Coming Soon...

It's blocking as I type and he says he loves it!

Just Busy!

It's been busy here at Upper Pond. The weather has been glorious allowing us to be outside. We all know what will be upon us soon...so it's as if we are scurrying to spend every waking hour in the sunshine.

chicks at the pumpkin farm

This weekend we were busy with baseball and hockey tryouts, golf, cornmazes and long walks.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The leaves have started to change and pockets of gold, red and orange are emerging through the blanket of green. I have many pictures to show you...so stay tuned!

Matt took this one!

Meme

Okay I was tagged by Andrea! Have fun learning about me and play along if you like!

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up

Random things about me.

1. I have never been overseas because I have a fear of flying.

2. I saw Princess Diana in Toronto years ago before she announced her separation from Prince Charles. She was so close to me I could have touched her. But of course I didn't because she was absolutely beautiful and then again you don't touch the Princess of Wales.

3. I could eat pizza every single day of the year.

4. I LOVE to yell at referees...but of course I don't...most times.

5. I suck at drawing and my kids tell me so.

6. I hated high school but LOVED college and I'm not talking the academic parts!

So there you have it!

Now I have to go and attend to the children...what's that you ask? Did I say children? Why of course I did. Old hurricane Ike reared his ugly head in our neck of the woods last night and over 50,000 homes are without power...so that means NO SCHOOL!

The boys weren't even ready for a "wind" day. They are still in the "I love school more than life itself" mode.

I hope and pray for the people that were in Ike's path. After last night, with sustained winds between 30-40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, I can't even imagine what it must have felt like to be in the direct path.

Hopefully, relief will come quickly.

In Preparation

It's that time of year again...we are preparing for hibernation around here. Perusing hearty recipes, checking conditions of sweaters and socks, washing the blankets so they are ready for the beds! The leaves have started to turn and the mornings are cool. This is one of my favorite times of the year. In anticipation of the colder weather I have another pair of new socks!

I think what I like most about Trekking XXL is the way it washes and wears. The yarn is so soft with each new wash. This might be one of my favorite colors too.

Trekking XXL

colorway 83

60 stitches

size 1 needles

Lunch Today!

Found this in this month's Country Home...it was quite tasty and will definitely make it again! Enjoy!

Chicken Apple Salad Sandwich

start to finish 25 minutes

• 1 7.5-oz pkg.Tyson Frozen cooked chicken breast strips...thawed. (i actually found these in the regular meat section)
• 1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 c. dried cranberries
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1/3 c. fat-free or light mayo
• 1/3 c. fat free or light sour cream
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt and ground pepper
• whole wheat bread

makes four sandwiches

Combine first five ingredients together. In another small bowl mix next five ingredients together. Stir wet ingredients into chicken mixture. There you have it! Yum!

As I was typing this I remembered a job I had in my late 20's when I needed a bit of extra cash. A well known chef in our city hired me to transfer all his recipes onto the computer. It was a pretty easy gig that got me a wonderful free meal and great money. Typing the fractions out, made me realized that it wasn't a job that I loved so it pushed me harder to find a better paying teaching position (is there such a thing?). I only wish that I had made a few copies of his recipes for myself. I hear he went on to own a wonderful well known restaurant and has made quite a name for himself.

Highlights!

Finally, I got my rear in gear to put this all together. I'm too lazy to upload each picture individually so I just made one big collage. We had a great time this year in the Adirondacks. ALL family members that could visit... did. Allowing for many laughs!

Highlights of our trip included:

• beautiful sunsets and sunrises
• extreme rock jumping
• swimming more than any other year
• waterskiing (we tow our boat with us)
• celebration of summer birthdays (my brother and SIL in June and me in August)
• family members traveling from Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco for my cousin's wedding
• stopping at WEBS on the way to the wedding (highlight of my trip)
• roasting marshmallows around the campfires
• sparklers
• mountain climbing (this year we conquered Blue Mountain...2 hours up, 1 hour down. All 46 years of my life could be felt at the end of the climb)
• a bit of knitting
• river fishing with a guide (this happened while I traveled to the wedding)
• and just family time well spent!

Another vacation into the memory book!

Finally!

Today the boys finally went back to school. I thought I would enjoy the day by myself but it was pretty lonely. We really had a fun summer together! Of course we had our ups and downs, but for the most part it was a summer of adventure and laughter! Just what a nine and eleven year old need on their summer vacation. Both love their new teacher and I believe this might be a good year for both boys!

Our trip to the Adirondacks was eventful. Hopefully, I will be able to find some time to show you some of the highlights of our trip. Enjoy the scenery and I will be back soon.