New Lunch Box

They sure don't make lunch boxes like they used to! Tyler's barely made it through the school year. The zipper pull was broken, the fabric was wearing away at the edges, and the inside was all stained from his leaky thermos. It was kind of gross. That's why I'm so glad it's finally time for a new one.

As it happens, I was looking through the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine and came across an article about different lunch boxes.

I saw a cute one from Skip Hop, so I went online to see what else they had. Turns out they have a whole line of zoo themed lunch boxes and matching backpacks. They were so cute, we had a tough time choosing. All I really cared about though, was that it was different. I can't even count how many kids had the exact same lunch box as him last year.....ugh!

So Tyler picked out the one he wanted and it arrived in the mail a few days ago.

It's so cute.....I love it! I can't wait to fill it up and ship it off to school tomorrow. Let's just hope that nobody else brings the same one.

Walking Lily

Today is the first day of school for most of the school district here in Yakima, but Tyler doesn't start until Wednesday, which actually works out fine because we still need to finish our back to school shopping.

We've been looking for a new non-leaky thermos for his lunch box, so I ordered an insulated Klean Kanteen (a Chico brand) from Amazon, just to find out that it won't ship for 2-5 weeks. That's nice, because I need it in two days.

So we decided to look around town to see what we could find. We stopped at Target and had no luck with the thermoses. While we were there we tried looking for jeans and other boys basics, but honestly the store was torn apart. It was a huge mess. We left with nothing. Oh yeah, except for a toothbrush.

Instead of continuing on to another store, we just gave it up completely to do something a little more fun. We stopped at the Humane Society so that we could walk one of the dogs that was up for adoption.

We found a nice little lady named Lily.

She was super lovie-dovie and never barked once.

The man at the shelter said that Lily was a good walker, but she kept going in figure eights around Tyler and I, getting us all tangled up.

She was real sorry about that. She just wanted her belly rubbed.

We spent about 30 minutes with her before it was time to bring her back. Hopefully she finds a permanent home soon; she really is a good little girl.

Batman Birthday

Tyler was lucky enough to have been invited to several birthday parties throughout the school year, but this weekend he found himself in a predicament when he was invited to 2 separate parties that were both on the same day and the same time. It's hard to figure out what to do in that situation.....I mean, you can't go to both parties.

So Tyler made his choice and we ended up at his friend's party, which happened to be at the Family Fun Center.

The kids started out with some pizza before it was time for cake and ice cream.

The dad made the cake himself and I was impressed. It not only looked cute, but it tasted great! Even better than my last two attempts at birthday cakes. I probably should have asked for the recipe.

It wasn't long before the sugar went straight to everyone's head.

Then the group went outside to start the activities. First off....bumper boats. I still can't get over it, but the kids were tall enough to ride in their own boats.

Next, Batman and company played a round of miniature golf.

Followed by a ride on the Go Karts.

By then we were 3 hours into the party, and yet the kids still had the energy to go back inside and play the arcade games. But once Tyler used up his tokens and cashed his tickets in for prizes, we were out of there. Phew! What a day!

Recipe Review

It wasn't the best week recipe wise. Most of the meals were just average, nothing special. Nothing I'd probably made again. Well except for the cheesecake. That was the highlight.

That's where the 3-1/2 cups of blueberries went....straight into this yummy blueberry cheesecake.

I've been working on Rick over the years, slowly turning him into a cheesecake fan. With the pumpkin cheesecake I made last Christmas, and this one that he can't stop raving about, I'm pretty sure I've got him hooked for life. It's that good.

Now back to the dinners. We started the week of with Pan Seared Pork Chops with Applesauce.

The pork chops are as simple as it gets. They're just browned in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil and salt and pepper. The best part of the meal was probably the homemade applesauce. It tasted exactly like any cinnamon flavored applesauce you'd buy at the store, which was a little too sweet for my taste. Next time I think I'll make it without any added sugar, which is usually the way we buy ours anyway.

Next we tried Almost Tandoori Chicken, a recipe I saw on 30 minute meals.

I wasn't sure about making this since the reviews were pretty mixed on the Food Network website. People either loved it or hated it. I went ahead anyway, and now I can say that I'm firmly in the 'hated it' group. Yuck! It sounded good though. You mix a blend of spices (like a homemade curry powder), mix it in with some greek yogurt, coat the chicken and bake it in a super hot oven. The end result was so bitter that it was almost inedible. The best part of the meal was the garlic naan bread that I bought at Walmart. That was some good stuff.

Also from Rachael Ray, we tried Zucchini and Ricotta Tart.

This was passable, but nobody loved it. My biggest problem was with the puff pastry crust. Even after an hour of baking, the bottom still had a raw flavor. Not good. I should have partially baked the crust before adding the filling. And because it's a puff pastry, that means you would have to add some dry beans or pie weights to keep it from puffing up too much. Now I know for next time.

Lastly, we had Chicken Stroganoff Pasta.

In my opinion, this was the best meal of week, although I still like Cooking Light's beef stroganoff better. The chicken is dredged in a flour/paprika mixture before cooking, so that's what gives it a reddish color. Besides fooling Rick into thinking he's eating shrimp, I'm not sure the paprika has any other purpose. And while I enjoyed the meal, Rick and Tyler both struggled to choke down the mushrooms, so I probably won't be making it again any time soon.

The End

Today was all about completion. A big milestone for Tyler mixed in with some other minor achievements and we were able to wrap the day up with a tidy little bow.

First off, I finished the first mesocycle of STS this morning.

I. Love. STS. This is my third time going through the program, and it's actually getting....easier. Maybe that means I need to bump up my weights. All I know is that I get a week of active recovery before I hit the second mesocycle hard, and I can't wait.

Speaking of the end, I think it might be looking that way for my resistance band.

I ripped a hole in it this morning. I've been using the same one for 3 or 4 years, so maybe it's time to replace it. I'm sure it'll work for now, as long as the hole doesn't get any bigger when I stretch it out. Meanwhile, let me go trim my nails.

And at school, it was Tyler's last day of swimming.

That's it. That's all. The pool is closed until next Summer.

Never mind the pool, it was Tyler's last day of preschool.

Doesn't he look like he's moving out of the dorms? I guess this is the preschool equivalent of that. But he'll be back next week with a box full of kindergarten stuff. Yeah, he's in the big time now.

And to end our day, we finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Now we're ready to watch the movie. I've already set the DVR to record both the 1971 version with Gene Wilder and the 2005 version with Johnny Depp. After watching both trailers on IMBD, I'm pretty sure I'm going to like the older version better. I love Johnny Depp and all, but Willy Wonka, he is not.

Today

Taking a cue from Becky Higgins' blog, I'm going to show you a few snapshots from my day.

I love my new Tassimo coffee maker that I got for Mother's Day, and earlier this week, Rick brought home a new package of coffee for me to try.

Well, I finally got around to trying it today and it's pretty darn good! It's the new sweet and creamy iced coffee. You brew it straight into a cup full of ice....pretty neat. It's slightly sweetened (we're talking around 2 g of sugar), so I added a teaspoon of pumpkin spice coffee syrup to bump up the flavor. Delish!

In the garden today, I noticed great things were happening.

I finally have some tomatoes that are turning red. I guess they're still mostly orange, but at least we're getting somewhere. Hey, maybe I'll finally be able to pick my first ripe tomato by September! Um, that's really pathetic.

Did I mention it was windy today?

Really windy! It knocked some huge branches off the trees at Tyler's school.

And at home....

Our yard waste container was knocked over as well. Good thing the lid is attached. I've had to chase our garbage can lids down the street more than once.

This afternoon I went to take Max out of his cage and he flew over to the kitchen window.

I think he wanted to get a closer look at all the birds outside.

Especially the ones on the ground under the bird feeder that were hunting for stray seeds.

And now I'm getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is Friday and everyone is excited about that. It'll be Tyler's last day of summer school and then next week he'll be an official Kindergartner.

Peeping Tom

This morning I was in the middle of my work out when I heard one of the cats moaning....or growling....or crying. I wasn't sure. All I knew was that the sound wasn't normal and that I should go check it out. So I paused the DVD and headed toward the direction of the sound.

That's when I found Carmelita.

She was on the kitchen windowsill, all kinds of upset about the peeping tom that was staring into our house.

In case you don't recognize him, that's the pesky cat that lives next door. The one that tore up our vegetable garden, dug up our flower patch, and left at least 5 half-eaten bird carcasses in our lawn. Yeah, he's no friend of mine....and I'll be darned if he thinks he's going to be her friend either.

I shooed him away for now, but I just wish he would stay in his own yard. I never intended for our bird feeders to become death traps. And I know that's why he was in our yard this morning....looking for a free meal. Poor birdies. Darn cat. Ahhh, it's frustrating!

How many pounds?

We've been waiting all summer to pick blueberries and the U-pick orchard just opened to the public about a week ago, so we made a point to stop by over the weekend.

I already had a recipe picked out....all I needed was the blueberries. I just couldn't remember how much we needed, so before we left I double checked. We needed 3-1/2 cups of blueberries, but for some reason, I processed that number as 3-1/2 pounds. So I went out to the car and announced that we needed about 4 pounds of blueberries....and off we went.

4 pounds of blueberries is a lot, so we started picking fast and hard.

Rick and I were anyway, I think Tyler was mostly snacking.

I wanted to make sure we picked enough, so I told the boys we should get around 5 pounds, just to be sure.

After about an hour, we checked out with a total of 6 pounds. Wow! A little more than I was expecting, but that meant we'd have plenty of leftovers. It wasn't until we'd lugged our ginormous bag of berries home that Rick started to question the quantity.

Ummm, how much do you need again?

That's when I realized my mistake.

Oh my gosh, I need 3-1/2 cups, not pounds!

I think I should learn how to make jam....immediately. What the heck else am I going to do with 5 extra pounds of blueberries? But in my defense, I have to admit that my mind has been on the fritz ever since my 'accident' in the kitchen last week. I broke a glass measuring cup in sink and sliced my arm open in the process. I guess I can't think straight with a gaping hole in my arm.

Recipe Review

I try to have my recipe review for the week up by Friday, but since last week was kind of crazy, it didn't get done. So here I am posting it on Monday. I'm sure you don't mind.

We started the week of with Herbed Greek Chicken Salad.

I really liked this one. It's a quick and easy chicken salad, but the seasoned chicken and homemade dressing make it special. The seasoning for the chicken is nothing more than oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper and it adds so much flavor. The dressing is made with greek yogurt (to bump up the protein even more), tahini, garlic, and a little lemon juice. Yum! We'll be making this one again for sure.

Next we had an Italian Wedding Skillet.

I've literally been waiting years to make this recipe. It's in the same cookbook and on the same page as the Avocado Basil Pasta that I love and make all the time. The only thing that was putting me off was the nutrition facts that were listed. It was higher in fat and calories than anything I would normally cook. Finally I decided to make it with reduced fat ingredients and homemade meatballs. And the result....it was delicious, and even better the next day.

Italian Wedding Skillet

6 oz dried orzo pasta
1/2 cup bottled light Italian salad dressing
1 16-oz pkg. frozen cooked meatballs, thawed (or about 32 homemade 1" meatballs)
1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 6-oz bag baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
salt and pepper
shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a 4-quart Dutch oven combine salad dressing and meatballs; cook over medium heat until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in drained pasta, artichoke hearts, spinach, and walnuts. Heat and stir just until spinach is wilted.
3. To serve, season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle with cheese.

Finally, we had Cornbread Topped Bourbon BBQ Chicken.

I know the cornbread topping looks a little gloppy, but I promise it's a decent recipe if you can get past that. We had a million problems making this recipe, but in the end it was pretty good.

First off, it wasn't until about 4:30 in the afternoon that I realized that we didn't even have any bourbon in the house. So I had to run out to the liquor store real fast. Then came the problem of skillet to stovetop compatibility. The recipe called for a cast iron skillet (because you have to light and burn off the alcohol), but I can't use cast iron on my glass top range. Instead, I tried cooking it out on the grill, which worked until it was time to bake the cornbread topping. I thought I could put the topping on, close the lid, and bake it right on the grill. It didn't work out, so I had to bring it in the house and finish baking it in the oven.

In the end, the dish had good flavor, but ours was kind dry due to the whole grill to oven switcheroo. I don't think we'll be making it again though, because of the skillet-stovetop problem.

In Between

For the last several weeks, we've been in the process of refinancing the house. To that end, we've been preparing for the appraisal; cleaning like crazy to make the house look as good as possible. The appraisal was supposed to happen this morning, but now it's been pushed back to Monday. I personally can't wait for the whole thing to be over. Then we can all take a breath and stop acting like we live in a museum.

During the cleaning process, in an attempt to somewhat declutter my scrapbooking room, I actually finished a few more pages. Instead of hiding everything in a drawer or the closet, I finished my works in progress so that I could store them properly in an album.

I really need to come up with a way to display my latest pages around the room. I'd rather look at them for awhile rather than shove them directly into a closed album. I was thinking of something involving a curtain rod and some clips.....I don't know.

The Miscommunication

For years we've done the same thing....schedule Rick and Tyler's dental appointment together. That way they both go in on the same day, at the same time. And since Rick had an appointment scheduled for this morning, it only made sense that Tyler did as well. So following our normal procedure, I took Tyler out of school and brought him to the dental office, only to find out that he didn't actually have an appointment. I don't know how that happened, because like I said, their appointments are always scheduled together.

At any rate, since I had Tyler out of school and he wasn't due back for another hour, we decided to have some fun. First we stopped at Johnson Orchards to pick up some fresh peaches.

Yum, I could smell the peaches as soon as I got out of the car.

And they had so many more inside.....varieties I'd never even heard of.

We left with 2.5 lbs of peaches. We've been waiting to make a Blueberry Peach Cobbler, and that's exactly how much we needed.

Once we were finished at the orchard, we headed down the street for lunch at McDonald's. It was either that or Burger King because those are the only food places near Tyler's school. So we ate our lunch and I had Tyler back at school just in time for recess.

Later in the afternoon, he helped me put together the cobbler. I had already processed the peaches, but he helped me with everything else.

We were so anxious to take a bite of the finished dessert, and when we finally did, I don't know about Tyler, but I was kind of disappointed. The topping was great, it tasted like a blueberry muffin. But the peach part seemed extra watery and not as sweet as I was expecting. Maybe it was the peaches we chose....I think they were Hale. Next time, I think we'd better go with a sweeter peach.

Checking In

Two things happened last week with regard to Tyler's afternoon free swim. 1) He quit wearing his floaty foam suit, switching to regular swim trunks and 2) He spent a good portion of the week avoiding his swim altogether with the help of some flimsy excuses.

Since it costs extra to swim and we've already paid for the entire month, I wasn't too pleased to hear that he's been giving up his time in the pool. When I asked him about it, he said that he was hurt and couldn't swim. But all I could find was a small scratch on his knee. Nothing that would interfere with his swimming.

So I went to his school today to watch him during his free swim. I wanted to find out if he was having a hard time without his floaty suit, or if he was scared without it, or at least come up with some explanation as to why he suddenly doesn't want to swim.

And from the looks of it, he seems to be doing just fine without his floaty suit. In fact, he had all kinds of new moves to show me.

Like this airplane jump from the side of the pool.

This one looks like he surfing or riding a skateboard, but really it's another airplane jump.

And then he did a few cannon balls.

Super Splash!

After my visit today, I've decided that the problem is nothing more than boredom. I think he was just tired of swimming. There are only about 6 kids in the pool during the afternoon swim and most of them are girls. They don't include him too much in their group, so I think he just gets tired of swimming by himself. But at this point, he only has two weeks left, so I hope he makes the most of it.

The Simple Plan

When we left the house this morning, we had a simple plan. First we were going to Lowe's for their Build and Grow project, and then we were going to stop at the animal shelter to walk one of their dogs. Sounded easy enough,but things didn't end up going that way.

At Lowe's they were making a project that even I was excited about.... bug boxes.

Not that I care too much about bugs or anything, but I really prefer the projects that Tyler can actually use, as opposed to the ones that are just silly toys. I figured we'd have fun looking for bugs to put in the box, so that's why I was looking forward to this particular project.

Once the bug box was all finished, we still had some time to kill before the dog walking hours started at the animal shelter. So we decided to insert an ice cream break.

I had a coupon for a free creation at Cold Stone's (another one of my birthday freebies) and I was ready to cash it in. I ended up getting one of the new summer flavors, blueberry bliss. Ehhh, it wasn't that great. The blueberry ice cream was alright, but I didn't care for the frozen blueberries that were mixed in. Rick and Tyler shared the peaches and creamery, which wasn't very good either. So FYI....don't pay extra for the summer signature creations....they're not worth it.

Our next stop was the animal shelter, where we were disappointed to learn that they weren't letting the dogs go on walks today because of the 'extreme heat'. Huh!? Yeah, it's summer and it's kind of hot outside, but it wasn't even 90 degrees. Oh well, we still went in the back and visited all the dogs and cats. Next time we'll call first before driving all the way over there for nothing.

Back at the house, I tried to get Tyler to help me find some bugs.

But he wouldn't....he just wanted to play Scrabble with Rick. So I found some by myself. It only took a few minutes; roly polies are super easy to find. Still, he just wanted to play Scrabble. Maybe I should have enlisted the cats. They're really good bug collectors!