The Grass is Greener on My Side of the Fence

It has been incredibly hot and dry this summer. We have been watering our yard like crazy in an effort to keep it looking nice. Our neighbor has not. Can you tell? Can you tell where the property line is?

 

He does have one thing going for him that we do not. He has only mowed his grass weeds twice this year. So there is that.

Thanks for stopping by,
Carrie

Summer Highlights

Today was Sissy's first day back to school, thus marking the unofficial end of summer in the Dotson household.

I thought it would be fun to go back and do a recap of our summer.

Summer started off with a bang.  Sissy finished school on a high note and won two blue ribbons in the grade school field day.

C-man and I had our first ambulance ride.  Hopefully that will be our last.  (Don't worry, he was fine.)

SW Kansas Stonehenge was created.

Lots of swimming...

Lots and lots and lots of swimming.

There were a few trips to the lake which included fishing...

and water skiing.

There was a special hair cut.

And there were hall races.

That leads us to today.  Sissy's first day of school.

She starts 4th grade. 

WWWAAAHHHH!!!  When did my little baby girl grow up. 

Excuse me, I need to go grab a tissue.

Signed,

The emotional mother of a 4th grader

Dry, Dry, Dry

It's dry. I mean really dry. Desperately dry.

This is what we call the "Bar Pit".

Now that you are through snickering about what we call our fishin' hole, let me explain. The river is not very far from the Bar Pit. The Bar Pit serves as an overflow for the river.   During a very wet spring, I have seen the Bar Pit very swollen and out of its banks at times.  The Bar Pit is also where my brother and I about dunked our father's four wheeler. 

 

The Bar Pit is only about a 1/4 of a mile from my parent's house.  We fished there quite a bit when I was growing up.  I would sit on that barrel and swing my feet back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until my fishing pole started to move indicating that I had a bite.  I would reel my line in and then yell for my brother or dad to come over and get the fish off of the line for me.  I was/am spoiled.  I don't mind putting the bait (usually a worm) on the hook, but getting the fish off, nu uh, gross. 

The Bar Pit is as dry as a bone.  Ridiculously dry.  I have never seen it so dry.   A few weeks ago, I called my mother to see how things were and she indicated that it stunk.  Not understanding what she meant, I asked her what stinks.  She said that the Bar Pit had dried up and all the fish that were in there are now baking in the hot sun.  She said to make matters worse, the wind seems to be coming from the southeast and blowing all that stink over to their house. 

She is now scarred.  She can't stand the smell of catfish.  It turns her stomach.  I, for one, am pretty glad that I wasn't visiting at the time.  I can't imagine the stench, and I do like some fried catfish.  I wouldn't want to be turned off of it forever.  (Kind of like my distaste for Morel mushrooms, get a bad batch and you are ruined for life.)

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

Beautiful Flowers

I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from our church on Sunday. They are absolutely stunning and smell wonderful. I am not going to be at home to enjoy the flowers though. So rather than load them in the car and bring them with me on our last little getaway before school starts, I decided to take a few pictures.

I just love the colors on this rose. It by far stole the show. You know, in the flower show.

I love the peachy orangeyness (that's a word, right?) of this beauty.

 

And this one. It is just fun. And I like it a lot. In my opinion, it deserves 2nd place in the flower show.

I got real up close and personal with it.

This carnation is perfect. Just a perfect little white snowball of a flower.

This daisy is another fun flower. I like the whimsiness of it. (I am just full of new words today.)

I actually put my camera away after I took the daisy pic. But then as if to solidify its position as the top flower, it pulled out all the stops. I happened to be walking by the flowers and the sun was peeking through the window. The sun shined brightly on the rose and it just glowed with radiance. I dropped my laundry basket, grabbed my camera, and took this picture.



I survived!

I survived last week.  It was a little touch and go by Wednesday and Thursday, but I have officially survived our church’s vacation bible school.

We average 30 kids each night and 17 helpers.  Let me tell you, those 3 and 4 year olds are a handful!!   I am so very thankful for each and every one of our volunteers. 

I drank an obscene amount of coffee, Diet Pepsi, and Diet Mountain Dew.  Yes, I know it is unhealthy.  But, I needed it.  Apparently, my energy department was on strike.  It needed a kick in the pants by an unbelievable amount of caffeine.  (At least I didn't break out the Red Bull.)

My house and yard were neglected and they are now screaming and writhing in pain.  They need so much attention right now.  My laundry hamper has thrown-up.  Along with the mountain of clothes stuffed in the hamper, there are 2 more heaping piles stacked up next to it. 

I lived out of my car last week.  I ran back and forth to the church so many times.  Thankfully it is only a couple of blocks.  When we cleaned up the church Friday night after our program, I stuffed all of our junk in the car.  I pulled the car into the garage and haven’t been back out to it.  I am scared as to what I will find. 

C-man brought home a cold from VBS.  He is needy and I just really want a nap.  But the nap will have to wait for another day.  I am off to conquer the yard.

I hope to return to regularly scheduled programming this week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Things have been crazy around here. The summer is coming to the end. Sis starts school in a couple of weeks. I was volunteered by my dear husband to be the director of our church's first Vacation Bible School in over 15 years. I have also been doing some data entry for the company my husband works for. To say that I am a little overwhelmed would be an understatement.

I am hoping to take the kids on one final excursion before school starts. Sis will be entering the 4th grade this year. She is very excited about it, but a little upset that she isn't in the same class as her best friend. They have pretty much been inseparable this summer. I tried telling her that this was a good thing, but what does Mom know?

Our first night of VBS was last night. It went well. I am excited about tonight, but even more excited that it will be over on Friday. It has been a good but tiring experience.

So for the time being, things might be a little slow here.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

French Braid

My mom used to do the best french braid.  I remember going to a class with her many, many years ago.  She pulled, she twisted, she braided.  She mastered the french braid.  It was tight.  It was straight.  She even mastered all of those silly little fly-aways that I hated so much as a little girl.

After she passed away, I didn't have anyone at home that could do a french braid.  My dad jumped in and would curl my hair in those little pink sponge rollers, but he just couldn't figure out the french braid. This was the end-all be-all of a third and fourth grader's existence.  I HAD to have my hair pulled back in a french braid. 

It was important that it be pulled back for little pee-wee basketball.  If I wasn't going to play in the game, I at least had to look fabulous on the bench.  The french braid was the ticket.  That would ensure that I look my best while I sat there and watched the clock tick down.

These were desperate times.  So, what did I do?  I sought out other moms that had the french braiding skill.  My aunt (who lived roughly 2 1/2 miles away) so graciously braided my hair many early mornings.  Sometimes my best friend's momma braided my hair if I got to school early enough.  (She lived just across the street.)  If I were staying the night at my other friend's house, her mother would fix my hair. 

I had it made.  Almost every mother I knew had the french braiding skills.

Fast forward many years...Sis just finished third grade.  She has been lamenting that I can't french braid.  I understand the gist of it. I just can't keep it tight.  It starts off tight, but by the time I am half-way down her head, it is as loose as a goose.

I have tried braiding it when it is dry.  I have tried braiding it when it is wet.  I have even tried to have Sis hold certain pieces so it will stay tight.  All to no avail.

Since Sis recently got her hair cut, I have somewhat dodged the french braiding bullet.  Her hair is just too short.  I thought I was in the clear.  That is until this morning.  Sis was having a bad hair day and was almost in tears because her hair just looked absolutely awful, oh the life of a dramatic nine year old.

I went to work on her hair.  I cranked out this masterpiece!!!!  TA-DA!!!  I am so proud of myself. 

I am not a complete failure in the hair braiding department. 

 

The Bathroom Shuffle

We try not to eat out a lot.  There are many reasons for this, but the top two are...we don't have much selection and well, um, geez, it is just pretty darn expensive to go out to eat and feed a family anymore. 

When we do go out though, there is a strange phenomenon that strikes our kids.  I try to prevent it.  I take all the necessary steps to try to bypass this phenomenon.  Before we leave the house, I try to take the precautionary actions.  Even after we arrive at the restaurant, I make the extra effort to ensure that it won't happen. 

It never fails though, a few minutes before our food arrives, the dreaded words are said, "Mom, I gotta go potty."  I try to ignore it.  I try to make them  hold it.  But then they start to squirm.  And they start getting louder, and louder, and before long the entire restaurant knows, that by golly, my child has got to GO!!!

So, off we march, to the bathroom.  It is never a short trip.  We have to check out the toilet, do our business, play with the toilet handle, wash our hands, play in the foaming soap, throw away our towel, and finally get back to our seat so we can eat our now cold food.

When Sissy was younger, we used to joke that she needed to start a bathroom rating business.  Because she had seen all of the bathrooms in the area.  Thankfully, she has officially grown out of this stage. 

However, we have just entered this phase with the little man.  Being newly potty-trained I try not to dismiss his potty breaks.  If he says he has to go, we usually do the bathroom shuffle.  I have decided that I would rather eat cold food than have the alternative. 

This too shall pass. 
Until it does, I will eat my cold food and smile that I don't have the alternative.

Thanks for stopping by,
Carrie

Hall Racing

Our little guy turned three last week.  We had a small family birthday party over the weekend.  He really cleaned up on toys!!!  Not that he was ever lacking in the toy department.  He had three of the seven cars seen here before his birthday.  Now he has a whole fleet of cars.

I usually find all of his cars lined up in the hall.  I believe they are all at the starting line waiting for the flag to drop.

He is not discriminatory with his toys either.  Woody and Buzz deserve to be in the same line as the Cars gang.

 Have you seen these cars?  Shaking them gives them the go-go power they need to race down the hall.  It takes a lot of hard work to get them ready to go.  It is a tough job, but someones got to do it.

 

He was very insistent that only one car be on the track at a time.

He was favoring Buzz quite a bit.  Buzz is riding a rocket.  He had figured the odds. Buzz is the man.

But, wait, who's this?  Sheriff might come out and win the whole thing.

I couldn't control myself anymore.  I grabbed the cars, shook them until I couldn't shake them anymore, and sent them on their way.

NNNNOOOOOO, MOM.  Just one at a time!!!!!

Hmmm, I don't know where he gets his orneriness from.  It can't be from me.  

Simple Summer Supper: Calabacitas

A long, long time ago, I can still remember, the way she used to make me...Calabacitas. 

My mom used to make this dish (Clint's mom did too) in the summer with fresh zucchini from the garden.  I only vaguely remembered having it.  But what I did remember was that it was a great summer meal. 

The fresh veggies makes it a great summer meal.  And the green chilies made my hubby a fan.  But even better than that, it is really quite an easy meal to make. 

Let's make Calabacitas!!!

First, brown some hamburger meat, drain, and set aside.

Thinly slice two medium zucchinis.

 Saute in butter.

Add cooked hamburger meat, corn, green chilies, salt, cumin, and garlic.

Combine.

Add shredded cheese.

Combine until cheese is melted.

 

Mmmm, simple summer supper.  Enjoy!!

Calabacitas

1 1/2 lb hamburger

2 med zucchini, thinly sliced

1/4 cup butter

2 cups whole kernel corn

4 oz green chilies

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 cups shredded cheese

Brown beef.  Drain and set aside. Saute zucchini in butter over medium low heat until slightly tender, 10 minutes.  Return meat to skillet.  Add corn, chilies, garlic, cumin and salt.  Cook stirring occasionally until meat is tender, 10 minutes.  Add cheese, stir until melted.

Home Grown Tomatoes

Guy Clark wrote and sings a song about home grown tomatoes.  The chorus goes something like this...

Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes
What'd life be without home grown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & home grown tomatoes

I think he was right on with this song, but thankfully there are farmer's markets that you can pick up someone else's home grown tomatoes.  Home grown tomatoes are hard to find 'round these here parts.  It has just been too hot and too dry.  I asked my mom if she had any and she said her plants look pitiful.  She said she would stop by a farmer's market and pick me up a few if she could find some good ones.  She brought me 6 beautiful tomatoes when she came up for the weekend. 

I absolutely love home grown tomatoes.  When I was pregnant with Sis, I ate a bunch of tomatoes.  I mean a BUNCH!!!  My in-laws were having a cook-out a few days before Sis made her arrival and my mother-in-law had sliced up a whole plateful of their tomatoes.  I ate the whole darn plate before the cook-out even began.

My grandma was a huge tomato fan too.  One particular summer, my mother's tomato plants were out of control.  Mom and Dad decided to give Grandma a big bag of tomatoes.  A few days later, Grandma started not feeling well.  After discussing how she was feeling and what in particular was wrong, it was determined that she had pretty much just eaten a diet of tomatoes the last few days.  

I am definitely her granddaughter.  I just love a good home grown tomato.  It is absolutely divine with just a sprinkle of salt.  A good home grown tomato makes a BLT absolutely heavenly to me.  Even just dicing up a tomato and mixing it with cottage cheese makes a perfect snack.   

What'd life be without home grown tomatoes?  It would be awful.  Just awful.  Thankfully every year we are blessed with another year to grow some more home grown tomatoes.  Even if your summer garden is scorched and searching for water and cooler temperatures, I hope that you can at least find a farmer's market to pick up some home grown tomatoes.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

It's a fiesta!!!

Ok, it is not a fiesta.  But it is Fiesta Dinnerware, and that makes me want to party.  So, it's a fiesta!!!

When my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago, we didn't have much between us.  But we were blessed by a great community that threw us a wedding shower.  We registered for a few gifts, but I didn't really want to get too fancy with my wedding registry.  I figured we were young, we didn't need extravagant china or silver.  We were just starting out, we could save the fancy stuff for further on down the road.

I had always liked Fiesta dishes, but I decided that I could admire the dishes from the pages of a catalog.  After graduating college, I met my BFF (I sound like such a teenager).  She was recently married and she had Fiesta dishes.  I put my foot down.  I said that is it.  I want Fiesta dishes!!!!  I begged, I pleaded, I whined, and then my birthday arrived.  Guess what I asked for...you guessed it, Fiesta Dinnerware.

I still love it so.  And I am still collecting.

I love how you can set the table with the bright Fiesta colors and it feels so summery.  Almost tropical.

 

But then you change out the pieces to the darker hues for a more subdued dinner.  Almost romantic.

Probably the best part about Fiesta dishes is that they really aren't a budget-breaker.  Don't get me wrong, there are some pieces that I won't be getting anytime soon.  But compared to other dishes, they are pretty reasonable.  I don't feel guilty for using them as my everyday dishes but I also think that they are nice enough to entertain with. 

Long story short, I love Fiesta dishes. 

Signed,

Crazy Fiesta Lady

Oh, and I am certainly not a paid spokesperson for Fiesta.  I'm just a crazy lady that loves their dishes.