Hello? Anyone there?

I'm still here. We've just been super busy working on a kitchen, doing preschool, life with kids, etc. My folks are coming for a visit this weekend and a friend is getting married, so perhaps, next week I'll have a bit more time to post something.

Help---I'm Drowning in Zucchini

For all you gardeners out there that have way too much zucchini, which would be anyone that planted it, I've got an answer to help you. We'll call it our 'secret' apple pie--it's really made with zucchini. It will fool your kids, your husband, anyone. They'll have no idea they're eating zucchini. Here's the recipe:

Zucchini Apple Pie

1-2 large zucchini--enough for 4-6 cups, depending how full you like your pie
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Pinch of nutmeg
3 Tbsp. of flour
Butter

Peel and seed your zucchini. Cut it into quarters, lengthwise. Then thinly slice it like you would an apple. Toss with lemon juice and salt. Lightly cook it in a frying pan until it is tender-crisp.
In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg and flour. Mix zucchini slices in. It will be a bit runny. Fill your pie crust. Dot with butter. Cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until light brown on top. Eat and enjoy. Don't tell anyone it's zucchini until after they've eaten a slice.

Busy in the Kitchen

I've been busy in the kitchen this weekend. I bought some GREAT Colorado peaches and made jam with them. Dee-lish!! Then I made a bunch of salsa. We've been getting lots of tomatoes and jalapenos from our garden. The salsa tastes so fresh! Yum! I made a couple of batches and stuck them in the freezer.

We've now moved onto Phase 2 of our kitchen re-do. We bought new appliances on Saturday--new dishwasher, cooktop and wall oven. We should get them later this week. Our current cooktop and wall oven are the originals ones--40+ years old. I can't wait to get rid of them. I'll post pictures once they get installed.

A couple of other exciting things to note: I'm going to be helping in Adam's kindergarten class every Wednesday afternoon. Adam is super excited about this and it should be fun.
Yesterday, we saw some friends (the Aceves family) from Emporia (we lived there before here) in church. It was a lot of fun to catch up with them. They may possibly be moving here so they were checking out the area. They had forgotten we lived here and were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.

Random Misc.

Here is some random stuff from this week. Adam had an appt. with his OCD doctor. It went really well. He talked a lot. He still washes his hands a lot, but he says he wants to start working on that. So, we're going to see how he does this month before we go for another appt.

The boys have said some silly things. Adam and I were talking about the lyrics of a song. I said one thing; he said another. He said, "Mom, that is TOTALLY not it." Later on, he then said, "Relax!, Mom". He's definitely learning stuff in school. Then I told Matthew that he was cute. He gave me a look and said, "Don't say that. Say cool or awesome."

Did anyone else watch the new TV show, 'Fringe'? It's done by the same people as 'Lost'. That's why I checked it out. It was pretty intense--lots of twists and turns and, of course, questions to be answered later. Seems like it will be a good show.

I've been teaching Matt's Joy School this week. I'm used to having little kids at our house, but usually they just play with toys. Now, I'm having to keep them occupied with structured activities. It can be a bit hard keeping their attention on something. Oh, well--we'll get used to it. The kids really enjoy 'their school'.

We had playgroup yesterday. When we're all there, there are 10 moms and 15 kids. The children play really well together, and us moms have lots of fun laughing. It's a great bunch!

New Kitchen--partially

So, I'm finally getting an update in. We've been super busy renovating our kitchen. We've redone our cabinets (painted them). We just have to put the new handles on. Here are some 'before and after' photos. Our next projects will be new appliances and granite countertops. Before

Before


After


After

There's been a lot going on these past couple of weeks. I always think, "next week won't be as busy" but that never happens.

Adam is doing well in school. His favorite activities are computer time and recess. He bought lunch for the first time on Friday. He was very excited. Of the 22 kids in his class, he is the ONLY ONE that brings his lunch. Am I the only one that finds that amazing? Is it not the norm anymore to bring your lunch to school?

Matthew has started Joy School (it's like homeschool preschool). There are three of us doing it, and we rotate each week where we have it and who teaches. He's really enjoying it. It's at our house this week.

My aunt and uncle stayed with us this weekend. It was fun to have them here since we don't get many visitors. They were on their way home to Utah after spending time with grandkids in Texas.

So, that's what's been going on. We'll see if the next couple of weeks will be less busy--probably not.

Post Script on the Kitty

Robert went back to the courthouse after work to look for the kitty, but he couldn't find it. So, no new kitty at our house.

Weekly Happenings

We've been busy in our garden, eating carrots, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon and a few green beans.

Before--April 2008

After--August 2008

When we moved into our house, the yard, front and back, was a disaster. We've worked hard trying to fix it up.

We've been pretty busy this week. Adam has been really enjoying Kindergarten. He acts like he's been going for years--totally adjusted. He's had two trips to the office, though. On Monday he fell at recess and hit his head on some concrete. He had a huge knot on his forehead and was complaining about feeling nauseous so the nurse thought he may have a concussion. He's okay now. On Tuesday he got busy in class and forgot to go the bathroom. When I picked him up, I noticed he had a different shirt on . I thought perhaps he traded with one of his friends. Then I noticed different shorts, socks, and shoes. I put two and two together.

Matt starts Joy School (homeschool preschool) next week. Two friends and I will be doing it. We only have a small group, however, we've been busy getting everything ready for that.

And, crazy us, we've started renovating our kitchen this week, too. First, we'll be painting our cupboards and changing the hardware. Next, we'll change some appliances. Then do new countertops and backsplash. We've got a three month timeline. We're doing everything ourselves except for the countertops.

So, that's our week.

P.S. Robert just called. He's bringing home a kitten tonight. He's seen a little kitty outside the courthouse the past week or two and feels so bad because it looks like it's starving. What am I getting myself in to? Oh, well, the boys will love it!