Who is Training Who?

At the beginning of July, Ron and I signed the dogs up for Obedience Training.   Years ago, when Emmi was a young puppy, she and I went to training, but we finished the course knowing that she needed to go back at some point.  If you've ever met Emmi, you know that, well, obedience training didn't "take" on her.   (Gee, I sure don't remember wearing that band around our arms.)

Time sort of got away from us, but with the addition of Joy to our family, it seemed like a good opportunity for both dogs to learn----okay, okay. . .  for both of the humans to learn.  The class consists of about 10-12 dogs and Emmi is the only small dog.  Joy is the next smallest.  There are a couple of Great Danes, a German shepherd, a Portuguese Water Dog, a boxer, a large hound dog, and a couple of other herding dogs.  I can't get a picture of all of them together, because some are not yet very social.

At first, Emmi seemed fairly advanced in the group since she already knew how to sit on command.

But, as the weeks have rolled by, she might have plateaued, as they say.  Last night's class of staying seated while I circle around her?   Well, let's just say that as I circled, so did she.

Joy, on the other hand, is really beginning to catch on.  She began the month, leaping through the air after Ron, hoping to snatch a treat from his hands.  But, slowly she is learning that the leash is not so bad.

And she is now walking on the leash, staying, and even sitting on her own at times.

It is really hot in there, though, so it's always nice to take a break and walk outside.

And both of the dogs (and their humans) enjoy the A/C in the car on the way home!   How's this for a little static electricity?!?!

Garden Fresh

Well, the growing season of my little garden seems to be winding down now.  I still have plenty of tomatoes, but everything else has just about played out--not that there was much variety to begin with. I did however, recently pick our one home-grown zucchini!

Using a recipe I'd seen while at the beauty salon getting my hair cut, I made baked zucchini chips.

I sliced the zucchini into thin slices using my new Ulu knife from Alaska (which worked quite nicely I might add).

I then tossed the slices in olive oil and coated them in a panko/parmesan/basil mixture.

I spread them out on a cookie sheet and popped them into the oven.

Meanwhile, I sliced some of our tomatoes and grilled some chicken, adding some barbecue sauce for a little extra flavor.  It's always a little tricky grilling the chicken with the sauce on them because I want them to be juicy, but cooked and not burned.

This time it all turned out great though.  Everything was quite yummy and I'll definitely be trying the zucchini chips again.

Back To The Fourth

I know I've been jumping all over the place chronologically, but as I was preparing to make a photo book for the grandkids, I realized that there was a whole batch of photos I'd never edited or shared with you from the July 4th weekend.  So here they are.  

On that Sunday afternoon, the boys went fishing while the girls hung out at the house for a while.   Adellelyn, Jexie and Kayonna watched movies and such, while Carmelle and I talked.  It was a good time to continue getting to know one another better---to hear more about our own histories and struggles, as well as some of our hopes and dreams as mamas.   Mid-afternoon, we went out to meet the guys and to give the girls a chance to fish as well.  The guys met us at the fishing pier.

Unfortunately, poor Kay unknowingly put her hand on a huge red wasp nest that was hidden under the edge of one of the rails and those angry wasps stung her several times on her hand/wrist.

While Carmelle took her to get some Benadryl, (and chocolate, because it really does make things better) the other kids began fishing from the end of the pier.

It was oh so hot and nobody was catching much of anything.

Kay was a pro at baiting her own hook.

Jexie was a bit grossed about by the whole thing.

Naturally, Michael stayed busy looking for frogs.

And Adellelyn soon joined him.

It's obvious that they get that tendency naturally, since their daddy decided to try his hand at noodling before we left (with no luck, I might add).

Once home, we all enjoyed dinner and watermelon before retreating to the cool indoors.

Ron had to work Monday, so I took everyone to Krispy Kreme before they packed up and headed home.

What a crazy, busy, chaotic, fun weekend we had!

Tiny Toes

Just before Luke was born, both Ron and Jordan found pictures (on Facebook, I think) of these tiny crocheted sandals.

Knowing how much Callie loves baby sock and shoes, I decided to give them a try myself.    I found the directions over on this blog.

Crocheting is a brand new skill for me, and I still have LOTS to learn, but they turned out pretty cute.  

Cute enough to try another pair in another color combination.

Yesterday, we tried them on baby D.  Those tiny feet looked pretty cute in them, although they still need to grow a little bit before they fit without falling off.