State Fair--The Great MN Get Together

Here's what we did today...it was great fun for everyone! I wanna' go back!!!



Nehemiah got to go to the Little Farm Hands exhibit and do all sorts of fun things, like milk a fake cow!


We also went to the Miracle of Birth exhibit and saw a lamb being born! We got to pet a lamb a few days old too.


We went to the smelly Swine Barn for a quick trip...mmm...reminiscent of college days in Iowa! ;)

Nehemiah enjoyed some famous Sweet Martha's cookies.


And then...he passed out! It had been an early morning, and we decided to call it a day and head home.

PS--If our pictures look like they have spots, it was raining off and on, but it didn't dampen our fun! Oi! All of these cheesy puns...it must be getting late!

Recent Fun--Long Overdue!

These first pictures were taken at our friend Tate's 2nd birthday party! What an awesome cake! :) Nehemiah was also playing "Fun Dip" with a stick and the sand, so we had to stop that pretty quickly!


Nehemiah still enjoys time at the range. And Momma loves to shoot when she gets the chance! :)

Feeling about like Mommy did a few days before (S-I-C-K) and catching up on sleep to heal!


Adoring his new Spiderman slippers on a particularly chilly morning...seriously, he didn't want to take them off all day long, so, we didn't! I guess that's what being a kid is all about--particularly when you have yet to walk.

Look who had their picture taken!

Fonzie Jumps the Shark

Nehemiah's Birthday Balloons

I finally figured out how to upload my own video to the blog! Hooray! Check out this cute one in the aftermath of Nehemiah's 1st birthday. It was taken July 5. :)

Getting to know you...

Getting to know all about you:



Nehemiah and our new friend Super P! :)

A New Record

Well, I think this is officially the longest I've gone without posting! :( Life is getting the best of me right now! I've got those 1st trimester sleepies, my computer has been acting up, I started doing daycare for Super P this morning, so I've been getting the house ready for that, and, if you haven't noticed, the Olympics are on!

I love the Olympics...if the muse strikes, perhaps I'll write an Ode. But very little else is accomplished for me when the Olympics are an option--I adore them!

Anyway, I better get back to the babies! Just thought I'd jot an update...pictures of Nehemiah meeting Super P to come (I hope!).

Oh, also, I am highly motivated by comments...not that this post is particularly comment worthy, but in general, I like to get feedback so I know you're out there! :)

Happy Days

Today we went out on our friend's speed boat. I love this boat. It was very fancy back in it's day. And to me, it's day seems right around the time Fonzie jumped the shark on Happy Days.

I'll try to get the youtube footage of the momentous occasion, up for you soon. :)

Nehemiah fell asleep on the way to the restaurant we had lunch at,
but had a great time on the way back.

We were most of the way back when the boat died completely, so I had to wave down some kind fishermen to tow us back to shore, but that wasn't disastrous, because we got to take a dip in the lake while we were waiting.

It was a fun day--even if we are all a little tired and sunburned! :)

1st Annual Gun N' Pie

As a treat for his hard working staff, Ben hosted the 1st Annual Gun N' Pie out at camp. It was a blast! We shot many types of firearms at the range, and then we had delightfully yummy Fruit of the Forest pie! Here are some of my favorite pictures:




And here is a recipe I found that seems like it would make a good approximation for those of you wondering up the pie of amazement. :)

FRUITS OF THE FOREST PIE
Makes 2 double-crust (9-inch) pies

FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups stewed rhubarb or 1 (15-ounce) can red tart cherries
1 (15-ounce) can strawberries*
1 (15-ounce) can raspberries*
1 (15-ounce) can blackberries*
3/4 cup sugar, divided use
6 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced
FOR THE CRUST:
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/4 -inch pieces
14 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain all fruit well, reserving and combining syrup. Stir 1 cup of reserved syrup into the combined mixture of 1/2 cup of the sugar and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and clear. Remove from heat. Gently stir in remaining sugar, lemon juice and drained fruit, except apples. Let stand while preparing pastry crust.

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar together. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little flour. Cut butter into flour. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal. Turn mixture into another large bowl.

Sprinkle 8 tablespoons ice water over mixture and fold in till dough sticks together, adding up to 2 more tablespoons ice water if needed. Shape dough into 2 balls with your hands. Divide each ball in two and flatten all balls into four discs, 2 slightly larger than the other two. (You are making 2 double-crust pie shells.) Dust lightly with flour and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
Roll both larger discs on a lightly floured surface into two 12-inch circles about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer each to a 9-inch pie plate, leaving dough overhang in place. Place sliced apples in the bottom of both dough-lined pie pans. Top each with half of the prepared fruit filling.

Roll both smaller dough discs on a lightly floured surface into 10-inch circles. Lay each over the tops of the pies. Trim both crusts to 1/4 inch beyond pie plate and fold under. Flute the edges and vent the top.

Set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until light brown.

Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes longer or until golden brown.

*You may substitute canned dark sweet cherries or red tart pie cherries for any fruit you are unable to find.

MSG URL: http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/1422382