Today the weather was finally starting to feel a little cooler. I really think I felt a touch of fall in the air. The sky was cloudy, and the wind blew a cool breeze. The weather man says this is only a teaser; the temperature is supposed to get back up in the high 80's soon. I think I really am done with the heat. Maybe, just maybe, if I just act like it is fall weather it will turn into fall weather - d'ya think? This newly acquired pumpkin certainly can't hurt. I love this! My mom and I were shopping at Walmart and my mom spotted it. We picked out the best two - I know because I think my mom went through each one of them!

Tomorrow is Saturday. That means a soccer game, and getting caught up on laundry, or at least trying to. Tonight we have only one child here at home. One is spending a night at a friend's house and the other is in California with a friend and her family. It is so quiet here tonight., almost too quiet. Tomorrow night we're planning on going out to dinner with some good friends of ours. I'm looking forward to that.

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Our piano is getting a lot of use lately. I was going through some church music and came across one entitled Count Your Blessings. There are many times when I think of the glass as half empty instead of half full. I know I need to change my way of thinking but there are days when I just wake up being one of the seven dwarfs - Grumpy. Today I was looking at a rubber stamp blog, Missy B Designs, and she had a link to this blog. Reading this story really puts things into perspective. Why should I complain about having always being the one to replenish the empty roll of toilet paper when I have a healthy family. Does it really matter who emptied the trash last? Granted, I really don't think I was put on this earth to stay in the kitchen all day, but I was given this family to nurture and care for, and instead of taking them for granted, I need to see how much I really have. I need to Count My Blessings.

Clay and I took a quick drive out to Pyramid Lake today. Clay wanted to check out the supposedly new boat launch at Warrior's Point. No such luck, there is no boat launch. I haven't been to Warrior's Point in years. Clay remembers when it was built up - they had showers, bathrooms (not just sani-huts), and picnic tables with shade canopies. Now all that's left is what appears to be the roof of the building, but it could be the floor of it, jutting out from the shore. There is also a building that possibly was from the county (?) which is nothing but a pile of rocks and boards. I guess you know you're getting old when you keep finding yourself saying, "back in the day...."


We also went geocaching. Our first cache we went to we were able to find. This is a really cool place we want to take the kids to. The description of this cache was that it was located among some calcite fossil beds.. The beds are the remains of ancient Lake Lahontan and contain fossilized leaves from trees and plants that no longer appear in the Great Basin. We took the dogs out to run, and while they exercised, we looked for fossils. Even found a couple. This cache made up for the other that I could not locate. Got the coordinates, but was unable to find the cache. I hate it when that happens. Oh well.

South of Pyramid Lake

First cache of the day


Quiet night tonight. Syd and I are gearing up for the holidays. In September I usually get excited because I know fall is (or should be) right around the corner. I love Fall, my favorite time of the year. It's tradition for me in September to start making my Christmas gift list. This year Syd will probably help me make gifts. This year will also be our last Christmas with her living at home. Oh, I'm going to miss her. Have I mentioned that once - or twice, or ten or twenty times - already???

Monday was the first day of school for the girls. So I cried just a little bit. Monday was probably the last time I will take a picture of Syd in front of our house - a yearly tradition. It was the last first day of school that she would drive Erin to school. They are both taking the 00 period of Seminary, so it was still a little dark when they left. But I did get up early and make them breakfast. Worthy of mentioning since I don't do that every day. I admit, I am not a Martha Stewart, nor does she live at our house. It was also Erin's first day of high school. She made it through just fine and yesterday announced that she can now find her locker without getting lost in that maze they call high school.

We got our first tomato yesterday! I cannot believe August is almost over and we have only had one tomato. These plants are huge, with lots of little green tomatoes. Today I'm going to search hard for more red ones. I also picked more green beans to freeze, a squash, and a cucumber that had been overlooked.

The Wool Contest is Over

The Make It With Wool Contest was held today. All those weeks of knitting and sewing for Syd are behind us. She had never participated in this contest, and so it was a learning experience for the both of us. The girls (and women) model their garments in the morning for the judges, and then later in the afternoon for the public, where the prizes and ribbons are awarded. Everyone did such a wonderful job. There is an amazing amount of talent these youth have. There were times when I thought I was more nervous than Syd was. Poor girl, she didn't finish knitting her sweater until 4:30 this a.m., then had to get back up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for the judging. All the girls were awarded gifts, which came as a pleasant surprise to us. Congrats, Syd!

Right before modeling in front of the judges.

Close up of the cable work on the sweater

All the prizes - including those awesome Fiskars scissors (that I may steal), and a $35.00 gift certificate to a local fabric store. That is one tired girl!

Busy Day

Hard to believe that school starts in a couple of days. I took the girls school clothes shopping today. Hey, nothing like waiting until the last minute. We decided on a whim to have Erin's hair cut and add color to it. She's been wanted to add color for a while. What a change! But I like it - it's so her.

Tonight Syd is frantically getting ready for the Make It With Wool Contest which is tomorrow (Saturday) morning at the State Fair. Yes, one more trip to the fair. She is finishing up a skirt she made, and a sweater she knit. The two pieces are gorgeous; she is more than a little nervous, and then being really tired on top of it doesn't help.

Quick Dinner Recipe

Found this great mix. Just made the Chili Tomato Macaroni recipe, and it was a hit with the family. I've posted the mix recipe here, and you can get recipes for the mix at this website.

Hamburger Helper Seasoning Mix
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/3 cup instant onion
3 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 1/2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules
Yield: 5 1/2 cup servings

Beans and Rice vs. Taco John's

Today I drove right by Taco John's on my way back to work from my lunch hour. Taco John's was practically screaming my name out loud. Oh, how a taco bravo and potato ole's with cheese sounded sooooo good. I knew that I had packed my lunch this morning, and that I had vowed to eat a healthy lunch, but it's so easy to pull into a fast food drive in. My willpower was strong enough today that I passed it. So now here I sit at my desk staring at my green beans and wild rice. Oh joy.