The County Fair

As I am sure most who still read my blog know, my kids participate in a local 4H Club. It is not what you probably think of when you think of a 4H club, but 4H it is. As a result, they've been exposed to entering things in our local County Fair. We didn't enter last year, but friends in our club did. This year, Ashley was determined to enter something in the Fair. Her original plan for cross stitching an owl design and turning it into a pillow fell through early in the summer when she ended up to busy to get it done. At the end of July, however, she went off to a week of art mini camp. One of the middle school art teachers, who also happens to live around the corner from us and go to church with us, holds mini art camps in her home during the summer. Ashley attended one last year and loved it. Therefore, when Mrs. B offered to let Ashley attend a class that several of her friends from school were doing at the outrageous "super good neighbor discount," of $40, we sent her right over. The class usually costs 3 times that much. Anyhow, for 5 days, Ashley rode her bike or scooter around the corner for 2 hours each afternoon. By the time she was done, she had created lots of great things, two of which she decided to enter in the Fair. She chose the batik pillow she painted and sewed and the acrylic painting she made of an ice cream sundae.

When it came time for 4H entries, Ashley was sick, and I didn't get everything together and to the 4H office in time. As a result, she entered in open class, which as the name suggests is open to anyone in the county. It turns out that putting her painting in a frame was not preparation enough. It wasn't wired, so the fine arts section was not going to take it. I knew Ashley would be disappointed but a good sport about it. Indeed she was, but thanks to very good and quick thinking friends, we determined it could qualify in a handicrafts category, and one of my friends took it back to the Fair and entered it when she took her boys for their 4H entries.

Wednesday was an early dismissal day from school, so we took the kids out to the fair just to the exhibition tent to see how everyone did. I have to say that our little 4H club did well. Everyone who entered something won a ribbon of some kind, and we had 2 champions and 2 reserve champions included in that. Ashley won a second place ribbon for her painting and a first place ribbon and reserve champion for her pillow. She was so excited about the ribbons. The $8 dollars that came with them was truly an after thought. The kids already have plans for their entries next year.

Painting on display at Fair

Pillow on display with ribbons

Hee hee. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz.

A little time for goofing around

The gang at the Fair on Wednesday

Better pictures of the painting and pillow

We went back as a family on Saturday so that the kids could see the rest of the Fair and so that Trent could see Ashley's entries on display. At the last minute, Ashley decided to enter the 4H junior archery competition with her friend Leonora who was there for that competition. She hadn't shot her bow in quite a while, so I was weary of this plan, but she assured me it would be good practice. You can't say that girl didn't have a great attitude about it. The kids shot 3 arrows each from 5, 10 and 15 feet. The targets were low, which was a bit difficult. At 15 feet, Ashley sunk her last arrow into the inner blue ring (6 point ring). I am sure it counted for more points considering the distance, but I am not sure how many. There were 30 kids shooting, and we had other things to do, so we left and had lunch, rode a couple of rides and left. We figured there was nothing to find out. When I returned Monday to pick up Ashley's items, ribbons, and check, I noticed the check was for $9. Confused, I looked over the itemized list at the bottom. It turns out, Ashley placed 6th in the youth archery competition and won $1. Guess who wants to practice her shooting more and enter the 4H shoot at the end of October?

That shot with the target is the arrow that won her 6th place.

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Floods oh my!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who checked in on us to make sure we were o.k. during Hurricane Irene. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. It is nice to know we have people looking out for us.

We started school off with an earthquake. That first weekend brought Hurricane Irene, and now we are dealing with some flooded roads as it has been raining pretty steadily for 3 days now. It really is quite a collection of weather and geographical phenomenon we've experienced.

It would seem that we are back to normal routine (well, mostly normal). Last week, we only had one day of school as the school was in one of the areas that lost power. The school regained power around 5:00 Wednesday evening, but they had already called the day of school and did not want to mess around with parents' child care arrangements, so the kids had four days off last week courtesy of Hurricane Irene. I am still of the opinion that they should have had school Thursday, but that is a different blog post perhaps.

On day two of our hurricane sponsored mini-break, we joined some friends for a day at the National Zoo. I love the National Zoo. It isn't as big and grand as many other zoos, but it is really fun, has something for everyone, and because it is part of the Smithsonian, is free. Jon got to see his beloved giant pacific octopus. Ashley and her friend Abby were able to go up to the bird house (a part of the zoo we have previously neglected), and Sammy got to visit the great ape house. In fact, when we left the great ape house, the orangutans were crossing the wires built for them from their outdoor area all the way to the Think Tank. I'd never seen this on previous trips. My friend Stefanie has been to the National Zoo many times and had not previously seen this, but what a fun sight for all. I am only sorry my nephews who were here for a visit in late June didn't get to see this.































So, by the end we were all very ready for school to come back. Sammy said it felt like first grade had never really happened. It really almost felt like first day of school take two on Tuesday sending them back for almost an entire week. It has been an entire week of indoor recess though as it has been raining since Monday afternoon. We were glad for the break but are very glad to be back.

In above pictures, you can see the alligator hanging out in the grass outside the reptile house, the whole gang of kids from that day, and the male lion. Behind him are the lion cubs born earlier this year. You can see that they are starting to resemble full grown lions more than cubs.

"...It All Starts With an Earthquake"

As I am sure you know, because it has been all over the news, Tuesday brought not only the first day of school, but a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in VA, which was felt loud and clear here in MD. Other than shaking Owen awake and knocking some things off of shelves, the only damage we experienced was the loss of Ashley's prized sand dollar that she found whole in Myrtle Beach, cleaned up and preserved. She had it up on her bookshelf, and it fell with several books on top of it.

The following Thursday and Friday we spent preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Saturday night was really windy, and there was plenty of rain, but we did not lose power, and we had very little yard debris compared to the area at large around us. Therefore, I am glad to report that we weathered both natural disasters this past week well and really have no story to tell.

We do, however, have our own little disaster creator in our house. This week has seen the onset of the nickname Hurricane Owen. Since he could crawl, he has gotten into anything he possibly could. That of course escalated with his ability to climb, cruise and now walk. It is a constant adventure to see what he will get into or onto or take apart. He creates havoc with piles of laundry and loves to empty the silverware from the dishwasher. As a fun example, take this picture. One day this past summer, the kids had fries with their lunch, and Jon left his on the coffee table complete with the ketchup he had with them. I went in to check on the kids. Owen was in with them, which isn't unusual as he loves to be where they are. I found him pleased as he could be with himself, sitting in a pile of fries and ketchup with ketchup everywhere. They were within his reach, so he went exploring. This is just an example of how things are with our little hurricane. He sure is a cute little mess maker though, and it is a good thing he LOVES a bath as he needs one frequently.

New Blog

I am seriously thinking of renaming this blog so it is less or our information right in the url address. I realize this may be a very bad time as I've been so bad at posting that few even look here anymore. If I do, I will post new address in advance of moving to new blog address. Thanks all.

Back to School

Hey, I'm doing something on time on this blog. Perhaps I really am getting back to it.

Today was the first day back to school. It almost seemed to come in a rush. We were all prepared. It just seemed to all of a sudden be here.

This year, Ashley is in 5th grade, so she can ride her bike to school. She is also a safety, which means she has to be to school a little bit early so that she can get her stuff inside and get to her post, which happens to be one of the crosswalks. Therefore, she now leaves us early. She gets on her bike and rides to her friend Abby's house, and they ride to school together since they are both safetys. It felt a little strange just sending her off this morning, but I guess it is a peek at what is to come as next year she will be in middle school and not even going to the same school with the others.

Sammy is so excited to be a 1st grader, and Jon is excited to, "finally be in second grade," and to have one of his very best friends in his class. I couldn't be happier about how Jon's class looks and about what teacher he got. Hopefully that will stay the same all year.


Hey, how about some pictures?

Last first day of Elementary School

Off she goes

My friend Marnea got this when Ashley stopped to join Abby.

She is so excited to go back to school.

My second grader.

The walking group. We've gained a couple and lost a few.

Jon and his best friend Mason

Ashley in her crosswalk. Tomorrow she gets her safety belt. Maybe I will get another picture.

Oh, and here are pictures from back to school last year, which I shamefully never posted. I am including these for those of you who, like me, enjoy seeing how much the kids have or haven't changed.

The kindergartners actually meet their teachers the first two days and then do staggered starts the rest of the week. They then all go together the following Monday. This was Sammy on her first official day of Kindergarten.

With her teacher after she told me to "GO!"

Our walking group

At school.

The Jersey Shore

In mid July, we took some good friends up on a long standing invitation and spent a long weekend at the Jersey Shore. We joined other families that we are friends with and made a crowded but really fun time of it. Until they retire and turn their Jersey home into their forever home, it is just a perfectly lovely little beach house. As a result, 4 families made for a crowd. Therefore, the Warners (Trent, myself and the boys) pitched a tent in the back yard, the Shamblen and Rehanek boys pitched two tents in the side yard, and the Shamblen and Rehanek adults stayed in the Shamblen's pop-up camper. The girls had a fabulous time in the house. How do I know this? I know, because I could hear the 3 ten year old girls giggling and talking through the open window until close to midnight.

Saturday was a fun day spent at the beach. We were staying in Pine Beach, New Jersey, which is on the Toms River. The river flows into Barnegat Bay. There is a long thin barrier island which separates the Bay from the Atlantic. We went to the ocean side of the island to Island Beach State Park. It was fabulous. The weather was perfect, and the kids (of every age) were having a blast. It was Owen's first time at the beach, and in true Owen form, he did not stay on a blanket. He was fine trying to crawl into the sand and even ate a bit. Yuck. Fortunately, it was NOT April's first time to the beach nor her first time taking little ones to the beach. She brought a small blow up pool along. The kids filled it with water from the ocean and a little sand, and Owen had his own contained personal ocean, which he loved. Ashley spent the day boogie boarding. Jon, after learning there had been a shark spotted off that beach earlier in the summer, spent time jumping in the waves and eagerly hoping to see a shark. Four and half hours later we were ready for a shower and some food and, in Owen’s case, a nap finally. He refused to nap at the beach. We went up to the bath house and showered, which was so much easier than 20 people trying to shower at the house. We then took a short drive up the beach to Seaside where those who wanted to could see the Jersey Shore house (from the television show). We then returned for a quiet and fun evening with friends.

The next day, there was just enough time before packing up and heading back to Maryland to go over to the Pine Beach Yacht Club on the Toms River and pull out the kayaks and small sail boats. The first time Jon took a kayak out by himself, I thought one of us was going to need to go in and steer him back to shore. Not only was this not the case, he went out successfully another 4 times. I love it when they find things that they love to do. Our New Jersey friends who are planning a big camping trip out West to visit when we are all retired from Coast Guard life joked that we would have to plan on visiting them as they were turning our children into East Coasters. I don’t know that that is true, but I can say that after this weekend, my kids do love New Jersey. We had no fist bumping, no drama, no Snooki and company (thankfully), just a perfectly lovely weekend at the Jersey Shore.

Owen's personal ocean

Plenty of friends to play with

Sammy enjoyed the sand and surf equally

Playing in the waves

Lots of boogie boarding for Ashley

Back from the beach. Just hanging around.

Ashley and her friend Leonora. Who knows what adventures came out of this bit of reading.

Sammy found a jellyfish

Ashley and her friend Abby

Owen finally decided it was o.k. to nap while we were out and about

My handsome little kayaker

Trent tried out the paddle board. He didn't fall in once. Trent has great balance.

All the kids at the Toms River

My very favorite picture from that weekend.

Let Them Eat Cake

Back in June for bookclub, we read Beach Trip. I decided to try this recipe for coconut lime cake, because it sounded beachy and summery, and I like lime a lot and coconut too. It was super yummy. It takes some prep time, but it was worth it. The only change I made was to pour a tiny amount of coconut extract into the coconut milk for a tiny bit of extra flavor. I will also note that after about day 3, it wasn't quite as good as it was on day 1 or 2.

Just this weekend, I tried the following cake because we've had the most gorgeous cherries in season and because it sounded good. I got the recipe out of a cookbook called Colorado Colore. I really love this cookbook. I find myself trying more and more recipes from it. The recipe for baked potato soup is now my go to recipe as is the recipe for chicken tortilla soup. Anyhow, the recipe calls for black cherries. I used fresh Rainier cherries, and I don't think anything was hurt for the substitution. The filling soaks into the cake and creates a moist cake with a bit of a cream cheese ribbon in it that contains almonds and cherries. It is not too sweet, which makes the sweet icing taste great with it.

Black Cherry Almond Cake

Cherry Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup fresh or frozen black cherries, cut into halves

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Icing

2 cups confectioners' icing

1/4 to 1/2 cup cream (I used 5 to 6 Tbsp). See pictures to see how drippy that makes icing

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the Filling: beat the cream cheese, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl until smooth. Fold in the cherries and almonds.

For the cake: sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well. Beat the sour cream, butter, eggs and flavorings in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix well.

Spoon half of the batter into a greased and lightly floured bundt pan or tub pan. Spread with the filling and top with the remaining cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until the cake tests done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing: combine the confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup cream, butter and flavorings in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, adding additional cream if needed for the desired consistency. Spread the icing over the top and side of the cake.

Summer Updating

Those of you who know me know that summer isn't my favorite. I don't hate it by any means, but I don't love it either. However, I was determined to try and make this a fun summer for the kids and not a waste of 2 months. My kids make summer fun for me and the challenges that come with it enjoyable. We'd only been out of school a week when Jon went off to cub scout day camp for the first time. Jon LOVES cub scouts. He looks forward to every scouting activity. His enthusiasm makes me so happy. After the first day (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), he was fairly exhausted. He'd had a great time but told me that he was ready to be done. It took some explaining to help him realize that he still had 4 more days to go. In the end, he had a great time and won a medal for bee bee gun shooting. Among the kids working on their wolf, he scored the best on the bee bee guns. He was so pleased with himself, and we admit to being awfully proud ourselves. I wish I had a single picture of Jon at day camp. Alas I do not.

That same week my brother and his family came out to visit. What a great time we all had! No wonder Jon was a little grumpy about going to all of day camp; his cousins were here for 3 days of it. Again, I don't have any pictures. Why is it that just because I live here I don't take my camera into DC? There are opportunities missed that way. I think one of my biggest lessons learned this summer is BRING THE CAMERA!

Later in the week of July 4, we packed up and headed out for the Coast Guard JAG family picnic. I had seen the e-mail that said there would be a bounce house and face painting etc., so I felt free to tell the kids, and they were excited to partake of it ALL! When we got there, there was plenty to eat and drink and a playground and a bounce house, which they made a bee line for. As for the rest of it, there was no evidence of any such activities. Still, being who they are, they played hard and could barely be bothered to eat something. Eventually, the Coast Guard's Judge Advocate General said a few words. During this, Sammy noticed out of the corner of her eye a lady setting up a table for face painting. Before the Admiral had finished speaking, she was in the seat first and having her face painted. By the time we left, the kids had done absolutely everything there was to do. They had a great time doing it and perhaps the three of them alone justified doing it all again next year.

All ready to go!

What a face. She wouldn't run through the sprinkler later that day even though it was hot, because she didn't want to wash off her face paint

The shark's mouth moved when Jon moved his. He was pretty pleased with that.

Ashley. We wondered at her not making a new friend at the picnic. She generally does when we go different places. Turns out she did; it just happened to be the Assistant Judge Advocate General.

Tired out. Time to go.