Cousin Camp 2012 - Day 2

So I should be doing laundry. I need to get that out there. It's at the point where I am encouraging everyone to dig around for party napkins in the closet to use for bath towels (which is also a necessary substitution for toilet paper on occasion...why is that I always have party napkins, but never clean towels or toilet paper?). But laundry schmaundry! Instead, I thought I would share Day 2 of our Cousin Camp 2012 Adventures. At least most of them. I think we did things that didn't get photographed. Which is probably a good thing.

Day 2 was a special day at Cousin Camp. It was Ama and Papa's 42nd Anniversary! We started the celebration early by making cake in our Cousin Camp Cooking School.

The recipe we used is one of the easiest Scratch cake recipes around. It's called ABC Cake and was given to my mom by a church member when I was just a little bitty girl. Let Them Eat Cake!

So this day was our Water Day. Such as it was. My intentions were good, I assure you. But our pool wouldn't stay inflated. We could barely get our water balloons filled and somehow I thought 2 water guns would satisfy the restless horde.

But...The kids had a ball. Literally.

It doesn't get any more "Cun-Tree" than this, my friends.

You might be a  redneck (insert appropriate comment). Just Sayin'.

This is hilarious. But my question is...Who wears jeans and a shirt to a water balloon fight? Come one! He had that one coming!

After an afternoon of "Water Fun," the kids got to have some free time. Which meant plenty of this.

And a whole lot of this...Too cute. Just Dance!

I assure you that Josiah does have other clothing. I'm not sure why he chose to spend the day in his swim trunks and goggles. At this point, however, I was just pleased everyone had at least some sort of clothing on their body.

This cracks me up. Christopher was playing Just Dance. Mom tried to get a picture, but he would freeze up. "Who me? I couldn't possibly be doing something as uncool as dancing!"

But then again...I've seen this boy dance. It probably is a good thing we don't have evidence of his skills. It's not pretty.

Late in the afternoon, Papa drug out the welder's mask (courtesy of my Little Bro) and we all took a peek at Venus passing in front of the sun. Cool! You can see Josiah continued his swim theme of the day.

There were other activities on this day. The Bucket List, Arts and Crafts and more Pickin' and Grinnin'...And frankly, I was just thrilled to be able to put two words together at this point.

Next up! Day 3 of Cousin Camp 2012. Cousin Camp Olympics!

Cousin Camp 2012! Into the Wild...Day 1

Editorial Note: Blogger won't let me spell check! I'll try and edit later, but for now...please excuse my spelling mistakes.

Ooo. I know. I need to get my hiney in gear. I've been pretty negligent of my blog(s) as of late. Don't fuss at me. Life happens. But...along with tracking my calories every day, exercising regulary, reading through the Psalms and catching up with the second season of Downton Abby (a girl has to have her priorities) my summer resolution is to blog more. Eat less...Blog more. Now that's a plan. And by the by...Does anyone else do Summer Resolutions? I figure if it didn't take at New Years why not try letting the summer heat work it's magic?

Anyhoo. We recently had our second annual Cousin Camp at my Mom and Dad's farm way out in the "Cun-tree." This year was something else. More Kids! More Pets! More Activities! More Craziness! All of the cousins were able to attend this year. Our oldest cousin, lovely Kalynn, could only come for the last few days (band camp, summer school), but she still counts.

I thought I would relay our Cousin Camp adventures chronologically. And given the fact that there were almost 1000 pictures during the week I would employ the use of the "collage." I love the "collage."

Our camp theme was (aptly so) "Into the Wild!"

We started off the morning with a Wild Kingdom Breakfast Bar (yogurt, cheese, fresh fruit, oatmeal, granola bars, juice...that sort of thing). We had a devotion every day and then campers would brush their teeth, do morning chores and get their water bottles filled up at The Watering Hole. I apologize to my little sis and sister-in-law. I could have paid more attention to the apparent lack of use of The Brush.

Cooking School! A Cousin Camp tradition! Today we made bread. Real Bread. They had a blast. And we got several loaves of tasty bread out of the deal. We have video of the kneading process...it's hysterical. I doubt you will ever see it. Mom got a picture of me kneading as well. I look like I need an IV drip of Coke Zero....and a comb.

Our next activity was our Outdoor Adventures. What do you get when you have 8 entergetic kids, a greenhouse project in need of a rock floor and a Southwest Missouri farm filled with rocks? You get "Papa's Bucket List!" It was the boys against the girls. The campers had to decorate their buckets, place them in strategic locations (they couldn't move them) and fill them with rocks for 15 minutes.  Later in the day they would get weighed (pictures on down). You won't believe how competive these kids were.They cetainly didn't get that competitive gene from me. Some of the fruity stuff...now that's what they got from me. And maybe the ability to twist their fingers into weird positions.

 Good times. This activity was a week long activity. And apparently one of the favorite things they did. Go figure? I personally liked Quiet Time, myself.

Farm living is the place for me!

Lunch. Everyday I made Bento Boxes with a variety of leftovers. It's amazing what kids will eat when you put it in a "box."

Arts & Crafts. So I found this idea on Pinterest. You take a plain t-shirt. Attach stickers and then spray bleach water all over the shirt and remove the stickers. Instant T-shirt Art! Only it didn't work as well as I had hoped. Actually Josiah's worked really well. And Christopher's kinda worked (except he ended up with a mostly hot pink shirt). We wound up painting on the shirts later in the week. And the kids had a good time playing with toxic chemicals. You know there might be a problem when you hear yourself hollering, "Nobody spray the dog with that bleach!"

Aw. The Great Bucket List Weigh In. Girls Won! In fact, the girls won a lot. Considering the girls on this day were ages 3, 7 (x2) and 9....Just saying.

The Grill Miester! We cooked everything on the grill that week. If I could have figured it out we would have baked the cake on the grill...Helped our kitchen temps a lot!

Smores! Another Cousin Camp Tradition.

It needs to be said that music is a very important part of our Family Legacy. Both sides of my family are very musical. In fact, it goes back generations. And it was important to my Mom and Dad to include that legacy into Cousin Camp. On this night the girls dragged out the percussion instruments, Dad hooked up his bass guitar and Mom played her aocustic. And we sang and sang and sang. The boys particpated in the more enriching activity of The Video Game (you realize I'm being sarcastic) on this night...but they had to participate the rest of the week. With mixed results. We also have video of all our singing...and playing. Which at some point you may see because I am the one taking the video and there is no chance of humilation.

It looks like Payge is connecting with her Hillbilly rootes by playing the instrument with her toes. Her Daddy is from Ohio. She gets all her Hillbilly from her Mama.

Aren't they the cutest? I just want to thank my bro and sis for having all these lovely girls for me to love on.

So earnest.

At one point in the week there was an old fashioned Camp Meeting Jerchio March. A little bit of choreography and even some Wheels on the Bus. But tonight we were just content to make music.

More to come! Cousin Camp Day 2. Let Them Eat Cake! A Hillbilly Water Park and Dancing...Lots of Dancing!

Sweet

I needed to share. These are pictures of the flowers  that were picked my beautiful little boy a few weeks ago. He and his Papa (my Dad) took a walk out in the field and Josiah brought these to me.

Josiah promptly stuck them in a mason jar and they sat on the table for everyone to enjoy. Aren't they sweet?

This is what it's all about, my friends.

Road Trip!.... And a trip the ER

It's always something. Just had to get that out of the way.

This past Memorial Day we were able to get away. Road Trip!

The Studly Muffin's brother and his  wife live just outside of St. Louis. She is in the Air Force Reserves and works for the Civil Service. He is Retired Air Force and also works for the Civil Service. She was able to get tickets to a Cardinals game courtesy of the USO (and as the Studly Muffin is a Air Force Vet) it was going to be a perfect weekend. Church, brunch with the family, The Game and on Memorial Day parade featuring my sister-in-law, Debbie and their oldest son Nick (home for the summer from college and also in the Air Force Reserves...he's a medic and a nursing student).

I passed on seeing the game (I would rather be reading. In a quiet room), but Debbie and I had planned for a girl's afternoon of movie watching and possible shopping. How could I resist that?

We arrived Saturday afternoon, had a lovely dinner with the family, watched a little television and headed off to bed. Before I went to bed I did my usual night routine involving taking my meds (I carry a pharmacy, literally) and taking my insulin shot.

This particular night I was trying out a new insulin. Well. Guess who is violently allergic to that insulin? And guess who spent the night in the emergency room? Yep. I know how to do vacation up right.

And as with most patients with a history of congestive heart failure, they had to give me every test just to be sure I wasn't having a heart attack or going into failure again. The insulin made me violently ill, as well as drove my blood pressure up to dangerous levels and increased my heart rate. Not a good thing for a girl with cardiomyopathy. To top it off my blood sugar was high. Stinkin' insulin. What good are ya!

I will say...The Studly Muffin and I got to spend some quality time together. He is such a gentle, precious man. I know it freaked him out. And thank goodness for my Medic/Nurse-in-training nephew, Nick! When it first started he took my heart rate and then rallied the troops to get me to the hospital. I love that boy.

Anyhoo. I spent the next day in bed. The gang went on ahead to the Cardinals game and I got my quiet time. We did have to come home a little early. We missed the parade. Dang it. And I am just a little worse for the wear. It was discovered in the midst of all the blood work I had done that I have hypothyrodism. Good. Another pill to take. But despite a nasty IV bruise, some fuzzy brain activity (which is often typical) and some other aches and pains...I'm good.

Despite my drama...My boys had a great time. I thought I would share a few pictures.


Josiah is getting ready for the game. And doing a little Road Trip Napping.

Are we there yet?

My Studly Muffin. This is the man I love :<) We don't have Air Conditioning in either of our cars. Let's just say that our summer trips are usually sultry!

Just a little pic of the city.

Slow Ride. Take It Easy.

Aunt Deb is a pretty cool Aunt. She took Josiah on her evening walks. Took him to the park. Took him to church (while Mom and Dad slept after the Emergency Room ordeal). Let him help cook supper and played games with him. She even took him to Scott Air Force Base with her (where she works) to get something out of her office. She took pictures of Josiah next to a C-5. I can't find them! I thought I put them in my purse...Maybe they are the same place I put my brain.

A view of the Arch on the way on the way home.

I got nothing else. Next week is Cousin Camp at my Mom and Dad's farm. I've been trying to get that together. I have so many notebooks going of lists....I think it's about time to get my act together. Hopefully, I'll manage to stay out of the emergency room until then.

My Taco Salad - A "Go-To" Meal

Somebody. And I'm not going to mention any names here...Got a hold of my camera again.

I'm not sure what's going on here. Looks like some sort of sneaky situation to me.

I thought I would start sharing of a few of my "Go To" meals. Which means I "Go To" them in a pinch. Or they might be a family favorite. Or it might be a meal that never fails to please. And my taco salad is one of those meals.  This particular recipe I have used my whole married life (over 20 years). In fact, it was one my mom fixed when I was at home. It is easy and versatile. I have used it for a quick meal on a weeknight, potluck dinners and for casual nights with company.

Here is what you need.

1 head of lettuce, chopped (I just use a inexpensive head of iceberg)
2-3 small tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 can of sliced olives
1 bag of nacho chips
1 pound of hamburger, cooked and seasoned (I usually just use a package of taco seasoning)
I can of beans (kidney, black, pinto...I didn't get them into the dish this time around...I was out)
1-2 cups of shredded cheese (how much I use depends on what serving dish I am using)
sour cream, salsa, guacamole (to serve along side)

First I chop the lettuce like I would for a regular tossed salad. This go around I used handy dandy paper plates to keep my ingredients separate for the time being. Very important at this stage of the game (to keep everything separate...not the paper plates ;<)

I did the same with my tomatoes and green onions. I also sliced my olives. The large can was cheaper in the long run...and Josiah loves black olives.

I browned my hamburger and added the taco seasoning according to the package. You can use any kind of ground meat you want. I use ground turkey quite a bit in my cooking. But as a personal preference I try and use ground chuck or ground round for this dish (or any tacos). I like the texture better. Another light alternative would be to use cooked and shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning.

At this point I would also open, drain and rinse my cane of beans and set aside. Instead I went straight to the "make sure your boys haven't snacked away your nacho chips" step.

In a large serving bowl I then layered my chip, hamburger (beans next), lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, green onions and olives. In that order.

The beauty of this dish is that it is so forgiving. When I make it for my family I just use one of my larger mixing/serving crocks. When making it for company I use a particularly large Pampered Chef salad bowl I have (which I didn't get a picture of).

This was my plate for the night. I realize my ratio of sour cream/guacamole to taco salad is a bit off.
That's how I roll.

At least I don't pick out all of the nacho chips to eat first....like a ten-year-old boy I know.