Marching Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrDat8ZfBY

Video upload problems again! So I tried a different route & uploaded it to youtube. Hopefully the link will work. You MAY need to pause the music at the bottom of the blog so you can just hear the band playing.  This is just the first song the Marching Band and Color Guard will be performing this year. They got some "on field in front of a crowd" practice at last nights football game.

Tiffani is behind the band as they are marching in, but as they turn and walk up center field she is on the right of the screen and stops right about mid field. I couldn't adjust the zoom so I didn't get the whole group in it, but Tiffani is in the whole thing. :) And apologies for the shaky start - was trying to listen to a conversation and the camera turned with me! The rest of the video is pretty steady.

Whoops!

Hmmm - I'm thinking it was time for me to go back to work and leave my kitchen tools alone for awhile.

This is lovely homemade orange sherbert. You mix it up, then freeze it & then scrape it so it looks like shaved ice (picture above) and then whip it.

Mmmm - this is the nice fluffy whipped orange sherbert. Very orange flavored and real good for a good brain freeze!!

And this is what happens when you get tired of "shaving" bits of sherbert (it was 8+ cups) to whip and start breaking off (little) chunks to toss in the mixer. I pulled the beater out to scrape the sides and the outer wires were bent outta shape!! Its suppose to be straight like the other ones...  I made much smaller chunks after that... And it continued to do a good job, thankfully.

Yep, I think it's time for me to be at work and time to let my kitchen have a little rest.

But wait, if I'm at work that means Tiffani is at school which means there is always some funtion or another that she wants to bring cupcakes for... So much for giving it a rest... O'well! :)

Dessert Tray

Ok - not dessert, but it was part of our dinner last night & I had to get it started before I started my baking frenzy! Citrus-Garlic Chicken (orange & lime zest/juice, olive oil, salt & pepper marinade). It was really good!

The counter last night after dinner - still baking cookies... The chocolate chip ones Tiffani made just because and aren't for the BBQ tonight. Mmmmm.

Dessert Tray

Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snitchen, Molasses Crinkles, Rosemary Parmesan Shortbread, Oatmeal Carmelitas

Some homemade Plum Jam on my toast this morning. YUM!

Are ya all hungry? Got lots of everything - except the chicken (sorry, we devoured that!). Come on over!

Picking Apricots

We went to New Plymouth and picked apricots & plums from Margie's trees. Tiffani took lots of pictures while Judy & I picked... and picked.... I got way more then I could use!

Margie's dog - followed us (Tiffani) around.

The apricot trees were full! 

VERY full!

We picked several baskets full. So much that I sent my extra's over to Terri.

Purple plum tree - not ready yet, but those were big & really nice looking.

White Plums - this tree was abundantly full also. Both Judy & I picked a basketful. 

Pretty flowers at Margie's place. 

Margie has a great tree for climbing, and we wrangled the camera away from Tiffani long enough to get a picture of her in the tree.

This apricot tree was down the driveway, so on my way out I stopped and got a "few" of these. The color is beautiful and they looked like mini peaches.

These are the "mini peaches". When I was describing them to Mom, she thought it could be a peach-cot. These were sweet and very yummy. I pureed these seperate from the rest and will make just apricot jam out of it. (63 apricots - 4 1/2 cups of puree.)

One of the piles of pitted apricots! I pureed & froze enough apricots to make 6 batches of jam - got to wait for the peaches though, so I can make some peach/apricot jam. (68 mixed sizes/types apricots - 9 cups of puree.)

These are the white plums - I used about 30 of them and got enough to make a batch of jam. I still have enough left to make probably 2 more - but I think I'll share some of them. I got the feeling I'd be the only one eating it!

Plum Jam - I thought it was good!

Today, I will do some baking for our BBQ tomorrow night. We signed up for dessert so I'd thought I'd bring a mixed cookie / bars platter. And if I'm real motivated I will make another batch of plum jam & then share the rest of the plums. Don't want them to go bad.

Paddle Boats

We have lived in Boise over 16 years and never gone on the Paddle Boats in Julia Davis Park. We've talked about it several times, but never got around to doing it. Finally, we did - Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and quite fun paddling around the little lake in the park for an hour. The ducks and geese were aplenty and they'd swim along side you hoping for a hand out (we didn't bring any). We saw a few fish and many dragonflies.

The paddle boats.

The lake pond that you paddle around. It's not big, that's for sure, but we did use the whole hour!

Tiffani demonstrating how to take a "self portrait" of 3 people - ya gotta hold the camera off to the side, not in front of you.

Plenty of geese...

Just really liked this picture. :)

Tried to get a good picture of this little duck. Its orange eye really stood out. 

Really tried to get a picture of a dragonfly - they were so pretty with their striped wings & so many flying around us, but it was (almost) impossible. Les snapped the picture of the fish and the dragonfly ended up in the corner of the picture! Not a great picture of the dragonfly, but very cool, none the less!

Tiffani was intrigued by how the ducks can turn their necks around when resting on the shore.

And with the bright orange feet in all that brown & green.

The geese would swim along with us.

After the paddle boats we went to Kathryn Albertson's park to go soak our feet in the river.

A typical picture - Les & Tiffani standing in the middle of the river. :)

And we got home to this... 

Tessa had scratched a hole in the carpet on the stair landing. There were little bits of carpet everywhere! I've been wanting to replace the carpet on the stairs for awhile now because the dog hair is the worst there, so this just gives me added incentive to figure out how to get it done!!

Picnic at the High School

Wow! I got a video to post... It's either because it is from the other camera or has something to do with the upgraded cable. Either way, I'm glad it finally worked! The unfortunate thing is the camera that allows me to post video has no sound!! So you all just get the visual!!

The video is from Friday night at the picnic to celebrate the end of Band Camp and the beginning of the performance season. We parents got to see the beginning of the show the Band and Colorguard will be performing this year.  Below are a few snapshots from the picnic as well. It was held at the high school and the kids performed in the parking lot. Les was standing on top of the trailblazer to get the pictures of the performance. :)

Lots of food!

LOTS of people!

Guard waiting/watching the band warm up.

Tiffani :)

Tiffani is 2nd in the row of Guard girls and cousin Haylie is on one set of the quads.

Brianna's Weekend Home

We had a very busy weekend with Brianna at home. She & Kelley got in Friday night in enough time to eat a chicken sandwich before taking off to the Kuna Days Fireworks with Tiffani. Saturday we all had to be at the Middle School in the morning for the parade. Tiffani was in it with the Marching Band/Guard and the rest of us were selling water bottles along the parade route.

Lining up at the MS.

Ready to pull the wagons with coolers of water bottles & otter pops.

Marching

Cousin Haylie

Middle of a toss

Saturday evening we went to the races at Meridian Speedway. No race pictures... but the colors on the clouds were amazing as the sun was setting. The colors were brilliant & the picture doesn't so it justice.

Sunday Les took the girls out on the boat and Matt went along to help drive the boat because Les and Brianna wanted to try and board at the same time. They had a great time and actually came home earlier then I expected. But it gave them all time to shower and get ready to go to the Shakespeare Festival.

Brianna

Tiffani

Kelley & Brianna jumping in for a swim.

Les

Love the water spray behind him on this picture.

Totally airborne!

Again...

Kelley - First time ever! Having a blast.

Yes - it's suppose to be upside down - Tiffani wanted the word on the board to be right side up so she turn the camera upside down to take the picture. :)

Brianna & Les attempting double boarding. 

High five to celebrate!

Can't beat the grins on their faces.

Our little Shakespeare group. My friend Julie & her daughter came too, but weren't their yet when I pulled the camera out.

Our picnic dinner - potato rolls, Brianna's favorite macaroni salad and apple cider slaw. YUM!

Monday was the best day, because Mom & A. Avy came up. We got to spend the afternoon hanging out with them. And Brianna got to practice her haircutting skills on A. Avy. :) She loves cutting hair.

 And then Ron, Judy, Tracy & Jadd all came out for dinner. Les started the Rosemary Chicken (Brianna's request) on the grill and then the cable guy showed up (after 7pm when he was suppose to be here before 5!) so Jadd took over the chicken on the grill and while we waited for dinner to be finished, Tiffani had fun with the camera in the back yard.

We had Teriyaki Chicken (A. Avy's request & thanks to Ron & Judy), dill bread, corn, & mac salad (Hawaiian style not Brianna's style!).  We finally ate dinner - had Les come and get his plate full first so he could eat while Mr. Cableman was working on the computers! At least he was able to join us for dessert! 

I love this one of Tiffani's flag in the clouds

A wonderful weekend of having Brianna & Kelley home. Now to get ready for school... Although we do get to look forward to Brianna & Kelley coming home again in about a month. :)