The summer is over

The 2010 Summer

The Snake River that runs by our place

Kimberly and Jon

The old railroad bridge over the snake river

The railroad bridge that we cross

with our 4-wheelers

4-wheeler trail through the pines

Our place in Island Park

This labor day weekend we went up to Island Park to get our trailer and get things put away for the winter season.

I always get teary eyed or even cry alittle every year when we get ready to leave but this year I was cooking breakfast outside on our new patio we made which turned out so nice if I say so myself, anyways I was looking out through the pines, listening the birds singing when I got caught up in a trance thinking of how much solitude and happiness our place makes me feel. I tried to hold back the tears but they over took me. I just wanted the summer to continue on and enjoy the days where we get up take the dog for a walk, come back fix some breakfast and start on a project (one day hopefully there won't be any projects...laugh ...yeah right!!) and then hop on a 4-wheeler and take a ride, or go boating down to the resevoir, or go fishing, or just sit under the trees and take in natures wonders around us (squirrels hopping around ..which entertains Kylie:), birds chirpping, or see a moose strangling down the road with her calf (pictures I posted earlier).

When we pull the trailer off our place it always looks so empty and lonely, everything is put away till spring. When we pull away the tears usually come, Scott almost on a tear himself calms me and pats me on the shoulder and says " I know its hard but we'll be back next year" then we go down the road with the trailer in tow in silience for a few miles or so.....

Remembering the summer we had.....

Mom and Landon

Landon just seems like he is growing leaps and bounds
this last month. Every time he is at our house he seems
to come up with a new experience that I am amazed at
and I turn around and call mommy at work to tell her the
new "ahh" moment he just done. So last Thursday I was
in the bathroom cleaning and he came to the door and
started to walk backwards into our bedroom and he just
started laughing so hard and had the biggest smile on his
face and his mind saying ... "YEP I JUST LEARNED
A NEW TRICK" then he walked backwards into the next
bedroom and then walked forward back to the bathroom,
and backwards down the hall. So throughout the day he
would just start walking into the next room backwards and
then he would walk forward and then backwards again.

Tonight after I took a shower I went to comb out my hair
and discovered my comb was missing, along with other
things that was missing when I went to go get them during
the week. So I went to the laundry hamper to look for my
comb (by this time your probably saying "what?")but to no
avail ..."No Comb"....but I found a ball, pepsi can, a
car, book and a hair clip. Scott was sitting on the edge of
the bed and just started laughing when I was taking the things
out one by one. Yes the hamper seems to be the
new plaything, he loves putting things in the hamper and garbage
bins. Missing doggie treats.....they were in the hamper
earler this week. Last night his big yellow truck was in the
bathroom garbage can. I eventually found my comb under
his playpen in the other bedroom.

So Sunday while Jon was helping Scott work on the garage, Kimberly

started to read her magazine and Landon wanted to read also, so I

went and got his book and so the both of them read their books together.

Coupon Mama!!

So this week I was looking at the local grocery ads and then was skipping through the coupons (which I am always looking for good deals using coupons) and seen a deal with Libby's canned vegetables. Macey's/Associated foods had Libby's vegetables on sale for 3/1.00 and with the coupon out of the redplum circular from the mail this week you can get them FREE!! So I had a few circular's from friends so I cashed them in and found a few more and ended up with 54 cans of beans and corn...which was a savings of $39.42 (their regularly 73 cents a can).

Also on Facebook you could go to Ball Park Franks and click on "like" and you could receive a coupon for $2.00 and you can print 2 of them. So I went through my circulars I had remembered someone had them on sale...Albertson's had the Beef Ball Park Franks on bonus buy and you saved $3.50 on each package and they were on sale for $1.99 so I got 2 packages FREE for a savings of $10.98. Also on the shelf by the hot dogs had an ad that read "buy 2 pkg of Ball Park hot dogs, get a bag of Doritos Free in circular" I went to the front of the store and sure enough there was a coupon for Free Doritos for a savings of $2.50 YEAH!!!

Also cashed in coupons for can cat food Buy 1/Get 1 Free and 2 packages of sample dry cat food Free coupons for a savings of 3.98/2...and 83 cents/can for a savings $4.81.

I bought a few other items on sale with coupons so at the end of the day I got $82.33 worth of groceries and spent $10.28 for a savings of:::::

"""""$72.05"!!!

I usually get 10 to 20 dollars savings when shopping so I was really proud of myself this time. I think I earned my keep for this week anyways:)

Landon

In my last post I mentioned how Landon went boating when he was 5 weeks old. So I went back and found some photo's that we had taken.

Looking at these pictures he was so tiny. I can't believe how he has changed in a year.

Landon 5 weeks old

Landon with his life vest on.

The vest is as big as he was



Ahhhhh....he was sleeping like a bug in a rug

He was a month old here

He has been such a blessing in our family. Being a grandma and grandpa has been one of the most cherished moments in our lives.

Landon in Island Park

Spending time in Island Park has been a way we spend time as a family during summer and winter vacations. Scott has been going up to Idaho with his mom and dad since he was a little boy.

Scott and my first summer vacation was going to Lava Hot Springs, then going up through Yellowstone Park and fishing on Yellowstone Lake, that is where I caught my first fish.

Since 1980 Island Park has been our second home. We have had numerous family and friends go up and stay with us. We have shown them many of our favorite places like Island Park reservoir where you can waterski or go tubing on, John Sacks cabin where you can see trophy fish and a moose or two, 4-wheeling trails that we can ride a 100 miles a day and never see the same trail, Sawtelle mtn (on top of a mtn) where the pine trees smell crisp and green and you can look down on the whole valley and be in ahh, Mesa Falls, Earthquake Lake, Henry's lake where you can get trophy fish, or just float down the snake river all day (slow current) and get out by our place. .

Every year we go up as much as we can to relax and get away from the busy life we live everyday here ...but we always have a few projects that we try to do while we're there.

Kimberly and Shauna was born knowning Island Park like the back of their hand. We took Kimberly snowmobiling when she was a year old up to West Yellowstone where we traveled to Old Faithful seeing buffalo, elk, swan's along the way.

Shauna was a month old when we took our parents motorhome into Yellowstone Park for a week.

So we have just raised our children enjoying the outdoors. Last year we took Landon up when he was 5 weeks old and went boating on Island Park resevoir. This year he was walking around picking up pine cones and learned how to throw rocks into the lake. So we have a new generation enjoying what we love so much and hope they pass on this legacy to their children.

Landon exploring nature

Jon and Landon

Landon chasing the dog around


Kimberly giving Landon a ride in his wagon

Landon getting rocks to throw into the lake

Landon at Cliff lake

New Blog

I am so excited to be getting my blog designed
the way I want. Thanks to Kimberly helping me
through it yesterday while she was here visiting.
I still need to work on a few other spots but its
taking shape. But its starting out to be something
exciting that I can share with my family and
friends. Hope everyone that reads it will enjoy it.

Busy, Busy....

I am sure we all feel at times that we are passing ourselves as were coming and going. We're all usually busy most of the time and then there are the

other times that we're more busy than we know how to keep up. We have had a few projects going this summer that we're trying to get done before the snow

flies. We took off the addition on to our garage, the cement had cracked and was

buckling and was moving the walls away from the garage so we decided to tear it down and build alot better floor with a opening so we can drive through the

garage and into our backyard (since the side of the house is limited to 8 ft opening which accomidates the trucks and 4-wheeler trailer but we'd like to able to take our boat in and out which won't fit through the side of the house).

Then in Idaho we just changed the electrical wiring which we have been working

for a few weeks on also. We finally got that done a couple weeks ago but now were going to put down some pavers to make a cooking patio outdoors and have been making flower beds around the trees to make more a pathway around the trailer and shed. Scott also dug out a hole around the water faucet (comes out of the ground from the well) and put some gravel and then cobble stone on top so when the faucet is on the water goes through the stones and doesn't make a

water puddle to stand in anymore. I took some pictures of it because it turned out so nice that I wanted to post them to show everyone how it turned out.....but I left the camera on the end table in the trailer and forgot it to pick it up on our way out of the trailer to come home, so next week I'll get it when we go back up and then post the pictures.

Then there are the everyday stuff that comes up that you have to deal with, like getting the truck inspected and registered for July. Of course we had to go buy a battery which is typical, it seems we buy a battery every year for a vehicle, 4-wheeler, or boat. Last year it was a battery for our Chysler 300 which was a $150.00 expense.

I have been busy this summer that I finally just fertizled our lawn last week, which I usually do in May.

Been doing washing for a week straight and feel like the neighbors are dropping theirs off because their is no end in sight STILL!!! (Done washing from the trip to Idaho, blanklets, changed the beds, typical towels and everyday wear) 16 washes and more to go.

Anyone bored can come to my house I have a few flower beds that need to be weeded out or finish painting the ceiling in the front room, steam clean the carpet in the front room, hallway and stairs.

Well I guess I better get off and go get something done. It is just more fun and enjoyable to do this than work:)