8.20.2013
Harvest continues
Today's garden haul
Looks like salsa will be next on the weekend canning list.
I also love picking in the garden and having my best furry buddy hang with me the whole time
Looks like salsa will be next on the weekend canning list.
I also love picking in the garden and having my best furry buddy hang with me the whole time
8.18.2013
Rusty Wallace Racing Experience
For Christmas this past year, Mike and I surprised my father-in-law John with a Rusty Wallace Race Experience day at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. Mike's mom got ride-along experiences for Danny (Mike's brother) and his step-son, Michael. So we made a big family day of it and met at the speedway today so the guys could race with the professionals. Danny and Michael rode along with a professional driver for 3 laps at top speed (um, it was over in a blink). John did the ride along first, and then after a training class, got to drive his own race car alone for 8 laps. It was pretty cool! Afterward the three younger guys did the go carts.
Danny ready to ride
John suits up for his ride along:
Time to drive on his own!
Go cart time
Michael, Danny, and Mike (isn't Mike the shorty in that group?!)
Danny ready to ride
John suits up for his ride along:
Time to drive on his own!
Go cart time
Michael, Danny, and Mike (isn't Mike the shorty in that group?!)
What a long, long month
18 days into August and it has been a long, hard month so far. At the end of July, the boys went swimming at Raccoon River beach and Gavin managed to swallow some cryptospiridium parasite (unbeknownst to us for another several weeks). I got it from him and we both got pretty ill for a couple weeks there. We had a terrible experience with sub-par medical care, which I don't even care to go into because I'm so DONE with dealing with it at this point (though I *still* don't have lab results for myself back yet from them, even though I've finished the prescription I got when Gavin was diagnosed).
During this saga, Mike left for a 6-day work trip in Vegas and missed Jack's 7th birthday, his back-to-school/meet-the-teacher night, and his first day of 1st grade. I also practically gave myself an ulcer during this week juggling the gastro illnesses circulating in our house at the same time as both Benjamin and Gavin's school futures were indeterminate. So much change that we thought was meant to be, but much of it has since disappeared.
I also missed my training for the half marathon during this time, and missed a total of 37 miles that I should have ran during that time. I'm hoping that I can get back into it since I still have time, but I imagine it's going to be rough going again.
I'm looking forward now and hoping the second half of August will be brighter and easier. One thing that I'm focusing my positive energy on is the garden. While I was sick, I didn't have the energy to even get outside and see how the garden was doing, much less pick or process anything. So I'm feeling lucky that my tomatoes waited until I started feeling better and Mike was home to begin ripening.
The plants are really large. Mike captured their size next to me:
One heirloom variety, Hungarian Heart, produces huge fruit that are late to ripen. I don't have any ripe enough to pick yet. But they are heart shaped giants, some as big as two fists put together:
I picked this lot over the weekend:
Then the very next day I found more:
And also added some in from our CSA box:
We found our weirdest tomato of the season!
Come Saturday afternoon, it was time to can 30 lbs of tomatoes into spaghetti sauce! Many hours of simmering reduction later and I got 7 quarts (never as much as you hope for). Last year's sauce knocked our socks off. This year's is a bit more ho hum. If any of you gardeners that read this have an awesome pasta sauce recipe you'd like to share, I'd love that! Or salsa!
During this saga, Mike left for a 6-day work trip in Vegas and missed Jack's 7th birthday, his back-to-school/meet-the-teacher night, and his first day of 1st grade. I also practically gave myself an ulcer during this week juggling the gastro illnesses circulating in our house at the same time as both Benjamin and Gavin's school futures were indeterminate. So much change that we thought was meant to be, but much of it has since disappeared.
I also missed my training for the half marathon during this time, and missed a total of 37 miles that I should have ran during that time. I'm hoping that I can get back into it since I still have time, but I imagine it's going to be rough going again.
I'm looking forward now and hoping the second half of August will be brighter and easier. One thing that I'm focusing my positive energy on is the garden. While I was sick, I didn't have the energy to even get outside and see how the garden was doing, much less pick or process anything. So I'm feeling lucky that my tomatoes waited until I started feeling better and Mike was home to begin ripening.
The plants are really large. Mike captured their size next to me:
One heirloom variety, Hungarian Heart, produces huge fruit that are late to ripen. I don't have any ripe enough to pick yet. But they are heart shaped giants, some as big as two fists put together:
I picked this lot over the weekend:
Then the very next day I found more:
And also added some in from our CSA box:
We found our weirdest tomato of the season!
Come Saturday afternoon, it was time to can 30 lbs of tomatoes into spaghetti sauce! Many hours of simmering reduction later and I got 7 quarts (never as much as you hope for). Last year's sauce knocked our socks off. This year's is a bit more ho hum. If any of you gardeners that read this have an awesome pasta sauce recipe you'd like to share, I'd love that! Or salsa!
8.14.2013
1st day of 1st grade
It's weird to me that finally, today, my tomatoes started to turn a corner and I got this:
and my first two eggplants that made this:
and basil, basil, basil for oodles of pesto cups in the freezer, that this was also the
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. For Jack, at least. I still cannot wrap my head around going back to school on August 14th. No State Fair for us (not that we were yearning for that anyway).
Jack is excited to be riding the school bus this year. I was nervous about it, but it was obvious that I could in no way get to the new school on time AND still take the younger two to their respective schools on time. The bus was actually quite wonderful. No packing up the younger ones to get to school on time, no urging them to get in the car in the tired afternoon so we can pick Jack back up.... I'm going to like this bussing thing, I do believe.
1st grade was a breeze, according to Jack! Class size at the new school (as of now) is only 20 students, which is an improvement from last year's class of 27. He has one buddy, who lives in our neighborhood and rides the bus with him, who was in his kindergarten class last year and is now in his 1st grade class at the new school. Boo-yah, as Jack would say. So far so good!
Benjamin, sadly, will probably not be going to the new half day kindergarten we were so excited about. He'll still go to half day at Westridge, which was the original plan, but we had really hoped his former pre-K teacher's new kindergarten school would get off the ground in time for this fall. The timing was bad so we are the only confirmed family, and Westridge begins next week so time is pretty much out. As much as it sounds amazing to have Benji be home schooled by a teacher who "gets" him, I think that taking him out of the classroom environment for a whole year, and then reintroducing it to him with FULL day school the year after, would be disastrous :( So back to the original plan B.
Gavin's preschool class still does not have a teacher after a mad shuffle and departure of the director and 2 pre-K teachers. There is one spot left in a local Waldorf preschool run by a friend of mine, but another friend is also interested. Since we are still enrolled in St. Tim's, I decided to let the other friend have the last spot and just hope for the best at St. Tim's.
School is causing me HEADACHES already this year. What a whirlwind of options, lack of options, questions, uncertainty, and disappointment. Not to mention all the PTO meetings I'm being called to do since I allowed myself to be roped into being co-VP. 2nd thoughts are everywhere these days.
and my first two eggplants that made this:
and basil, basil, basil for oodles of pesto cups in the freezer, that this was also the
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. For Jack, at least. I still cannot wrap my head around going back to school on August 14th. No State Fair for us (not that we were yearning for that anyway).
Jack is excited to be riding the school bus this year. I was nervous about it, but it was obvious that I could in no way get to the new school on time AND still take the younger two to their respective schools on time. The bus was actually quite wonderful. No packing up the younger ones to get to school on time, no urging them to get in the car in the tired afternoon so we can pick Jack back up.... I'm going to like this bussing thing, I do believe.
1st grade was a breeze, according to Jack! Class size at the new school (as of now) is only 20 students, which is an improvement from last year's class of 27. He has one buddy, who lives in our neighborhood and rides the bus with him, who was in his kindergarten class last year and is now in his 1st grade class at the new school. Boo-yah, as Jack would say. So far so good!
Benjamin, sadly, will probably not be going to the new half day kindergarten we were so excited about. He'll still go to half day at Westridge, which was the original plan, but we had really hoped his former pre-K teacher's new kindergarten school would get off the ground in time for this fall. The timing was bad so we are the only confirmed family, and Westridge begins next week so time is pretty much out. As much as it sounds amazing to have Benji be home schooled by a teacher who "gets" him, I think that taking him out of the classroom environment for a whole year, and then reintroducing it to him with FULL day school the year after, would be disastrous :( So back to the original plan B.
Gavin's preschool class still does not have a teacher after a mad shuffle and departure of the director and 2 pre-K teachers. There is one spot left in a local Waldorf preschool run by a friend of mine, but another friend is also interested. Since we are still enrolled in St. Tim's, I decided to let the other friend have the last spot and just hope for the best at St. Tim's.
School is causing me HEADACHES already this year. What a whirlwind of options, lack of options, questions, uncertainty, and disappointment. Not to mention all the PTO meetings I'm being called to do since I allowed myself to be roped into being co-VP. 2nd thoughts are everywhere these days.
8.10.2013
Jack's 7th Birthday
It's quite hard to believe my first born is 7 today. I'm getting to be one of those parents whose kids are not--gasp--little! He had a great night on Friday with his buddies at Chuck E. Cheese.
Does this photo look familiar from LAST year's party?! Not only are many of the buddies repeat offenders at Jack's serial birthday parties, but this pirate shooting game is the HIT of the entire place. It's hard to unglue them from the game to get back to pizza or cupcakes or anything!!
Saturday morning the grandparents came over to hang out for some family birthday time. Mike had left for Vegas (ahh, another 5 LONG days of no daddy :( but we had fun even if he couldn't be here.
Tomorrow is Jack's actual birthday. Donuts with grandparents planned, and the attendance at a birthday party for a buddy of Jack's! We're trying to stay busy this week while we miss Mike. Shouldn't be hard with so many birthday celebrations, back-to-school night, and the first day of school for Jack.
Does this photo look familiar from LAST year's party?! Not only are many of the buddies repeat offenders at Jack's serial birthday parties, but this pirate shooting game is the HIT of the entire place. It's hard to unglue them from the game to get back to pizza or cupcakes or anything!!
Saturday morning the grandparents came over to hang out for some family birthday time. Mike had left for Vegas (ahh, another 5 LONG days of no daddy :( but we had fun even if he couldn't be here.
Tomorrow is Jack's actual birthday. Donuts with grandparents planned, and the attendance at a birthday party for a buddy of Jack's! We're trying to stay busy this week while we miss Mike. Shouldn't be hard with so many birthday celebrations, back-to-school night, and the first day of school for Jack.
8.07.2013
Neighborhood park is finished
Yeah! The park we've been staring at out our living room window for over a month is now finished! Well, there appears to be pits for sand areas dug, but the play equipment is finished. The most interesting thing about the park is the cool swing they put up that can fit 3 kiddos. And it goes HIGH!
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