is it the beginning of the end?

so.... the Monkey refused to wear this today:
causing his mother to recall these: Which were a much more acceptable alternative to the boy who thinks he can do it all. Thanks for getting us started, Granny Boo. (I think)

Did I mention we have ducks?

We got them from the nurse-cousin's neighbor, as it turns out... After Tonka and two different dogs mistook the greenish pond for more grassy lawn and took a "swim," D took matters into his own hands called a number listed in Craigslist . When we turned onto the man's road I realized where we were. Good thing too, because we had to drive to her house (and wake her up...oops...) to borrow a box big enough to fit our new pond cleaners dinner options pets. and no, Sheena, we will not be eating them...they're for the edification of our future homestead pond! And they eat bugs! The man had several varieties to choose from and we settled on three Cayuga ducks; two females and a drake with a formerly broken leg. They are so fun to watch and we cannot wait for the first egg to be laid!Oh, and 'fer thinks he can do anything. But that's another post entirely. For those of you curious, Abuela's former living room planter has a new life as the base for the duck's outside pen. During the night they sleep in a duck house that was custom made for my brother's first dog many (ha!) years ago; it now sports a hinged door in the rear for egg retrieval.
Other Emily, I hope your kids like feeding the ducks; that's how they're going to earn their keep at my house. ;-p

sleepyheads

DSC_0421
Originally uploaded by newlywaaz

I sent the Monkey in to greet Tonka when he woke up from his nap one afternoon a couple of weeks ago. After waiting a few minutes and not hearing the typical "get away from me, baby!" grumpy noises, I went in to investigate. Turns out Monkey fell asleep before Tonka had a chance to complain!

all together now, awww...

Preschool!

Tonka was thrilled to be going to his first day of preschool last month. He giggled the whole way down to the church! His teacher, who claims never to have favorites in any of her classes, might have giggled a little herself when he walked in the door.



The second day of preschool did not go as well. He slept here, there, and everywhere until about noon, which is when he finally realized that our express shipment had arrived and was being unpacked before his very eyes.



Monkey would have willingly taken his place at school had he 1)not been dressed appropriately, and 2)not been suckered in by the boxes and packing paper.

uh... really?!

So, snow? In October. Come on.

Fer likes it.

Putz dog is not so sure, but she got in the mood eventually and thoroughly enjoyed eating the snowballs chucked her way.

Jury is still out on the ducks....

I was not ready for this.

photo backlog pt.3: chickens, sheep, and raspberries oh my

photo backlog pt. 2: the cabin

1. DSC_0369, 2. DSC_0352, 3. DSC_0361, 4. DSC_0368

(ps: I'm going to live here someday!!!)

not alfredo sauce

Dinner tonight was spectacular. Since the hubby was not here to ooh and aah, I planned to take a picture so y'all could do it for him. Alas, even a fancy-pants camera has a battery that dies when left plugged into the computer for 30 hours at a time ;-p. I will still give you the recipe though, because you NEED to make this now while you can get just about all of the ingredients locally and for pennies! Trust me on this one, gang. It's worth the small effort.

Penne with Roasted Summer Squash sauce. Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
  
• 1 onion, minced
  
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or substitute. I used half olive oil)
  
• 1/2 squash, roasted and pureed
  
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 2 tablespoons evaporated milk (or substitute)
  
• 1/2 pound penne or other tubular pasta
• salt, pepper, and a few other seasonings. The peppers I had on hand were left over from making omelets, so there was some fajita seasoning on them. I think it's similar to chicken seasoning?
  
• freshly grated Parmesan or finely chopped pine nuts and toasted wheat germ.

In a large skillet cook the onion, the bell pepper, and the garlic in the butter over moderate heat, stirring until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the squash, broth, milk, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the penne. You can reserve some of the pasta water if you want for the next step.

Add the penne to the sauce, and stir well. Add a bit of reserved pasta water if desired to thin the sauce. Divide the pasta between 2 plates and serve it with the Parmesan or pine nuts/wheat germ.

photo backlog pt. 1

the trip here. As it turns out I didn't have much time for pictures; almost all of these were taken on the last leg of the trip. Which, coincidentally, was one of the shortest legs and the only one during which both children fell asleep. for the record. And about that flight book/bag I spent so much time creating and organizing and imagining would save my sanity? yeah...we used maybe 3 activities from it. ugh. Looks like I've got enough car and church activities to last me until the kids are 5...

we're baaa-aaack.....

online, that is. woo-hoo! back soon with a plethora of pictures.

best buds

Tonka will probably be appalled that these cuties will not fit into his suitcase:







Lord willing we will see them all (and all our other buddies that I don't happen to have pics of!) again, but I don't know if that will be enough to comfort my boy once he realizes the permanence of this separation. gulp.

Birthday Weekend

Here are some pics from this weekend.

Tonka is learning to be a mechanic

Fixin' the wheel

OSHA was not involved with this operation. I don't think that Italy even has OSHA.

Birthday Cake!!

Tonka may have gotten a birthday haircut.

Tonka and a neighbor friend in the bouncy house

Momma and 'Fer not in the bouncy house

Birthday booty!!

There are lots more pictures on the computer. Maybe you can see them in a couple of weeks.

up to lately

1. DSC_0279, 2. DSC_0272, 3. DSC_0168-1, 4. DSC_0227, 5. DSC_0218, 6. DSC_0003-2, 7. DSC_0206, 8. DSC_0252, 9. DSC_0266, 10. DSC_0160, 11. DSC_0032, 12. DSC_0260, 13. DSC_0135, 14. DSC_0172, 15. DSC_0076, 16. CSC_0282

can I get an amen?

my God is so BIG,
so STRONG,
and so MIGHTY,
there's NOTHING my God cannot do!

Haven't had your devos this morning? That's ok, I've got ya covered.
Do you all know that my eyesight is terrible? That I rely on contacts and wear them too many hours in the day? I bought 2 pair of glasses in the states right before we moved here, but they are both broken in the same place and are not quite the right prescription anymore, so I never wear them. I have just been lamenting the fact that I miss the availability of glasses in the morning and at night, and apparently God got tired of listening to me complain.

After I got dressed this morning, I decided to put away some of the laundry folded and stacked nicely piled precariously on top of my dresser before putting my itchy contacts in and going downstairs. I got near the bottom of the pile and discovered a box of precious memorabilia miscellaneous junk. Near the bottom of that was a pair of glasses I've had since high school. I keep meaning to give them to my doctor cousin who goes on missions trips to places where glasses are harder to come by, but have never gotten around to it. For some reason (thanks God) I decided to try them on. Wouldn't you know, but they are the right prescription and I can now see! For all the years of not-so-careful storage, they are in perfect shape and the only scratch is the one I put there within weeks of purchasing the specs in the first place. Exactly the motivation I needed to finish folding and putting away my clothes and move on with my day.

I am so blessed. Now I just need to learn to pray for things as I think of them instead of complain; I bet my prayers would have been answered a whole lot quicker!!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning,
new every morning,
Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God...
Great is thy faithfulness.
~song I learned as a kid, taken from Lam. 3:23

cheese =D

1. DSC_0209s, 2. DSC_0210s, 3. DSC_0212s, 4. DSC_0208s

new toy...

or "The most use my Bowflex has seen in months"

The necessary supplies

'Fer helping

Final Product: A new Pull up Bar!!

Works like a charm.

The wife wanted a flex pic. She got a half-hearted "starting point" one instead.

Obviously, when I say toy, I mean instrument of pain. Also works well for Knees-to-Elbows and Commandos. The bar was supplied by my bowflex, which is still collecting dust in the spare room. Too bad I only have two more weeks with this fun new toy.