two for tuesday

it's raining today -- but a nice break after yesterday's 95 degrees and 150% humidity -- it was the kind of day where you walk outside and are immediately covered in sweat - i felt bad for the guys out pulling honey.  we had to take them more water towards the end of the day -- that's saying a lot since they each take out a gallon+...
i've been busy this last week -- when i say that, what i really mean is that my fingers have been busy, and my computer has been really busy -- the last couple days have been spent selecting and editing photos and making books.

one of them is for these two love birds --of pictures that i took at their engagement shoot:

we had a quiet weekend.  i didn't take any pictures...

i scrapbooked most of saturday.  it was a pleasant experience and a great way to spend the day -- simply amazes me that i accomplish so much more scrapping on a queen size bed than i do working at a table.

ordered wedding project supplies--now to wait for them to get here.

starting to feel the time crunch for all the things i want to get finished before the end of summer.  pressure is good.

my hot water heater stopped working yesterday.  jon has been trying to fix it today.  sad.  i need to shower.  going to have to trek to the warehouse bathroom like everyone else.  boo.

i hadn't been through my reader in about a week -- i had 457 blog posts to "read" -- too many.  the sad part was that out of all of those there wasn't much that caught my attention...

two things:
 -  i am obsessed with homemade granola - store bought i don't really care for - but homemade, barely sweetened granola goodness -- yum.  this year it has been one of my most favorite things to eat.  my wonderful mother sent 2 giant bags of homemade goodness with us to eat while in montana  - it is packed with dried fruit, seeds and nuts...  i savor every mouthful (helps to make up for my brother shoveling it -- he's always in a hurry to eat as much as possible...).

 


mom's gift of granola...





this recipe caught my attention today because -it's for granola - it's gluten-free - it doesn't have multiple sugars or a lot oil  -- i am planning on making it when i get home or run out of granola - whichever comes first --
gluten-free girl's homemade granola

- "the happiness project"  by gretchen rubin -- it's "an account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier." -- i browsed through her blog a little this morning and it has a lot of great things -- my favorite for today -- her twelve personal commandments -- i think i will make some of my own. -- it will be at the top of my book list, but first i need to finish "eat, pray, love" by elizabeth gilbert

tissue paper + veggie burgers

today was all about wedding --
-finish the last of the save the date cards
- look for tissue paper online -- tissue paper that comes in a pack of more than 4 sheets and less than 460
- call mom and talk about wedding
-text friend about using something for the wedding
- write sister emails and send pictures about wedding
- write grooms mother and send pictures about wedding
- go back to looking for the right shade of tissue paper -- decide it is a lost cause
- take save the date cards to the post office
- return redbox movie --- it wasn't the finest - despite it's title of "brooklyn's finest" --good cast though, lots of  nudity -- put your clothes on people.
- make potato salad for brenden's birthday dinner
- look over wedding checklist and make shopping list for diy projects
- watch law and order: criminal intent while making potato salad
-vacuum the carpet
- contemplate working out -- resist the urge
- chat with sister on facebook about wedding
- call mom and talk about wedding
- eat delicious birthday dinner of homemade veggie burgers, potato salad, and pie a la mode
- food coma
- food coma
- food coma
- blog about the day of wedding

did i mention that i looked at a few of my wedding pictures today too...

the story of the weekend

we had a nice weekend -- clean trailer, a yummy dinner of some sort--i can't remember what it was right now, and then kate and i decided to make some uber delicious sit and stay awhile apple crisp

some of us ate it hot -- the rest of us were sleeping...

saturday was biscuits and gravy, with a scrambled tofu&rice skillet, while attending church via the internet.  then we all had some relax time before it was enchilada assembly time.

in between biscuits and enchiladas -- we had to eat some crisp -- 

dinner time.

enchilada supper with the family - mom's recipe, with beans and spanish rice, chips and salsa, corn sour cream, and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.  

we were so full.

had to lay down for awhile.

night time

sleeping beauty with sweet sister and some mini book creating

sunday 

it was productive.

we went to out to dinner

it was not so delicious, but i didn't expect it to be so i wasn't disappointed

on the way home the sky looked like this

we had just had a storm come through

it was quite pretty

bees+ice cream goodness

aren't these just the cutest --sorry, i can't remember where i found them -- so adorable...must make

my katie girl -- love her so much --

the boys and their ice cream

we love ice cream in this trailer -- a carton lasts about one dessert session.  

sometimes we need to go out to the local favorite -- especially on hot weekends--when ice cream tastes even better...

we get "flurries" and cones and dipped cones...

and use all our willpower to say "NO" to the deep fried mac&cheese balls...

me+summer -- taken on the 4th of july

must go get ready to take a little trip to north dakota today 

rocks, snakes, and such...

we had a nice weekend.
biscuits&gravy for breakfast.
church via the internet --while eating breakfast...

and a trip down the road to climb some rocks --

well...  some of us climbed the rocks.  someone in the group mostly just watched and took pictures of other people climbing the rocks because some of us don't enjoy heights very much.  someone might have had fun climbing up, but didn't love climbing down...good thing someone has a brother and sister to help them not slide down down down to the ground.  some of us think that there are rattlesnakes hiding in the grass and sunning themselves on the rocks...which means some of us don't really love to go tromping through the prairie grass.  all of us had a great time.  rattlesnakes and heights included.

more pictures to come...must get back to the scrapbooking and "because i said so" (for the 4th time in a row...)

today is brought to you by the number "3"

-the number of times i've changed my sheets this week...thanks to miss lulu
-the number of things i've checked off my morning list: allergy shot, library, call the grandmas (love them)
-the number of hours i am going to spend creating this afternoon
-the number of books i checked out from the library--- +1 more... - also the number of books returned
-the number of phone numbers i have to call to try and find my parents
-the number of weeks i've been in montana
-the number of projects i've finished since i've been here...-1...
-the number of pounds i gain every time someone brings home ice cream from the big k
-the number of pictures to show you today:

borrowed from this sweet girl's blog

fun summer wedding photo booth-- i can't remember where i borrowed the pic from -- doing something similar for my sister's wedding in september

wishing i could throw an ice cream sandwich party just like this cutie

more ice cream goodness found here

-the number of links to share with you:

1. the pioneer woman & stormy weather -sounds quite similar to jon&i --except where's my storm cellar?

2. tiny sparrow foundation - capturing memories for families with children facing life threatening illness

3. e&p's wedding album -- i love her style, her wedding, and the fact she loves orange as much as i do

the beauty of yesterday

yesterday

today marks exactly three weeks of montana time for me --- it's a day to take inventory of time past and write up a "purchase order" for future time...

today i finished up one project that was on my to-do list for the summer -- it's my first project that i've finished so far -- thats about how it's going...  before i start to lament that fact -- i must remember that this is a common summer trend -- not much happens the first few weeks -- it's kind of like vacation/settling in

today is rainy and cloudy -- we love rain -- lots of it... still don't love lightening and tornado watches -- but we love the rain.  yesterday it didn't rain.  it was windy and beautiful.  the kind of day that makes me remember why i love summers in montana (minus the storms -- which will maybe someday grow on me, maybe someday).

off to fix dinner for the crew now...hope your holiday weekend was great -- pictures and story of ours to come

a trip to walmart

today--

- i had a big list of things to do and i only did one of them -- that one counts for a lot though right...
- jon, the parents, and i went drove to the "big city"  --  ok, well, not the BIG city -- just the biggest city closest to us -- the one that has a walmart and a dairy queen, verizon store, arby's, and more...
-we stopped along the way to put some more boxes on a set of beehives...

swarming onto the fence post because there were too many queens in the hive

the big sack is a queen cell

fresh sweet golden honey in the comb

how we do mailboxes in eastern montana

-lunch time -- my blue cheese dressing was amazing --

-jode and i spend some time at walmart while the guys go put boxes on more beehives.  you can waste a lot of time at walmart without really realizing you are "wasting" it -- i know this because it happen to me often -- today, i wasted time on purpose, however, it didn't really feel like wasted time as it might have been my normal amount of time spent on a walmart trip ---

--almost, except for the fact that jode and i sat on a bench after we checked out and watched other people check out...it was very very interesting.... it might be my new hobby
-two more stops -- a ranch&farm supply and sporting goods -- i have found the best approach to these stores is to find a place to sit and make sure i bring a good book -- the reason -- at the supply store -- all the power tools must be looked at and possibly bought -- at the sporting goods -- well, they have a lot of guns there, and it is montana, and i was with two boys --need i say more...

-my stomach hurt the entire afternoon -- then i had a banana cream pie blizzard from dairy queen -- all to myself.  it was the best one i have ever had.  my stomach didn't hurt anymore.  amazing.

- go back to walmart again --this time to buy groceries.  leave with:
5 loaves of bread
4 bags of chips
10 cans of veggie chili (only .75 each - stocking up for when i leave and don't cook for jon anymore)
5 boxes of "just bunches" cereal -- jons favorite
2 giant bags of pre-washed and cut romaine lettuce
1 5lb bag of tator tots -- no, not crispy crowns, much to our disappointment
2 jars of sliced sweet pickles (my brother almost ate an entire jar of the mini's by himself--over the span of 3 lunches - he puts them on his sandwich whole -- he is now restricted to sliced)
3 packages of yves veggie hotdogs (this was the find of the day -- i was soo sad that i didn't bring any with me from home this year, and was really really wanting them for 4th of july...happiness)
2 packages of hot dog buns
1 giant bulk package of soft taco shells
1 biggest bottle to be found of hot sauce
and some other misc. items...

grand total -- $103  -- about a 1/3 of what it would have cost at our local store here in town

walmart is my friend in the summer time -- when i have to feed 3 teenager and a husband...

-exit walmart with loot --load the back of the flat bed with purchases using toilet paper boxes, duck tape, and rope -- very very windy outside...

- stop at taco johns for burritos.  edible.  how can you not love a burrito?
- drive by tractors before heading for home.
- stop to see if the bees have moved from the fence post back to their cozy beehive

sign of a beekeeper --unafraid to face hundreds of bees without a suit and gloves

off the fence post at least...

-home sweet trailer

the siblings

flavored fiber

it's was hot today --- not just hot, but humid.  it's been humid for the last week--not just a little, like ranging around the 68% mark most of the time -- i feel like i need to be in the south for this kind of treatment...at the very least i could have an ice cold arnold palmer attached to my hand at all times...

did you know there is a list of arnold palmer quotes-- well there are quotes from just about everyone, but let's not get sidetracked by logistics--  this one was my favorite:

"What do I mean by concentration? I mean focusing totally on the business at hand and commanding your body to do exactly what you want it to do."


also, do you know how many kinds of frosted mini wheats there are now?  seriously amazing, and i'm not even sure if this is all of them (they had a big sale, don't judge) :

strawberry delight, cinnamon streusel, regular bite size, blueberry muffin, and big bites

some people (husband&teenagers) in my house eat this for breakfast -- i eat it for dessert

we are on a thunderstorm watch again-- at least it's not a warning (yet) -- the big storm is an hour and a half northwest of us right now --- which is good good because jon and the guys are out moving bees right now.

july is here.  half way through 2010 -- i checked in with myself and my new years resolutions...it wasn't too exciting.  onward and forward with new "intent" for the second half of the year