Remembering our Veterans

I'd like to take a moment to give thanks to our country's Veterans.

My Husband, (who is my hero), our Fathers, Grandfathers, and all the others out there who have preserved our freedom, past and present.

Happy Veterans Day.

"Previously... on Lost..."

Oh man. I can not wait to hear that lovely deep voice saying that again! How come it seems like FOREVER since the last season?!

I need my Lost fix.

A room with a view

The room we have designated for computers and crafting is one of my favorite spots. One wall is pretty much all windows.

We think the mountain in the distance on the first photo is called White Mountain. It had indeed been white, before the temps jumped up enough to melt the snow. You can also see one of the shed/coops that are on our land.





In the second photo you can see another one of the old shed/coops. Also our woods there in the back.

David has said he would like to trim up these trees so we can see more of the view past the branches. I am looking forward to that, as the trees have been growing wild for several years and could really do with a pruning.

Goblins...

I know I will sleep better at night knowing these won't be back for another year.

Cleaning out the camera

So now it's November, and David is officially out of the Army. I thought it was about time I go through the pictures from our trip here. I didn't get as many good shots as I had hoped of our stops, but you can be sure that we enjoyed seeing everyone we were able to meet up with.



We left Kansas as soon as we possibly could. Ready to get started on the new portion of our lives. I had a "Retired Army" hat hidden away for David and gave it to him just before we drove off of Fort Riley.



It took a couple of days to get to Vegas. Once there, we dove right into having some fun with friends and family. We got to visit Rosie and her guy, who is also named David.

...We also got to see Rodney.

...And Cathy.

...And Cathy's daughter Rachel. Myranda, Rachel and Ben had an awsome time "not getting too wet" at the park.

...The three musketeers.

...I think Ben's main goal was to make Rachel laugh as much as possible.

...I also think they will be friends forever.

David's Uncle Roy treated us again to a great Barbeque at his place. We looove going over there because it always means we get to hear the VanGees sing again. We were not disapointed and as a bonus also got to play around with the equipment. Kylie and Randa sang several duets. And, though I don't have a picture of him at the mic, our nephew, Doug sang several awsome songs.

After Vegas we headed up to Salt Lake. Scott and Cody convoyed along with us and pulled a trailer full of "stuff". We got to stay with Emily and Jim. They fixed a wonderful meal which we devoured after some fun at the park with Paul and Mira. We had a great time and wish we could have stayed longer.

A day later we were up at the house and happy to see that everything seemed all right. Scott looked over the place with his trained eye and relieved some of our worries. Thanks, Scott! We really appreciate all the help with haulin the trailer and moving it all inside.

After Cody and Scott left for home, it was time to get busy getting some water hooked up to the house. Here are some pics of the yard before the well guys came.

Now.... how do we go about digging a trench to bring water from that shiney new well to our home?

.....Ahhhh yes, I think this will do. mmmmm

.

.... ok, or we could use one of these. Not as much fun for me to watch, but faster.

... Now, where was that pesky propane line buried?

...There it is, that yellow tube.... The guy was very careful and detailed with that digger, but I snapped this pic and then just couldn't watch any more. lol

... Laying the pipes.

... All hooked up to the house!

... Here is the magic bullet, err pump.

... And here is the control panel to make it work. Oh what a beautiful thing that is.

A couple of weeks after all of that, the test results were back, and now we have the most awsome water for drinking, bathing, and everything else we used to take for granted.

Once the water was connected and everyone got showers, it was time for the kids to get back into school. Here are some pics after their first day coming home on the bus. Are they happy because they had a great time, or because they didn't have to walk the half mile plus from the bus stop?

... Maybe a bit of both.

Score!

Some background info: Forever and a day ago, David discovered that he really loved making bread in the bread machine. He used it all the time. It was WONDERFUL. Then since he was the baker, and I was the "cleaner upper".... somehow.... the pan ended up damaged from not being washed properly.

The cost of a new pan vs an entire new machine led us to purchase a new machine. And, unfortunately, it just was not the same. I don't think we got one good loaf out of this machine and it sat collecting dust.

After our move here we found that dusty bread machine and thought we would give it another try. Sad to say, it's time in exile had not improved it's baking abilities.

So, yesterday, my wonderful husband decided, "if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself". No longer would he entrust his fresh baked bread hopes to that ornery machine. Armed with a recipie and a head full of tips found on the internet.... David decided to try it from scratch.

Now, I have memories of my Grandmother baking fresh bread. I always loved seeing the loaves rising in the laundry room. That yummy, yeasty (is that a word?) smell. But I never expected this from my hubby. AND... we do not even have a mixer.... so all of that kneeding was done by hand.

I am both glad and sorry that, while he was embarking on this domestic journey, I was tucked up warm and comfortable having a much needed nap. Just like in the "Little Red Hen", this kitty didn't help a lick, but, I still got to enjoy the fruits of his labor.


This bread was sooo good. As you can see we couldn't even wait to try it, thus half a loaf was already gone before I got a pic. That swirl is a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon. mmmmm

Anyway, how lucky am I? I got a nap and fresh bread!

Snow!

We got the first snow of the season today, and I managed to finally remember the camera when we went out!

We are so happy we are living here!