Dinner Time

 This is really just to document and I'm sure I am the only one who would care...but in this crazy season the things that make DINNER TIME easier.... maybe not the most cost-effective but what needs to happen sometimes to get food into people's bellies!

The CROCKPOT! My kids do NOT dig things that come out of the crockpot but SOMETIMES it just makes sense. Chili done at the end of a day, YES. Piece of beef in a dry packet of onion soup and mushroom soup... YUM. Corn chowder... YEP!

I love LOVE making biscuits, yeasty rolls and bread... but right now is not that time... supporting the local homeless shelter.... YES. Delicious dinner rolls... YUM! We are also known for popping crescent rolls and biscuits out of a tube and calling it good....

Fruits and veggies that don't require cutting or cooking. Tomatoes, again... gals will eat them but not their FAVORITE but getting some color on their plates is a WIN!

These are GAME CHANGERS. WAY too expensive for a serving of rice for each kiddo but they don't dig potatoes except in the form of a french fry so if I make potatoes for Husband in 90 seconds I have a side for them as well. I also have a 5lb bag of rice when we have TIME to make it but on nights like Monday when there are 2 soccer games, a practice, a golf match and a PUPPY... The $2.00 is WORTH it to me.

Of course the beloved air fryer! Miss B has practice on Thursday nights and often when I drop her off I pick up Charley.... throw a bag of nuggets in here, pull out some chick-fil-a sauce and cut up some cukes... dinner is served!

And LEFTOVERS for the win ALWAYS... little potato, a bite of rice there, some tomatoes we had cut up for the block party burgers, a random biscuit (popped from tube) and brocc/carrots that someone brought to the block party. 

Just tryin' to make it through and feed the family without losing my marbles.... AGAIN.

Oh Barkley

 

On Saturday night Barkley tripped around the campfire and started limping just a little... on Sunday he was fine... but on Monday when got home to let him out his whole right eye was YELLOWY-GOOPY-NASTINESS. We cleaned it a few times as the night went on and then in the AM on Tuesday Husband said it was better but by the time Miss B and I left it was WAY worse, red and just yucky. Husband also said when he got him up to go out on Monday night he was limping again. I called the vet first thing on Tuesday... and they got him an urgent care for 3:30 at a location we hadn't been to yet. 

I got a little mixed up and ended up going about 4 miles out of the way and that bag there... yeah... that's YIFF.... poor guy and POOR ME. I HATE VOMIT.

I had to leave work (before dismissal is really just the WORST time), pick him up, drive an hour but we DID find out poor guy has conjunctivitis and he probably pulled a muscle or has growing pains. I def. feel like a CRAZY dog-mom but CountryMum assures me even though he's big... he's still just a baby... 

 

Thank goodness for CountryMum picking up the gals at their respective schools and I made it home in time to make homemade mac'n cheese which was on the "plan" and with the chaos of the afternoon I wasn't sure if it was going to happen. 

Bonus: I drove right by the golf course that Husband had his match at.... time for a quick update, smooch and selfie.

Semi Wordless Wednesday

I am crazy (look at those scary eyes and all those teeth). He is sane. 

I have no idea what I would do without him.

The Weekend Report

Nothing like a WILD Friday night! I sent this pic to Marisa because she was headed to the big city and I was headed for COMFY :) 

Even Barks knew it was a snuggle in kinda Friday night. Course he had also played with Rangeley for about 30 minutes and nothing like a puppy playdate

Miss B had a friend over and they jumped right into the fort Minnie had made the day before.

My view before an early bedtime for me... :)

but not before some snuggles with Minnie :) She wanted the TV with me and I fell asleep. Whoopsie :)

We headed out after Husband made the crew pancakes... to the apple "festival". And they got whoopie pies :) 

It was WAY smaller this year than in years past but we were happy to be BACK!

It was a GORGEOUS Saturday, we chatted with LOTS of friends and even met a new one! Minnie and Miss B's 5th grade teacher's daughter!!! Doesn't she look THRILLED!?!? :) 

After the apple fest... we DID go PICK apples... Minnie LOVES apple pie and ALWAYS has a hankering :) Miss B was happy to be hanging with her bud!

We hiked to the top again even though I'm pretty sure it was roped off.... but the view really is the best

Love them.

And handy having Ally with is... built in family photographer! :)

Minimal pics (ok NONE) from apple picking on but we did have our annual block party but Ray and Heather didn't make it and Eric came late because of a wind storm the night before... but we had Brad and the kids, Marisa was out of town, and then Courtney and her boyfriend came :) Miss B had gone to Ally's soccer game so her parents came to drop off and stayed for some of the campfire :) It was a fun crew. 

Sunday AM we had decided we needed a family re-set day. The four of us needed to connect. The weeks are so busy, there have been some challenges and teachable moments that we needed to follow-up on, and things that just NEEDED to happen but we haven't had the time to do.... we did MC's game... Freeport.... Portland... and rolled home around 2:30 to just HANG....and I got flowers from TJ's :) 

and some from my garden :) STILL!

bedtime snuggles with THIS one to finish up the weekend.... just what my Mama heart needed....

Randoms

I haven't made this version of homemade pizza since January and we forgot how YUMMY it is... Miss B ONLY likes pizza from the local variety store and even SHE ate 2 pieces! SOOOO YUMMY!

I am so happy I still have flowers in my yard but it definitely seems like we should transition to fall...

No one told these guys though....back to full force...

So on Wednesday the gals and I grabbed some mums at Lowe's...and I swapped out the petunias on the chicken coop for a full yellow hanging one (makes me so happy)

but I'm not grouchy that these are still GOING STRONG! 

and just for the record... I'm not the only CRAZY one taking pics of this handsome dude. I took NONE of these :) "but MOM he's SOOO CUTE! Look at him! So cute!"

 

Wordless Wednesday: We'd know that ponytail ANYWHERE!

 

The Weekend Report

 

Friday night Minnie had a soccer game. It was a COMPLETELY different kid than the one I watched on Tuesday! Girl was SO fun to watch! 

Maybe, aside from when she booted a ball and it hit a girl less than 5 feet away from her square in the face.... whoopsie!!! Girl was OK but it was a boot!

They won 2 to 1 and Minnie scored two goals... you do the math ;) Then she was asked to stay for the 8th grade game and scored then! :) I was so proud of her! 

Her buds!

We drove separately, Husband, Miss B and Barks came together after his golf practice and I took Miss B and Barks home so when I got my hands on this girl!! So PROUD of this girl!! I called Dawson before she got home to thank him for the support... all week we had been talking about how if she was playing in the backyard vs. Daws she would never EVER let her guard down... she played just like that. So PROUD!

Saturday AM it was BACK on a field but this time Miss B had soccer pics and they stayed to watch Bode :) So cute!

Part of HIS fan club! :)

Saturday night was supposed to be the annual block party but one set of neighbors got the date wrong and they were in Rangeley. So it just ended up being Eric (Heather was working) and it turned out alright :) We rescheduled for next weekend.

and these two had a BLAST!

Gals put one of Aunnie's fire packets in and I had about 257,568 fire pics on my phone :)

Sunday AM was a quick grocery run, church and then off to Miss B's STEAMY game. They are a very YOUNG team but came a long way in just a week. A teacher's work is NEVER done... see her in the chair there working away? And the kiddos cutting, sorting and organizing for her :) 

So proud of my defensive girl! She learned a lot. The gals left the game with the Allaire crew and Husband and I headed home...

I put together these flowers from my gardens and with a little Hannaford help and ran them to sweet Dayna with a gift card for all she's done for Barks. So appreciate that gal!

and speaking of Barkley... I mean come ON... a whole weekend NOT in his crate! LOVE.