See Ya Later, Summer

Here I am, in disbelief that summer has come and gone. The bright green leaves, brilliant flower colors, and the penetrating heat will soon be exchanged for some cooler mornings, nut-colored leaves, and flaming orange, red, and yellow flowers. We had one last bout of 90 degree weather last Friday, high humidity & a feels-like-high-90s temp. We celebrated that day like we welcomed summer in May, we swam!
The girls getting in some last little pool time. It's kinda sad that our summer is gone with a blink. We did get to enjoy some summer experiences such as swimming, fishing, picnicking, drive-in movie watching, biking, walking, and baseball playing.

There is something very inviting about feeling chilly, and throwing on a sweatshirt and jeans, sipping on some warm tea, and soaking in the refreshing fall breeze.

Technically, it's not Fall until the 22nd, but this week is a great preview of how I would like the weather all. year. round.

Last plunge into the pool! Olivia has improved her swimming skills and confidence in the pool this summer! We are so excited and proud of her. She will be attending her first swim lessons this fall at the high school pool.

Um, your lips are blue, Liv! Time to get out of the pool for the season :( Marin liked the pool, 80 degrees is her favorite temperature!

Another summer at the pool, I know why Grandma invites us over, look at these faces! She got to see these faces frequently!

Time to plan Halloween costumes, pumpkin farm outings, burn the pumpkin candles, drink warm apple cider, taste pumpkin EVERYTHING, eat honey-crisp apples, make comfort food, get out the jeans, sweatshirts, and long-sleeve shirts, did I mention pumpkin?. . .

Loaded Nachos

Recipe: Loaded Nachos

Prep: 10 min.

Cook: 10 min.

Serves: 4

Cost per serving: $1.56

(um, the picture in the magazine made it look more appetizing!)

*note that ground beef was added to this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 
  
  24 large baked tortilla chips


• 
  
  2 tsp. canola oil


• 
  
  1 onion, chopped


• 
  
  1 clove garlic, minced


• 
  
  1/2 tsp. chili powder


• 
  
  1/2 cup canned black beans (rinse and drain before measuring)


• 
  
  12 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered


• 
  
  2 tsp. lemon juice


• 
  
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


• 
  
  salt and pepper


• 
  
  1/2 cup shredded low fat Jack


• 
  
  1/2 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt

1. Preheat broiler to high. Line a broiling pan or large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. Arrange tortilla chips, overlapping slightly in a single layer on top of foil.

2. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent, about 3 min. Add garlic, sprinkle with chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 min. longer. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until just warmed through, bout 2 min. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon bean mixture onto center of chips and spread evenly. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top. Broil, watching constantly and turning pan often, until nachos are hot and cheese is bubbly, about 1 min. Remove pan from broiler, sprinkle avocado over nachos and garnish with dollops of yogurt. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

This is a delicious little number served with corn and peaches. I tweaked it a bit by adding ground beef that we had extra from last night's BBQ. I used Dannon's Oiko Plain Greek Yogurt for sour cream. At first I was a bit hesitant but it has the same texture, sour taste, and worked great! I'll be subbing this yogurt for sour cream again in the future! Many thanks to a magazine that my sister introduced me to "Allyou." They have REAL models, REAL stories, REALISTIC recipes, coupons, and tips on saving. Check it out at www.allyou.com

And So We Walk. . .

We LOVE Evan. . .

And so we walk. . .

We believe in FAMILY & FRIENDSHIP and supporting one another. . .
And so we walk. . .



We believe that everyone is precious and deserves a beautiful LIFE. . .

And so we walk. . .



We HOPE. . .

And so we walk. . .

We LOVE. . .

And so we walk. . .

Buddy Walk

August 27th, 2011

Ankeny, IA

Calling on support and awareness for Down Syndrome check out www.buddywalk.org or www.ndss.org check out the websites and support this great society. If you want to be a part of Evan's Entourage let us know and we'll sign you up for next year, keep August weekends open on your calendar!

Bloom Where you Are. . .

I guess I'm into garden metaphors. . . and with this title I can take you there.

(Grandma M. this picture is for you, check out this Hibiscus!)

But first check out how these flowers are blooming where they are! We visited the Better Home and Gardens Test Garden, yep, right in our backyard and they did not disappoint. I swear if I were a flower I'd plead to be in this garden. It looks like they've been feeding on steroids or a hefty dose of Miracle Grow! Knowing what my flowers look like at home (sun-burnt and dehydrated) these blooms are some real charmers.

(Grandma R. these are some giant Zinnias for you!)

Olivia has a great eye and appreciation for flowers, her favorites were the pink & purple ones, little forget-me-nots, and the two bells that remind her of little fairy dresses. So, back to tackling the metaphor. . . I try to bloom wherever I'm planted in life; this summer I began getting awfully restless, discontent, and when the wind blew me over to the side it was hard for me to stand tall on my own.

Something had to give. . . and I decided to fully bloom and to completely nourish my soul that I needed to make a change. So I have decided to withdraw from school at this time because I need some extra tending to, as well as my family.

We need to grow and develop from the inside-out. Our family nucleus is what roots me and I need to know that our family is well-balanced, happy, and healthy before I branch out. I also need to know that my foundation is solid and my stem is sturdy before I can take uncomfortable steps into life; you know that leap of faith?

I just watched the soul surfer and if you remember the bible lesson that she learned before her accident is that sometimes we see things SO close up in life that we just see the honeycomb, but step away to see the big picture and you see the bees working together, dancing, collecting nectar and living beside other creatures and plant life.

So, I'll be taking a step backwards (maybe a few giant steps) to look at the big picture in life.

What matters the most in this life? God, Family, Home. . .

I tend to make things more complicated than they need be and so when I get tangled in that sticky web of complication, I need to escape and simplify my life: God, family, home.

I plan to work as a nurse and be that special part in people's vulnerable lives. But I feel that I have more of me to give; somewhere at sometime. I'm not settling or quitting, I'm grounding myself so I can further branch out when the timing is right.

What is right at this time is feeding me and my family's soul with love, time, and moments.

Do you see the fairy dresses?

High Expectations

Today was the first day back to school. Connor raced down the sidewalk on his scooter, while I tagged behind him. At one point, I asked if he could scoot slower and beside me. At this time, I asked him what he wanted to learn this year in third grade. He answered, "I want to learn about chemical reactions AND I want to dissect an animal like a frog." Well, I reminded him that he is in third grade, not high school and maybe he should settle for states, capitals, cursive writing, multiplication, and division.

Weeds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Olivia sees the beauty from weeds; especially the ones that flower into Dandelions or other cute little yellow buds. I, on the other hand, see the bad and the ugly. The only time I see the good is when I actually get rid of weeds.

That would be this morning, forty minutes later and my flower beds were weed free! July was a hot month and I didn't touch the dreaded things! I did chemically weed. . .I know, I know, not the healthiest AND now I've increased my risk of cancer, but I was desperate.

While I was pulling, digging, and grabbing, I was thinking of different adjectives that describe weeds: ornery, stubborn, vicious, itchy, annoying, overbearing, distracting, hideous, and tenacious. I then thought of how very similar weeds are like vices in our lives; bad habits like chocolate, negative thoughts, food, you fill in the blank here [ ]. We all have a vice that weakens us, robs our growth, overcrowds our being, and becomes heavy and thick in our lives.

It was cathartic pulling those weeds. I started labeling them with my vices and burdens, then I grabbed and tore them out root and all. Like a flower bed, we have to care for ourselves and our beings: cultivating, planting our seeds, watering, nourishing, fertilizing, soaking up the sun, dead-heading, and weeding.