Another one bites the dust

And so it goes that yet another work week is drawing to an end :) This week my Mom came to Boise for a class and stayed with us Wednesday and Thursday nights - Fun! Thursday night she even got to see me play a tennis match for the first time - she enjoyed it! And best of all she even thought we won... sadly we did not. Played an oppenent with a killer (very spinny) serve and his ground strokes had top-spin to spare. Good Times.

After the match we had dinner at the Tavern at Bown Crossing. And then headed home to make 2 chicken pot pies for friends that both had surgeries this week - Kristin, her left hand and Heidi's baby Brooke had eye/brain surgery. The recipe looks quite tastey - I didn't test it because of the chicken, but Mom said it smelled great! I found the recipe on a really great blog site (thanks for the tip Jackie!), For the Love of Cooking.

This is the first recipe of her's that I've tried but she has a great selection and I love the layout. I will definitely be trying more recipes. For the chicken pot pie, I did change up the veggies - I used broccli, zucchini, carrot, and peas. I also added to the herbs - basil, thyme, rosemary. And, I used a store prepare crust instead of making it from scratch (no time for from scratch).

I hope the Brandts and the Hagmans like it!!!!

Boise Art in the Park 2009

This Sunday my parents came up from Twin and we had a delicious brunch at La Vie en Rose then walked over to Art in the Park. There were SO many vendors! We saw some really great art: photography, paintings, jewelry, woodworking, etc. The row of vendors just went on and on and on! Mom gave me a sterling silver double banded bangle with an inscription, "surround this woman with love and light." Love it :) She got a multi-band ring with gold and silver. Kevin and Dad both got lemonade...

While Mom and I were shopping at a jewelry booth we saw a shop-lifting shake down! Apparently two women saw this man "drop" 3 pieces into his small Coach bag.... yes folks, carrying Coach and shoplifting at Art in the Park. We walked away before we saw the goods unveiled but his belongings were being searched. The two witnesses were walking away while the booth owners were unsuccessfully looking for the stolen goods. I suggested to them that perhaps they should tell the owner exactly where they saw the goods deposited because it didn't look like they were going to successfully find the pieces. And now, I'm left to wonder what happened?!

It was so hot, we were all glad to make the last loop and head back to the truck. My parents headed back to Twin after we got to the house. It was a lot of fun spending the day with them!!

Lucky, lucky Girl!

After a long, rough day at work yesterday I went straight to the tennis courts for a match that was fun but we lost.... and them to home by 8:40pm with no dinner in my stomach, sweaty and stinky, and short tempered....

Trying to spare my wonderful husband from my fowlness (stinky body, stinky mood) I ducked straight into the bathroom to rinse off. I came out smelling better, but still needed to work on the mood. SO, I sat quietly on the couch icing my wrist. My sweet husband let me sit quietly, and knowing I was hungry and tired, offered to make me dinner. The Grump was determined to remain and said "no thank you." But Kevin persisted, offering to cook the ahi-tuna and salmon left from our Sushi night with Robin, and make a salad with lettuce and cucumber from the garden..... Ohhh, that sounded yummy :)

I ate my delicious salad, made with patience (patience and patience) and love... And with a full tummy I started to kick The Grump out! I told my my husband how much I appreciated him and settled in for the rest of the night.

The Vintage Pearl: new dainty drop earrings... win a set!

The Vintage Pearl: new dainty drop earrings... win a set!

I hope I'm not too late to win.... it's a long list of comments!! Love the earrings!!! Also, thanks for your information about ordering a flower charm!

Did I Mention Canning???

Oh my, what do you get when you blanch, core, and peel 35lbs of tomatoes and mix them with garlic, red wine, olive oil, onion, and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, & thyme)?

You get 7 quarts of sauce.... that's right 7 quarts people. Good thing there is a lot of simmering - unattended so I could get housework done! I'll admit though, I was hoping for 12 jars..... another time, perhaps. I have another 20+ pounds waiting for me, what to do...

Saturday night we had a work night at the Rausch's. It involved husking, blanching and cutting from the cob 4 gunny sacs of corn! All to be frozen for eating throughout the next year. I gave up trying to remember just how many dozen ears this was.... I think 18-20 dozen...

It's all a labor of love! The reward is eating and enjoying it over the next months and knowing where it was grown, how it was grown, how it was handled... and not having to purchase it from the store!

Other exciting news, Kevin is getting a new truck!! A 2004 Nissan Titan, Smoky gray. He is very excited since the 89' Toyota (a.k.a. White Bird) has no AC in Idaho's 100+ degree summer weather.

No pictures this post - bummer, pictures are my favorite part!

Take Care.

Trip to the Ranch!

Last Friday I made a trip to Kelley Orchards in Filer Idaho... 85 acres of beautiful fruit orchard and 13 acres of garden veggies and melons, all nestled along the Snake River in the Canyon.






It was a girls road trip - Robin, Sydney, and me! Too fun.



Saturday morning I helped Robin at the Eagle Farmer's Market and we sold out of peaches and corn! It was a great weekend.

Canning season begins

Lovely, gorgeous, bountiful fruit from the garden has begun to ripen! We've been busy making pickles, jam and tomato sauce.

Kevin taste tested a batch of pickles we made a couple weeks ago and they passed the test - delicious! And so it begins... canning is a labor of love. I love it, and I have to remind myself of it every time I'm up too late putting up jars.

Kevin is a great help!

And the end product is so beautiful!!!