Meet Bailey

We welcomed a new pooch to the family today.  We went to church then went out to lunch with our friends and then got a dog.

This is Bailey.  He's warming up to the place and learning the ropes.  


Goin' in for the smooch!  I love Colin's face.

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Summer Evening

Seth left this afternoon for church camp.  I've been calling it practice camp because it's just one night.  He was so excited and talked all morning about all the things they might do.  I have no idea how they will fit all those things into one overnight stay but I'm sure he'll have fun anyway.


Colin was more than a little bummed about not being able to go.  So I did my best to boost his spirits.   We got ice cream, went to the pool, and finished our evening with his special request....A campfire and roasted marshmallows in the backyard.  He's currently telling "spooky" stories.  Something about a grizzly bear haunting a family on vacation.  The family decided they had enough so they flew to Africa.  Seems reasonable.



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Date Night

While the boys spent time with Aunt Kelly, John and I had a lovely night out.  We dined on the patio at this place (Food is so good and atmosphere is great.  We recommend it to the locals among you.)


After dinner I beat John at skee-ball at a play place close by.  No reason to mention that detail of the evening except to report my victory.

I love my boys.  All of them.  But I treasure the time this particular man and I get to spent together in quiet uninterrupted conversation.

Happy 4th - 2014

Happy Celebrate America day (that's what Colin calls Independence Day)!

We enjoyed a beautiful evening at our house with good food, good friends, and blowing stuff up in the front yard.   Sounds like a good 4th of July plan to me.

I used a few new recipes (and one old one) so I thought I'd share.  We grilled steaks using this rub recipe from "American Grilled" with David Guas on the Travel Channel (I don't watch the show but saw him on The Today Show.

For the steak: 
4 (16 oz.) boneless rib-eye steaks
Coarse sea salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For the coffee rub: 
3 tbsp. fresh coffee beans, finely ground
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. granulated onion
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

I would recommend using a bit less coffee, maybe 2 tbsp. It seemed a bit overpowering.  Maybe I just needed to grind it finer. 

Black Bean Salad with Corn
Recipe found here. 

This one has become a  fan favorite of every summer/fall potluck, bbq, dinner party, lunch at my mom's house, etc.  I improvise almost every time so I can use what I have on hand.  A few things I wouldn't do without are the fresh lime zest and then fresh lime juice, and fresh chopped cilantro.  The rest you could substitute what seem appropriate.

Rustic Peach and Blackberry Pie
Recipe found here.

The boys on a mulberry hunt.
And finally for dessert I tried this rustic peach and mulberry pie.  John and the boys picked wild mulberries we have growing around our property.  John made the crust (he's better at it than I am) and I did the rest.  It was delicious.  Very little sugar and healthier with only one pie crust (and we substituted Coconut Oil for butter).  I will definitely be making this dessert again.  Super easy (especially if you sweet talk your husband into make the pie crust)




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