Summer Lovin'

I totally cheated this month.

I told my boyfriend (who has 2 kids) about the great deals to be found at Goodwill, so he actually went Goodwill Hunting for me (he just didn't know it at the time).

But Goodwill is the perfect place to buy kids clothes!  They grow so fast they can't do too much damage, and it's SO cheap.

He got his kids all this for $27...

An homage to me!

He even got a pair of shorts (and jeans, not pictured) for himself.

And a backpack (technically a diaper bag), for me to wear on some motorcycle rides this summer (not for diapers!).

I'm sure Winavie at Lemons & Chambray did her own Goodwill Hunting, but I couldn't top this!

Next month:  Hail to the red, white & blue!

Yeehaw Y'all

I had a night off this past Friday.  

It was a rare night with nothing at all to do. 

And that's exactly what I did.

Nothing.

(It was awesome!)

After that, though, it got redneck-y.

On Saturday night, I went to the Jackson County Rodeo.

Cowboys

Team Roping (poor cow)

Cowboys don't wear flipflops

On Sunday, I had to work again.  But, as usual, I can't complain.

The Great Race came through Bellevue!

The Great Race is a cross-country competition based on "precision driving and navigational skills" in classic cars (1969 and earlier).  It's a test of endurance rather than speed, and each minute over or under the expected arrival time at a checkpoint results in a penalty.

The grand prize is $50,000 so every minute counts!

And it's really cool!!!

I love this car!

Some of the cars are really old...

1932 Ford Speedster

Can you imagine driving cross country in that???  

Unfortunately, Bellevue was not a checkpoint, so the cars simply drove through, in one-minute intervals at 20 miles-per-hour.

(Very precise!)

So people would have more to do than just wait around for cars to drive down the street, I organized a car show of our own, including...

1948 Ford pickup

1956 Chevy

Thunderbird

With great music provided by one of our best local bands.

Razor Ray & the Blades 

And, since it feels downright southern around here these days (90's with humidity that could only be described as "oppressive"), I made pulled pork sandwiches using a recipe by Paula Deen.  

Politically correct she is not, but she can cook.  This was delicious and is being added to the rotation.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp paprika

1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

4 pound shoulder pork roast (aka Boston Butt roast)

2 cups apple juice

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

1/2 Tbsp liquid smoke

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

8 hamburger buns or large rolls

1 1/4 cups bbq sauce

Coleslaw, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a small mixing bowl whisk together salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika, and cayenne pepper

Place roast in a 13 x 9 pan and rub entire roast with dry rub mixture, pressing mixture into the roast

Cover roast with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours

In a medium mixing bowl combine apple juice, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke and garlic powder

Place roast in a slow cooker, pour several tablespoons of the apple juice mixture over the top of the roast, then pour remaining mixture on the side of the roast (so all the dry rub isn't washed off the top)

Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat 8 - 10 hours

Shred pork and cook 30 more minutes

Ladle out majority of the broth

Pour in barbecue sauce and stir

Serve warm, over rolls with optional coleslaw

For dessert I made apple dumplings, using a recipe from one of the ladies in town.

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

2 cans crescent rolls (8 rolls per can)

2 large Granny Smith apples

2 sticks butter

12 ounces Mt. Dew

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon (to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Peel, core and cut each apple into 8 equal pieces

Open rolls and separate

Wrap a piece of dough around each apple slice, starting with the wide end

Place face down in the baking pan

Melt butter in a medium saucepan

Add sugar and stir until well mixed

Remove from heat and add vanilla

Pour the butter mixture of the rolls

Pour Mt. Dew around the edges of the pan

Sprinkle rolls with cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

DELICIOUS!

Not-so-Goodwill

Did you see this?

It made me mad.

Then sad.

Then mad.



I'm not sure what to do now - this could seriously impact the future of "Goodwill Hunting".

Also disappointing?

Last night was the final episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams.

I love news magazines (and Brian Williams).

Something for Everyone

Over three years ago (in March 2010 specifically), I was fantasizing about leaving New York and having my own washer & dryer (among other things).

And now, I have them!

When I first saw the house, the laundry room (closet), looked like this...

laundry room - before

I didn't care.

I had a washer and a dryer!

But last week, my washer leaked all over the floor, and since I was taking them out anyway, and had leftover paint from the guest room, I painted the walls Lime Foam by Valspar and the shelves a bright, glossy white, and installed a brand new washer and dryer on Friday.

a glimpse of the laundry room - after

Saturday night, I had to work.  But, once again, my office looked like this...

Slightest Idea

so I wasn't complaining.

Sunday was Father's Day,

Happy Father's Day!

and we decided to surprise the kids and take them to Wisconsin Dells, also known as the Waterpark Capital of the World.

We stayed at the Wilderness Resort, America's Largest Waterpark Resort. 

Aside from the waterparks, Wisconsin Dells is basically a huge tourist trap, with mini-golf,

rollercoasters,

fudge shops,

and Ducks (amphibious trucks).

One bright spot?

JCrew Outlet

Hazel

Kevin & I went to a garage sale in his neighborhood on Saturday, and as soon as we walked in, I saw this little, furry blur run across the floor.  I looked closer, and it was a kitten!

Kevin (jokingly) asked "how much for the cat?".

The people holding the sale were thrilled!  Apparently, a stray cat had kittens in their backyard and they were very anxious to find homes for them.

One guy ran over to the corner where she was hiding, picked her up and handed her to me.

She was cute, but I wasn't sold.

I specifically wanted a small dog that didn't shed, not a cat that most definitely will.

Plus, she was small - too small, I thought, to be taken away from her mother.

But Kevin convinced me that with our lifestyles (we're gone a lot), a dog just isn't practical, and this kitten would have a better life with us.

So...

Her name is Hazel, as she's originally from Hazel Green, Wisconsin.  We don't know how old she is, but I'm hoping a vet will help narrow that down.  She weighs exactly 3/4 of a pound.

Originally she was going to be my cat, but then we thought Kevin's house would make a better home (my house is a construction zone).

But I work 4 blocks away from my house, and can come home throughout the day to check on her, so my cat she is.

Saturday night she was sad.  She cried all night and I wanted to take her back.  She slept, and peed, on a blanket on the bed and I wanted to take her back.

But Kevin wouldn't let me.  

He was "attached".

Sunday night was better.  She slept, and peed, on a blanket in a recycle bin next to the bed.  She cried a bit, but when Kevin pet her she stopped.

On Monday, I had to go to work.  I tipped the recycle bin on it's side in the bathroom, closed the door and she slept, and peed, on the blanket again.  (By this time, I'd cut the original blanket into four pieces so I could rotate through them.)

But, by Monday night, she was fine.  She figured out where the litter box was and what it was for.

On Tuesday, she purred for the first time.

Tonight, she crawled onto my lap and fell asleep purring.

Needless to say, I don't want to take her back anymore.

Better Late than Never

It's Saturday again and I'm really looking forward to a fun weekend.

Last weekend, I had to work.

But, it wasn't so bad...

Friday night was the Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Tournament, so this was my office.

the 9th hole at the Bellevue Golf Club

dinner 

It was chaotic, but fun!

On Saturday, I had to be back at work at 7am (!) to register riders for the Grant Wood Scenic Byway 4th GEAR (Great Eastern Annual Ride) - a 90 mile bike ride through Grant Wood country.

Grant Wood is best known for American Gothic.

He was born outside Anamosa, which is about an hour west of Bellevue.  

Bellevue is one end of The Grant Wood Scenic Byway and the other is Stone City.  

The building in the lower right corner of the painting is where Grand Wood once lived and worked, and is now home to the General Store Pub (where I had lunch one day in April).

On Sunday afternoon, I was back to check in the riders as they finished the race.  Although the weather was a bit cold and windy, everyone had a good time, and the view was, of course, scenic.

After that, I was free, so I headed to my boyfriend Kevin's to play with my...

NEW CAR!

(said like Bob Barker)

I walk to work, but I do a lot of driving to meetings, and to see friends and family, so I've been looking for something that gets better gas mileage than my '98 Ford Explorer (basically, anything).

When Kevin asked what kind of car I wanted, I said "a cute, little zippy car".  But really, my criteria was under $10,000, under 100,000 miles and over 30 mpg.

We actually went to look at a Civic, but it was already sold.  Then I spotted this...

2007 Honda Accord Coupe EX-L

It's definitely cute and little.  And before we'd even gotten out of the parking lot, I looked over and said...

"It's zippy!"

So, I bought it.

It was a bit of a mess, but Kevin has two kids who love to help.  (Seriously!).

child labor

While we were cleaning the car, Kevin was making dinner.

Chicken, potatoes, and asparagus from the garden!

It was a very nice way to end the weekend!

Worm-icide

I was in the yard one night last week and noticed that my evergreen tree wasn't so green...

I thought it was dead, but it's not.

It's worse.

It's COVERED in these things...

horrible picture of worms

They were all over the front porch too.

gross

I did some research online and I think they're"bagworms".  They hatch in the spring and eat the needles off pine trees.

Sounds about right.

I immediately headed to the local True Value, and after reading the backs of every product in the store (it felt like), I decided to try this Sevin Concentrate Pest Control.

And, it worked!

So far.

They can come back.

But now I'm ready for them!