New egg cups

New egg cups
Originally uploaded by epursey

How can you go wrong with a soft boiled egg in such an adorable container?

Derek's gifts

Derek's gifts
Originally uploaded by epursey

Derek got a ROBOT!!!!, a game and a book. Oh and some gift cards.

As a family we got some movies to OH!!

and a Wii Fit!!! WooHoo.

Max's gifts

Max's gifts
Originally uploaded by epursey

Max got Lego, games, a book, some gift cars, a car and a board game.

Eva's gifts

Eva's gifts
Originally uploaded by epursey

I got egg cups, pj's, a pressure cooker, yarn, stitch markers and an I PHONE!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

John's gifts

John's gifts
Originally uploaded by epursey

Merry Christmas everyone! John got a dad mug, red convers shoes, a wow T-shirt and some games.

Eggnog Bread

Eggnog Bread
Originally uploaded by epursey

LOL I was going to take a picture of the whole loaf. I'm not sure what happened. All the sudden it was half gone.

1 stick butter, soft
2 eggs, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rum extract (I used 1 T real rum)
1 cup eggnog
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice (I used cloves)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and rum. Mix. Blend in eggnog and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix. Pour into a 9x5 greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 min at 350.

front door

front door
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here is the front. We bought Poinsettias from Derek's scout troop this year. I was surprised how big and beautiful they were. We have a very festive house this year.

x-mas lights

x-mas lights
Originally uploaded by epursey

We put up light this year. First time ever. I thought it was going to be hard to hang them, but nope. Only took a couple hours.

Gingy's house

Gingy's house
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here it is all finished. Hope the ants don't find it!

We have been at war with the ants for about 2 weeks. We are wining ;)

Making a gingerbread house

Making a gingerbread house
Originally uploaded by epursey

Tonight we made our gingerbread house. The boys were disappointing about not being able to eat it. But we did all have a good time making it :)

All my Needles

All my Needles
Originally uploaded by epursey

And it's done. I thought it would take much longer. Well 3/4 of the way through my sewing machine broke. I took it apart and cleaned it and that took a while. Anyway I just need to pick up some ribbon. I think I will get yellow.

fabric for needle case

fabric for needle case
Originally uploaded by epursey

I've started a new project. I'm making a needle case for myself. It will hold all on my knitting needles. I had a very hard time picking out the material. It took me over an hour. At the same time I also was getting material to make a friend a gift (a hanging circular needle holder). I'm slow at sewing so after I made the gift I put my machine away for a bit. I forgot about the second needle case til now. I got out my machine to hem Derek's band pants and found the bag with material in it. SOOOO I decided to make my case!

The Flu Got Me

Well I'm sick. Way sick. I had planned on getting a flu shot but usually the clinic we go to sends out a flyer saying when to go. I think we missed it. John got his a work. So far he is not sick. I guess my strain was covered in his shot. Max has the light version but I have full on badness.

:(

Trimming the Tree

Turkey trouble

Turkey trouble
Originally uploaded by epursey

Okay first off I fully admit that the turkey I bought was to big.

I don't do turkey often. Frankly none of us like it much. The decision to have it came about because Max wanted to try cranberry sauce. I suggested several meats it would go good with. We decided we would give turkey a go even though it is notorious for being bland and dry.

So I have heard many people say to use brine. Also we have fried turkeys but that was with friends that owned a turkey fryer and they live in Florida now. It seemed brine was the way to go. Clearly the huge uber bowl I thought would be big enough was not even close. We found this out a 8pm tonight. I took a trip to Target and bought some ginormous Ziploc bags and brown sugar which I ran out of because I had to make cookies because it rained ( I'll save that story for another date).

As you see in the picture the turkey fits great in the bag. We were pleased that we solved the problem. I put the herbs and fruit in the bag along with the brine solution. Then I closed it and put in in the bowl to transfer it to the fridge. I set the bowl on the counter to do something (I have no idea what) and when I came back there was water all over the counter and floor. then I realized it was not water. The bag had a hole in it. What a huge mess. We put the bowl and turkey in the sink and I cleaned up the floor while John contemplated what to do next. We decided to try a new bag. We heaved the bowl (turkey + solution= very heavy) to the porch, just in case, and lifted out the turkey put in into the new bag then poured the brine over. We carefully lifted the bag. Nothing leaking. Now it is 9pm and both John and I are quite tired and not at all cheerful about Thanksgiving. We did not trust the bag at all and decided the best container to put the bag in was a cooler. We then added ice and it is now in the garage.

I'm all for leaving it there and making a pork roast but I think as a good lesson to the kids in dealing with adversity and problem solving we are going to roast our uber turkey anyway.

I will try and take more picture of dinner as it progresses.

Alien scarf & Po

Alien scarf & Po
Originally uploaded by epursey

I'm making these for the boys. This one is Max's and Derek wanted red and black. I might make some for niece's and nephew back in Iowa. they are kinda fun to make. Looking straight on they look like a striped scarf but turn it a bit and the Aliens POP out.

Sweater no more

I ripped out the last of my summer sweater today. I was surprised that it took so long to rip and rewind. The next sweater I attempt will fit better I hope.

It kind of looks like pink ramen noodles :)

Snuggle time

Snuggle time
Originally uploaded by epursey

The girls love to snuggle at nap time. Once I found all three cats on our bed sleeping together. It's kitty love.

New Purse

New Purse
Originally uploaded by epursey

Okay so this is my new purse. It's taken a while to find but I think I may just like this one. About a month ago my old purse broke. I was crushed. I'd had it for 10 years. It was perfect in every way. Two zipper compartment on top and a smaller side zipper pocket. Then the unthinkable happened. One of the top zippers broke. I talked with friends about my heart break and one said use it anyway just make sure nonessential are not in that side. Now at first I thought that was the answer to my despair but sadly no. Often in the past I would forget to zip the zippers and nothing would come out. But now every time it tipped over everything on the open side would fall out. I think it was the purses way of saying it was done and it had give faithful service and now it need to rest in peace.

I looked for two weeks for a new purse. They all seemed wrong. Too big, too small, too red, too tall. Finally I found this one. I thought maybe I wouldn't like the fabric but it's growing on me. I'm usually a brown girl but I thought I would take a step out and try dark pink. And It even has pretty flowers on it. Everyday I like it more. I think me and this new purse are getting along just fine.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween
Originally uploaded by epursey

Ice ninja, Death and Jamie came over to the house on Halloween.

Mmmm eyeballs

Mmmm eyeballs
Originally uploaded by epursey

Tasty!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween
Originally uploaded by epursey

This year we went to several Halloween parties and trick-or-treating. The boys got lot of candy :)

Knit round scarf

knit round scarf
Originally uploaded by epursey

Finally done! It has taken me 6 months to make this poncho-esk garment. I did put it on hold for the summer then picked it back up about 2 weeks ago. I have a few loose ends to weave in then I can wear it. I love how it turned out. Warm. It's like snuggling up in a really short blanket. LOL I hope it gets cold enough for it.

Don't wake me up

Don't wake me up
Originally uploaded by epursey

She does not look at all pleased to be photographed.

Lily's paws

Lily's paws
Originally uploaded by epursey

Lily is not a small cat. It's hard to believe she fits under the dresser. I think she thinks she is smaller then she is.

Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate Fondue
Originally uploaded by epursey

We had the boys friends over for a play date. As a treat we decided to do chocolate fondue. I had intended to take a picture of them enjoying it but it all happened so fast. LOL I've never seen boys eat chocolate so fast :)

Pumpkins

Oops, I meant to post this first. We went to the farmers market and the boys saw pumpkins and wanted to get some for pie.

Pie is done

Pie is done
Originally uploaded by epursey

It looks delicious. I think since this is the second year in a row we have made pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins it is a new family tradition.

Ready for oven

Ready for oven
Originally uploaded by epursey

Before we baked it. This one made me a bit nervous. It seemed way wet. More soupy then the last time.

YUM Pie

mashed and puree
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here is the pumpkin mashed then pureed.

Dog Sweater

dog Sweater
Originally uploaded by epursey

Otis's sweater is coming along very well. I'm going to try and get mostly done with the chart tonight.

New T-shirt

new T-shirt
Originally uploaded by epursey

I got my new T-shirt from Ravelry. I should wear my other ones more to. I'm not sure why I don't.

Night Swimming

Sorting Sunday

Sorting
Originally uploaded by epursey

We have been having storage problems for a while now. Our one book shelf is completely full. Some shelves are double stacked which I don't like because then you can't see what you have. Many of the newer games we've bought where starting to stack up by the tv, threatening to cover part of the screen and movies were no better. Today we spent sorting all the games and movies and but them into storage books. I love them. Now we can store about 160 games or movies in one spot and they are really easy to browse. We decided to keep manuals but toss all cases. With the exception of a few movies that had nice cases we fit all of them in. We are however also going to need one case for kids movies. I think we can buy one that is about half the size though. It feels a lot neater in the living room now. If only I could stash my knitting somewhere then that room would totally be spiffed up!

Great Weekend

Max with face paint
Originally uploaded by epursey

We went to the Renaissances Faire over by Gilroy this weekend with the Elwailly's. The weather was perfect, pleasantly warm with a nice cool breeze. This year we saw jousting. It was awesome. We saw one other comedian/variety show as well. For lunch we ate many kinds of meat on sticks, lol. John and I did not buy anything this year but all the boys bought swords and shields, except Derek who thought dual wielding would be cool and got 2 swords. Max loves getting his face painted so he decided to spend extra allowance to be a pirate. Arrrrrrrrrg!!!!

Blanket

Blanket
Originally uploaded by epursey

I got the camera working! Well John had a lot to do with that. Now I will start putting up more pictures.

Here is the blanket. Since this picture I have another dark set of rows done. I'd say I'm almost 20% done. I've been working on it at night because as it gets larger, it also gets hotter, LOL. I guess that is a good sign ;)

Good First Week

We made it to Friday, hooray! That was not so hard. The boys might having a different opinion though :) So far school is going fine, Derek is in an advanced math class. This year Max has a teacher new to the school. That is going well to. I went to "Back to School Night" for Derek and it sounds like a good curriculum. Lots of variety.

On the knitting front I've started my lap blanket. It is warm, soft, fuzzy and very pink. I am on skein 2 of 10. As soon as I get a new camera I will show my progress so far.

It is very hot here. Yesterday is was 100 degrees. I've been trying to serve cool meals with little success. Last night the boys had fruit. Hmm. I need to do so research for recipes I think.

School Starts Soon

Monday is going to be a big day. it's Derek's first day of Middles school. He went to orientation and seems eager to start. One of his good friends had the same schedule as he does so he will have alt least one person in each class that he knows. Max starts 4th grade the same day. We don't know who his teacher is yet. They posted teachers yesterday but we were busy then without a car for part of the day, then John and the boys left for a camping trip.

It will be a slow weekend. I hurt my toe 2 days ago and i am having a hard time getting around. I never did go to the doctor. For a while we thought it might be broken. I don't think it is. It still hurts a bit but i can walk and put some pressure on it now. This is why I did not go camping. I was disappointed but John was right, not a good idea. I thought about it more and I was probably more of a tripping hazard and then maybe i would hurt myself more.

I am almost done knitting the socks I have been working of for my Mom :) Next is a lap blanket for me and a poncho-esk garment. Once I figure out the poncho for me I am going to make one for Mom.

Soy yogurt

Soy yogurt
Originally uploaded by epursey

I love yogurt but i am not to keen on milk. I got a wild idea and decided to try and make soy yogurt (I have a yogurt maker). The two closet stores to me don't sell it. So if it worked it would save gas to :) Well I mixed everything up, put it in the machine and stated it up. After about 3 hours I looked at it and had serious doubts. I even did a big no-no and lifted the lid and picked one up. I figured i would let it go the full 10 hours then see what it was like. When it was done they were still looking iffy. I chilled them for the recommended time then tried one. Wow yum, it was good! I am so pleased.

Last night i had a bad nightmare.

Dream

I was at the kids school and got stung by several bees on both my hands. For some reason I could not get to the doctor. They seemed to be mutant bees. There stingers were 1/2 inch long. It was strange like they would sting me but then when i looked down my skin would erupt and a whole bee would come out but leave it's stinger. On my right hand the skin closed but left the stinger inside. Well i went to the heath aids office and Carrie the health aid at the kids school was there. She took the stinger out of the left hand and said, "All better" and patted me on the head.
Then all the sudden I was at home. I had a rash on my hands and I could still see the stinger in the right hand. I told the kids I was going to drive myself to the hospital. They asked if before I went could I make them Mac&Cheese. That is when I woke up in a cold sweat. The first thing i did was look at my hands. They are just fine, so I thought.

Analysis of Dream

-Well the bee thing is easy, I am allergic to bees.
-Being at the school and seeing the heath aid makes sense to, I am trying to get a job at the kids school.
-The stinger in my hand I am not to sure about.
-The Mac&cheese is funny. When we first moved here I stood up into a cupboard door and cut my head badly. I called John and he came home. When he got home i was at the stove making mac&cheese for the boys (and bleeding all over the place). He asked what i was doing I should be sitting down (or something like that). I said the boys were hungry and if we are going to the hospital they weren't going to get to eat for a while.

So that is it, Oh interesting. When i sat down to eat my homemade yogurt the finger of my right hand hurt a lot. On my ring finger just by the nail I have a small puncture. It is a bit red and slightly puffy. I'm thinking this all started with a spider bite.

Too hot to move

Too hot to move
Originally uploaded by epursey

I think the picture says it all.

Our area is having another heatwave :(

Slipper is done

Slipper is done
Originally uploaded by epursey

Hey look, I made a slipper! I am participating in a competition call Ravelympics on Ravelery. I am entered in 2 categories. Sock-put (which is the slippers) and something about gifts. I can't remember the name. That will be socks for my Mom. I have until the end of the Olympics to finish. So far so good.

Last week was a bad week for the Pursey's, we had flu. Bad. Derek got it first then Max. John and I got it last and at the same time. I now know the important of teaching my children how to cook at an early age. Also not a bad idea to teach them laundry. For a day Derek was in charge! He did a great job :)

Cat Call

Cat Call
Originally uploaded by epursey

Apparently Horus is waiting for a call, lol.

We did not set this up :) Horus will sleep on top of and with anything!

Napkins

Well we have finally started on our last package of napkins from costco! This is a huge accomplishment for us. It all started 2 years ago. LOL. I went to costco and on the top of the list was napkins. We were in desperate need of them. As I recall I had forgotten to buy napkins at the store several times and we were using paper towels. So it was really in my head that I needed to get napkins. I bought the napkins with no problem. Months later I went to costco again with a list but always I pick up random things that when I see them I remember I need them. When I came upon the napkins I said to myself, "I really need napkins". I did not however and realized that when I got home. So I have two packages of napkins now. Although we had made a slight dent in one package. Several months later I was at costco, now you would think that when I came to the napkins I would have it in my head that I did not need napkins, but no. I bought napkins because I thought for sure I needed them badly. Now we had 3 packages of napkins.

Now when I go to costco at the top of my list in big letters it reads, DO NOT BUY NAPKINS!

I don't have a thought for the day but a request: If anyone reading this is ever with me while i am shopping please, PLEASE don't let me buy Olive Bread. I love it. But I have no control over it. In the last 2 days I have eaten an entire loaf of olive bread :(

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
Originally uploaded by epursey

I made biscuits and gravy. Vegan style. It was AWESOME! The one type of meat i don't miss in the least is sausage. When i saw this recipe it intrigued me. I am not sure why, usually i would not eat sausage. Well i guess i had it not to long ago at stacks, which is our usual Sunday breakfast spot. I guess I though for sure it would be totally not the same. OH i was so wrong. I started by practicing vegan biscuits. I made 2 very good batches so the next step was the gravy. The first time I made it i did not break apart the vegan sausage before I cooked it. The gravy was very good but very chunky, which actually I did not mind. I was also worried about the soy milk making it taste strange. Again i was wrong. Of course I have been drinking soy milk for over 2 years so i think that may be why. The second time I made it I pulled pieces off the hunk before cooking. That seems to work really well. I thought John would not try it but I decided to offer him some but also offer to make him something else. He ate it! I really must give my husband more credit. He has been very patient and understanding of my non meat eating ways and vegan experiments :)

New glasses

New glasses
Originally uploaded by epursey

Guess what? I got new glasses. I am so excited which is silly because I mostly wear my contacts.

Petrified Forest - the giant

Petrified Forest - the giant
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here is one of the many trees we saw on the 1/2 mile walk. It was the perfect amount of walking and educational facts for all of us. The only freaky bit was all the signs warning to stay on path and the big scary rattle snack picture at the beginning of the walk. Max was reluctant to go once he saw the sign but we told him all would be well. And it was.

Boys sitting on a petrified log

Boys sitting on a petrified log
Originally uploaded by epursey

On the way home we decided to visit the Petrified Forest. It was very interesting. I have seen petrified wood before but to see a whole tree was cool.

Safair West - part 2

Well this is when we were in the bottom of the truck. We had the most amazing luck of coming upon a large group of Uodad Antelope.
They are very skiddish and in this video very hard to see. There were several babies in the group as well.

Safari Ride

This is the beginning of our tour when we were on top of the truck. The view was fantastic.

Safari West - Inside Cabin

Safari West - Inside Cabin
Originally uploaded by epursey

The tent cabins have real beds with sheets, a bathroom (shower included), and a spacious porch. We went on a safari tour then had dinner. Afterwards we fed the catfish leftovers. Hoping the more nighttime active beasts were up, we walked down to the smaller animal enclosures and saw the porcupines. On the way back to the cabin we noticed that marshmallows had been put out for the overnight guests to toast in the BBQ pit. We stopped and the boys roasted some marshmallows. Finally off to bed. What an amazing day.

Vacation!?

Safari West - Outside cabin
Originally uploaded by epursey

We accidentally went on a vacation. We did not plan on going anywhere because we did the pool this summer. Somehow we went anyway. it was a blast! John, the kids, John's parents and I went to Safari West. It is a zoo that you can stay in. I mean IN. Your cabins are right next to a large animal enclosure. Our cabin was way up high and we had a wonderful view of catfish lake.

Like Father, Like Son

Pursey Men at the Computer
Originally uploaded by epursey

Need i say more ;)

Pool Curing

Pool Curing
Originally uploaded by epursey

Now the pool is filled but no swimming yet. We have to sweep it 2-3 times a day. Right now it is very creamy and white. The goal is to sweep all the plaster dust to the filter intake. We will be able to swim next weekend but we will have to wash our feet before we go in. The plaster is still very porous so if we step on it with dirty, oily, sunscreeny feet we will leave stains on the pool surface. Curing takes about 14 days but after 7 if we are careful about washing our feet and not reentering with dirty feet we can swim.

Marble Magic

Max and John built a marble tower.

Pool Steps

Pool Steps
Originally uploaded by epursey

It is very hot here today. Over 100. We had to shade the steps with a tarp so the sun was not on them. We may have to bum some water off our neighbors. The plaster will crack if it gets to hot.

Spa

Spa
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here is the spa. I just can't believe how nice it looks.

Plaster is done!

Plaster is done!
Originally uploaded by epursey

Well we got our plaster done a day early. We were going to day camp today but the kids were sick last night and i was sick this morning so i called last night and said we were not going to be there. Dane our pool construction guy called last night and wanted to know if we could be here today to do plaster and since we were all sick i said, sure why not. It only took them about 2 hours.

Summer Camp

Max has been in summer camp the last couple of days. I am working there all week also. Derek is volunteering to. He will earn something for Boy Scouts. I think it is part of his community service stuff. It's a Cub Scout camp so Max will get belt loops for fishing, BB guns, archery, and his pin in archery.

I got the boys season passed at Raging waters (it's a water park). I think we are going to go after camp today.

Boys in Sprinkler

since we don't have the pool we had to come up with an alternate hot day plan.

Almost done

Almost done
Originally uploaded by epursey

Everything is done except plaster. They fixed the pool light. It wasn't really broken. We had a leak and the safty switch tripped like it should have and turned the light compleatly off. That is a good thing we just did not know it happened. So now it works again. The step is done in the hot tub and has been lowered. Lastly they plumbed for the waterfall. Oh! They are also going to seal the coping. So maybe someone will be here tomarrow. Come to think of it they need to put a drain cover on the waterfall intake so yeah not quite done. Plaster will be blown in on June 21, then we fill the pool with water and sweep for 12 days. We also have to check the chemicals everyday. So yes by July 4th we should be able to swim!!! Yay!

Ledge

IMG_2606
Originally uploaded by epursey

Here is a better view of the stone coping. Again it will be a bit darker once it is washed and sealed.