September has been grand.

Many apologies for not updating lately. We’re going through a move at work and more my spare time has been devoted to that. BUT we are done as of this afternoon and I am exhausted. Lots of heavy lifting (hundreds and hundreds of patient charts), smashed fingers (In the U-Haul door. ouch.), my hands are covered in cuts (And then dipped in Pine-Sol to make sure we left the old office bright and shining) an aching back and sore muscles. But the good news is, we are all moved into our beaaaauuutiful new office and I have my very own space. It’s lovely.

Anyhow, we did one of our whirlwind trips to Tacoma last weekend, and got to go to the fair with some of my bestest friends, and got to show Paul how awesome the Puyallup Fair really is! I didn’t take my camera because I was with lots of people who took theirs, and also because I have about 10,000 pictures of the Fair. We got to see Ezra baptized, went to lunch with the WHOLE fam (First time we’ve all been together since Christmas!) got an orthodontist appointment (Today is the first day of eating solid foods again!) and got to spend some quality time with my sweet lil’ neph! Just take a look- what a sweetie.

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Chillaxin’ with grandma

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Oh, are you talking to me?

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Um, that’s a yawn, not a scream. Just FYI.

But before we left Paul and I went to the Latah County Fair and we had a blast.

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Paul liked the Lego’s best.

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Lest you forget this is Idaho.

september 013Paul is surprised by tall sunflowers and large pumpkins.

september 016We ate elephant ears and listened to bluegrass.

september 017We thought this sign was funny.

september 018We rode the Ferris Wheel and then ate snowcones.

All in all it was pretty good for a small fair. We made the most out of it and had a good time. Anyhow, so there is an update or sorts. I should get around to cleaning the house and tidying up. With working late all week my poor house has been a bit neglected, but that’s what weekends are for, right?

Spaghetti Sauce

I had so many tomatoes that I didn’t know what to do with, so I thought I would make some spaghetti sauce.

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First I browned some garlic in olive oil.

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Then washed and sliced my tomatoes

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Picked the LAST of my basil from my garden, mix it in with the garlic on a low heat.

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Quarter and peel the tomatoes.

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Add the tomatoes to the garlic and basil, crank up the heat

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Mash with the back of a slotted spoon (I actually used my potato masher, which worked a lot faster) heat until comes to a boil. At this point it was a little thinner than I’d like, so I added a small can of tomato paste, which helped it thicken up. I also added about two tablespoons of course ground kosher salt to taste and some dried Oregano. Simmer for a few hours. This also freezes really well, so I put it into Heavy Duty Ziplocs and put it in the freezer to enjoy later!

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And hey, Paul and I were in the paper this morning!

Quilt…ish

So I am going try my hand at quilting. I tried to make a quilt once in junior high and just got as far as stitching all of the top together, let’s just say that cutting straight lines isn’t my strong point. Or following patterns for that matter. Yeah, well, we all know I am not a perfectionista. Anyhow.. that’s beside the point! The point is that I found a bunch of fabric at a Rummage Sale 2 weeks ago and grabbed it (It was an “all-you-can-stuff-into-this-bag” donation type sale, so I figured even if I didn’t use it for a while, no big deal. I then suplimented it with a little bit that I had stashed away, and 2 old sheets from the Salvation Army that had cute little flowers on them.

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Look, mom! Straight lines! I took special care to make them the same size (roughly…eh hem, I don’t have the best scissors.)
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So now I just have to find a place that I can put my sewing machine. Woe is me, my apartment has no more space left in it. And husband needs both of the desks for school and work. Hmph. Oh well. I’ll figure out something.

Other than that, Paul and I took a trip out to our friend Alberta’s farm and came back with some deliiiiiicious veggies, which we have been eating every night for dinner (Our favorite thing so far: Frying zucchini in olive oil until browned, then right before taking off the heat adding a dash of garlic salt! Super yum)

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And I am SO glad that we stocked up on blueberries for the fall. We’ve REALLY been enjoying our blueberries.

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Does anyone have any idea for the proper care of Cactus Plants? I haven’t been able to find much online, and I am afraid that our little buddy is dying. We’ve been trying not to overwater him, but I am afraid of underwater!

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Well, that’s all I got for this lovely (hot, again) Friday here in good ol’ Idaho. Tomorrow we hit up the Farmer’s Market, The Fall Jolly (think Rummage Sale/Craft Fair/Food Vendors all in one spot!) a football game with good friends, and it’ll be a great weekend.

Since everyone else did it…

Since everyone else posted beautiful kitchen sink pictures with their sparkling sinks, I thought I might show you guys the state of my kitchen this morning:

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All washed and clean and now in the freezer to be enjoyed for the rest of the fall!

Also, while at a thrift store I found these curtains that just happened to fit my kitchen windows (actually there were 9 curtains in the package, but they all came together, so I just took the lot)
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They match the color scheme of my kitchen alright (Who am I kidding, I don’t have a color scheme! Nothing in my house matches, but that’s just how I like it) Anyway, what do you guys think? Are they too ‘circusy’? Are they whimsical enough to be fun or just kind of annoying? I just can’t make up my mind about them, so I am relying on all of you to help me out. (They’re anything but beige, Erika!) Well, I’ve got 6 more of them if anyone wants a couple… I can’t image that I could possibly use all 9!