Orange Shakes

The other day, we had an abundance of ice and oranges, so we pulled out the VitaMix and made shakes! In the VitaMix cookbook, there is a recipe for orange sorbet - 

2 oranges

2 Tbs. sweetener

4 cups ice 

I added to my shakes- 1 Tbs. vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, and a bit more sweetener, and it tasted great! 

Another one of our favorite orange smoothie recipe is Orange Julia's -

12 cubes ice

6 oz can orange juice

1 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together in blender - super good!!   

Shakes are our favorite summer treat!

Hunka Munka and Simpkin

 Chasing each other. 

 Sin'kin

Random things about each kitty - 

 Hunka Munka...

-Was named after a mouse in Beatrix Potter's "Tale of Two Bad Mice"

-Is Very playful and curious

-Meows a lot, but hardly every purrs

-Likes to lay on her back in your arms

-Climbs onto beds, and even manages to get on the top bunk

-Likes to chew on braids when sitting on shoulders =)

-Whenever freedom is in sight, she makes a bee-line for it and promptly hides so that you can't catch her

-Other names - Little Fuzz, Boots, Meow, Curl 

Simpkin (Sin'kin)...

-Was named after the cat in Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of the Tailor of Gloucester"

-Is lazy 

-Purrs a lot, but hardly every meows

-Likes to watch us brush out our hair

-Likes to sit and sleep on top shoulders 

-Other names - Big Fuzz, Puss, Purr, Stretch

The Yard -

 Matthew mowing the side yard for the first time. This is where we play volley ball. 

 Grape vine. This tangle of bushes, branches, and vines is the worst place to lose your volley ball (and it happens all the time. =)

Close up on the green grapes. 

My Favorite Shelf

While we were still in Lynden, Daddy hung this shelf above my bed.I filled it with mostly mine and a couple of Phil's WWII books. Every time I look up there, I get inspired and want to write more in my story. =)

Riddles

I don't know about you, but I am very fond of riddles and jokes and brainteasers (as long as they are moderately funny and not dirty). Here are a couple of my favorite -

Q - What is it that goes on all fours, then on twos, and finally on threes?

A - Man - he goes on all fours as an infant, on two legs as an adult, and on three when he walks with the aid of a cane.

Q - You are the pilot of an airplane that travels from New York to Chicago - a distance of 800 miles. The plane goes 200 miles an hour, and it makes one stop for 30 minutes. What is the pilot's name?

A - Whatever you name is.

Q - Can you arrange for Jane to stand behind Lee and Lee to stand behind Jane at the same time?

A - yes, back to back

Q- Is it legal for a man to marry his widow's sister?

A - Legality has nothing to do with it. Only dead men have widows.

Q - A man and his two sons must cross a stream. The man weighs 200 pounds and his sons each weigh 100 pounds. There is a boat that can carry only 200 pounds. How will thy cross?

A - The two sons will go first; one son comes back and dad rows over by himself; the other son returns to pick up his brother.

Q - A child playing on the beach had 6 1/6 sand piles in one place and 3 1/3 in another. If he put them all together, how many sand piles will he have?

A - One

Q - In the Hope family, there are seven sisters, and each sister has one brother. Including Mr. and Mrs. Hope, how many are in the family?

A - Ten - both parents, the seven daughters and just one brother.

Q - If the Vice President of the United States should die, who would be President?

A - The President.

Q- How many times can you subtract 2 from 21?

A - Once. From then on, you'd be subtracting from 19, 17, and so on.

Q- When you take two apples from three apples, how many do you have?

A - You have two apples.

What are some of your favorite riddles?

Next February...

...I will be that auntie to three little nieces or nephews!!

Hensie, Simkin, and Hunka Munka

UCSLCC - Unidentified Crawling Six-Legged Creepy Creature =)

I tried to look up what kind of spider this is, but most of the spider websites are blocked by our web protection service, K9. If you know what kind it is, we'd love to find out. It had made a tunnel web in the corner on the ceiling if that helps any. It was about the size of a half-dollar coin. Totally gross!!

Volleyball

It all started one Friday night, the day after we got here from Wasco. It was a barbecue and a net was set up. So, we played. And we played again the following Monday. Then, on Sunday. And volleyball mania set in. Almost every night, either at Bender Field or at the Weese's, we've been playing the game. So far, no broken bones, we're all just kinda sore. We've had groups from twenty to five people. And it's been great fun. I think we've all improved our skills at least a little. And, we've all had lots of fun!

Horse Riding!

A dream that has been dreamed for a long time finally came true with a phone call from Kris Monday afternoon.

"Hi Susi, Daddy talked Harvey, the man with the two horses next to Fresh Breeze, and he said that we could ride tonight at seven. You want to?"

Me, very surprised, "Well, sure, I need to as Momma. I'll call you back."

Momma's answer was call Daddy. I called him and, yes, I could go! I called Krista back and we both screamed in each other's ears.

Now, the search for proper clothes to wear riding. I didn't have any boots or a full enough skirt. I borrowed Joe's cowboy boots (a wee bit too big) and dug through the dirty clothes bag to find Laura's skirt.

All day long, I kept watching the clock while faithfully (not always!) sanding. Three more hours. Two hours and fifty minutes. Finally Krista called, saying that they were just about to leave to pick me up!

The whole ride, we reminded ourselves of what we had learned at the few riding lessons we had had. (I've only had about three riding lessons and don't know very much about riding. Krista knew what she was doing! =)

I don't want to take away what Krista wrote in her post. =) I'll just tell my side of the story. =) I seemed to have forgotten the little that I knew about riding and didn't attempt anything more than a trot, though the horse I rode, Hunter, broke into a lope once or twice. Although sometimes, it was a smite embarrassing, I really enjoyed it and hope to do it again sometime!

On the way back to the Van Cleve's house, Mr. VC treated us to ice cream at Dairy Queen! When we got to the house, we watched a couple Robin Hood episodes.

I'm a little sore today, but it was definitely worth it! Thank you so much, Kris, for the great day!

The Three Musketeers

Krissy, Hannah Bandanna, and and me posing after spraying our heads with cool water. Thank you so much, girls, for your help on Saturday! 

Sandin', Paintin', and Ever'thin' That Goes With That

After about a week straight of sanding these doors, we now have the reword - perfectly white, streakless doors!

Taping around the wind.

Watering the newly seeded lawn.

 

The finished shed.

More of Gracie

Unwanted Guests

Set and ready