Honey Wheat Bread

I made honey wheat bread on Friday, and it was delicious. I tried using it for hot-dog roll-ups that basically didn't stay rolled up. Note to self: don't try that again. I'll just use a all white dough with hot dogs next time. I also made one long french-bread style wheat loaf and used it for one huge subway-style hoagie for the devoted Mr. Garland's lunch Saturday (chicken, guac, mayo, lettuce, tomato, s/p, thick sliced jack cheese), which he loved. Then again we used it up today in sandwiches, and amazingly it was still super soft. I could get into making bread - it's fun for the kids to help with ingredients, and the "punch down" is a hit (ha!) at our home. I'll try to remember to take pics next time. Isn't the smell of baking bread the best?

Homeschooling Room and Saturdays

I just figured out how to add "comments" to my blog so comment away. It was actually easy to add, I was just having a "brunette" moment I guess.

We homeschooled S for our first full week and it had it's glitches, but it went well overall. I had a hard time deciding if we should 'set up shop' (ie do our schoolwork) upstairs in our spare bedroom or in the main floor dining room. The spare bedroom would be nice because we could have cleared out the bed and set up tables, bookshelves, etc. The dining room is on the main floor and it would be tricky when we have dinner guests because we'll have to clean the area up and that's a semi-hassle.

We ended up in the dining room and I think it's working out well. It's great to be on the main floor, near the kitchen with a huge table and I brought in some bookshelves. J and Z can roam about the main floor, play with Legos or toys in the family room and still be near S and I. I think this first year of Kindergarten home schooling will be the toughest for me, as I juggle our two younger sons and schooling. I learned this week that I need to do something non-school first thing in the morning, like go to the gym, a park or grocery shopping. My boys didn't do well in the morning if I just said "go play while we have school" (go figure).

So today is Saturday. (Alert: Whining ahead.) As a stay-at-home mom, sometimes I struggle that Saturday doesn't feel any different than a "work day" for me. Don't get me wrong, I love our kids but it's just tough when there's no break from my regular "work" responsibilities, like a typical employee gets every weekend. It's so important to make sure I take real breaks on a regular basis so I don't completely lose my mind. Today was tough because Jeff's installing shelves in our office closet. I'm so excited for the shelves and am grateful that I have a husband that is willing and able to do this for me. I'm so thankful that he takes the time to work on our house projects. The downfall is that it means that I have to watch the kids while he works. I'm just burnt out after today I guess. I think I'll just go to sleep and tomorrow will be better, I can just feel it.

Wow, no pictures today. Wierd.

Paul Derda

We used to live just 5 minutes from the Paul Derda Rec Center in Broomfield, CO so we literally went all the time. We went back to relive the fun and it was fabulous, again. We love the butterfly pool, the slides, family hot-tubs and the soft play area. California could learn so much from Colorado with regards to rec centers, parks, biking/hiking trails and indoor swimming pools. Colorado has some amazing facilities that we truly miss.

Fisk Family Home

My dear friend Susan and her hubby bought a home in the Northern Denver area almost a year ago, totally gutted it, and have now rebuilt, all themselves (mostly all Dave). We stopped by to see and it's amazing. It was so fun to get to visit with them. Susan's in her second year homeschooling and let's just say that I hope to be like her "when I grow up."

Ft. Collins Cousins

Insane fun with our Cousins. My sister Stacy lives in Ft. Collins with her hubby and 3 kids. We stayed 2 nights with them (in their newly finished basement - wow wee) and had a blast. My mom stayed with us, and my brother James brought his young daughter up to spend a day with us also.

Stacy treated us like kings - our first night she made home made pizza dough and we each got to decorate our own pizza. Oh la la. Yes, there were 8 pizzas. It was delicious. We rode bikes, became members of the tree-house club across the street, had ice cream Popsicles while playing on the backyard trampoline. Stacy took us to this amazing new park/spray ground and the kids went nuts. Now THIS is summer!

One highlight for our kids was walking their dogs. Sweet "Buddy" (small white pup) was literally dragged around (outdoors *and* indoors) by S our entire visit. Buddy hid from S when he wasn't confined by his leash. It was a wonderful visit over all... fun for *everybody*. Thanks Matt and Stacy for such a great time!

Check out these rocks in the shape of toes: (T is standing on the big toe) Cool, eh?

N and E sure enjoyed dressing up as beautiful princesses!

This is my brother, sister and me.

Lots of bike riding!

Walking "Buddy" was a hit!

Breckenridge, CO

We spent the majority of our Colorado time in Breckenridge, and were surprised by a storm that actually brought snow to the high mountain areas. It was bizarre. Not what you'd expect for a Colorado Summer. See photo of us in sandals and flip-flops in the hail. I heard someone at the rec center mumble, "gotta love life in Summit County." I also heard the saying that "People come to Breckenridge for the winters (ie ski tourism) but stay for the summers." It truly was beautiful.

Other than the storm, we had a great time in Breck, hiking, exploring the town (as if we don't already know it well), swimming at the Breckenridge Rec Center (S went down the slide by herself for the first time), hanging out with my parents, and having tea parties. We got to have dinner with my Aunt Susan and Uncle Bard one night as they happened to be in town. Jennifer and Michele, girlfriends from my old MOPS group, came up to visit us so we went for a short hike with all the kids. The Devoted Mr. Garland (Jeff) flew home to work for a week then returned for our road trip home. Here's a slew of Breck photos in no particular order...