After four kids, ten moves and nearly two decades, we are still blissfully in love (most of the time) and I found myself back in the state I was born and raised in. It has definitely been a journey. In fact, on our 18th anniversary we pulled the last of our stuff up over the pass and into Montana, leaving our surprise love, Idaho, behind. But Montana is a great place. The last best place according to some. And we fully intend to explore as much of it as we can! Join us on our continued adventure through life, love and other stuff that comes with it.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

They should pay me for this idea

At my in-laws this last week I watched some television. My kids found Sprout--which beats the socks off of Sponge Bob in my humble opinion. Sponges don't have brains and he is no exception.

Anyway, The Food Network got some serious action while I was there. Not by me directly, but it was on. And I enjoyed watching the pieces of it I did get to watch. Mind you I'm not going to go out and get Direct TV or anything crazy like that. We don't even have our antenna hooked up since the move if that tells you anything. But I still think they should pay me. Why?? Because I cook and I have an idea.

Iron Chef is fun to watch. But these people are pretty extreme. And their food is extreme. I live in Eastern Idaho. I'm not sure we have Direct TV here, let along 3/4 of the ingredients they use on Iron Chef. I don't have nearly the gadgets they have either.

And I cook on a clock--sort of. So what if they had a show where they took 2 or so moms, gave them a "regular" pantry set of ingredients and "regular" kitchen gadgets and told them they had 45 minutes to make dinner--with a main dish, a side and a vegetable. But then there are elements that make it more interesting.

For example, the assigned meal was a regular dish like tuna noodle casserole. But when the clock starts they discover they only have 1 can of tuna, or no tuna at all. And then the Pastor is coming for dinner and he can't have gluten.

Or the assigned meal is hamburgers. The clock starts and the burger is still frozen solid. And there are only 1/2 the number of buns as there are people to feed.

The judges wouldn't be culinary experts who judge on all the merits of a meal like presentation and . . . I don't even know what they judge on, really. I missed that part of the show when I was helping with dinner I think. The judges should be regular moms, maybe even picked from a studio audience, who judge only on whether their family would eat the meal or not.

And the winner gets her pantry stocked for 6 months. Or a trip to Hawaii. Or something that a practical mom who can cook killer hamburgers in 45 minutes or less even if she's given frozen burger and 1/2 as many buns as she needs.

Because moms like that are awesome and we could all learn a thing or two from a show like that. Even if it's just a new perspective for those who find dinner on the table every night and really have no idea how it got there.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thank you Grandma! We love you!

Really. How can you NOT love a grandma who gets kids such useful and necessary stuff.



Okay. I guess even if she didn't, we'd love her anyway. She's just one you can't help but love.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Ice cream and pine cones

Grandma gave Calla an ice cream cone today. Calla sat there eating it--or rather picking at it like Calla does--and after chewing off one side and sucking all the ice cream out of it she handed it to me. "Here mom, you can have my pine cone." Oh my little Calla. You make my insides happy.

Grandma's house

Even if we don't do much, it's a great time. Yesterday we went for a walk--well, several walks. The dog needs walking. He's a funny dog that Romeo. He's just about Calla's speed.





Of course, Violet in the rumble seat. Ellville Zara Candy. It's a beautiful wrap. It's Grace's wrap. I'll tell you about that sometime, too.





And we found some wildlife. Frogs and fish in the pond, and this crazy bird.



It made its nest right in the middle of the path by the pond. But I'm kind of hoping we get baby killdeer while we're here.



And the mate was down towards the water putting on his "broken wing" display hoping to draw us away from the nest.



Wildlife is so cool. Even if it's in the middle of a subdivision. They might get baby ducks, too.

And grandma's garden. I don't know what she feeds her plants, but they are amazing. This used to be a minature rosebush. You know the kind you buy at the store with little tiny flowers on it for Mother's Day or whatever. They are like 8" tall and last about two months. I think we got her this one when Grace (whose middle name is Rosemarie) was about two years old.



And this is Calla's calla lily we got grandma last year. In the fall it had two big blooms on it. Now it's blooming in all its glory.



We'll have to go get her some violets.

Friday, May 22, 2009

We went for a walk last night

When it was suggested that we go for a walk, Calla responded with, "NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO FOR A WALK!!"

Really what she meant to say was, "I'm too tired to go for a walk."

I suggested that maybe she could get in a carrier. She lit up and was all about cooperation after that.

Calla is almost 3 1/2 years old. She's pushing thirty pounds. She's small for her age, but she's perfectly capable of walking. And running. And climbing. And jumping. Just ask the ladies I met at the park yesterday who watched her climb to the very tip top of every play structure she could find.

She loved the walk last night.



How can you not love being packed on daddy's back in the cool of the evening after a long day in the sun?



And wearing your shiny red shoes? Those shoes have been loved. Really loved. And half the time they are on the wrong feet. But she doesn't care. They are shiny. And red. And shiny and red goes with EVERYTHING! Didn't you know that???



And the big sister who suggested the walk so she could ride her bike.



What is it about kids and bikes? And formal dresses. And shiny shoes?

What is it about girls and shiny shoes? Maybe I'll have to get myself a pair and find out.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Safety first!

My husband took this picture.



"Here, blog that," he said handing me the camera.

Yes, that's a loaf of sourdough on the oven.

Yes, my kitchen is tiny. And very 1970s.

Yes, that's laundry. I know I'm the only person in the world who has it just sitting around.

After Tuscan Rain

I love this one. It's just vibrant and gorgeous. I love it more than Lilac Lady. And from the girl who named her baby Violet, that's saying quite a bit!


Friday, May 15, 2009

What IS she up to????



Hmmmm . . . . I wonder if that is enough canvas to make a goose? I'll bet it is.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Nooooooooooooo!

You may know that feeling. The feeling only a mom gets when her baby reaches yet another milestone. Mostly I get that feeling when baby starts to move. When baby is in a different spot and I didn't put her there. When my stuff starts to move and I didn't move it.

Yesterday daddy came home for lunch (something that happens quite a bit these days). Violet was in the basement with me and heard her daddy. Until this point stairs were something that had yet to be conquered. But the sound of her daddy at the top gave her the motivation.





She's pretty proud. And I'm pretty proud of her, too.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Something special for a little someone special

A while back I had a mama contact me about making a special carrier. She has a special needs five-year-old who cannot walk well and simply wants to be carrier all the time. So after some discussion, I made her this:





That's my husband (Mr. Cheesy) and our five-year-old. They did the majority of the testing and actually put in a formal request for their very own. I tried it as well, and must say that for a kiddo that big, I was impressed by how comfortable it was.

I won't be adding these to the regular line for Silly Goose. But I will say that if I can make make daily life a little easier and more comfortable for a family with a child with special needs, I'm happy to do it.

Happy Babywearing!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Bah!

I have a serious case of the Mondays. Nothing like taking over 2 hours just to unload and re-load the dishwasher to put a dent on your blogging time. Those of you with multiple kids just home from a four-day trip to grandma's house (they had a blast, all of them) know what I'm talking about.

So, here's hoping for a serious case of the Tuesdays tomorrow. :)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Oh the experiences this child is having in her little life

Today she went golfing with her daddy and grandpa. Seems the golf course was littered with evidence of wildlife.



Nothin' like a little bear poo to make the golf round a little more interesting. And deer poo. And moose poo.

I wonder what adventure she'll have tomorrow. I wonder if it will involve bears. Lots of bears lately. And we weren't even hunting for them today.

Friday, May 8, 2009

I think I offended them

They aren't talking to me and they aren't talking to each other.

If you are wondering what on earth I'm talking about, I am in the process of setting up a new shopping cart system on my website. And I'm shopping cart challenged. Up to this point I've used Etsy as my cart. But for quite some time now I've wanted a "real" cart. About a week ago I got one.

To work properly, two shopping cart systems need to communicate with one another. But they aren't. And I'm sure it's something I did. So communication has broken down and progress is currently at a stand still until one of them starts talking again. Reminds me of my teaching days watching the interaction (or lack of) between the superintendent and the union president. They had one of those serious personality clashes that doomed their working relationship from the beginning. Hopefully we won't have to pull in the professional conflict management teams and call a public meeting.

Wish me luck.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The best bowl of oatmeal

oatmeal
plain yogurt
juice from one orange
frozen blueberries

Stir.

Don't ask me about amounts. I do it different every time. It's fabulous every time. Try it. I dare you.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Breakfast




She even makes scrambled eggs with cheese on them cute.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

How are you guys doing?

That's the most common question we get since we moved here. So, I'm going to answer it for anyone who is wondering.

We're great. The kids seem to be adjusting well. Moving in the spring when the weather is nice is much less stressful on them than moving in November. Plus, their daddy is home more than he's ever been. And according to Grace, he's a fun daddy because he has fun with them all the time.

Brent's job is going well. So well that his boss is working on getting him transferred to the Rexburg office anywhere from 3-6 months before they anticipated. He comes home and says things like, "I'm not even stressed" and "I feel semi-retired." In fact, on Sunday he reserved FOUR weekends worth of camp-sites in Yellowstone for this summer. He's super excited. And he commented that since we've been married (going on 13 years), he probably hasn't taken that much vacation. I think he's right. Owning your own business for that long makes it hard to take vacations. So I'm super excited about the prospect of having that much vacation this summer. There's even a travel trailer in the family that we're going to get to use, so I don't have to sleep on the ground. I'm spoiled that way.

Our house is great. It's got room and it has carpet. For our little crawler, the carpet is such a luxery. I didn't realize I missed carpet so much until I got it again. It's funny because I'm convinced it was built for short people. Everything is short. I'm not tall by any means, but it makes me giggle.

The people around here are nice. Grace even has a little friend next door who is about her age. And we registered Grace for school next year. She's so excited. The kid loves learning and making new friends. I'm hoping Calla finds a friend here soon. She needs her own little friend, not just Grace's friends.

Me, I'm doing well. Working on figuring out where things are in the area. Working on finding things in my own house. Working on my little Silly Goose business. Working on keeping my family well-fed and in clean clothes. It's a great job I have. Really. I love it. Idaho is fun. I miss all my friends back in Washington State, but that's to be expected. They are great and I will always miss them. But we are supposed to be here. We're super thankful for the job we have, the home we have, and the life we are building here. I'm excited to see what it holds.

Monday, May 4, 2009

I'm so happy I could almost burst

I did it. I made a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread! From my very own starter! I may just burst with joy and happiness.





And it's yummy. The resident taste-tester didn't even have to taste it to notice that it was very different from the other loaves I'd made. He just had to watch me cut into it. He said something like, "Hey, that's even . . . " It was so beautiful I think he was at a loss for words.

Not sure what it was that made this loaf so different. I did put orange juice when I was proofing the sponge. And maybe a little sugar. It started proofong on Saturday I think. So it worked for a few days. I think that made the fungus happy. And I used mostly rye flour. Whole grain dark rye flour.

It's a lovely loaf. Moist and tender and lovely. YAY!

May the 4th be with you

Apparently today is Star Wars Day. I'll let you figure out why. But in honor, and thanks to a few friends who know who they are, I have put it all together and would like to share these fitting images.





Idaho is awesome. I am far from a Star Wars Geek, but I knew this was Star Wars-ish. And it's just down the road from us. I found it a couple weeks ago when I decided to see if a different road went where I thought it went. If you come visit, we can drive by and you can even make x-wing fighter noises if you want. I won't be embarassed at all. I promise.

Thinking spring!

Lady Lilac and Great Blue Beyond are beautiful. I'm anxious to get After Tuscan Rain completed to round out the collection.







In other news, I'm working on a batch of sourdough bread again today. It's looking hopeful!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Edible failure--again



Yup. That's what it is. I can't get it to rise worth beans. It just sits there in a doughy lump. So, I'm on a troubleshooting mission. Maybe I killed it. I probably did. I guess my fungus isn't that forgiving after all. Or, the fungus I grew doesn't like to work very hard for very long. I'm determined to make this work. I don't give up that easily! :)