Weekends

So what have we been doing the last couple weeks beside the usual preschool, housework, and work for Dwayne? Last weekend our church was hosting a gigantic garage sale. So, immediately after breakfast we loaded the kids and went with the hopes of finding great treasure. I can't say if we found great treasure but we came away with several great deals. The biggest one for me was we were able to get a large easel that has a whiteboard on one side and chalkboard on the other that the kids can't seem to get enough of. They have been busy doing "art" since we brought it home. The whiteboard side we were able to clean up really well and they draw all over it. The chalkboard side seemed to have a grease pencil used on it. So we cleaned it up the best we could and Dwayne told me that they sell chalkboard paint now. So after a trip to Lowe's we picked up some paint that cost 3 times as much as the easel itself but now the kids have a chalkboard they can write on. LOL. After that we went to a used curriculum sale that our local homeschooling group was hosting. I didn't really come out with anything exciting and I kind of felt like it was a waste of the entrance fee. But now I know what to expect next time and when the kids are a few years older, I will have a resource for a ton of materials for their age range.

This weekend we went to the zoo again. Because we have a yearly pass, it is our place of choice when we can't think of anything better and still need to get out of the house on a budget. It was nice and sunny but not too hot. That was really nice considering we had been in the 80's the last couple of days. We also went and played in the pool at our apartment complex. We are really lucky because we are only a few feet away from the entrance. I don't have to travel all the way to the other side of the complex to visit the pool with the kids. Dwayne had taken the garbage out a few days before and found a couple of pool noodles in the garbage. So after rescuing them from a home in the landfill we went and tried them out. They worked great and the kids are excited about their new toys for swimming. Today, we have been just hanging out around the house avoiding the heat. The kids seem to be enjoying just hanging out with us and I know Dwayne and I love just doing nothing around the house for a change.

Overall, we are doing really well. We are finding lots of things to love about Colorado and making ourselves right at home. I'm extremely excited about the next couple of months. June is going to be busy with Sam having a few days for his first ever sports camp and then his first experience with VBS. It's exciting to finally have him old enough to participate in these kinds of things. I'll be volunteering at VBS again and Evie loves loves loves "playing with her friends" at church so she will be excited about the babysitting available to volunteers' kids. July will be busy with first Dianne, then Dave and his family coming to visit and the first part of August will bring Melody and hopefully Mom. This summer is going to be extremely busy but so fun too.

Herbed Dinner Rolls

These rolls turned out so good I had to share the recipe.

1 Cup water (70-80 degrees)
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 Cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, thyme, and dried rosemary, crushed
3 1/4 Cups bread flour ( I used all-purpose and it was fine)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Additional melted butter and course salt (optional)

In bread machine pan, place the water, softened butter, egg, sugar, salt, seasonings, flour, and yeast in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed.)

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 16 portions; shape each into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, brush with butter and sprinkle with course salt. Remove from pans to wire racks. Yield: 16 rolls


I'm hoping to experiement a little and try using wheat flour instead of white. I think it will turn out really good either way. Highly recommended! These were yummy.

Farmer's Market

We went and visited the Farmer's Market this weekend. I was pleasently surprised at how large it was for a small town. It will be open every Sunday through October. We wanted to walk through and check out their prices. They were pretty comparable to what I can find in the supermarket so I think I will start going there first for my fruits and vegetables and then finishing out at the grocery store on shopping days. Produce is available much earlier here than in the NW. I'm already reveling in corn on the cob and strawberry shortcake. Tomatoes are already in abundance as well. Corn and strawberries were a sign that summer was in full swing and possibly nearing the end in the NW. Here it's not even June yet and I can get them in abundance. Of course, those are three crops that require lots of sunshine and we get plenty of that here even if it isn't always necessarily warm. The locals have said it has been a very wet and hard winter. I just laugh because I have crocodile skin from the lack of moisture that I am used to. If this was a hard winter than normal winters are going to leave me parched. We have had a week of overcast skies, occasional rain, and highs in the 50's. It definately feels chilly after having normal temps in the 70s. This week though, we are back to normal. 70's and sunshine all week. Perfect weather for me. Warm enough to open all the windows and take a walk outside without getting all sweaty and gross. The trees and grass are finally green and I feel like it is finally officially spring.

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was very nice. Most of it occurred on Saturday. Dwayne let me sleep in a little, made me breakfast, and then gave me my gift. He got me a very nice mother's pendant that had the kids' birthstones in it. It has the ability to easily be expanded if we should ever expand our family or if we want to add a couple of diamonds to represent Dwayne and I. It is the first piece of expensive jewelry Dwayne has ever gotten me besides our wedding ring. I was pleasently surprised and find it just beautiful. We then packed up the wagon and the kids and decided to stroll around the zoo. It was warm and sunny and just a perfect day. It was also not very busy and the animals were up and moving around. We then came home and went to church. Sunday, Dwayne helped me with many of the chores and we just spent the day around the house. It was nice to just chill around the house a bit since it feels like we are constantly going going going lately.

No huge plans this week that I know of. This morning we woke up to snow again. The temperature extremes around here are crazy. I have been told that it isn't entirely unheard of to get snow in June. It is strange to have things bloom so late in the year. At least things are starting to finally leaf out and the grass is finally green.

Tornados and Bunkbeds

This past week we lived through our very first tornado warning here in the Parker area. The kids and I got to see and experience the storm clouds that could have turned into a tornado but fortunately did not this time. I have been told that the warnings will become much more frequent and the afternoons in June is the most common time for them. I have never lived in tornado country before so this is all a brand new experience for me. I posted a picture of the clouds that rolled through. It is a little dark but you have to realize how ominous these clouds were because this was at like 2pm in the afternoon. They came rolling through very quickly and shortly after I took this picture we got extreme winds and hail the size of dimes. The kids and I stood at the window just amazed at the quantity and size of the hail having never experienced that in Oregon. And then all of a sudden the lightning and thunder started. The storm moved right over our house because we got to experience a FLASHBOOM! with no interruption between the two. It was very loud and rattled the window. We only had one like that though and the rest of the thunder and lightning moved off pretty quickly. Shortly after a brief rain spell, the clouds broke up and the sun came out again. It was pretty extreme and so amazing. What is really funny though is yesterday in the mail we got a town newsletter that included instructions on what to do during a tornado warning. I thought that was pretty good timing and read the instructions faithfully so I would know what I am supposed to do if the tornado warning should become serious. You know what the instructions said? Stay away from the windows (not stare out at the storm with my mouth hanging open) and move to a small room in the house. LOLOL My neighbor started laughing at me when I told her what I had done. Next time I'll try and be good and stay away from the window but I must admit I probably won't be able to control myself from peaking as it is so amazing to see the extreme weather when you haven't been raised around it.




This weekend I decided it was time to get bunkbeds for the kids and get Evie out of her toddler bed. We have an excellent furniture store nearby that had wonderful prices. So we took the plunge and got them. It has opened up so much more room in their bedroom and Sam and Evie are pretty excited about their new beds. Tonight will be the first night they get to sleep in them. What is great is that they can be separated into two twins in the future so these beds should last us several years. They are constructed from pine so if they get bored with the natural look, it will be easy enough to paint them blue, black, pink, purple, or whatever color they might desire. We also invested in a good mattress for Evie so now both kids have really nice brand new mattresses. I'm hoping the investment will last a good 10 years and we won't need to think about beds again until they are teenagers. They have spent a good half of the day climbing up and down the ladder. Even Evie can manage it without too much trouble as evidenced by the picture.