Indiana and Ohio - Part 3

Friday: After leaving the Creation Museum, we had a several hours till we got to IN. We stopped in Indianapolis to eat at "Famous Daves". The family dinner served on the tin lid is the best and they have great ribs.

We stayed at Dougs brothers...

Saturday: We had been going all week and I guess we were doomed to crash...we overslept due to me checking the time on my ipod and not thinking it did not change time like my cell did. So we scrambled a little to get to Aaron & Robertas for lunch. Great time of catching up...and fun seeing the kids get to know each other. Our oldest girls are about the age Roberta and I were when I went over to her house to play for the afternoon. Thanks guys for lunch and fellowship - if only we lived closer we could do it more often!

Courtney & Lindsay and their dollies

We only had about 30 min. to spare (we stayed too long of course and were late to the wedding) but it was great to see Dave & Mel, Kip & Amy, U. Melvin & A. Connie and Bev Ann and all the little kiddos! Thanks guys for driving the distance so we could see you!

Samantha & Lindsay

Ty & Ryan - They are big buds each time they get to see each other!

Cam, Cole & Ty

My only pics of the Bride & Groom. Congrats to Josh & Jenni!

Sunday: We called Doug's cousin Mike to see if we could meet for lunch. We missed seeing Wendy since she had to work but Mike came with his 2 little kids. Was fun to catch up with Mike, Micah & Happy!

The grown ups table at Arbys! :)

We said our good-byes to Kurt, Malinda, Heather & Holly! Thanks for the lovely hospitality and can't wait to see you in Oregon at New Years!



More road trip time...3 hour drive back to Ohio...to the Denlinger family night at Gpa's house. Heres the whole gang minus a few!

Cousins

My cousin Paula & I. We were chatting it up here about life, kids, homeschooling, etc.

Sara, Mike & me. Yes Brooke, we see your fingers in the pic! It wasn't long ago it was my little brother Mike doing this type of thing now its my daughter!

Samanth & Lindsay - 2 blondies

Lindsay & Gpa Denlinger - Thanks to Phyllis for taking good care of us!

Monday: Lunch with Karen & Carrie, my Virginia cousins who are now in Ohio. Lunch was way to short...but still sweet.

Then we dropped by Ken & Kathy's, my cousin(schaurerfamily), after lunch. The kids swam, played legos and made memories while we got to sit and chat. Love you guys!

Down the road around the bend we went for dinner to Jake & Paula's. Kurt & Annette were there too. Doug had been friends with Jake & Kurt long before Annette, Paula or I were in the picture. They had some fun stories to tell. My camera was acting up again. No pictures to tell the rest of our trips story.

Tuesday: Closed up the suitcases and headed to U. Dan & A. Suzannes for lunch. Gpa and Phyllis came with us so we enjoyed a little more family time and knowing we were saying good-bye. Physically I was glad to be heading home but emotionally I was sad to say good-byes. It was a great trip and I am glad we packed it all in! Each day it was familiar faces for me and new faces for my kids but I think its a trip they won't forget. They remind me every now and again about something we did on the trip and that they want to go again real soon. I think to myself "me too".

Catching up on Summer - July

The backyard got a makeover this year! It started with killing off all the grass back in the winter/spring and the old walnut tree had to go. It was beyond help but I will miss the cute little wooden swing that had been there for years! Hopefully we can find a new home for it.

Finally Sod Day had arrived...I love country...I love country dirt but I do not love country dirt right at my back door.

Loving the instant lawn!

My mom's youngest brother and his family came for a weeks vacation. We got to enjoy some time with them. Lindsay claimed Samantha as her "best friend".

Corn Hole is a great summer game with friendly competition...

Having a crowd on the sidelines adds to it!

They came over to our house for some chicken. You don't want to miss the annual Salida Firehouse BBQ...complete dinner in a pink box!

Brooke & Ryan had earned enough reading minutes for free tickets to Six Flags. Our summer felt busy enough but it was hard to not use them. So we squeezed in a day to head to Discovery Kingdom-Six Flags. I used to go as a child when it was Marine World and it is hard to still not call it that. That was one thing we did more than once when I was a kid and often it was when my Grandparents would visit from OH.

The next post will be of our 10 day trip to VA, OH & IN. It is lengthy enough it needs a post of its own...

Catching Up on Summer - June

June started off with cooler weather than usual so we did not do as much swimming as we normally do with school out and hot weather. We startrd picking green beans & tomatoes, eating red & blue potatoes, and anticipating the corn. Sadly we realized it was going to be ready while we were to be gone on a 10 day trip in July. We got home and it was too late. Maybe next year. We did find out later in the summer that a family of racoons had taken up residence in the tank house and were enjoying it! At least something did!

Katie, Cohen & Titus came for a few weeks. Gma Boone put up her pool and they did swim a little then. The cousins had lots of fun spending time at Gma's house. Good memories!

Linday turned 4 at the end of the month and we had a little party with family at Gpa & Gma Boones. She was pretty excited with all of it!

Brooke finished up softball and Ryan Tball this month. It always makes for a busy 2 1/2 months! Ryan will (finally) be in baseball next year. No sad goodbyes for Tball from me. But he had alot of fun anyways. Brooke played first base again this year and has enjoyed being with most of the same girls every year except for a few new ones who come and go each year. Friendships are so very important at this time in life...she loves hanging out with friends!



We got our first pets; 3 baby kitties from our neighbors. Anyone with kitties understands how much fun it is to watch them play and they are just about the cutest thing. If only they stayed so cute. After much name changing around (is it a boy, no, maybe a girl?), we had Mator, Carmel & Mitten. Sadly over the next month Mitten became the lone survivor. We weren't used to checking under cars when backing out! :)

We did go camping over Father's Day with my family and since the weather was cooler we stayed at our campsite more than we went out boating. Stephen went rock hunting more than once and the girls found plenty of wildflowers. Morgan was concerned about the food she had in her tent because of bears and Stephen was not. We found out a bear had been at our campsite the night before we got there and someone showed us a picture of it! Not so comforting and the food did not stay in her tent! :)

My camera started having problems and wouldn't stay charged while we were there. So, no pics. :(

American Girl, Legoland & Disneyland

MAY 2010

With school done for the year, we headed south...to Legoland and Disneyland. The trip was for all 3 of their birthdays this year. Excitment was high and we had lots of places to get in 3 days!

First stop was American Girl for Brooke & Lindsay. This location is in LA at The Grove. Lots of traffic and a few twists in the road we found the parking garage and entered The Grove. A lovely place for shopping if you have the time. Sadly, we did not (I think Doug was really glad).

Lots of fun for little girls! You quickly fall in love with the clothes and accessories and then you look at the price on the box and can't believe your eyes! Brooke Lindsay and I went around the store several times. Good thing we didn't have more than a couple hours slotted there. The tea or luncheon would have been fun but it didn't fit our schedule. After we left, Lindsay wondered if we could go home and get Kit (her doll) so she could try on her new outfit. Really? :) Did she forget the long drive here already? I should have let her bring Kit but I was all about the light packing this trip.



We headed down the road a couple more hours. Legoland is in Carlsbad and about 30 min north of San Diego. We had dinner at Bucca di Beppo and after a nights rest we were ready to check out Legoland!



American Girl did not interest Ryan but he was soo excited to get here. He lives for legos and loved every minute. See New York City below...all in Legos!



Volvo had a driving track for kids...yes the cars were out of Legos!



Even Darth Vader made an appearance in Legos!



The rides were definitely geared for Brookes age and younger...they loved them. This one you had to pull yourself up by the rope to the top of the tower and then you let go for a free fall experience. I wondered what Lindsay would think and she loved it!



Lots of fun here but Doug and I were glad that the park closed at 5. We knew we had to drive up to Anaheim yet that night and had a big day at Disneyland waiting.

Finally we pulled in and since this was our last stop we stayed here for 2 nights. It seemed we could relax, a little.



Inside our room was lots of Disney...even our shampoo bottles had disney ears on them! It was a great place to stay and I would definitely stay there again!



After getting advice from a friend I had decided we would get up and get in line first thing for the Princess experience. We got there 20 minutes after it opened and stood in line for 45 min. to "meet the Princesses". You can be the judge whether that was worth it or not. :) Alot of things I have to do just once then I am good. This was one of them. Meanwhile Doug and Ryan did quite a few rides while we "waited". They had a good time!



So we were finally ready to hit the rides. Matterhorn was up first. Brooke & Ryan LOVED it! Lindsay, not so much. Her sunglasses flew off at some point in the ride and that was something she couldn't forget. She claims she NEVER wants to ride that "Mattehorn" again! :)



Ryan & Brooke were tall enough for Space Mountain. It was definitely worth the small wait.



Brooke, our driver!



The teacups in honor of Lindsay who was pretty much done with Disneyland. She was too tired and could care less!



Riding the tram back out of Disneyland...what a big day! We are all so tired. Doing Disneyland in one day is just enough for Doug and I but I can see why people stretch it out over 3 days. You have time to go back and rest and not pack so much in. Oh well...it keeps it cheaper doing one day. As if the word cheap even goes with Disneyland. :) But it was well worth the memories!

Easy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

4 large or 6 medium chicken breasts (2.5 to 3 lbs)
1 large onion, diced ( or dry onion flakes)
2-3 c. barbecue sauce of your choice
6 sandwich buns or hot freshly cooked rice, for serving

1. Rinse boneless chicken breasts & thaw; or trim fat and skin from chicken. (If using split chicken breast, remove bone as well.)

2. Layer chicken, onions, and sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish or into a slow cooker.

Oven directions (best for BBQ chicken sandwiches!)

1. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Uncover and bake up to 30 minutes longer, or until sauce is thick.

2. Use two forks to shred the meat. Spread on sandwich buns and serve hot.

Slow cooker directions (best for BBQ chicken with rice!):

1. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours.

2. Depending on the kind of sauce you used, the sauce could be rather thin by the end, so I like to vent the lid slightly for the last hour of the cooking time.

3. Serve chicken and sauce over hot rice. (too much sauce for sandwiches)

Using a good BBQ sauce will make it or break it! We liked 1/2 Trader Joes BBQ Sauce & 1/2 Stubbs BBQ Sauce (we like a little kick with a little sweet).

You can find the original recipe here: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/easy_bbq_chicken_sandwiches_oven_slow_cooker

Oven Ready Lasagna

1 lb. ground turkey or beef
3 c. (26 oz jar) spaghetti sauce
1 c. (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 3/4 c. (15 oz container) ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 t. dried basil leaves
1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
4 c. (16 oz) shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
12 pieces Ronzoni Oven Ready Lasagna, uncooked

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In large skillet, cook meat until browned, stir in spaghetti sauce & turn off heat.

3. In a small bowl stir together ricotta cheese, egg, basil & oregano.

4. In 9x13 baking dish, spread 3/4 c. meat sauce. Place 3 pieces uncooked pasta crosswise over sauce. Pieces should not overlap or touch sides as they will expand when baked. Spread 2/3 c. ricotta mixture evenly over pasta. Spread 3/4 c. meat sauce over ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 c. mozzarella cheese.

5. Repeat this 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 pasta pieces. Spread remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella & parmesan cheese.

6. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Can freeze b4 baking.

Refrigerate up to 48 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Bake refrigerated lasagna with foil at 350 degrees about 40 min and frozen lasagna about 1 hr 30 min, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking.