Ice Cream

While I love homemade ice cream with eggs, it's not Wayne's favorite. We have made different recipes of ice cream over the years, but this one has stuck. It's simple to make, I nearly always have the ingredients on hand, I don't think it could be quicker to put together, and most importantly we all like how it tastes.  We've added other mix ins or flavors and it is perfect for that too. 

Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

pinch salt

Whisk together and churn in your ice cream maker. Scoop into a storage container and freeze. 

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Blackberry Ice Cream

2 cups blackberries 

Blend blackberries in food processor with 1/2 cup of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Strain. Discard the seeds/pulp. 

Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the other remaining ingredients from above. 

Whisk together (or blend in food processor) and churn in your ice cream maker. Scoop into a storage container and freeze. 

*******

We use this Cuisinart ice cream maker.  If I make a recipe that is a little too big for it, I scoop some out once it's frozen (and keep in the freezer) and then add the rest until it's all ready to put up.

Garden Tea

I tried to pull all of the garden mint out of my flower bed a few years ago... some always pops up and this year it is back more full than ever. While I don't like how invasive it is, I do like garden tea, mojitos, mint in salads, etc. Teneesa Stuckey also gave me the idea to throw in about 5 stems worth of leaves into my Lipton iced tea, which is also very good.

Garden Tea
3 1/2 quarts water (14 cups)
2 cups packed fresh mint
1/2 cup sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in mint. Let steep around 3 hours. Strain. Refrigerate. Serve over ice (options - with lemon slices).

Credits to this recipe.

Camping

Well, we had our first camping trip of the year. It took a few days of packing and preparing, as usual. Friday after I got home from work, we left for Cheney. Luckily, it only takes about 30 minutes to get there. We scouted out a couple of sites since our friends planned to join us on Saturday. We found a nice spot with plenty of space and a sandy beach. The evening was still and cool. Just right.

Sunflowers growing wild across from our campsite.

Since we got in late, we didn't get a fire going until it was almost dark. We had a yummy hobo dinner around 9:30 pm. After that, we all hit the showers. The water was very cold and I could hear screaming from the men's room - Tyler was not a fan of the cold water, I guess.

On the way back to camp, Tyler was holding my hand as we walked.

Tyler said, "Daddy, I like Mommy better than you."

"Oh, why's that?" Wayne asked.

"Well, she's shorter and fatter and she has a nice hand."

Wayne (to me, sarcastically), "Oh, you're welcome." (To Tyler), "you like Mommy's hand?"
Tyler, "It's soft and it feels good."

The next day, after another conversation including comparisons, Michelle wondered whether Tyler realized he could like 2 people equally. We explained that he could, which seemed to make sense to him. Before that, though, he said that he like me better because I'm cuter. I like that better. :)

The next day was very hot. Michelle & Matt, Lisa & Pat, Mark and Patty and their boys all joined us (sans Leo). The boys enjoyed playing in the sand and just running around.

It was a really hot day. We tried to stay in the shade to stay cool.

As we got in our cars to head for a designated swimming area (with less algae and muck than at our site) we realized that the battery was dead. I had kept the back hatch unlatched during the day and apparently that was enough to drain the battery. Just after we realized it was dead, the camp host came by and said that he could get someone to come in 20 minutes to loan us jumper cables. So, Tyler and I hitched a ride and Wayne stayed - they never showed. (We borrowed jumper cables from our camping neighbors the next morning).

While we were swimming, it started raining. So, we came back and found shelter until the storm blew through - I think we spent about 45 minutes in the car. Here's Tyler enjoying playing in the front seat. A rare treat for him.

We enjoyed a camping feast in the evening. After putting the children to bed, we enjoyed a little campfire time with the adults. However, I was so worn out, I didn't last very long. We had another delicious meal for breakfast, and lounged around for Sunday morning. We came home in the afternoon exhausted and dirty. It felt so good to have a thorough shower and sleep in my bed again. But, I still loved camping. It's a great chance to be together, enjoy the outdoors (and maybe appreciate the conveniences of home a little more).

Last evening, I was so tired I could hardly see straight. Tyler wanted to spend the night at Abe's house, which really surprised me. I know he loves Abe, and playing at Abe's house, but leaving him is usually hard (at least on me). He's never slept at any one's house before besides Ted & Sue's (which was only once). I was extra surprised at his request because lately he has been talking about wishing I didn't have to work and has had some regression in his ... how should I say...toilet habits. But, since he was so sure that he wanted to stay over and they were willing, we tried it. Apparently he did well and didn't ask for us once. I really appreciated it. After I got over the weirdness of not having Tyler around I realized that I was able to get my laundry done and the house picked up pretty quickly. That made today so much more relaxing.

Today, Labor Day, we did some shopping, went to the park, and enjoyed ice cream in the afternoon. All in all, it's been a pretty great weekend! I feel refreshed. :)

Day with Grandpa's

We spent the day with Ted and Sue today. First they treated us to lunch, then we headed to the new Playscape at Sedgwick County Park (about a mile from our house). It is a pretty neat playground with all sorts of things to do, which I think will provide him hours of enjoyment. Tyler had been there twice already this week and was happy to show me and his Grandparents around.

First, he showed us the digger.

Next, one of the water/sand tables. He appeared to be taking this job of moving sand and water around very seriously.

Streeeetching.



Future Olympian on the balance beam. Ha ha. :)




Smiling with Grandma.

Looking hot and sweaty.

Being a goof (refusing to smile for the picture).

Climbing up the wobbly...thing (that Grandma is steadying).

Afterwards, we came back to the house so that Tyler could "help" Sue make MCC school kits while Ted, Wayne and I enjoyed a heated Dominoes battle. Afterwards, they treated us to dinner. We had a great day!

Sleeping under the...ceiling fan.

The Bugaboo tent made its arrival yesterday. I wanted to camp in the backyard, but since it was supposed to be in the 80s during the night and humid (and we are supposed to have a heat advisory starting today), Wayne suggested setting up the tent in the living room. Not what I envisioned, but hey, better than nothing! So, he cleared what he could from the living room and got to work.

When I got up to get the camera, Tyler was staring intently at the directions with Wayne.

Seeing the camera sent him running.

Here it is all set up. There was no room to walk on either side, and it made me feel a little silly for having done this. But, it was fun anyway.

The tent came with a little light with remote control. Tyler enjoyed turning it on and off. He also enjoyed jumping around like crazy inside the tent. Wayne asked him to be careful as the tent was not fully set up. This morning, we were laying in the tent. Tyler said something under his breath. When I asked what he had said, he said emphatically, "the tent is fragile!"

We intended to have a family night of sleeping in the tent. In actuality, Tyler squirmed around as usual, and I ended up sleeping on the couch. Wayne came to bed so late, that he just slept in our bed. We still enjoyed trying it out and Tyler was, as expected, disappointed when we put it away.

Side note - Wayne doesn't care for the colors of the tent, and pointed out that they are Notre Dame colors. I feel that being from 45 minutes east of Notre Dame, I must cheer all the more loudly, and it is an extra reason not to be put off by the colors. :) Go Irish!

Tent

Well, we did it. After 8 years of using the trusty tent my parents bought for us, we have purchased a new tent. The tent my parents bought for us worked great for the two of us, but with adding Tyler, it has been pretty cramped.

Today was our day of information gathering. We went to 5 different stores across town looking over their selection. I was looking for a tent that would have more floor space, a higher ceiling (so I wouldn't have to crouch so much) and better ventilation. (Kansas camping can get pretty warm).

After our day of searching, we found the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent. It easily meets all of my requirements and even has lots of storage spots and handy little zippered spaces to store shoes! We would have bought it right there...but all they had left was the floor model. Luckily, I have a husband who didn't want to pay full price for a floor model and who also thinks of such crazy things as looking online (yes, I'll admit I was too tired to think of it myself)...and ultimately got us a much better deal! So, here it is...coming to us from Cabela's. I'm excited.

Camping anyone? Seems like a good accompaniment to corn hole!

White trash

Last evening we had a little white trash fun; a corn hole party. Our friends, Matt and Michelle, went all out. Here they are in all their white trash glory.

Some of us ate outside, but had to fend off the nasty flies. It seemed fitting.

There was a variety of things going on to try to keep everyone happy. You can see Ollie and Leo in the sand. You can barely see Tyler playing with the parachute. Pat and Steve are playing corn hole.

Here are Ollie, Pat, Lydia, and Sammy on Steve's shoulders.

Abe, Matt, and Wayne

Michelle and Lisa

Pinocchio

Yesterday we (with Lisa and Oliver and Michelle, Abe and Leo) went to the Wichita Children's Theater Picnic at the Park. We had a pizza picnic outside, followed by the show, which today was Pinocchio. It was cute and kept the boys' attention.

Afterward, Pinocchio was handing out cookies. I think Tyler was a little unsure about the way they all looked in their costumes because he inched up (literally) to get a cookie, but did stop for a high-five. One of the joys of having the summer off is being able to do things like this. I think we'll do it again next summer.

Corn Hole

Last evening, Wayne's parents came over and brought dinner with them. (Yummy fresh corn, special Italian sausage, and beans).

After many hours of work, Wayne has finished his corn hole game...well, sort of. He wants to modify the purchased bean bags and possibly paint part of the game boards. But, last night after dinner, we were able to play, and we had a lot of fun.

Sue getting some practice shots in. :)

Celebrate!

Anyone for corn hole? (It just makes me smile to say it).

Saturday

On Saturday, Matt and Michelle's oldest son, Abe, turned 5. He had a dinosaur kid party (no parents required) except for Wayne and I. We were happy to help with corralling the troops for the party. Michelle had lots of fun dinosaur games and coloring pages that the kids really enjoyed.

Wayne and I decided that this whole kid party is a neat idea. It just seemed so much more relaxed and with fewer adults to mingle with, we could focus on the kids. I really enjoy having people over, but our house quickly feels small, loud and hot with the birthday crowd. We may be giving this whole kid party a try this year! Of course, Ted and Sue and any family that makes it out for Tyler's birthday...hint, hint... would be welcome to our family only party. :)

In the evening, we went to Red Robin to celebrate our friend, Pat's, 32nd birthday. I love Red Robin, but I wisely shared my meal (which is always the Whiskey River BBQ burger) with Tyler. If I don't share, I can't stop myself and leave feeling ill from eating too much. It's just too good! They even sang to him and made him wear balloons on his ears.

We had a full day of celebrating!

Black Widow

We were cleaning out our garage a couple of days ago and discovered this big black widow spider. It was very big, though it's kind of hard to tell from the pictures. I was feeling like a wimp because I asked him to come out to take care of it, but after his reaction (surprise and caution), I was glad I had.

Wayne caught it and put it in a jar. He pulled it out to see it put out webbing, then back into the jar. We released it by the side of the road (across town) last night.

I was trying to take a picture of the red hourglass on it's underside - but I was scared to get too close - so it's out of focus.

Turtle

Dad found this turtle wobbling along on their driveway. Isn't it cute?

Florida

These last few weeks seem like a whirlwind. Time is going so fast. After we left Kansas from the funeral, we drove back and arrived late Thursday night. Saturday we left for Florida.

Lynette, Tyler, Mom and I went together. We missed having Carrie and her boys!

We were relaxed which was just what we needed.

Eating at Turtles, a restaurant on Turtle beach, and a traditional stop for us.

Playing shuffleboard. I played (horribly) against Lynette and Mom.