Day 50: RFM Picnic

We went to Mom's company picnic and had some really good BBQ'd pork and free beer.

Day 49: BWWs

Sarah, Stephen, Dennis, Marc, and Kevin

For dinner, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings.  Later, because I had a few beers in me and didn't want to go to bed just yet, we played euchre on the back porch.  Good times.

Day 48: Writing

Today was pretty uneventful.  I went to work, I worked on my novel, and I went to class.  So, there wasn't a whole lot worth taking a picture of....  I ended up photographing my novel in progress (including notes and research material).  For an excerpt, check out my blog.

Day 47: New Recycling Bin

The new recycling bin arrived today and I'm so freakin' excited about it.  Previously we had a tiny green bin that didn't hold much of anything, so we'd have to load up Alcatraz and drive the recyclables to the recycling center, because Ash and I recycle everything that can be recycled.  Going to the RC kinda sucks, so we haven't been in a long time.  I was so excited when I pulled into the driveway and saw Ruby (the recycling bin) sitting next to Oscar (the garbage can).  I immediately filled the can with almost all our recyclables.  And they don't have to be sorted!  I LOVE our new recycle bin.

Day 46: Bug

When I went out to put chemicals in the pool, this weird little bug was hanging out on one of the beach towels.  Every time I got too close to him, he'd raise those weird back leg things.  And when I walked away, he'd tuck them back down.

Day 45: Picnic Lunch

Amy, Ashley, and Dennis.

We had a nice picnic lunch at Optimist Park.

Day 44: Penne & Vodka Sauce Recipe

Recipe:
1 (13 oz) pkg of penne pasta
2 T butter
3 oz thinly sliced pancetta bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (4 oz) pkg pearl mushrooms
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz tomato sauce
grated Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add pancetta and saute until lightly browned.  Add chopped garlic and whole mushrooms.  Add vodka and stir until it is reduced by half, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Stir in tomato sauce and cream.  Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes.  Stir every few minutes.  Stir in pasta and heat through.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with tossed salad.

Day 43: Camping

Because of the predicted bad weather, we decided to camp in the backyard, so that if it rained, we could just run into the house.  We didn't get much rest sleeping on the ground, so Ash and Toby decided to take a nap.

Day 42: Euchre

Dennis, Ed, Carrie, Ashley, and Marc.

Due to bad weather predictions, we decided NOT to go camping in Bay City.  Instead we played Euchre.  I think I'm finally starting to get that game... and it's kinda fun.

Day 41: Camping Stuff

Ashley, Ed, Carrie, and I are going camping in Bay City this weekend.  Here I'm gathering the stuff we need to take.  The metal frame is for Ash's portable hammock.

Day 40: Kolache Recipe

sausage kolaches and cream cheese kolaches

 Recipe:

1 cup milk (or ½ cup milk, ½ cup water) warmed
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup soft margarine (Imperial or Parkay)
2 T instant yeast
4 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Day 39: Pool Toys

The pool accessories I ordered came in today!  There is a boat for the Strickens, floating lights, an air mattress, and a floating beer cooler... uh, I mean, beverage cooler (complete with cup holders)--according to the package, it can hold a case plus ice!  Can't wait to try all this stuff out.

Day 38: Marigolds

Back in May I planted a few small marigold plants in the flower bed.  Some of the plants have stayed small, but not these.  They're huge.  I'm not really good at keeping plants alive, so it makes me happy that they've done so well.  Too bad they're not perennials.

Day 37: Giggles

Today was Gage's birthday party and I had today's picture all planned out.  I was going to take a picture of Gage and I.  And I completely forgot.  In fact, I only took a few pictures.  This was the best one of those.

Day 36: God-Kid Adventure

Kayla, Josh, Gage and I.

Today was the annual God-Kid Adventure.  We [Dennis, Gage, Josh, Kayla and me] went to the Dinosaur Gardens and a Paul Bunyan statue in Ossineke.  Then we went to the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse and put our feet in Lake Huron.  After that, we went to Lumberman's Monument, and we finished with a picnic dinner in a park in Tawas City.  Next year, I'm thinking we'll do Ludington State Park.

Day 35: Kolaches

I am really disappointed in Midland's lack of fast food breakfast choices.  There are the egg McMuffin things from McDonalds or donuts or bagels.  That's pretty much it.  In Texas, we had breakfast tacos and kolaches.  I really miss the sausage kolaches.  The place I worked in Texas, at least every other week, someone would bring in sausage kolaches and they were so yummy.  So, I decided to make my own.  I used Ash's bread-maker to mix up some dough and then I baked them.  They didn't rise as much as I thought they would, but they turned out pretty good for my first try.

Day 34: Research

This is the book I am currently reading--it's research for my 2009 NaNoWriMo story, mentioned on my blog.  Originally, I borrowed a copy from the library, but the information was so good that I knew I needed my own copy to underline and highlight.  So, I ordered a used copy (though it looks pretty new to me) online and it arrived today.  Let the marking begin!

Day 33: Aunt Jet

Today, Dennis and I had lunch with our Aunt Jet [whom I adore!].  We grabbed take-out and met at a park because it was such a beautiful day.

Day 32: A Fish Called Wanda

Okay, so she's a whale, not a fish... but whatever.  Wanda is awesome, she swims along the bottom of the pool and vacuums it... all on her own.  Which means that Ash and I don't have to do the vacuuming.  I love Wanda.

Day 31: Souvenirs

For our upcoming adventure, I made souvenir water bottles for my God-kids using BioGreen Bottles and permanent markers.  These BioGreen bottles are 100% biodegradable, recyclable, reusable.  AND they're made of recycled materials in the USA.  [I wanted to draw dinosaurs on them, but I discovered that I can't draw dinosaurs that actually look like dinosaurs.]

Day 30: Chocolate Chip Cookies

For reasons I can't share, I can't post the picture for day 30.  I did take a picture and I have it ready to post, I just can't post it yet.  It will be posted later this week with full details.

Okay, now I can share it.  As a sort of late Father's Day present, Ashley, Ed and I got together and baked chocolate chip cookies for Dad.  The reason I couldn't post the picture is because we shipped them to Dad and I had to make sure that he received them before I posted the picture.  

Day 29: Just the Girls

Amy, Sarah, Ashley, and I had a wonderful girls' day.  We swam in the pool, drank wine, grilled salmon and asparagus, hottubbed for a while, and then jumped back in the pool.  It was a fabulous day!  I absolutely loved it.

Day 28: New Tools

The pool was giving me problems, so I had to pick up some tools and show it who was boss.  [Okay, I only needed the nut driver set for the pool...  But I did need a new hammer because Ed broke mine awhile back.]
 

Day 27: Sleepy Time

That's me ready for bed, but I can't go to bed yet because I have to do the picture of the day first...  So, yeah, not real creative I know, but I'm tired from staying up last night studying for the math test I took today.  Perhaps I'll have a more interesting picture tomorrow.  Good night.

Day 26: Jump In

It was another hot day in Michigan.  In fact, we had a heat advisory.  So, it was nice to hop in the pool--especially since the water temp is up to 86 degrees!  Here I caught Ash as she was hitting the water.  [I tweaked this photo in Adobe Lightroom using the preset called Kelsey Smith- Swim Time.]

Day 25: High of 95

Madison and Ben came up to visit.  It was in the 90s today, so we spent most of the afternoon in the pool.  It was refreshing to say the least.  We ended the evening with beer and burgers.

Day 24: Raspberries

Yesterday, I made Chewy Raspberry Squares using the raspberries that Ash had picked last week (top left).  Today, I was up at eight--when it became too hot to sleep--so I picked the raspberries bushes in the backyard clean.  Then I made raspberry sorbet.  It's still not quite frozen yet, but it sure is good (bottom left).

Chewy Raspberry Squares
1/2 cup butter or margarine at room temp
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (it's awfully sweet, so you could probably get away with only using 2/3 or 3/4 of a cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oats
1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I just cooked my raspberries on the stove with some sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract.
3. Mix in flour, baking powder and oats until mixture is combined and crumbly. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture for topping; set aside. Pat remaining mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan.
4. Spoon preserves on top of oat layer, spreading as much as possible without disturbing the bottom layer. Sprinkle reserved topping on the top of preserve layer.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When cooled, cut into squares.

Day 23: Classic Swimsuit Baby

Today, Sarah and Lily came over to swim.  Lily is so cute in her classic swimsuit with the cute ruffles.  Look how festive she is in her red, white, and blue suit.  So patriotic.

Day 22: Tie Dye

Today Mom and I made a bunch of tie dye shirts.  It was so much fun.  We tried different designs and different colors.

Day 21: Independence Day Celebration

Since the 4th is on Sunday and most people will want to go to the fireworks on Saturday, we decided to have the 2nd Annual Independence Day Celebration on Friday.  We barbecued and had a bonfire, along with a couple fireworks.  Most of the gang was here and we had a blast.

Day 20: Always Room for Jell-O!

Jell-O Shots
Makes approximately 25 1-ounce shots.

1 3-oz box of Jell-O
1 ½ cups water
½ cup liquor

1. Stir 1 cup of boiling water into dry gelatin , in a measuring cup (for easy pouring), at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved
2. Stir in ½ cup cold water and ½ cup alcohol*
3. Pour into 1-ounce plastic cups with lids.
4. Refrigerate until solid (at least 2 hours). Enjoy responsibly.