Nov 4th

Feeling like fall

It seems like we had a long summer and I hope I'm not too quick to say that fall has finally arrived. (I heard we may have temps in the mid-60's later this week.) Mark has cleared our yard of leaves once (into the compost pile) and looks like he'll need to do it a 2nd time pretty soon. And we have our bright yellow mums on the front steps. The biggest indicator? We've started pulling out sweaters!

In celebration of fall, I redecorated the blog and made a little layout of the newest Rachelle photo we got in the mail last week. How cute is she?!? (I left the strips of paper at the top blank so Ashli can journal whatever she wants.) I also made pumpkin bread. Yep, all in one night with time to spare to watch some football (if that's what you can call the Colts having a lead and then blowing it in the end).

Enjoy the scenery!

If Sheba Could Vote...

Quirky?

My longtime friend, Peeper, tagged me on her blog. So now I am to tell you 7 of my quirks. I'm not sure how quirky I am. You be the judge...

1. If I don't think about it, I have a tendency to speak fast. My brother used to interrupt me and say, "Can you say that again in English?" My mom used to run a camp for kids with asthma one week in the summer, Camp Superkids, and I was a counselor in high school. On the last day we had to showcase our "talents" and she had me speed read a poem. The kids thought it was hilarious.
2. Almost every morning after I get to work I sneeze 3x in a row. That's how I announce my presence and my co-workers chuckle every time. :)
3. I'm very competitive. I've mellowed in my "old" age and even let Mark win games sometimes. There may be one or two of you who remember a certain apple bobbing contest though...
4. I'm not a fan of shortened names. Ok, maybe it's just MY name I don't like shortened.
5. If I'm sitting on a couch, I have to have a blanket covering my lap. (Even in the summer.)
6. As a kid I went through a stage of wanting to be called Annie and would not answer to Stephanie, except to say: "I NOT STEPHANIE, I ANNIE!"
7. Anytime I leave the house I have a short conversation with Sheba. It's always the same, "Bye Sheba. Be a good girl. I love you and I'll be home very soon."
   

Maybe I do have a few quirks. The fun part is that I now get to tag other bloggers to tell us about their quirkiness. :) I tag:

1. Heather - view this activity as something to take your mind off of the Seattle weather
   
2. Stephanie - you can't pretend you missed this one
   
3. Lori - you might notice your name here, I'm not sure
   
4. Jen - maybe this will prompt you to blog ;)
   

Slideshow

I guess I never posted a link to all of our Montana vacation photos. Here's a breakdown of how we spent the trip:

• 1 night @ motel in Glacier National Park
• 3 days/2 nights backpacking in the back country of Glacier National Park
• 1 night @ hotel in Great Falls, MT (the best LaQuinta Inn ever!)
• 5 days/4 nights @ lodge in Paradise Valley, MT (day trips to Yellowstone National Park & fly fishing on the Yellowstone River)
• 1 night @ hotel in Butte, MT

Sold

Late Harvest

We didn't get to have the garden we really wanted this summer, but we did plant the three green bean plants that grew from seed in our little basement container. For about 3 weeks now we've been picking 5-6 beans twice a week to enjoy with our dinner. The funny thing was that the first night there was only ONE bean ready. I cooked it with our asparagus and yes, I cut it in half so we could each taste it! :)

These pole beans are much tastier than anything I'm finding at the grocery these days. Next year we plan to start earlier and plant more!

For Sale

Maybe one of you local readers are looking for a fuel efficient vehicle? If so, check out our listing on Craigslist: 1995 Acura Integra

And here's the car...

Backpacking & Fishing

Almost Done - blog entry by Mark

Day 497: The project is nearing the end. It seems like just yesterday--er, yesteryear, that I started this project. Since my last blog entry I've completed all the tile, painted the walls and ceiling, installed the vanities, installed the faucets, hooked up the water supply (yes, we have running water now), installed the light fixtures and sealed the grout. I'm especially happy with the way the shower tiling turned out. I'm also pleased that the 36" wide vanities fit exactly in the alcoves. It's almost as if an engineer designed this bathroom -- oh wait....

tile shower with decorative accent and built-in shelves
16" tile on diagonal

maple vanities with solid surface countertop

A True Fish Story

We have many pictures to show and a few fun stories to share about our trip to Montana, but I'll save most of those for another day. Tonight, I want to tell you about Mark's favorite day of the trip... and this is no fish tale. ;-)

We were very fortunate to make a new friend at the lodge (Querencia) we stayed at near Yellowstone. Barrs is from Florida and spends a few months each year in Montana fishing and hunting. He was quite a hoot and offered to take us "for a drift" down the Yellowstone River on his drift boat. The early morning was rainy and cold so Barrs wanted to hold off leaving in hopes the skies would clear. We took off about 10am with cloudy skies but no rain. Thankfully, the sun came out early on in our trip and it turned into a beautiful day! Mark has been fly fishing in Colorado a few times, but appreciates pointers from those more experienced. I would categorize Barrs as semi-pro even though he would scoff at such a title. He has been fly fishing all over the world, including Africa!! Anyway, he was a great instructor for Mark and was very patient and calm. He told us a few times that it doesn't matter if you are holding the rod or steering the boat, everyone wants to catch a fish and feels like they are a part of it when it happens. Mark started off really well. Within minutes he caught his first fish. It was a nice size, but a white fish. Apparently, those aren't keepers. After about the 5th white fish, Barrs told Mark he was breaking white fish records. HA! The scenery was beautiful and I was documenting the day as the official photographer. Suddenly, a large fish jumped up and bit the dry fly...he was hooked! We were all excited because we could clearly see this would be the catch of the day. This fish did not have any intention of being caught and Mark had no intention of letting him go. It would be a war of wills. Barrs gave great instructions to Mark on where to move the rod and when to give the fish slack, etc. I'm not sure how far he pulled us, but our boat headed downstream and crisscrossed Yellowstone River for what seemed like a mile. The fish finally tired out and we were able to drop anchor close to shore and Mark reeled him in. WOW! Mark and Barrs were both so excited about this BIG BROWN TROUT. Barrs even said he has been fishing this river for over 10 years and has never caught a brown trout this big. They worked together to quickly unhook him, pose for photos, measure him, and release him back to the river. Mark's brown trout measured in at 20 inches, which is considered a trophy size fish! This is a story Mark will be happy to retell for many years to come.





p.s. We continued drifting down the river and Mark caught a total of 11 fish.

Tinker Bell Take 2

Another niece, another Tinker Bell outfit. ;-) Yep, I'm "THAT" aunt. LOL

I watched Rachelle a few hours Saturday while Ashli volunteered at Open Doors. I was too busy snapping pictures to realize the girl needed a wipe down. This is an example of why she and Sheba have so much in common right now. ;-)
This photo was a little blurry in color so I doctored it up and look how sweet it turned out!

Dresses & Dress Up

Avery admits to being a girly girl. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being girly...especially when you're 3 (almost 4). She likes dresses, princesses, and the color pink. (I also like to think she likes her Aunt Stephanie.)

We went over to celebrate my brother's birthday, albeit a few weeks late, Saturday night. I brought over some ice cream cake from DQ and a bag of goodies for Avery. She had fun opening her bag and the big hit was the Tinker Bell outfit with wings. She also really, really wanted some ice cream cake. Avery was very helpful and she carefully delivered each plate after I sliced the pieces. I think she was happy to finally eat her cake!

Briefly sharing a seat

Watering the flowersFirst, she put on the Tinker Bell outfit. Then, she added her pink sequin princess shoes. To top it off, she added the purple princess cap (from Holiday World).

She is definitely the cutest almost 4 year old we know! :-) (And Jason looked pretty cute in the fancy purple cap too. LOL!)

Dessert

Here's another recipe to try. I made it for a family dinner last week at M&A's and it was a big hit. Very easy too. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a fan of easy.

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided

1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

8 OREO Cookies, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in large bowl. Add condensed milk, juice and 2 cups of the whipped topping; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

MIX chopped cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture. Cover with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

INVERT dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert. Slice remaining 2 cups strawberries; arrange over dessert. Store leftovers in freezer.

Stephanie tip: I used 2 extra oreo's and an extra sliver of the butter stick for the crust.

Pressure Scrapbooking

I felt the pressure and I hope I performed up to your expectations. :)

What's the going rate for a babysitter?

Because I think Sheba could go into business!

On a Saturday afternoon two weeks ago I babysat Rachelle while Matt & Ashli enjoyed a movie at the theater. We sat on the floor and played most of our 2 hours together. I sang all 4 of the songs I could remember: You Are My Sunshine, Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wheels on the Bus. She giggled and giggled at The Wheels on the Bus. We also read a few books together. She requested Sesame Street at the Zoo multiple times (I think she liked the baby animal pictures).

Sheba, of course, took her duties seriously and was never far away. She let Rachelle tug her fur and play with her nose with no complaints.

I can’t believe how quickly Rachelle is growing and that she is 6 months already!

Around the house

We've been planning for new window treatments in the living room for quite some time. I had a difficult time making up my mind so I enlisted the services of my very talented seamstress, JPB (Jennifer Peeper Billmeier). JPB took her task very seriously and soon after I requested her assistance she was emailing me options. Then, she sent me this sketch and I knew I had selected the right person for the job!

I ordered our fabric from Joann's online since it was ONLY on sale online and not in the store. That's a whole other story.

JPB whipped together our new window treatments with a superhero type speed and now they hang in all their gloriousness. Our windows have never looked better!


And now it's time to share another fabulous recipe! I found this one on the Food Network website when searching for "heart healthy" recipes. I thought it sounded pretty good but we were both pleasantly surprised by its awesomeness! :) Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups couscous, cooked

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Stephanie's variation: I sliced the chicken breasts in half so each part was thinner. I used the whole can of diced tomatoes. I added some spices like thyme & rosemary. Since I used the whole can of tomatoes, my balsamic-tomato sauce was thin so I mixed a little bit of cornstarch with cold water and added to the simmering sauce to thicken it up. I cooked the couscous in broth instead of water. After the sauce was thickened I put the chicken back in the pan and then added the spinach back in so they could both soak up some of the sauce flavor. Then I plated the couscous, spinach, chicken, and sauce on top.

This meal is super easy and tastes gourmet! Plus it turned out so pretty I just HAD to take a photo.

Old Enough...

One night last week my phone rang. I saw that it was my brother and answered, "Hello." There was a pause and then a little voice saying, "THANK YOU FOR MY DRESS!" Avery is old enough to call us now. It wasn't that long ago when Jason would try to get her to say hi on the phone and she wouldn't do it. Can you believe this girl is almost 4?!?


p.s. The dress in the photos is not the dress I bought for her. Jenny, with her excellent fashion sense, picked out this beauty!

4th birthday

July 4 Weekend

We spent our 3 day weekend driving to Springfield, MO. We missed Matt, but since he couldn't play hookey from work Ashli & Rachelle rode along with us. We enjoyed the visit and are thankful for family who let us fill up their homes. Here are a few photos of the weekend...

~Relaxing on the Porch~

~Everyone Lounging:~

~Evening Primrose~

~Smiling with Grandma~

~Happy Birthday, Ashli~

~Playtime~

Where it all began...

I found this old photo and had to share. This is the growth group (i.e., small group/bible study) where Mark and I met. It would be so much fun to have a reunion! Who wants to be on the planning committee? ;)


Wow, we all look so young!

Worth the 8 minutes

Go grab a tissue and then come back and hit play. Totally worth it!

An Olympic Birthday

For Mark's birthday (this past Saturday) I got him the Olympics. Ok, maybe not all of the Olympics. And maybe not even a trip to Beijing for the Olympics. (That was a little bit out of my price range this year.) I guess you can say I got him a glimpse of the Olympics. I gave him tickets to the US Olympic Diving Team Trials. We went to the 3M springboard finals. We had a great time! It's too bad there aren't other trials here in Indy.

Top male finisher: Troy Dumais



Top female finisher: Christina Loukas



© 2008 The Indianapolis Star, All Rights Reserved

If you want to see more, and believe me you do because the facial expressions on some are hilarious, click here.

The top finisher in each event has a sure ticket to Beijing. We'll be watching all the Olympic events from our couches. We are HUGE fans of the Olympic Games. Only 45 days until the torch arrives in Beijing! :)

Well Rested

We have returned from the Smokies and are back to the daily grind. I spent some time Saturday and Sunday whipping these layouts together. I knew if I waited time would get away and they would never be done. I anticipate one more page to come.

From our day trip to The Biltmore Estates

The Hess Family

From our afternoon white water rafting

Mark often tells people that most of his favorite memories were created during a vacation. Even a short getaway like this trip to Pigeon Forge offers us stories to think back on and smile. For instance, I'll be able to share with Rachelle one day how proud I was of her mom after she was catapulted out of our raft but "shook it off" and still smiled and laughed the rest of the ride. She even said she would like to do it again sometime. Vacations (long or short) really are a wonderful memory maker. I hope you all get to enjoy a fun getaway this summer vacation season. :)

3 Minutes

I think it's pretty obvious that we enjoy games. We have our monthly game night with Jen & Brian, we play board games when we are with family, and we probably play a game at least 3 times a week after dinner. It's a fun way to pass the time without vegging out in front of the tv every night. Boggle has become a favorite. We had game night with the Thorpe's about two months ago and played it with them. I think we bought our Boggle a few nights later and it hasn't seen the closet once. Some nights Mark wins, some nights I win. Most of the time our scores are pretty close but there have been a few times... well, we won't mention those BIG wins/losses. :-)

We thought it would be fun to share a Boggle board with you. Take three minutes (hey, no cheating!) and see how many words you can come up with. Let us know how well you do. If you need a refresher on the rules, click here.