The last few drops of August

Sorry I haven't posted in a while everyone! If it makes you feel any better, the new shoes haven't seen the light of day yet either. But that will change in a few short minutes, as soon as I'm done eating my ice cream.
I made irish cream ice cream last weekend for a group of friends (which all of you know about already because you make up my 3-person strong reader base) and it is just so good. Most of the goodness has to do with the base recipe, and less to do with it being irish cream. BUT, irish cream always makes everything taste better, right?
I also discovered the blog of a young man named Ian who was in a severe car wreck last fall. He and his family are Christians, and the blog is an incredible example of how God uses adverse circumstances in our lives for our ultimate good. He still remains in a coma, after almost 11 months, and his family never gives up on him or God. He had been dating a girl named Larissa, and even though they weren't married, they were planning on getting engaged soon. Many people told her to move on with her life when Ian came home from the hospital with brain damage, but she's stayed by his side every day, praying for a full recovery. You have to read it yourself: www.prayforian.blogspot.com.
I've also been cooking a few things... Mexican cornbread with corn, cheese and chili flakes. That was pretty good, but a bit spicy because I accidentally tipped the chili jar too far. Everything is remedied with a little maple syrup and a glass of cold milk. I also made chicken pot pie, which I will continue to eat for the next 4 days. Good thing it was a low-fat recipe. And I left the topping off and instead baked up some of those reduced-fat crescent rolls. They are SO good. mmm... thinkthink.... I also made date-walnut muffins. Mixed results on these. They are very dense, very nutty, and great for breakfast! Just not 3 days in a row. :-/
It amazes me how I used to read so much when I was younger, literally several books a week, and now I can barely fit in a few books a year it seems. So with cold weather coming up I'm getting a head start on my book stack and starting off with Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I started it in college (required reading!) and never finished it. I did pass the test though. Funny how that was my M.O. throughout school. How did I do it? The test fairies were with me.

Ah, the bliss of happy feet

No, this isn't a movie review involving penguins.
I have a love/hate relationship with shoes due to an unusual foot size/shape, so I was ecstatic to finally make today's big purch... conquest. They even have that new shoe smell, which is nice. Unless that's considered toxic now too.

Gone huntin'

I love how this butterfly looks like he's dressed up in camo. Pretty clever. At least he doesn't have to worry about trying to get away from the tiger like poor Eeyore there.

It's a zoo in there!

I have vague memories of going to a giant butterfly atrium when I was a Little Person. I think it probably helped establish my love of butterflies. So when I heard Zoo Boise was going to have a butterfly display this year, I had to check it out. I was a bit disappointed that it was a small atrium with plants that seemed rather wilted, but it has been really hot in Boise, and things always look bigger when you're little. Here's a few I managed to catch on camera:

This guy was the biggest butterfly of the bunch and he knew it. He would fly around our feet for a few minutes so everyone could ooh and aah over the brilliant blue of his wings, and then land on the ground and sit there with his wings closed up tight so everyone with cameras would gather around and wait... and wait... and wait on him to open up. I got tired of waiting.

This little guy was rather...furry. Better to hide from pradators, I'm guessing. He wouldn't tell me.

To be continued...

And the mud comes out in Boise

I was looking out the office window yesterday when we noticed that things are getting messy around town. After some ridiculously baseless accusations from Tibbs against Bieter, now this. The Washington Mutual building sits directly across the street from City Hall, and apparently at some point the City had complained to whomever leases the 3rd floor office about having unsightly boxes stacked against the windows. So, being a media company, they are retaliating using their most visible resource, the printed page. How convenient for them that the Mayor's personal office is directly across the street, on the same level, so every time he looks out the window for the next 2 and a half months he is looking at this:

I'm not saying that I'm tied to the current office-bearer, but this is just plain tacky and Tibbs is not showing himself to be of good conduct by his antics. Some say he is unaware of this prank. Doubtful.

Courtesy: http://www.boiseguardian.com/2007/08/15/signs_of_the_political_times.html

He's Here!

Tys has arrived! :-)

8lb, 10oz, 20 inches, born 1:05am 6 August 2007.

The cutest nephew ever. He'll smile soon. I promise.

love love love

The windows, the light, the orchids, the chair, the table. Love it all. Table designed by Eva Zeisel, 100 years old, for Design Within Reach.
Courtesy www.pomegranita.com.

Pyromaniacs, strawberry lemonade, and cops

Kuna had its annual Kuna Days Festival on Friday night, so a few of us drove over to see the fireworks in the evening. Just like the Fourth of July! They were great. Sadly, Le Camera escaped his pen and stayed home. I really wished he had come along when they started letting off those big bomb-like explosions that shoot from the ground. We could feel the heat from 50 yards away. On the way out there, we stopped at the best place in Boise to get a slushy *Sonic!* and I relished the full cup of strawberries and lemons at the bottom for the next three hours. And a stop at Sonic wouldn't be complete without tots. Gotta have the tots. We had a bit of drama on the way home with a hit and run (thankfully not our vehicle) and subsequent chase and showdown with 7 cops. As my backseat passenger said, "This is better than TV!"
An exciting weekend, all in all. :-)

McCall

Last Saturday my friend Meredith and I went to McCall, a small resort town about an hour and a half north of Boise. When it's 103 in Boise, McCall always seems like a smart choice. And there's a beautiful small beach just on the north side of town. You have to practically walk through people's yards to get there, but hey, it's a public beach, so it's fair game. We spent the afternoon lying on the beach, swimming, and wishing we were the girls out in the middle of the lake on the jetskis.

More green loveliness

Joe and Kathryn Albertson donated the funds to create this park, hence the name. Thank goodness there are places like this in Boise, because at this point in the summer it seems everything else has died.

Notice the water coming out of the rock.

Not sure what kind of bush this was, but the blossoms were very fluffy and light:

Aaron Copeland makes me hungry

Ok, first of all, if you're Lisa, stop reading. I realize it may be too late for that, but you can't say I didn't try.
So this is the great advantage of having parents who decided to raise their own beef instead of getting it at the grocery store. Top-notch, even technically organic, wonderful-fresh-juicy steak. Compliments of Mom and Dad. Come on people, you know the jingle... "dun-dun-na-na dun-na-na dun-na-na... BEEF! It's what's for dinner..."

Also note the teeny-tinyness of my stove. I have to move the kettle off the stove just to fit the broiler pan.