Lessons

This week I have learned that......

The children will use my antique battery box (on the front porch) as a trash can. How's that for a classy use of an antique?

Watermelon seeds and juice will be a constant decoration on my floors, tables and counter tops.

Finding a yellow backpack for a fourth grader is harder than it should be.

Pesky little grubs will destroy most of our pumpkins. Another thing I forgot to keep on lookout for in the pest prevention.

Leah absolutely loves the reading adventure program. She looks forward to it every day, and this from the girl who thought reading was a chore.

Nifty Ideas: Baby

Another round of fantastic nifty ideas (& things) I have discovered. You too may become inspired by these nifty things and in turn create your own. If you have any of your own nifty ideas please share them with me!

Nifty products that I loved to use when my girls were babies: Aveeno, Burt's Bees (the baby buttermilk lotion we still use) and Desitin. We used natural/eco care products where we could but wicked diaper rash was always healed with products containing zinc oxide.

Sleeping sacks made winter nights so much warmer.

These Robeez shoes were not around for my girls but people with babies tell me they are excellent.

Cotton gauze cloth baby diapers used as burp cloths are a great way to keep yourself dry. They are absorbant and perfectly soft for wiping up all sorts of messes. They are also great for diapering a baby.

Middle of the night diaper changes were so much easier when they wore these night gowns. The elastic open bottom made the task for a sleepy Mama go smoothly.

Changing table I spy poster. I cut out pictures (from all those circulars and junk mail) of babies, kids, men, women, animals, colors, letters, numbers, etc. and made a collage out of it on poster board. I tacked it up right next to the changing table. It offered that teeny bit of distraction I needed for a wiggly toddler. By asking questions like: "where is the baby?", "show me a Daddy", "can you find the ball?", "what letter is this?"etc. my busy baby was occupied while I did my job of cleanup. I would suggest making two smaller ones, about half a poster board sheet, that way you can rotate them so that the questions remain a challenge. The best part about this is it can grow with the child and be made to reflect themes or subjects.

A good blanket is a wonderful gift. Although this Swaddle Me Handknit Blanket is quite costly I like the design and think it's a clever blanket.

Having a sling was a life saver. We had a sling I was not fond of but it met our needs. I think the Ergo Baby Carrier is what I would have preferred to use.

Finding the perfect high chair is such a headache. First they are bulky and second they are bulky. We used two kinds. The standard bulky chair and another one which we pushed up to the table. Of the two the girls preferred the one we pushed up to the table. Ours was a vintage wooden high chair that we found at a garage sale. Since that is something difficult to find I discovered an option from Ikea that would do the same. The Antilop chair is made to be pushed up next to the table to allow the baby to join in the meal. (Which for us is important family time.) Its small profile and low weight make it easy to move with one hand. And it's not bulky, perfect for small kitchens or dining rooms.

My mini-food processor was used daily when the girls were small. I made puree of the food we ate for them. It was the perfect solution to making quick baby food. I even pureed some lasagne one time and that was a hit. Funny to think about pureed lasagne. My Cuisinart Mini-Prep is 13 years old and still going strong.

Tea concentrate

When I read the Angry Chicken's post about tea in a jar I thought it brilliant. Every time I open the fridge all I can see is an overstuffed mess. Which really has to do with the season. Most of the space is consumed by our fresh fruit and vegetables. Being in a hot climate does not allow for produce to survive more than a day on the counter. So, when I saw that post about making a tea concentrate I thought why not make my own too. It's a perfect idea. Keith loves iced tea but without the space to spare in the fridge I just can't have a pitcher of tea sitting in there. However I can jam a small jar in the top shelf. The perfect solution for our situation.

To make your own tea in a jar you'll need a jar that holds about 12-16 ounces. I use pint sized Mason jars. Place 5-6 tea bags into the jar and then fill with water. Seal and place in fridge overnight. The next morning remove tea bags and give it a shake. It's ready to use. You can use a few tablespoons of the concentrate which you will dilute with water. Since there is possibility for variation it's really going to require a taste test to determine how your tea brews. Experimentation in this case can be fun. Think of the possibilities here, several types of iced tea ready to go on a hot summer day.

Butter

Butter making has become a household chore of the past long lost to the consumer based life. We visited a dairy farm a few falls ago and had our own try at making butter which was fun because we made Keith do all the work. It was remarkably easy when some one else was working the cream. I even considered looking for a little churn. In my mind the nostalgia made it seem so delightful. Then one day I read the post about making butter over at 16 Sparrows the Grandma Club I wanted to try it myself. The idea of making my own butter still excited me. Since I have no churn nor did I want to shake a jar for hours I was glad to see the stand mixer option. Gee why didn't I think of that?

It did make the process go quickly. I made my butter from the heavy whipping cream in the fridge. It was supposed to be for some whipped cream, likely for a pie but, uh, there are no pies and the expiry date was coming quick so it was recruited for butter. All I did was pour the pint into the mixer bowl, attached the whisk, turned it on medium low and let it go. Once the cream became reaching the whipped phase I scrapped down the bowl and resumed mixing but went up a speed level or two. This is where it becomes important that you watch this because the whipped cream goes quickly to butter and then well, if you walk away, as did I, you'll end up with buttermilk all over your kitchen. I was pleased to see the butter all buttery and just like you think it will look.

I scrapped the butter off of the whisk into a mesh colander set over another bowl. I then dumped out the butter and the buttermilk. I mushed up the butter back into one piece and set it aside. I drained the buttermilk out of the bowl into a measuring cup. I was curious to see how much it gave, about a cup. The butter ball went to the bowl with some water where it was rinsed by smashing it against the bowl. I repeated this until the water remained clear after mashing the butter around. This is a part of the process that is very important. Rinsing the buttermilk out will prevent the butter from going rancid. So tough it out and once you try that butter you'll know it was worth the effort.

One pint of cream will give you about 1 cup buttermilk and 1 stick of butter. I was able to fit all the butter in my butter crock which fits 1 stick of butter and trust me it won't last long. I ate a good deal of bread and butter just to make sure it tasted alright. It does. Now don't go thinking I'm going to be making my own butter, it was great to do and I like knowing what to do, but seriously, this is not how I plan to spend my days. I think that if I were making an herb butter this is the way to go. It would be a nice little addition to a party with some bread. And for sure it's a great way to use up cream before it goes bad. Besides making your own butter is definitely a way of ensuring you'll eat a whole stick of butter far too quickly.

beans

These beans are bean pole runner beans. They are Scarlet Emperor (Phaseolus coccineus) and grow very quickly.

Lessons

This week I have learned that.............

Bickering sisters makes my head hurt.

There are some BIG spiders living in our garden.

Watching hummingbirds visit the garden is very enjoyable.

All this back to school merchandise in the stores now is not making me happy. I don't want to think about that yet.

I need a new gym. Now.

I am looking forward to having my husband back tomorrow. Yay for the end of the business trip!

Our Summer Reading Adventure

Reading over the summer is something every parent wants their children to do. We get all the paperwork from school telling us how important it is to ensure that the children keep reading so they will continue to improve their skills. And then, summer happens. Days go by full of fun and play and it's at that point you realize that the kids haven't been reading their books. Guilt. It's a fantastic thing for a parent. To get back on track we went to the library picked out some books, really great books, and began to read. Soon after the excitement passed and the books were abandoned. Clearly this reading during the summer idea wasn't working. Instead of forcing a daily reading regime I had to come up with a different approach. I figured making the reading task fun is the way to go. I chose to make it like an exploration. Thus began our summer reading adventure. Each day I gave them an adventure. So far so good. They have enjoyed the week's assignments and are looking forward to those to come. The hard part is creating the adventure assignments. I'm sure more ideas will be discovered as I find inspiration. There are several ways to be inspired. I'm watching them play outside and also looking into their books. Just about anything they like will help me think of ways to keep them busy.

Yvonne's cucumber dill sauce

This is one of the many things I have been making for years. I began making this during my years in college when I ate falafel nearly every week. Eventually it became something I ate sparingly. It still remains easy, delicious and perfect for a dip or dressing.

Yvonne's cucumber dill sauce

2 cups peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped cucumber
1 cup non-fat/low-fat plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons grated white onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed

Add cucumber to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the cucumber is finely chopped. Add the yogurt, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pulse to incorporate. Add the dill and pulse again until mixed well. Allow to chill in fridge before serving.

If you prefer a more creamy texture continue to pulse until the cucumber pieces are smooth. Adding 1/2 cup of sour cream will thicken the sauce and makes for a great salad dressing or topping on salmon. This goes great with pita and falafel, with crudites, tortilla chips, lamb, salmon. A great dip with plenty of uses.

Nifty Ideas: Outside

Another round of fantastic nifty ideas I have discovered. You too may become inspired by these nifty things and in turn create your own. If you have any of your own nifty ideas please share them with me!

When I saw this I thought what a fun thing. A Sun Jar. It looks so interesting glowing that it would be a wonderful way to add a nice glow to your evening placed on your patio table.

The girls love having baskets on their bikes, it's just something they need. A girl has stuff to tote around. As I was looking around for a replacement for Olivia's bike I found this Eco Basket in it's pretty green color. What a great looking basket although it can be put on a bike it's not quite what an active grade-schooler needs. We will need something a bit more durable for her.

I had forgotten about this Water Bottle Lid Lantern thing until I came across it in the store. I bought one last year for a hiking friend and thought it was a fantastic idea. I think it would be a great addition to anyone's camping gear. Or at least those with kids, a great way for them to have fun with light.

First Quilt

Check out my first quilt. I made this in Colorado. My MIL showed me what to do and helped me work through my mistakes. I am very excited. This crib quilt was made from flannel in complimentary colors. The ease of using squares made for a great first quilt project. It turned out rather nice so nice that Olivia has decided to claim it as her own. I was finishing it up until we were heading to the airport. Its debut use on the overnight flight home was handy.

I plan on making more and have plenty of work ahead of me. I need to get a special feeder foot for my sewing machine so until it arrives I'll cut some squares and think about how to put together another little quilt. It will be fun to see the results with different colors. Once I work on more I'll describe the process I used to make this type of quilt. It was very easy and thrifty which are perfect matches for me.

Cucumbers from the garden

Here's the first round of massive cucumbers. There are tons more on the vines. I think my neighbors and friends will be finding these stuffed in their mailboxes. I'm glad I only planted 4 of them, imagine if I did the 10 plants I thought sounded good way back in Spring. Time to look for some cucumber recipes. I have plans for some cucumber dill dressing/dip, cucumber salads, and perhaps some pickle of sorts.I could use some ideas, because as you can see there are loads of these in this house.

Lessons

This week I have learned that....

When you are eager to eat fresh tomatoes the ones in your garden will take FOREVER to become ripe.

Blueberry tarts are a big hit in this house.

Somehow someway the swim goggles will go missing and this will be tragic. For them since they are missing for me because I will need to search the basement for them.

I love finding great things at the local thrift store.

Little girls will save their change so they can buy a sugar baby watermelon at the farmers market.

Peach blueberry ring tart

This is a simple tart to make that requires no cream or custard, just fruit. The pastry is easy to mix and requires a little time in the fridge to chill. No pre-baking. A quick way to make a beautiful dessert with fresh fruit.

Pastry
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons ice water

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix together. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal. In a small bowl beat together the egg and vanilla extract. Turn on food processor and slowly add the egg mixture, processing until dough holds together. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough comes together, being careful to not over process. Place pastry into an 11" tart pan pressing firmly up sides and around the bottom of the pan. Cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator.

Begin to prepare the filling.

Filling
1 1/2-2 cups finely chopped peaches
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Gently mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Remove chilled pastry from the refrigerator and place it on a cookie sheet. Pour peach mixture into the pastry spreading evenly around the pan. Bake 15 minutes at 425F, reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Top with half to one cup (depending on size) of fresh blueberries by pressing them gently into the tart making a single ring around the edges. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Store leftovers in refrigerator.

She's a tart.....maker

One tart wasn't enough for this family. Nope. We had to have more. I didn't expect the reaction to be so positive. Yeah, sure, tarts they're good and all, but I figured it be no different than anything else made here, considered and eaten with slight suspicion. I knew another had to be made when all Leah could talk about is having a blueberry tart for her birthday instead of cake. Now isn't that a great idea? I love not making a cake and this tart birthday thing is something different. Although she did mention that maybe, just maybe we should make a few cupcakes so the "kids won't feel disappointed about having to eat a tart" because she's not sure if her friends even know what a tart is. Indeed she didn't even know what it was until I made one. Since it had blueberries on it she didn't care what a tart was all she knew is that she'd eat it. I have enough blueberries to make several tarts but will make one more this weekend. I like having the fresh berries for breakfast and afternoon snacks with some cheese and crackers. Olivia is not a tart person. Yet. She took a bite or two and felt it was better worth her time to eat some ice cream. She's missing out and eventually will see the perfection of a summer fruit tart for dessert. Or breakfast as Leah and Keith pointed out yesterday.

In my desperate haste to be a done with the peeling and pitting of those jillion pounds of peaches there were some leftover pieces which could not be made into jam. I set them aside with a picture perfect early morning thought of a peach pie. Come 4pm and still working on jam, that picture faded into what can I make with the least bit effort and still get a pie like thing? Answer: peach tart. Some of the recipes I found required cream or custard and several steps. Not my idea of a simple dessert. Instead of spending more time searching for a recipe I made my own. I used the Joy of Baking blueberry tart as a guideline (remember, pirate chef here) to create my peach blueberry tart. It actually was supposed to be a plain peach tart but I added blueberries to make it look pretty. I think it was fine decision. I'll post the recipe separately so that it can be found easier and you won't have to read all my nutty thoughts.

Morning tasks

A week has passed since coming home from Colorado. I finally feel back to normal. I want to still be on vacation, not to worry about bills and such, blissful calm. The girls are glad to be home to play with friends and their own toys. I'm glad to have the comfort of home, the familiar smells and my own bed. And a kitty to follow me around. She was very happy to have us all back. It took her a few days to be sure we were staying. Every time I stepped outside she wanted to follow, and this, this coming from the cat who hates being outdoors. I suppose she thought we'd leave again.

Early cool summer mornings are my favorite. Those occur every day out west but here in the Mid-South as we are officially located it's rare. Warm sticky mornings are typical this time of year. I have been enjoying this break finding that spot on the porch quite nice. As I sit here sipping coffee watching the morning go along I am thinking that none of my neighbors come outdoors. They remain inside their homes and miss this perfect morning. Maybe I'm an outdoors person and this being nice to me may be unwelcome for others. Watching the garden in the early morning is exciting. The bees are the first to start the day busily searching the lavender flowers for pollen. They are here all day until the last bits of sun have disappeared for the day. I would love to have a big farm of lavender. Wouldn't that be fantastic? Can't you just smell the breeze blowing through the flowers? That is marvelous. Instead of that big farm I'll make do with growing lavender along the front walk. Sitting there between those plants is quite interesting particularly if you find bees interesting. (And not dangerous) I am constantly impressed with their diligence. Nothing compares with their work ethic. I gladly welcome them knowing this fall their honey will be on our table. That's the best part of this gardening thing, and living in farmland. The little things we do contribute to our supper table providing the treats we enjoy. As that breeze came by I smelled the rosemary hiding behind all the lavender. It reminded me how I should go and move that other plant in the back yard. For some reason everything in that stone flowerbed has been doing poorly. Besides, I could use another rosemary on the other side of the walk to give a balanced look, not that anyone really cares or notices.



Well. You know how a simple task in your mind seems like it'll be just that? It never is. I walked back there to that rosemary but had to pass by some other things and noticed that there were some other little tasks to do. Distraction is so easy. That little tomato making its way out from under that rock wall has been bothering me for a few days. I figured it needed a new location. It was placed in with my herbs. Maybe a better location with proper soil will encourage it to grow happier. As in make loads of tomatoes. After the tomato was transplanted which was trickier than it looked I went to the stone flowerbed. There I noticed the following to be saved: two rosemary, sage, oregano, chives and thyme. All of them except the larger rosemary were placed in the herb garden along the house. It must be too much sun. That stone flowerbed gets lots of sun maybe too much for these herbs. Since moving the basil those plants went from scraggly terrible looking things to beautiful plants with nearly palm sized leaves. That's what I talking about, massive leaves of basil, oh the things I can make with basil.

Once the herbs were placed in their new home it was to the front for the second rosemary. It was a bit strange trying to dig a hole with all those bees buzzing around. They could care less I was there but shoo-buddy was that odd having them all around me. Kinda bothersome, I expected to be stung but I remembered that as long as they were not bothered they'd leave me alone. Just for safety I did give them notice. I bet if my neighbors heard it they'd think me a nutty lady telling the bees to be polite. Success in transplanting without bee stings is very good. By the time all this was sorted out I felt satisfied. I think this should be a good result. I'll be watching and keeping my eye on those herbs. This week will be the hardest for them but if they can manage the hot temperatures then they will grow big. It's time to move from the porch. The sun moves around the house making the porch oven hot for most of the day which means I need to work on other stuff.

Jam it up

When you go to a pick your own farm there are all these fantastic things going through your head. How much fun you'll have, all the yummy fruit, what can be made from the fruit. Then you get home with a jillion pounds of peaches and then it's when you realize you have a jillion pounds of peaches. I spent a good part of the day taking care of those peaches. Peeling, pitting, cutting all the messy parts that leave you sticky and exhausted. The easy part is the making things. Jam is easy. You toss the fruit in a stock pot add some stuff and dump into jars. Simple. Last year's jam was gone in a snap. We couldn't help ourselves, that perfect jam kept calling us from the pantry, we just had to eat it all. I must say that making jam is by far my most favorite home canning thing. People get excited about jam and it's so easy. Besides eating jam from pick your own fruit is a delicious way to support local farmers.

The most irritating thing about canning is getting the jars. I had to go to several stores to find the jars I needed. I'll have to remember to stock up in the winter to I can save time driving around town, or better yet just order them online. Anyhow, because finding jars was hard and we had this problem of eating all the jam I found a solution. Freezer jam. I made that for us and some down the road friends. The canned and sealed variety will be sent out for Christmas gifts to family and friends outside of the DC area.

Nifty Ideas: Inside

Another round of fantastic nifty ideas I have discovered. You too may become inspired by these nifty things and in turn create your own. If you have any of your own nifty ideas please share them with me!

For those of you with cats and limited space this Itch art is for you. A wall mountable scratch square that your cat can use to stretch. Also for you cat is the Curve Wall Mounted pet bed.

Crayons are always a fun way to create but have you seen Crayon Rings? Now that is something isn't it?

How many times have you lost a bottle opener to the depths of a kitchen drawer? I can't, far too many here. I have a solution to that problem a Bottle Opener/Fridge Magnet. Now it will stay put and no more sorting through kitchen drawers.

Look at these Magnetic Flower Art pieces, aren't they great?

Around our garden

We have all sorts of things growing around our home.













There are the pretty thorn-less roses growing very well after a bit of fertilizer.















Then there is this little tomato plant, growing out of the rocks in a terrible location. That is something isn't it? I can't even begin to tell you how a tomato decided to grow in a patch of awful dirt jammed under rocks but it did and there it grows.














The neighbor's cat Sun likes to rest in the cool dirt under our window and once the afternoon sun hits this side of the house he'll nap on the porch. He belongs to another family, right? I ask that myself every day.















The vegetable patch is doing well we are waiting for those tomatoes to finally ripen.


















The wildflower garden along the garage looks scraggly, but hey, those flowers all grew from seeds scattered earlier this spring. Maybe I should have used more and put a better effort in finding a use of this area. I would like for our azaleas to look better but they might need less sunshine. Too bad we have very few places for shade needing plants.














My herb garden along the house next to the back door is doing very well. I love basil which I'm sure you can see with all those 4 plants taking over. If I hadn't placed those day lilies in the garden I might have even more basil. I am obsessed. Now if only those tomatoes would be ripe and ready I have a desire for a tomato basil salad. In the meantime I have some plans for moving things around, mostly from the stone flower bed in the back. Everything in there is having a tough time so perhaps a new location will do them some good. It'll be a quick task worth the change for them.

Blueberry tart

After spending a few hours picking fruit today I really wanted to make something from all of those blueberries. I found the recipe for the blueberry tart here on the Joy of Baking site. There have been other tarts made in the past all of which were terrible. I was so pleased with the results of this tart. The filling is berries, no cream, no cheese, just beautiful delicious fresh blueberries. It was easy to make and is something that can be made quickly. I love not having to roll out pastry when I'm pressed for time. At this point this will be my go to tart recipe. I made some adjustments to the recipe to spice it up a little to bring out that wonderful blueberry flavor. Actually I decided to go and make this tart filling as I would my blueberry pie because that's what I think would taste fantastic. By the way I'm glad I took that picture of the tart when I did, not the best looking picture but the tart was gone by morning! Nothing beats a great fruit tart for breakfast.

Tart Pastry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 - 2 tablespoons ice water

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla, set aside. Put the flour, salt and sugar to your food processor and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Gradually pour the egg and vanilla mixture in a steady stream, with the motor running through the feed tube. Process until the pastry just holds together when pinched. Do not process more than about 30 seconds. Add water, if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the pastry to an 11 inch fluted tart pan, and press evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the blueberry topping.

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 dash nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 degree F (220 degree C). Toss the ingredients together coating blueberries with mixture. Pour mixture into prepared chilled pastry. Place the tart pan on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 425F (220 degree C), reduce temperature to 350F (180 degrees C) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, gently stir the berries to mix in any flour remaining on berries. Top with 2 1/2 cups blueberries crown side up, pressing them into the hot berry jam. Make concentric circles with the blueberries, starting at the outside edge, working around evenly. Allow tart to cool before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pickin' fun

Lessons

This week I have learned that...

When you tilt your seat back on a 1am flight sometimes the person behind you with push it back up.

Carry on bag size varies between persons and the airlines won't monitor it either. Good luck to all who seek space for their bags.

Kitty cats are glad to see you when you come home.

The garden will need a lot of tending to make up for those weeks away.

Oh Deer

Look what was wandering around in our garden today. She was just as surprised to see us as we were to see her. She watched us a little bit before running off into the woods. I wonder if she is the same one our neighbor keeps telling me about seeing lingering around the trees.

Returning from fun, some thoughts

Being away from home for nearly a month really puts you out of sorts. Instead of writing about our trip I posted photos of what happened. That way you can sort of fill in the details by looking and really who wants to hear me describe every little thing? We enjoyed the wedding, it was fantastic, several days of fun. You just can't explain a F'Laker family event, it truly must be experienced. There was even a Michael Jackson tribute at the reception. You can't even imagine the humor that was involved there. All I can say is there were several F'Lakers involved, MJ tribute pins, a golf glove and much laughter. Too bad I didn't get pictures of that.

After the wedding we drove to Yellowstone. It has been on our list of must visit family vacation places for years. I'm glad we made it there. Well worth the time and getting up way too early in the morning to drive there. We could have spent a week there and still not done everything we wanted to do. That leaves us planning a future trip, perhaps when the girls are older. The one bummer was I became very ill. I thought it was strep but it turns out my allergies created a sinus infection so severe that it knocked me down. By Wednesday morning I wasn't able to hardly talk nor eat, my throat was so sore, swollen and sensitive. After a visit to the clinic (yay fun!) and some meds I began to feel a bit better. Being sick on vacation is no fun. I was too tired for serious hiking and that put a big dent in the fun. All I wanted to do was sleep but I rallied and somehow managed to walk all over the place. It took just about every last bit of energy out of me. Stupid allergies, getting in the way of my fun. Despite that little issue we were able to see plenty and there were many "oh wow" moments. The pictures really do the best in telling those sorts of moments. We took our time returning home, stopping to see lakes and more mountains before finally driving away. I would have liked to have seen Jackson Hole on foot rather than car but we didn't think it would take 2 hours to get out of Yellowstone. Summer road construction is something of an expectation in those parts.

The rest of our time in Colorado was spent seeing friends and family. Visiting Boulder is always a trip in more than one way. It made for an interesting lunch get together with some friends. Boulder always makes me laugh. We did make a fantastic visit to the Powell's candy store. Such a wonderful place to get some treats, worthy of any kid. I recommend it as a must do if you are in Boulder. A low key Fourth of July was what we needed. We explored Fort Collins with the Grandparents ducking out of the rain to do some shopping. It was perfect. Time went so quickly that by the time you realize it, you're on a 1:15 am flight home with heavy luggage and tired girls. Which, let me tell you, a red eye is never a good idea when traveling with kids. They are able to sleep anywhere meanwhile you are left dealing with idiot people who push seats back up and flight staff who like to talk very loudly about their dates. I would also like to mention how annoyed I am with the airlines. We have to pay to check bags as a way to save space, fuel and spotted owls, but no one, NO ONE, is checking to see if all us morons actually are carrying on appropriate sized bags. So as you can conclude people are jamming their giant non-carry on sized bags into these teeny tiny overhead bins. Seriously, who's genius idea was that? On both flights back there were several people with bag issues because all the bins were full of crap and everyone was carrying on one of these and these. I was glad I checked all but a small bag with my camera and laptop inside. If I had carried on one bag for each of us like we did on the way out there would not have been any room and at 1am that is not a puzzle my brain can work. I want to know why do people have to bring their skateboards on the plane? Because those things take up way too much room in those overhead bins. And bags of fruit. Can't you just ship it? There were many other things like Stetsons and boots which made me wonder about people.

I'm glad to be back but I'm not quite ready to be back.

Breakfast

The Fort on fourth

Boulder for lunch