passengers and the mail...one of the campers told us that they charge $2 per pound...Yikes! That means a ride out of the canyon for me would cost over $300...I guess I'll have to make it on my own...

...the sun coming up over the bluffs...again...we're still in shadow...

...some contrails forming a cross...perfect for morning devotions...

...the National Register of Historic Places plaque...

...Theodore Roosevelt visited here...and Mary Colter designed the cute cabins out of all native materials...good thing too...as I'm sure it would have been very difficult to get building materials here...

...Phantom Ranch Welcomes you!...

...Bright Angel Creek...

...it was lovely listening to the babbling creek all night long...that's our campsite to the right...

...we went into the canteen at Phantom...of course...to purchase souvenir tee-shirts...and some post cards...which are stamped 'Mailed by Mule'...HA!

...the little 'mail box' at Phantom Ranch...

...we filled our camelbacks...

...or just our tummies...at Phantom Ranch...during warmer weather there is water at the rest houses...but because of the freezing temperatures that's all turned off after October...we carried plenty of water and even a filter...so this is the first chance we've had to take on water...

...then we headed up the trail for a day hike...

...past the sweet little cabins...

...and the telephone lines...

...the trail is really really steep!...

...I'm hoping that the photos do it a little bit of justice...

...I know it's hard to get the perspective of the steepness and vastness of the terrain...but someone told me to put a person in the photo...to show scale...

...we had our lunch at the top of Phantom Overlook...and we heard a helicopter coming from a long way off...finally it came into view...

...then we hiked a little bit further up the trail in order to have a view of the Colorado...

...looking North...that's the North Kaibab Lodge on the second bluff in...we hiked down from the South Rim..

...I just love it when a picture of moi shows up...they're so unexpected...as obviously I didn't take them...

...we hiked back to our campsite at Phantom Ranch...

...past the signs that were too dark to photograph when we hiked in last night...

...we stopped at the Ranger Station...and LUCKY us...there was a cancellation at Indian Gardens...and we have just enough daylight left to pack up and hike halfway back up the canyon...

...the boys decided to go back by the same route we had come down as the last part was pretty dark and they were afraid they might have missed something...

...so we headed back across Silver Bridge...

...like most hiking bridges that I've crossed - it has a lot of motion...and there's no way two people with packs could pass...so you have to make sure the bridge is clear before starting out...

...it's quite a span...but the views of the river from the middle of the bridge...

...are simply AWESOME!...

...the trail beside the river is not too steep and it's just lovely there with the red water rushing by...

...our first stop was the Rest House at Pebble Beach...we had not used the Rest Houses on the way down...they have one every 1 1/2 miles...but we'll probably use them all on the way back up...

...the boys spotted this Tarantula on the trail...he's moving pretty slowly in the chilly shade here...still so very glad that I brought my little tent...I'd rather not sleep with critters like this one...

...we found a cave to explore...

...alas...it was a really small cave...

...the Ranger said that up times vary considerably with the individual...but probably average about time and 1/2 of your down time...as you make more stops...but probably take fewer pictures...(not me!)...

...one thing that I did find really interesting was how different the exact same things seem when you're going up...I mean...you just walked past them yesterday...

...but we saw things (like the cave) on our way up that we had missed on our way down...

...more deer as we come back into the oasis of Indian Gardens...

...I'm not sure we paid that much attention to this lovely little waterfall on the way down...

...now how'd she get up there...

...we get to Indian Gardens right at dusk...so thankful that we won't be setting up camp in pitch darkness...just dusky darkness...

...this sweet girl and her 2 babes were munching (loudly) on something right beside our campsite...they just slowly wandered off as it got dark...

...we got our tents up...

...and blew up our air mattresses...so very glad to have brought air mattresses!...

...and a hazy moon rises over the canyon...the forecast posted as we came into Indian Gardens is for 23° F (-5° C)...we're hoping that the cloud cover keeps things a little bit warmer than that...

...Night-Night...

Grand Canyon Adventure...Day 2...

2011-11-18T07:44:00.002-06:00

...of course we were up bright and early...to cram all of our stuff into the trunk of the rental car and drive the few miles up to the Canyon Rim...you can tell I'm being really helpful there with the camera...I actually did put the camera away and help him get everything situated...it was such a tight fit because we had to store all of our luggage for the trip home in the car as well...

...we stopped at the entrance sign and took a couple of photos...they even had a little stand for your camera...very thoughtful of them...

...then we purchased our park pass...

...and then...

...we had our first awe-inspiring glimpse of the canyon...WOW!...

...it was just as spectacular as you always thought it was...and even so much more impressive than the National Geographic specials made it out to be...

...the drop-offs from the rim are pretty spectacular as well...we cautioned the boys once again that once we are on the trail there will be absolutely no horsing around...

...a plaque to Stephen Tyng Mather...

...the critters were surprisingly tame...or at least very used to human interaction...

...we were advised by the rangers to buy crampons before starting down the icy trail...so we strapped those on...

...and headed down Bright Angel Trail...

...the official 'BEFORE' picture...

...this is the back of my pack...that little tent is sort of awkward...but it's nice and light...only about 2 lbs...

...heading downhill...through the first tunnel...

...the icy path...crampons are definitely necessary...you don't want to slip and then slide off the edge...

...the mule train comes up once a day with the mail...and the wrangler shouts instructions at the hikers to take to the inside wall...the mules will indiscriminately knock you off the trail if you're on the outside...YIKES!...

...one of many many hairpin turns...

...the shadow line...it seemed like the sun was always just a few feet away...but we walked most of the day in the shadow...

...some sheer rock cliffs...

...really impressive...

...and natural scenery that looks just like a movie set...

...Scout's unusual resting position...

...red rock outcroppings...it's amazing how quickly the colours of the rocks change as you continue downward...

...we were above these circling ravens just about an hour ago...

...amazing...just amazing...

...some more wildlife...up close and personal...

...my first step into the sunshine...and the first time today that I've cast a shadow...

...continuing down the trail in the sunshine...

...some sweet deer just a few feet from the trail...they look up when you pass...but they don't even start or try to run away...

...a little stream...that you can hear a long way off...it's so quiet...

...this is the trail winding past Indian Gardens...which was a lush oasis with a stream and waterfall...

...we crossed this same stream about 5 times...

...and paused for some pack adjustment...

...Indian Gardens is just gorgeous...we have a 2 day pass to camp at Phantom Ranch...but we're hoping someone with a pass for Indian Gardens will be a no-show and we can hike half-way back to Indian Gardens...it's 4.6 miles from the rim to here...and another 4.7 miles to Phantom Ranch...so it would be a nice break to camp halfway back up...

...super tall yucca plants...

...there's a good overview of the rock formations here...our Rockhound was in heaven...

...it's really impressive what a little water and a lot of time can accomplish...

...we're nearing the end of this sort of slot canyon coming out of the Indian Gardens oasis...

...things begin to get a little more arid...

...and it looks like they're about to step off the side of the earth...

...a really steep trail...with a really scary drop-off...

...Yep!...we're headed over there...down that zig-zaggy path...

...Scoutmaster in the front...Boys in the middle...and me in the rear...

...the little waterfall at the base of this canyon...you can hear it from afar...

...and then still downhill...but not nearly as steep...we finally get our first glimpse of the Colorado...

...we make it to Pebble Beach right at dusk....

...the boys take off their packs and play on the beach for a little bit...

...just as the moon peaks over the rim...

...we're still a good mile and a half from Phantom Ranch...and it's going to be good and dark when we get there...

Grand Canyon Adventure...Day 1...

2011-11-17T08:02:00.003-06:00

...of course our day started at the airport...

...a first flight for one of our scouts...

...Scout being quite the old pro of flying helped to calm the new-to-flying scout...

...we had all smooth flights...

...and the first thing the boys wanted to do when we landed in Phoenix was find the Pizzeria Bianco....

...it's one of the top 25 pizzerias in the country...so we couldn't come this close and not try it out...

...and just as we were expecting the pizza was outstanding...this is the Margherita...it's already vegan...I didn't even have to say 'no cheese'...delicious...

...I've never been to a desert before...so I was quite impressed with all of the cacti...

...we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs...and let the boys run around a bit...

...I love sundials...and the rest stop had this quite impressive one...

...I don't know if you can read the inscription...

'A sundial is a living object. It needs no winding and is driven by no weight. It has something to say, and it says it. It speaks about time, never ceasing to recall the flight of time, its tragedy and irreversability for men. The thoughts arise of the earth, of the end of everything, of eternity, of the world beyond.....' Rene R. J. Rohr

...after the desert and cacti...we drove past snow...

...quite a bit of it...which sort of surprised me...as we hardly have any in North Dakota...but I guess we are getting up there at about 7000 feet above sea level...

...just gorgeous scenery everywhere...mountains in the distance...quite a change for this plains dweller...

...finally we arrived at the little town of Tusayan...pronounced just like Tuscon with say in the middle...

...and got settled in our hotel...

...we stayed at the Red Feather Lodge...just a nice simple hotel...we packed our packs and settled in for a night of sleeping in a bed...HA!

Citizenship in the Community...

2011-11-17T07:28:00.000-06:00

...our State Senator came and spoke to the Scouts about issues in the community and what they can do...

...it was a fun Q & A...and especially fun to see the boys come out of their shells a little bit...as they were quite intimidated at first...but our Senator really got them involved and talking...

...one more reason why Boys Scouts ROCK!

...Ready to Go...

2011-11-16T08:07:00.001-06:00

...we're all packed and ready to go to the Grand Canyon...our first time ever...we are so excited...

...My pack will fit in the overhead...but Scouts will not...

...so we packed Scout's pack in our largest suitcase...along with both sleeping bags...the food...one pad...hiking poles...pots...Scout's tent that he'll split with another scout when we get there...and my little tent...I pity the TSA agent that opens that suitcase...

...and then we tied a SpongeBob bandana around the handle to make it easier to spot on the luggage return...Mom's idea...thanks!

...and one of our parishoners made a special trip into town yesterday to loan me his book 'The Man Who Walked Through Time'...that he had bought in the Grand Canyon while on his honeymoon back in the 70's...so very nice...

...Our Sweet Jack-Jack...

2011-11-15T08:04:00.002-06:00

...Jack really doesn't like having his picture taken...

...but he does love to sleep...on the furniture...

...and in the sunshine...wherever there's a little patch of sunshine...you'll often find Jack...

...this is another of his favorite perches...we sometimes call him 'Cat-Dog' because he loves to perch in high places where he can see out the window...

...really I'm just trying out the new camera...I think I'm going to like it a lot...

...a new camera...

2011-11-14T08:18:00.001-06:00

...the Man got me a new little camera for the upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon...it was quite a surprise and he called it an early Christmas present...so thoughtful of him...

...I can't wait to try it out...

Tofu Jerky...

2011-11-12T08:06:00.001-06:00

...there are a ton of tofu jerky recipes out there...but most are just too spicy for me...I mean a tablespoon of black pepper...that's a lot of spice...

...so I mixed up a milder version...and marinated my thinly sliced tofu in it for a few hours and then transfered it to the dehydrator...

...this is tastily spicy but mild enough that you can eat it without drinking tons of water...Scout loves it...

Mildly Spicy Tofu Jerky

1 box extra firm MoriNu tofu
1 teaspoon sorghum molasses
1 tablespoons liquid smoke
3 T soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Freeze tofu overnight and then thaw and drain and arrange on a baking sheet.

2. Mix all other ingredients and pour over tofu.

3. Bake at 350 until the liquid is absorbed/evaporated then transfer to dehydrator and dehydrate for a couple of hours until tofu is chewy and pliable.

...Cheesy Tofu Hiking Snack...

2011-11-11T08:09:00.001-06:00

...I liked the little Roquefort Cheese Balls so well that I wanted to make something similar and portable to take on the backpacking trip...so I mixed up some All Season Blend and sliced some tofu and simmered that for a little while...

...after most of the liquid had been absorbed...

...I transfered them to the dehydrator...

...these are really good...we ate half of them already...perfect with the Wheat Thins...

...Vegan 'International Coffee' Mix...

2011-11-10T08:02:00.003-06:00

...just three simple ingredients for a delicious instant coffee beverage...

...get your trusty kitchen hammer out and smash up some of the candies...I used three per cup...after experimenting a bit with different amounts...first one then two and finally three to get the flavor and sweetness just right...

...and a quarter cup of powdered soymilk for each cup...and a teaspoon of freeze dried coffee for each cup...I used decaf...as I'm quite hyper enough without caffeine...but of course you can use caffeinated coffee if you want...

...give it a whir in the food processor...

...don't worry if there are still little bits of candy showing...they'll dissolve in the hot water pretty quickly...but you can smash them better than I did if you want to...or maybe just process them longer...

...put a slightly heaping quarter cup in a mug...

...pour in some boiling water...

...stir it up good...

...and enjoy...

...this stuff is so good...I'm probably going to make a bunch more...and not just for camping...YUM!

...and you know what else I'm thinking would be good...another mix with cocoa and some crushed up peppermints...Karen gave me that idea...

Vegan Backpacking Food...Take 2...

2011-11-09T08:51:00.002-06:00

...you may remember all the vegan backpacking food we improvised for our backpacking trip a few weeks ago to the Pembina Gorge...

...one of the things we loved was to simply munch on the dehydrated corn kernals...they're delicious crunchy and sweet...so we dehydrated a whole bag of frozen corn...

...it didn't make much...but it'll be nice to have a few handfuls to munch on while hiking...

...I also made the one-pan dandy recipe again...we loved it...

...and another improvisation...just a handful of dehydrated peas...some beef flavored TVP...and some dehydrated mashed potatos...

...for beverages we have (top left) Vegan Hot Cocoa Mix...Vegan 'International Foods' Butterscotch Cream Coffee drink mix...I'll post a recipe for that tomorrow...and on the bottom Nanny's Russian Tea mix...

...we're may be overdoing it with the food...but you know how teenaged boys eat...I'm also packing two kinds of tofu jerky and and some Vegan Wheat Thins for snacking...

...oh and plenty of water...

Backpacking Tent Makeover...

2011-11-08T08:05:00.003-06:00

...Mom gave Scout this tent as a play tent years ago...it's a little one-man pop up tent made by Ozark Trails...and he definitely played with it...in the yard and in the house...for years...

...we'll be hiking and backpaking in the Grand Canyon soon and as I'll be the only girl there once again...I'll need a tent all to myself...and I don't want to carry a full sized one all the way down to Phantom Ranch and back up...to the South Rim...so I thought I'd just carry this little one of Scout's ...

...a pad and sleeping bag fit perfectly inside it...and it's truly a one person tent...good thing I'm not claustrophobic at all...but as you can see...it doesn't have any screens covering the openings...and the main purpose of a tent, as far as I'm concerned, is to keep the little critters out while I'm sleeping...

...so I went to Stuff Mart and bought the two longest black zippers I could find and some fine black mesh...the zippers were 1.79 each and the mesh was 74¢...so for less than $5...I'll have a one person backpacking tent...

...only one side will zip open...so with gold thread I stitched the mesh to the top back of the tent...

...then with black thread I stitched the mesh around the rest of the opening...I didn't cut it to fit yet...I'll trim it after it's stitched in place...

...now the back window is sealed shut...

...I just trimmed the mesh off close to the stitching...that window is perfect...

...for the front...I started at the top and stitched the mesh to the top of the tent with the gold thread again...and let the mesh hang down in place over the front of the tent...I didn't want to get it too tight or in a bind...then I pinned the zippers in place on top of the mesh...matching the curve of the semi-circular window...

...and stitched the closed zipper to the mesh with black thread...then I trimmed away the excess mesh from the zipper...

...opened the zippers up and stitched them to the sides of the tent...

...and there you have it...one stationary screen window and one zippered window...ready for the trip...this is in the laundry/sewing room...but I'll be sure to take a picture of it in use at Phantom Ranch too...

...First Snow...and a last Nerf War...

2011-11-07T08:52:00.001-06:00

...Saturday was another mild fall day...

...so Scout simply had to stage one more Nerf War...before the snow came on Sunday...

...so once again the boys ran around the yard for hours shooting at one another...and this time they added an arsenal of wiffle balls for close range 'grenades'...

...apparently one of the boys took some awesome photos of the action with his I-phone...

...then right on schedule Sunday afternoon we had 50 mph winds 26° F (3° C) and lots of the white stuff blowing (and I do mean blowing) around...

...hardly any of it stuck...I don't know where it blows to...but it didn't stay here...

...the roads were a little bit treacherous this morning...I guess it's about time to switch to the winter tires...

...how to tell if snow is on the way...

2011-11-05T13:50:00.002-05:00

...there is snow in the forecast for this weekend...

...so the gentleman who leases the field east of the Church needs to get his hay off...

...and sure enough...there he is...with his loader and a big truck...

...clearing the field of the huge bales...

...that have been such a token of fall...

...so pretty soon now that field will be white...are you ready for winter?...

...how to sew on all those patches...

2011-11-04T12:48:00.000-05:00

...a few people have asked how I sew on all of Scout's emblems, badges and patches...

...it's really not too difficult...start by pinning your badge in place...you don't want it to move around while you sew and be all crooked in the end...

...the hardest thing most people find is that the patches are so thick and tough to get a needle through...so I don't even try that...

...I just stitch through the shirt and then through the back of a few of the shiny border stitches on the badge...and then pull it nice and snug...

...and there you have it...another badge for another while...they almost all have to come off and be replaced at some point...

...new knitting needles...

2011-11-03T08:32:00.003-05:00

...as we continue to clean out closets around here...I made another trip to the Second Chance store to drop off some more goodies...

...I'm not supposed to go in and browse...just drop the bag off and leave...

...but I couldn't resist...just a quick peek in the craft section...and guess what I found...

...3 sets of knitting needles for 29¢ each...

...the blue ones are size 10...the steel ones are really heavy and a perfect size 2...and my favorites are the little bakelite ones and they're between a 2 and a 3 on my Susan Bates needle size checker thingy...

...so I'm guessing they're a metric size 3 or a UK/Canadian size 11 as there's a blank space between US 2 and 3 for that...but I don't have a metric needle size checker thingy...

...so...I guess I'll finish up those socks I started during our vacation down south...and look for a pattern for size 3 mm needles...

...a favorite Halloween treat...

2011-11-02T09:36:00.003-05:00

...I actually thought that I had already shared this recipe with you...and I'm so surprised that I have not as it's truly one of our favorites...

...it's the Vegan Pumpkin Dot Pound Cake...
...the recipe comes from a dear friend in South Carolina...and we each made several of these to take to a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at our Church many years ago...and when she suggested this cake...I was all like...hmmmm...that sounds really weird...bran cereal...pumpkin...spices...chocolate...it just didn't sound like it would be very good...and made me question her normally outstanding sense of taste...so here it is...(I left it large so you can read it)...my only change is that I only use 1/2 cup of oil...I never changed the recipe...that's just the way I always make it and it's perfect...I don't think you'll miss the extra oil at all...

...grease and flour a pretty tube pan with Earth Balance...

...of course I'm still trying to use up all of that Butternut Squash...so I used that instead of pumpkin...

...I also used my 'Go-To-Egg-Replacer Recipe' - which is flax seed goo mixed with the required amount of Ener-G egg replacer...my goo was frozen so I thawed it out quickly on the stove...

...beat your egg replacer until frothy...

...then add your bran cereal...I used just regular old bran flakes here...but I think Audrey usually used All-Bran...

...mix that in...and let it soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients...

...my two small butternuts yielded almost exactly two cups of squash...just as I thought they would...

...pureed until smooth...

...add that to your liquid mixture with the bran...I added the sugar here as well instead of with the dry ingredients...I also added the spices...so I guess I'm saying that the order of preparation doesn't really matter all that much...

...and because I'm sort of lazy...I used self rising flour today too...but I added it a little at a time and only mixed until it was incorporated...you don't want to develop too much gluten and make a tough cake...

...all mixed up...

...then add some vegan chocolate chips...I should also say that I only added about 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips...but if you like chocolate overload go ahead and add 2 2/3 cups...

...I sure am a messy cook today too...Oh my...I didn't even realize how messy until I uploaded the photos...

...let it sit in the pan a few minutes...

...and then turn it out onto a plate...

...I can't begin to tell you how delicious this is...I often serve it for company...just because it's so unusual and gets rave reviews every time...its just a perfect combination of flavors and textures...the bran cereal adds a little something extra...and then you've got the underlying sweet and spiciness of the pumpkin pie flavors...and then on top of that you've got that pop of chocolate in the little dots...

...it really is that good...

...Happy Halloween...

2011-11-01T08:03:00.010-05:00

...my Halloween posts are always on All Saints Day...

...so...Happy All Saints Day as well...

...Ready for Trick-Or_Treaters...

...I moved the famous scary witch silhouette to the front window this year...all other decorations are basically the same as last year...and every other year as well...

...we had a lovely family Halloween together with our great big 13 year old boy...who happens to be a pumpkin carver non-pareil...

...after carving the basic Jack-O-Lantern face...he decided to add some braces...

...we thought this was a hilarious and brainstormed a bit about what we could possibly use for braces...

...remember all those cans the Scouts collect...well...we used some of the tabs off of those cans...and some lead soldering wire...genius - I tell you...

...Scout lights a candle in his Jack-O-Lantern...

...just as it begins to rain...

...so there you have it...a Jack-O-Lanter with a TIN GRIN!...so much fun!...

...now on to the costume...which had to be really gruesome this year...ahhh...the joys of teenage boys...

...we set about stenciling some County Jail numbers onto the orange jumpsuit that Scout wore when he was one of the guys from the movie Holes...YAY! for recycling...I had to let out all of those seams and hems that I put in for a much smaller Scout...it fits him pretty well this year...and it's a Men's size Reg...oh MY!...

...we cut out two stencils...a large one for the back and a smaller one for the front...

...we painted the letters in black...and peeled off the stencil...

...Scout thought that part was fun...

...then he started suiting up...I guess you've already seen that he painted his hair white...

...he didn't want anyone to be able to recognize him...and with his Bieber-esque haircut that was a possibility...

...then into the bathroom for the gory part...and seriously...I'm warning you...it's GORY...

...hard at work creating goriness...is that a word...?

...Scout planned to meet some of his friends in their most gruesome costumes...there was an 'activity night' at the middle school...supposedly to keep these young hooligans off the streets...HA...

...and I'm glad it kept them away from smaller children as well who would probably be frightened by these get-ups...

...ready to go...he wanted to carry a (fake) knife...but we had to put the ixnay on that...

...after all the festivities...we settled down together to watch a good ole scary movie....sorry you can't read that I guess...It was Invasion of the Body Snatchers...the old 1956 version...

...I hope your Halloween was at least as much fun as ours!...

...Third Grade Bibles...

2011-10-31T10:40:00.004-05:00

...yesterday was Reformation Sunday...Most Protestant Christians observe Reformation Day in honor of Martin Luther and other Christians who worked to remove false doctrine and destructive practices from the Christian church...

...and one of the things that we always do on Reformation Sunday is give Bibles to the parents of our Third Graders...who then place them in the hands of their children as they promised they would when they had their child baptized...

...the Bibles are engraved with their names and have a beautiful presentation label in the front...copied from the Bible that my parents gave me as a child...

...it's so much fun to watch the joy of these young ones...and to remember our own joy when our first Bible was placed in our hands...

...another Nerf War...

2011-10-29T20:56:00.002-05:00

...there was another 3 hour Nerf war this afternoon...

...followed by a snack on the deck...

...it was a chilly fall day...notice the difference in the tree from last week to this...

...hope you're having a lovely weekend...

Operation Christmas Child gets underway...

2011-10-27T12:17:00.003-05:00

...the LYO met last night to make up the boxes for Operation Christmas Child...

...they had a race...girls against guys...

...guess who won...

...that's right...the girls team won...

...they usually do for some reason...

...the boys tried an assembly line process...while the girls worked fast and furiously on one box at a time...

...some boxes were 'stolen'...

...and then the other side had to retaliate...

...and the race wasn't over until all of the boxes were stacked neatly in the Narthex...

...it was a lot of fun!

...on Sunday they'll make an announcement at Church...they're all going to stand up front...with one spokesperson...who will give the congregation all of the information they need...and then read a list of some of the items you can fill the box with...and then each confirmand will hold up a placard with that item on it...it should be cute...and then they'll encourage everyone to take a box or two or five and fill them up...

...we all have a lot of fun with this project...the youth love going through the boxes at the end and making sure everything is just right...then separting them by age and gender for shipment...

...do you do Operation Christmas Child?...I encourage you to find a location to drop off a couple of shoeboxes...

...Prairie Fire...

2011-10-26T08:56:00.001-05:00

...this is not a wildfire...but a carefully watched ditch burning fire...all of the roadsides and ditches have to be really well cleaned up to prevent drifts...even a small patch of tall grass will cause the snow to pile up on the road...

...we had a little bit of snow mixed with rain last night...so you know it's time to get ready for winter...