Pink

Last year, 4th of July was spent with 50 people in my back yard. Full of chaos and a bride and groom preparing to be married the next day. This year, it was spent here.... on a quiet ranch tucked in the mountains close to my parent's home. Horses were exercised. Fish were caught. Walks were taken. Food was devoured. Rest was had.

...and pink fields couldn't keep me away. Pink fields. It's an unseen sight here in Wyoming....until this very wet year. In all 30 years I've lived here... I've never seen a pink field near this area. Beautiful.

And p.s. ..... this is the baby of the bride and groom from last year's events! She's a honeymoon baby!

Did They Bring Those Big Mosquitoes With Them.....

The Texans came a wandering up this way again this year and I got to take pictures of their beautiful little faces. Boy have they grown! My son asked where they were from (as he accompanied me on this one) and I said "Texas" and his response was "they have REALLY big mosquitoes there, don't they?"

On the way home...he said, as he itched a bite on his little leg "did they bring those big mosquitoes with them?!"

Mustard Dill Sauce for Salmon

If you like fish (which I do) and you like a little something extra with it (which I do) and you like the something to be a little tangy (which I do) then you should probably try this.

It's a simple little sauce, which I discovered is good for dipping as well as for topping.

I have a freezer full of fish. Salmon included, that I needed to eat before it goes bad, so I scouted out the perfect recipe to eat it with.



Mustard Dill Sauce for Salmon
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
2 tables spoons finely chopped dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons dijon mustard (I didn't use this much...about half that)
Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients and top salmon fillet. Wrap in tin foil. Bake in oven for 10-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with fresh dill and lemons.

Closing

There's little museum that I spent some time in when I was in college closing down tomorrow. My freshman year, after biology lab, a class which my brother and I shared together, I would walk through this museum to get to my next class, or wherever I was going. It smelled old. Like dirt kind of. I always found it amusing that one of the main dinosaur's was named Big Al...as that was my nickname in junior high and part of high school. I found myself there again for two weeks my senior year in college for an art class. The one and only of my college career .....and I got to sketch dinosaurs, Big Al in particular (something at the time was fairly uninteresting, but I never cared because it didn't involve number crunching.)

My son got to see it on its last weekend open. I'm so glad he did and I'm so glad I did as well. Because not only did it bring back memories from the fall of my first months away from home but I saw it in a different light as well... through the eyes of my three year old, which are always picking up on things I never did.

His mama warned me that there were mosquitoes in Laramie. I laughed and said they didn't like me and wasn't too worried. I came home with 7..huge welts on my arms and neck. YIKES. That will teach me for being over confident!

He was a tough one to crack, but I managed after a little while, with a little helped from his parents!!!

Just The Right Way To Start

I love starting mornings off on the right foot. First it was a drive over the hill to Laramie (which in my world is perfect because for me being in the car alone with blaring music, singing at the top of my lungs is the essence of "alone" time.)

Secondly I was spoiled when I walked in to this little man's house and his parents had hot coffee and scones waiting for me. Heaven. Just exactly what I needed!

Thanks guys for being so great!

If you think he looks like he might be hungry for that little dandelion, he was... he ate it!

Nothing

There have been only a couple posts on this little blog that I've posted without pictures. Hence the name of the blog.

There is one thing that I have always realized about myself, and realized at a young age. Something that I think has helped me cope. Something that I think keeps me from overloading and in the realm of sanity. I sometimes have the ability, and only sometimes for a few hours.... to disconnect. From everything and just be. I sometimes need to be plan-less. Schedule-less. Phone-less. Computer-less. Quiet.

The other night I attended a dinner in which I saw many people from the community come together and support a local fund raiser. It seemed everyone I talked to seemed to be tired . Tired of being busy. During a conversation, one of my friends said that the summer was so packed that there is no time to just be. "where is that time when we get to spend an afternoon just sitting in the backyard doing nothing."..... as we get older, schedules become more full of "fun things." There is rarely any down time in the season when down time is the empitome of a good day.

Today was a nothing day. I sat on my back porch for 6 hours. That's right 6. With a book. Some snack food that I did not cook. A glass of wine. I did nothing. And my family didn't either.
I didn't take any pictures to remember, because I didn't want to or need to. My feet were up. I read when I wanted, I closed my eyes when I wanted. I watched the tree leaves stand still for a change. It was a nothing day.

So... here's to a nothing day!.... I hope everyone can have one this summer, because nothing sometimes does a body good.

I Got A Pocket

full of sunshine. Yup, that's what I found. And I saved it for my favorite little man.
We were out a on walk the other night, something that I don't often get to do as of late and something that I have always done since I was young. I love walks in the summer evening. On our way by an alley I noticed this droopy tree with the most gorgeous sunlight coming through it. I looked at the time and promised myself I would come back within a week with the monkey man from my house....so here we are. In a beautiful pocket of sun light after a hard summer rain. I wish I could photograph smells, so I can remember them. But I can't, so I have to slip them into little bottles in the back of my mind, hoping to one day smell it again. Sunshine filled rain has to be one of the most beautiful smells in the world and it was just dripping from these droopy sun laden trees.



He's pocket man. Even at this young age. When he's telling you an important story he will put his hands in his pockets and take one out as he needs to use it as he explains whatever he needs to explain in great detail. I love that he's a pocket man. (And yes he does have a shiner from the tree stump from last weekend...it actually looks 100% better!)

He makes up his own things these days. I don't tell him to do much of anything .... this is what he comes up with.

And this is what he looks like when I tell him I'm going to tickle his belly button. Ewwww Grooosss!

hmm, hmm

He's a 4th cousin.
or is it a 3rd cousin once removed.
or is it a 2nd cousin twice removed.
whatever it is....he's a relative!!!!

He was one of those babies that you want to poke his little tummy and say "hmm, hmmm", like the little Pillsbury Dough Boy. I adore little Pillsbury babies!!!! They rarely stay that way too very long once they start walking. And I bet you wouldn't guess... but he had a piece of asparagus in his mouth the entire time I was taking his picture!

Boy World

I fully admit that as I child I was a little more girly than tomboy-ish. I liked girl things.
I liked dresses.
I liked to fix my hair and pretend to put make-up on.
I played with barbies and dolls .
I dressed my cats in dresses and pushed them around in shopping carts.
I liked bows and lace and ruffles.
I danced and pranced and giggled. Just like most little girls do.
Occasionally I would find a lady bug in the garden and watch it tickle my skin and then let it fly away, only after making a wish on it.


I did not go to the store and buy 1500 lady bugs in a little sack and let them go in the back yard just for the pure enjoyment of finding them again and putting them in a bug box for safe keeping. I didn't do that until now. Boy world is a whole 'nother place for me!

I found a lady bug crawling in my bathroom this morning. I took it outside after it had tickled my skin and I made a wish on it as it flew into the air.

In The Garden

Last week I got to spend some time in the garden with a beautiful blondie.
She danced for me.
She talked.
She waved at strangers.

It's so fun to watch them grow!

Good Place For a Nap

Yesterday evening I sat on the shore of a little island in the mountains and shared this beautiful sight with my little boy. ....

...this peaceful moment was only after climbing for 3 hours over boulders covered in this.

But we did see this along the way.

And this.

And finally... at the end of the three hours. Many times of lost patience and lots of yelling for him to be able to hear me. Of begging to be carried and then let down to race. At the end he fell and hit his head on a tree stump.... and this is where he slept directly after.

It was peaceful, and it made the war wound with the tree stump worth it...as it's been a long time since I sat peacefully with my sleeping boy. Especially on a river bank.

Just a Couple More

Since the picture posted this morning was taken at 5am....in my jammies and sleep in my eyes, I thought I'd post a couple more when I was a little more awake and a little less hurried. She's a really smiley happy dog. Cuddly too.

Another

My son and I took a long soda run yesterday. We drove through the unusually green rolling hills of the prairie where the land stretches as far as you can see and runs into blue cloud strewn skies. We drove past yellow fields. Fields, which in all my years, I've never seen them yellow. You see....my little town has been on water restrictions for 6 years. This spring it's been raining since May 5th. (yes, I've been counting!) So, we feel like we're living in Seattle without the perks of all the good coffee and music. Yesterday it stopped long enough for us to go for a drive.
To see all the beauty of the country.
To stop at a little place and have coffee and ice cream with cherries on top.
To visit with my mom in the park
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To pick this little cottonball up from the Laramie Peak Humane Society in Douglas.
Welcome to the family little girl!

Can we......

have one day without rain? or hail? or tornado warnings? God.....how can you resist this face?

Cracker Jack

Today in 1893 Cracker jacks were born at the first World's Fair in Chicago by F.W. Rueckheim and and his brother.

So.... today we celebrated by eating a bunch of them.

I haven't eaten Cracker Jacks in quite some time.

They are still wonderful.

There still aren't enough peanuts....or they are all at the bottom, which by the time I get to the bottom I don't want to be eating handfuls of peanuts.

The prizes are worse. Much, much worse. There are no more tattoo's. ( I LOVED the tattoos when I was little!)

They bring back wonderful memories of baseball games (Not mine, my brothers'.... I was a t-ball dropout as #1 the uniforms weren't girly enough for me at the time and #2 there were snakes in the outfield. OK not really, they were grasshoppers, but try explaining that to a 4 year girl. )

They also bring back wonderful memories of road trips to my grandparents home... my dad could be convinced into letting me eat whatever I wanted in the car. It was a great talent I had as a child...and have paid for by spending quality time in the dentist chair for as well.

They make me want to sing even if it isn't the the 7th inning stretch.

You should celebrate as well... just for old time sake!

P.S.

If you want to make your own homemade cracker jacks (which I didn't have time for today) try this recipe!!! (It's from Emeril and it's awesome!!!)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups salted Spanish redskin peanuts
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter
9 cups popped corn
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cane syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the peanuts, pecan halves, cayenne, Essence, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and melted butter, tossing to coat well. Spread mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on parchment paper or paper towels. Combine the cooled spiced nuts and popcorn and divide evenly between 2 lightly greased baking sheets with 1/2-inch edges. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining unsalted butter, sugar, and cane syrup over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour hot mixture evenly over both baking sheets of popcorn and nuts. Using a lightly greased spatula, stir the mixture well so that everything is evenly coated.
Bake for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove caramel corn from the baking sheets and cool completely on waxed paper. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

She's All Girl

She walks on her tip toes

She's deathly afraid of bugs. Sharks. Ugly boy things.

She talks and talks especially with her hands.

She told me the sun is "burning" her eyes and she "needed" her purple glasses.

She's all girl and all princess.

Cleaned

Just wanted to send out a big thanks to those of you who helped us clean this up this past weekend! We couldn't have done it without you.
Also... anyone out there planning to do this yourself....2 miles is a lot longer than one would imagine when you're picking up garbage!!!!

Laid Back Little Man

He was an easy going, happy-go-lucky little dude. Smiles were easy to come by. Happy faces were abundant. Gotta love it when they go that way!

#1

It was a birthday complete with great food, great cake, great laughs and fireworks (which the birthday boy slept through!)
Of course the cake mash is always the best part of the 1st birthday.
He was pretty calm about it really.
Ate it.
Mashed it.
Stuck his feet in it.
Stuck his feet in it again.

Then......he decided the maybe the frosting type pedicure wasn't the way to go.

His sister sat patiently until his chubby little feet were out of the cake......and then ate it the way is was suppose to be eaten....with no utensils!