It's been a while since my last post. The man forced me to work overtime the last couple of weeks, so there just wasn't any time for important things like blogging. Zakary has been using the potty faithfully with no accidents or backslides, so we treated him to a trip to the Shelburne Museum. They had a one-day-only toy train exhibit, so Bob, Cheryl, Zaky and I (Eric was working OT) spent the day there. Zakary was so well behaved never trying to touch or grab any of the displays. He just watched those trains so intently trying to figure out how they worked. They had all kinds of models. His favorite to watch was the N-Gauge, but he was most anxious to own and play with the Lego train set. The only thing that he did not enjoy was walking into one of the building to be surprised by a clown standing in the corner. Luckily Grandma Smith was there to cling on to for protection. Note the picture below:

Corie spent over a week at her other Grandma's house in NY, so she missed the museum trip. She did get the princess treatment from her Oma though, and returned home with a new pedicure, iDog, Invader Zim paraphernalia and purse (which she coincidently forgot to bring back to her Dad's, so I've decided to see how well it works... so good so far... it's really more my style anyway).

We have had buckets of rain this summer, so our woods are loaded with mushrooms... and I have a new camera. See where I'm going with this? If you have any interest in checking these pix out just click on MUSHROOMS. The soil has stayed so moist the fungi have also started popping up in the garden. Here they are keeping company with the basil. The rain has also wreaked havoc on my poor squash & cucumber (or at least that's what I'm blaming it on). The plants are plagued with mildew. I was treating it with a homemade chive remedy, but it's spreading to fast. I did get a pleasant surprise while weeding. It looks like the experimental okra planting is a success. I had doubts as to whether or not it was warm enough to grow okra in Vermont, but the plants are producing. In fact they also have a lovely flower that resembles hollyhock. Here a a couple of photos....



Aren't they pretty? Of course they are prettier when they are cut into rings, rolled in cornmeal, and deep fried.

I can't end this post without mentioning what Eric's dad, Bob, deposited in our driveway. He brought up Eric's pride and joy, his 1977 Blazer. This will be all that Corie, Zak & I will see of him for the rest of the summer...
... but doesn't he look happy!

As you may (or may not) have noticed a hit counter has been added to my blog. Last week I had 5 hits, and I want to thank all five of you. Of course I had to call you all on the phone and ask you to go to my blog, but the fact remains that you did come here. I feel so special.

The week started with a garden full of summer squash and green beans. I went through my collection of recipes, tried some new ones, and froze what was left. If you are overrun with zucchini I recommend Paula Dean's Zucchini Bread. Yum! After being inspired by the Lunch In A Box blog I decided to organize my bento supplies. My Mom had given me a set of plastic drawers that would be just perfect, so I spent hours arranging the cutest collection of bento supplies you've ever seen. I took pictures of each drawer and called the kids in to admire my hard work, but as I put the set of drawers in their new home the bubble burst. What was that thing my Grandpa Sprague always said???? "Measure twice, cut once".
Oh well, at least it does fit in sideways.

This was a really busy week at work, and the next two weeks promise to be just as loaded. Don't worry though, because I did find time to do some online shopping. My first stop was Newegg.com where I purchased a new Canon Powershot A590 digital camera. We like it a lot so far, but we still haven't used most of the fancier options. My second stop was at Ichiban Kan. I hadn't planned that shopping excursion. While innocently checking my email it came to my attention that they had gotten in a new shipment which included new bento supplies. If you clicked on the "pictures" link above then you noticed that there is no room in those drawers for more bento stuff, so it looks like it will be time for reorg when the box arrives. The last stop was at LL Bean. Our little Zaky starts preschool at the end of the month, so we bought him his first school backpack. Eric did a little shopping himself... an orbital sander and new work boots. Boring but practical.