Lauries Kitchen

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Washing machine saga.....2nd posting tonight

Well, the washing machine has decided after 12 years to try and give it up. Now, me being the person who does the laundry, would love to retire it in peace. It served it's purpose. When you wash the lid has to be down to signal the machine to go to the next cycle. My lid isn't staying down. The girls and I have been beating it like crazy to try and make the thingy make the connection. SO rather than submit this one to washing machine heaven in peace, we are now putting the cast iron (usually used as a door stopper) on the corner. We'll see how long this lasts. So if you come to visit and need to wash, be sure and put the cast iron on the corner.

Still walking!!!

Still walking. The challenging part starts now! One week left until I report back at work ( sounds like the Army, wonder what would happen if I went AWOL????). This week I will try to get in the habit of getting up a little earlier and walking. Unfortunately I usually come home after walking and fall asleep.......not sure why though....I walked this afternoon since I didn't yesterday or this morning.

VBS was awesome. The girls had a great time. The girls spent last night with Nana Karen Thompson. She and Mitch think they are grandparents to the girls and have them over every so often to go to the movies and just hang out. Works for me! It was nice to get a little down time from them.....especially JoGail! She has been dressing 'puppy' up in her baby doll's clothes. It's weird to see Puppy dressed after 8 years of him ( JG says it's a 'she' now) naked! Grace completed the performance camp last Thursday. She did so well. She was the only going into 6th grade to complete the camp. She's going to miss it. She's already asking for a weight bench for the garage. I think I told some of you that I caught her carrying, yes carrying, around a hairbrush the other day........yikes.......what is middle school already doing to my daughter????

We are headed to Grapevine for the Great Wolf Lodge Experience tomorrow. Coy got a great deal, so here we go. I'm afraid there's going to be too much to do! Check it out at www.gwl.com. We'll be back sometime Wednesday. I think Missy and her family are headed there later this summer. I'll let you know how it goes!

We are still getting okra, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon from our little bitty garden. The watermelon (I think it was number 8 or 9) we cut open this afternoon was probably the BEST watermelon I have ever had. New family rule around here: EVERYBODY at the house (and I mean everybody) has to eat at least 2 slices of cantaloupe a day! (and the slices are HUGE!)And there's still flowers on the cantaloupe vine! I've cooked squash as many ways as I have found. I like the casserole, JG likes it fried, Coy likes it boiled down with onions and garlic, and Grace doesn't like it-- period.

No I haven't completed my to do list for this summer. I haven't seen Leigh Ann yet--I'm getting desperate for that to happen--haven't sorted through the girls recipe collections--haven't sorted through all my emails from last year (they are in folders, though)--haven't cleaned off the desktop (zillions of icons on there), definitely did not figure out photoshop.............maybe by Christmas, if I am lucky! :)

We did take the annual family photo for the football program. As soon as Coy sends it to me I will post it!!!


WAHOO! Spell check only caught three errors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

We're back

We're back from Ragley. We had a good trip. Got to see everyone and visit. The girls has a blast swinging and playing outside until dark or the mosquito's came out! I walked 3 18 minute miles while I was there on Friday. Still haven;t lost weight but I haven't been eating well lately, either.

Met TAC and Joey Friday night. The took us out to eat at a Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse. It was fun and good. It's an experience the girls will always remember. Surprisingly Grace liked the sushi and JoGail didn't. I think we all liked the miso soup. JoGail is still talking about the flaming tower of onion.MawMaw cooked JoGail some 'straight' bacon. JoGail liked it when she uses her bacon press. She says mine is all squiggly.

My walking group is meeting after the walk on Tuesday. I think I am going to take marinated cheese and Gina's spinach and cheese dip. Those are both low carb. I am still hoping to get the recipes from every9one sorted and in page proctectors this week......we'll see. I think I have 2 more weeks before I go back....ack!!!where did the time go? VBS is this week at night. It's also the last week of performance camp. She told me the other day that she is having a hard time sleeping past 6 o'clock these days. Another wonderful side effect! Coy is thinking about videoing the running of the 40 40's this Thursday and putting it in the school's website. (www.eustaceisd.net under the kdog section) I've made a movie from some pictures I took last week of Grace. I will try to attach it. They 're just pictures. I didn't do much to them. You can see my shadows in some of them. I am trying to get a book to help my (hopefully) figure out photoshop. That program is so hard for me to understand!


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Performance Camp 2008

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Pictures of JG and Zoie and big daddy squash




The squash we picked was over 15 inches long!

Big problem

We think someone or something is stealing our cantaloupes! I mean the one that was supposed to be ready today was the size of a basketball and it is GONE...GONE....GONE....NOT GOOD.....I'm contemplating going out and counting them and marking them with a sharpie.

Made a good leftoer supper. Had some leftover spaghetti sauce. Cooked a box of penne pasta. Mixed rthe leftover spaghetti sauce with a bad of sald shrimp. Mixed together with the pasta. The girls ate almost all of it. Coy's at board meeting tonight.

Zoie is spending the ngiht with JoGail.I know, what am I thinking? But she feels like she always gets left out of Grace and her friends, so. Actually I don't mind at all. She is well behaved and fun. I think they are outside right now puching each other in the wagon. One sits and steers while the other pushes. You don't get better than that in the summer!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

oops I forgot

After dotting my casserole with butter bake at 350 20-30 mins.

Grace has hurt her foot (on the trampoline) We are hoping she just jammed it but aren't sure if she broke her foot or not.

Went shopping in Hillsboro for school clothes yesterday. It was wonderful! Nobody was there! Unfortuantely there weren't as many shops as there used to be but there were enough for us. JG has grown so much I don't think she can wear anything from last spring. Grace got 2 pair of cargo shorts-exactly what she wanted. They look good on her.

Coy's going to mow today. The girls and i are heading to the Tallant reunion.

More details later.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Squash recipes

I made two different squash casserole recipes for supper. They were both good-just polar opposites.

Coy's (For those who love stuffing)

3 c uncooked, wshed and sliced squash
1 pkg stove top stuffing
1 cream celelery soup

Layer in casseroles dish: squash, stuffing, squash , stuffing and top with soup. Bake at 350 til bubbly.


Laurie's (Cheesy and rich tasting)

3 c washed, sliced, and cooked down squash drained
1/4 c sour cream
1/2 c cheese
salt
paprika
1 betean egg yolk
bread crumbs
dots of butter


In a small pan heat until cheese starts to melt:
sour cream
cheese
salt
paprika

Once cheese starts to melt add egg. Mix with squash and put in casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter.

Grace ran 30 40's this morning! I was so proud of her. She's done so well and only misse done day of workouts. I'm still walking 3-4 miles a day. And no, I have not lost a single, I repeat SINGLE pound. Very frustrating. We are meeting in the morning at 6:30 to walk in the cool since the kids don't have to be there at 8 for workouts. Then we are heading to Hillsboro to try and do some clothes shopping for school. Then the girls and I might try to get to the Tallent reunion on Saturday.

Miss Carol gave JG a huge tomato. Then JG and I talked about how we would slice it for supper. Well, I fell asleep this afternoon and she ate it like an apple, leaving the core, for a snack. So much for the tomato for supper! Ours in the garden are still green. We're getting about a cantaloupe every other day at this point. The watermelon we picked was not yet ripe. So we;ll wait a while before we pick another one. We're up to almost twenty still out there.

A shout out to my older brother who turns 39 tomorrow! Happy Birthday!!!!!!Can't believe you're getting THAT old......means I am not far behind!!!!!!!!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

The garden when we returned

Watermelon we picked. the first one.
I spy three watermelons growing.
I spy four cantaloupe.
Watermelon count-15

Cantaloupe count-20


And we only had three plants of each come up!


We're home

We had a great vacation. We had taken Grace to Corpus before but this was JG's first trip. Of course she loved it all. JoGailisms from the trip include Corpus Christy, fish jelly (jelly fish), and frog tree (tree frog). We spent one whole day at the beach and then it rained the next, so we went to the Aquarium and USS Lexington. Grace thoroughly enjoyed the Lexington. JG and I got tired of the stairs. haha By the way for those keeping up I walked over 4 miles at the beach -even took my pedometer.

After we boarded the plane the pilot announced there were storms in San Antonio so we had to get there via Abilene. Took forever. JG giggles at takeoff and landing. Had everyone for three rows in front of us laughing too. She colored the flight attendants some picture so they gave her a box of cards. So she and I played go fish several times. Grace was playing guitar hero on her Nintendo.

Finally landed at the most disorganized airport in Texas. Coy found us and was glad to see us. Then we headed south. Of course our late plane arrival made us late, but we got there. And then had to find somewhere to eat. We ate at Longhorn Steakhouse. Coy said that was the best steak he had had in while.

Thursday we went to the beach(national Seashore). It was nice and peaceful. Not very many people. Stayed all day. There was a little grocery store there so we didn't have to pick up lunch stuff and tote it everywhere. It was very relaxing. I walked and read. That night we ate at Longhorn Steak and Ale. It was even more awesome than the night before! And Grace tried something new each night! I was so proud of her. Then more swimming at the pool after a trip to Barnes and Nobles.

Then it rained almost all day Friday. We voted to go to the TX State Aquarium and USS Lexington. Lots of walking that day. Grace learned so much, especially at the Lexington. She was just soaking up everything Coy was teaching her. More swimming after eating at Souper Salad--it was soo good. It had been a long time since we had eaten there. They had awesome baked sweet potatoes. More swimming at the pool.

Saturday we ventured home via Houston. More go fish in the truck and playing the I spy ABC game. We finally got home around 5:30 and we glad to be home. It's nice to go but even better to come home.

Coy had an awesome time at the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education ) confrence in San Antonio. He learned alot but he really enjoyed being around the teachers he took and getting to know them better. He thrives on that. HE just had a wonderful time. He played with a voice recognition program this afternoon. He believes in that so much.