Kansas, Pratt - Thursday, September 25, 2014 - Closet Cleaning

I decided to not put off the “something in, something out” process since I bought 5 pairs of shorts yesterday.  Once I got started on the purging process things got a little messy.

I did eventually get it sorted out and back in order again.  I found a few things I had forgotten I had – just like going shopping in your own closet

 

 

 

 

I ended up getting rid of 10 tops and 7 pairs of jeans.  When I told Greg what I was getting rid of and that I still had 8 pairs of jeans he didn’t say “good job, babe”, he only said “you had 15 pairs of jeans in there?”  Granted that was too many and I probably still have too many, but that is a topic for researching after the next shopping trip.

Kansas, Pratt - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - Minor Repairs

We went to Great Bend today to pick up the washers we ordered for our stove burners.  When they were installed our problem still wasn’t solved.  One of the burners has a flame around the igniter, the other two don’t.  The last time we changed the washers the flame around the igniter seemed to disappear, but not this time.  I can still use the burner, we just prefer it works right.  We’ll have to check into another solution.

We stopped in Wal-Mart to pick up Greg’s favorite soft drink and while we were there I noticed they had a huge summer clothes clearance going on.  They must have just set this up because they weren’t picked over at all.  I found five pairs of shorts for only $3 each – originally $14 to $16 dollars.  I’m a happy camper!!  However, now I have to stick to my plan of “something in, something out”, got to figure out what goes.  I have several pairs of jeans I haven’t worn in the past year, they may be my target.

One of the shelf brackets where I store pots and pans let loose and was letting the shelf slip to one side.  The original brackets are plastic and look like this.

 

 

They work fine for a while, but after a while the ledge begins to give way as in the bracket on the right.  With the shelf on it it will bend down much further letting the shelf slip.

Greg replaced the original brackets with metal ones normally used for heavier book shelves.  He put brackets on both sides so they provide extra support for the pots and pans.  I’m pleased with the results.

 

 

 

I tried a new recipe this afternoon – Muffin Tin Apple Pies.  The original recipe made 24 little pies, we really didn’t need 24 little pies so I cut the recipe down to 6.  They are really good so I thought I would share the recipe.

 

 

Muffin Tin Apple Pies

Mix together:

2 c. apples, peeled and chopped (I used 2 Fuji apples because they were what I had but they don’t cook down really well, still good)

3 T. all-purpose flour

3/8 c. sugar (I used 3 T. Truvia baking blend)

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

Cut 6 circles from one Pillsbury pie crust (one half box).  I used a red solo cup to cut the circles.  Pinch the edges of the dough to make a little “hammock” over six regular size muffin cups.  Fill the hammock with the apple mix and push it down to fill the muffin cups, it should be slightly mounded.

Cut 1 T. chilled butter into 6 pieces and place a piece on top of the apple mixture.

The recipe says to place pie crust scraps on top and brush with melted butter.  But, I had already tossed the scraps before I read that part.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Kansas, Pratt - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Lemon Park

Greg and I had to spend some time this morning getting paperwork done to change our mailing address.  The mail forwarding service we use in South Dakota moved which means we have an address change.  Hopefully, this doesn’t happen often, it’s been a hassle even though we don’t receive a lot of mail because people and businesses still need to know what our correct address is.  We had to fill out a new form for the post office and that document had to be notarized so we had to track down a notary.  All in all we have been very pleased with our mail forwarding service, Dakota Post (previously Alternative Resources) out of Sioux Falls, S.D.  They also help us with our vehicle registrations and point us in the right direction for other services needed by fulltime RV’rs.

This afternoon I picked up the grandkids, Wyatt and Cheyanne after school and headed to Lemon Park.

Cheyanne is like a little monkey on the rings and bars.

 

 

 

Wyatt amused himself with some trick dribbling up and down the picnic tables.

 

 

After a stop for a soft drink we found a basketball court so Wyatt could practice his shooting.  Grandma is no match for him, I can’t hit the broad side of a barn.  I am, however, very good at blocking his shots.  We ran around the court like a couple of fools until grandma got tired.

This evening we are “pup sitting” while David is gone.  She would normally be in her pen on his covered porch, but tonight it is getting ready to storm, wind is blowing hard and there is lightening so we took pity on her.

Kansas, Pratt - Monday, September 22, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRANDSON TYLER!!

Last night everyone had a puppy in our coach but us.  David found an abandoned little shih Tzu about a week ago.  He has put out the word everywhere he can think of to try to find her owner, but no luck.  She is now totally enthralled with David.

Tyler and Rachel have a new addition to their family, Koda.  She is a mini Australian shepherd and is 10 weeks old.

Tyler is 21 – an adult, so his birthday gifts have changed.  This year he got a little bit of curb appeal and some of his “honey do” list accomplished.

We spent the morning putting in some railroad ties and fresh compost for flower beds.  The mum and pumpkin were last minute additions.

 

 

 

This afternoon we (mostly Greg) put up the picture display that Rachel put together for his birthday.

 

 

Kansas, Pratt - Saturday, September 20, 2014 - Hanging Out with Grandkids

Grandkids Wyatt and Cheyanne were knocking on the door about 9:00 this morning – they were here for breakfast.  After that they were comfortable just hanging out for a while.

 

We had to go to Great Bend, about 45 minutes away to get some prescriptions refilled.  While we were there we stopped at the local RV dealer which is also an Atwood dealer to see if we could get a washer for one of the burners on our gas stove.  No luck, it’s a special order item and the shipping is more than the part.  Since this appears to be one of the only things that could wear out on the gas stove it is beyond me why they don’t keep at least one in stock if they are an Atwood dealer.  I’ve been doing just fine cooking with just two burners so I’m inclined to just go ahead as is until we find someone who actually has it in stock.

Looks like we might get some storms, this is the view from our front window. 

The sunset is really prettier this evening than what is shown in this picture.

Kansas, Sawyer - Friday, September 19, 2014 - House Painting

Grandson Tyler moved to Kansas from Indiana in April to work with his Uncle David.  He was living with David until his girlfriend, Rachel, moved to Kansas (also from Indiana) in early September.  Both Tyler and Rachel are working fulltime.  And, since Tyler is farming, his hours are long.

They found a rental house they could afford, but it needs some work.  We decided we could help make it a little more appealing by putting a coat of paint on the outside.  We’ve worked all week and got the job finished today.

Before.

 

After.

 

 

We think it made quite a difference.

We treated ourselves to dinner in Pratt this evening at the Club D’Est. 

Kansas, Hutchison - Sunday, September 14, 2014 - Kansas State Fair

I’ve not posted for the last week, we’ve been busy just not too much blog worthy.  I’ve been to see granddaughter Cheyanne at gymnastics class.  I sat in with grandson Wyatt and Cheyanne while they took piano lessons.   Cheyanne is just beginning and Wyatt is getting quite good.  We’ve had a couple of cookouts and son David and the grandkids joined us for breakfast on Saturday morning.

On Sunday we headed out with David and the kids, grandson Tyler and his girlfriend Rachel to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchison, about an hour away.

This is the group as we arrived at the fair.

 

 

This one Rachel took so I would be in the picture.  I think the picture looked much better with her in it J 

 

 

Here we are in search of food.

 

 

After eating we all went in different directions for a while.  Greg and I chose to see the livestock exhibits.  They have really nice livestock barns here.  This longhorn was my favorite.

 

On our way to see the butter sculpture we walked through the fruit and vegetable displays.

 

A butter sculpture has been at the Kansas State Fair since 1983.  It takes 800 to 1400 pounds of unsalted butter and about 85 hours to complete a sculpture.  The butter is reused for four years, it is stored in a local freezer between fairs.  It is kept in in refrigerated display case during the fair which makes it hard to photograph, but I guess otherwise there would just be a butter puddle.

 

 

The truck and tractor pulls were held during the afternoon so we decided to watch for a while.

However, the rides held more appeal for Wyatt and Cheyanne

Even with all of the kids running through this fun house I managed to get Wyatt and Cheyanne (background) in the same picture.

Wyatt waited his turn on the giant ferris wheel.

Cheyanne was excited about the swings.

 

 

 

I don’t remember the name of this ride but I managed to get a good picture of Wyatt and Cheyanne so I wanted to include it.

 

 

Cheyanne went on this ride three times.  It was a ride intended for kids so it wasn’t as aggressive as the adult version.  It took the riders up and then dropped them quickly.  She soon realized that if she watched it reach the top she would know when the drop was going to happen.

 

 

 

They talked Dad into going on the final ride of the day.

 

 

Kansas, Pratt - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - Pratt County Lake

This morning we walked the 1.16 miles around the lake before it got hot.  Supposed to be in the low 90s later with strong winds.  The campground at the lake is where we stayed last year when we were in Pratt.  At that time the sites were $15 a day.  The pull-through and back in sites have electric and water.  There are public restrooms and an RV dump.  The whole facility is very well kept.  This is the playground area.

 

 

I don’t know how large the lake is, we’ve seen small fishing boats and sailboats on it.

 

 

 

There are lots of piers around the lake with covered picnic areas and fire pits.

 

 

There is a large island in the middle of the lake where they shoot off fireworks every July 4^th.

 

We weren’t the only one out enjoying the sunshine this morning.

 

 

Can you guess which way the wind normally blows?