Oakley Rodeo

We love this tradition!

Independence

Great quotes from a great man:

"Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood."


"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives."

--John Adams, both paragraphs from A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1756

Some things to think about this holiday weekend, besides food and fireworks and rodeos...
I love our great country and am continually inspired by the men and women who gave-up (and currently give-up) so very much for my freedom.

Eclipse

I saw Eclipse yesterday afternoon and it was good. Really good. I think my expectations for the Twilight movies are always a bit low so I am happily surprised when they turn out so well. The most classic moment (because I live in Utah and I am convinced this would not happen anywhere else) was when Edward told Bella he would wait until she's his wife before being intimate--the theater erupted in cheers and clapping. Too funny for me. I mean yes, I agree with the idea 100% but I didn't feel the need to shout that out--do you know what I mean? But props to a boy who is worried about his girl's virtue--I knew Edward had something going for him...

Joseph came with me (his office bought out a theater for clients and we got free tickets) and I made him promise not to make fun of anything (remember that night at Mama Mia, Krista? It's a good thing Johnny wasn't there to egg him on yesterday...) He was very polite during it and then totally made me laugh when we talked about it after--he is a funny hubby. So glad he is not the over--serious, brooding and agonising Edward we saw throughout the entire film. Honestly that boy needs to lighten up a bit--I swear the Edward from the books is not that tortured right?

Lucky

My hubby won a new iTouch at a charity banquet last night! It did cost us $80 worth of raffle tickets, but that is still a great price. We feel so lucky--we never win stuff like this. My hubby was sad he didn't have enough time last night to get this thing synced and loaded with apps, games, shows and music. He is very excited.
And have you ever met a more loyal Apple man than Joseph?

Peach Cobbler

Enjoyed this tasty treat last night with our first of many (many, many) fresh peaches:
(found it here.)

Joan's Easy Peach Cobbler:

I use fresh peaches in this recipe, but drained canned peaches will work as well. Serve this cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzle with a little cream.

Ingredients:

* 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, melted
* 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375°.

Pour melted butter into a 2-quart baking dish (11x7 or 8-inch square). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend. Stir in the milk and vanilla until blended. Pour the batter over the melted butter. Toss the peaches with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange the peach slices over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Serve warm with a little heavy cream, whipped topping, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.


Yummy. A ripe peach is hands down my favorite fruit.

Today

Joe and the big kids woke from their backyard campout--can you spy my littlies in the tent?

Mary (my sister-in-law) came out for a training ride. We had a ball together and almost joined the Fort Herriman Days Parade (but we weren't sparkly or shiny enough...)

And this darling girl worked on an impromptu organizational project of her very own. This just melts my heart :)

Hidden Mess

Found this post the other day and it inspired me to action. I love this kind of quick and easy project--over and done in less than an hour (plus, I quite enjoy shopping for the perfect bin or liner or basket to hold things...and why is there not a Container Store by me? I am a little depressed about it...)

And so--under my kitchen sink:

Before:

After:

I really must have no shame posting such gross "before" pics. Blame it on my HS friends--"no shame" was one of our favorite war cries and it must have stuck with me. Actually, a little shame is a good thing. A very good thing...

**The patterned liner, garbage bags, and clear bins are from Bed, Bath and Beyond.