We have squash!

Our squash plant has taken over the garden. Have you seen the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show? My squash plant is that HUGE! Neal has been bringing in 2 to 3 squash a day. If you live near me you will be receiving your squash soon...lol!

Tonight Neal sliced one, dipped the slices in an egg/milk mixture, rolled them in flour, and fried them. They were so good. I wish I had taken a picture of them on the plate but we ate them all before I could even think about it. YUMMY!!

I know I had planned on blogging about food but I just haven't been in a cooking mood lately. During the winter I tend to bake a lot more so get ready for that! It's almost time for Brenda's Famous Pumpkin Sheetcake with cream cheese frosting. The recipe will follow soon!

I've been tagged!

A dear family friend tagged me so here are my answers....

What was your favorite thing about being a kid? The freedom to be or do whatever I wanted.

What was your favorite subject in school? band. Yep, I'm a band geek.

Who was your best friend when you turned 10? I have no idea

If you could be any animal what would you be? a cat

What would you change about your school, occupation, or life right now? I would go back to college. I have no idea what for though...early childhood education, chef, retail....who knows.

What's your favorite color? blue or green...depends on the day

What is your favorite type of crust and toppings? thick crust supreme from Pizza Hut

Rain, Rain go away....

After so many years of drought, we have had amazing amounts of rain. The lakes and rivers are all full and there is flooding every where. Yesterday, Kinsey and I stopped on Gavilan Canyon where it crosses the Rio Ruidoso to take a few pictures. It's been closed for about 2 weeks from all the water.


This is supposed to be a bridge.


Before all the rain, the water came out of the drain pipes at the bottom.


Yes, those are the stripes on the road.

Next we went to a park that we took the day care kids to last year. The kids would wade in the very shallow cold water. Now it's a roaring river.


The area to the right under the trees is where we would picnic.



Just amazing!


Here's one of Kinsey on the play ground.

First day of kindergarten!!

Here is my kindergartener! What a great first day. It finally stopped raining for a few hours this morning so we were able to get some great pictures. Kinsey loves her teacher and was so excited to start school. Neal and I only shed a few tears each...lol!
Kinsey was so tired tonight that she asked me if she could go to bed early. I'm sure she will be raring to go again tomorrow!

School starts in 2 sleeps......

This is how we count days in our house...how many sleeps it is until the event.
Kinsey starts school Wednesday. I can't believe my baby is starting public schools. She will be out of my care for 8 hours a day. This is both a good and a bad thing. Right now we are together pretty much 24 hours a day/7 days a week. I know I'm going to miss her but I think the time apart is going to help us both.
Here's a picture of me on my first day of kindergarten. I'll post a picture of Kinsey on Wednesday.

We tortured our child tonight

Yes, you read that right we actually tortured her tonight. The neighbors were surely calling CYFD for all the crying and screaming going on. Want to know what we were doing?? We were cleaning her belly button!
Before Kinsey put her pj's on, I decided to wipe her off with a wash cloth since I had sprayed bug spray on her earlier. Tonight wasn't bath night but I didn't want her going to bed with all those chemicals on her. I was wiping her off and looked at her belly button...ewwwwww!! It was almost black. I tried to wipe it real quick but she was having nothing to do with that. I finally told her to go to Daddy and show him. Neal got a good look at it and told Kinsey we had to clean her belly button out. I got a Q-Tip wet and brought it to him. Kinsey started crying and covering her belly button. I finally had to get a wash cloth for Neal and then I had to hold her down while he wiped it out. YUCK! Of course after it was all over she was fine and asking for ice cream.
Who knew that having kids would mean cleaning out belly buttons....lol!

Home from camping

We had a great time camping. Even though I still did the same domestic things I do at home it wasn't so bad. I cooked breakfast and dinner plus cleaned up after each. I also made the beds, picked up clothes, and kept up with everything. For this I was "rewarded" with free time to read and relax. Neal took Kinsey swimming or for walks several times so I got time for myself. I really really enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. We didn't have the distractions of TV or internet and only used the cell phone a few times. We played games and just enjoyed each other. I'm sure we will be doing this a lot more now that we have the camper!! (Yes, we are buying it!)
Here are a few pictures from this weekend.


Here is our camp at dusk.


This is the lake just after the sun was setting.


Kinsey never would never get the marshmallows close enough to the fire to even get them warm.


How many marshmallows can you roast at one time??


Kinsey beating Neal at Disney Memory.

Sorry this took so long to post. I tried doing it last week but for some reason I couldn't download the pictures.

Roughing it ....sort of

We are going camping this weekend! Neal's boss is letting us use his 22 foot pull behind trailer. If we like it, we are going to end up buying it. We've decided to go to Bottomless Lakes, New Mexico. When we decided to do this a few weeks ago, I was thinking how relaxing it was going to be at the lake just chilling. Well that bubble has been burst!! Do you know how much work it is to go camping?? When we go on vacation we usually stay with family or stay in a hotel where everything is provided for you. All I have to worry about is our clothes and "stuff". Going camping means I have to get food, cooking/eating stuff, clothes, bedding/towels, and all kinds of other stuff together. We will be 15 miles from the nearest town or store so I need to make sure we take everything we need. I think I have enough snacks for 20 people...lol! I have packed myself a few things to read and I plan on just relaxing and enjoying being away from everything. There is a playground, swimming area, and hiking trails so we should all find something to do.
Have a great weekend!

Comfort food

My little brother is going to college in a few weeks so he is up here visiting my sister and I. We have been making his favorite foods before he goes off and has to cook for himself or eat out. Tuesday my sister made his all time favorite meal--fried pork chops, white rice, and Ranch Style beans. Yesterday I made his 2nd favorite meal--roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls.
While I was putting the roast in the crockpot Neal called and wanted me to make chicken and dumplings for dinner. He rarely requests anything so I hated to tell him I was already cooking for my brother but I promised to make chicken and dumplings tonight. I guess everyone has a favorite comfort food that takes them back. When we were growing up, we got to choose the meal for the night on our birthday. I always chose chicken and dumplings. My birthday being in October made it the perfect time of year for this meal. On a hot day I would usually not make chicken and dumplings but since we have had so much rain and it's been cool, I have it cooking on the stove right now. I can't wait to make me a plate and curl up in front of the TV to watch Big Brother.
Question--what is your comfort food? What meal takes you back home?