1st Grade!

There is nothing quite like back to school!

Maci is in 1st grade this year…wow where did my blond baby go?
I love back to school. There is something to be said for all the new stuff; new clothes, shoes, coats, backpack, supplies. What’s not to love about back to school? I love school and office supplies, I have always enjoyed having a few fun office supplies around. I’m “that” lady that still highlights everything.
Maci was a little nervous to start 1st grade but once we got to the school and she saw all her friends and we saw her teacher, she was fine. I know we’re going to have a great year! For Maci the best part is that her dear friend Paycee is now going to Sandstone too! She thinks that’s the best.

Ice cream trucks and their silly music...

Last night I stood outside on my deck and looked up at the slow moving marshmallow white clouds. It was one of those days you really didnt want to move, just sit around and sip iced tea or lemonade, eat ice cream, and soak up the sun while reading a good book.

Speaking of ice cream, the ice cream truck came to our neighborhood. Maci can hear the music of that ice cream truck miles away. She is so excited the ice cream truck has officially found her again after the move!



Summer will soon be gone but as for today…we will enjoy ice cream!

Montana Fair week

One of my favorite words has always been “free.” Free food, free time, free for all—all good things. In this case I’m focusing on free as in “Get into the Fair for free,” also a very good thing. The Credit Union I work for rewards the staff with 4 free gate passes each year, what a treat! (Don’t get me wrong I’m not a hand out kind of girl, but free is nice)

Soooo here in Billings Montana it is Fair Week!! Kid screamin’, ride swingin’, fried eatin’, pocket drainin’ fair week.

Who does not look forward to fair week? The Fair has gotten rave reviews this year from those who have visited. Due to the tornado they have returned to acts under the stars and people love it! The food vendors also broke records beyond their dreams. It is great to see such a successful event. It seems that in the past few years we have been down a few rides, not this year all the rides I have so many memories riding as a kid/teen were there...the hemalaya, the Thunderbolt (with loud 80's music)and as always the Zipper (makes me smile).

Maci got to go to the fair with her friend Halley and her family early in the week while Kyle and I had a date night (using our FREE gate passes) to go down and eat. We all know that fair food is complete junk and totally bad for you, but totally delicious.

Last night I took her and the little girl from next-door. We meet up with a coworker and her daughter that Maci has been friends with for several years now; the 3 girls had so much fun.

To end fair week for our family I went for lunch today. A marketing group I’m in meets for lunch at the fair every year! Great to see everyone and try a deep fat fried snickers!!

Gather ‘Round the Table

Growing up I remember some of our fondest conversations happening over the dinner table. But at our house now, its dinnertime and Maci has soccer practice (or of the like depending on the season) and Kyle is likely still at work.

Fast food is high on the priority list, or a sandwich thrown together and eaten on the run. I recently had someone tell me to make a bunch of PBJ’s and freeze them to make things even quicker…crazy how busy we become we can’t even find the time to make a PBJ. But in reality I am often found eating dinner at 8 or 9 at night in order to get everything done after work. Even if I do prepare a meal because I truly love to cook, so many times everyone will eat at different times; the typical scenario for many households these days. Our fast paced lives leave us little time for meals that are shared with everyone in the family. But eating together regularly can be a wonderful source of family time, a way of slowing down and keeping a family in contact during a hectic week. I just don’t want to let go of the good old fashioned time at the table, we just may need to compromise and make it breakfast on the weekends.

Pull up the chairs, serve up the breakfast on Sunday morning and have a good laugh or two with everyone. As I told you yesterday this past Sunday I was so excited about my photography class I photographed our breakfast! Maci helped make French toast.

Kyle has been working early mornings lately so that means he is home for dinner. You have no idea how this simple little element excites me! Dinner at home, all together! Tonight we are making breakfast for dinner. Kyle has already offered to stop at the store and pick up a few items we will need to make dinner on his way home from work. Last night was a leftovers night! It was a major smorgus board of items out of the refrigerator to combine a meal. It feels nice to get things cleaned out of their once in a while but we all ate together. We are working on Maci’s table manners before she ends up at a friend’s house eating with their family, and I windup morally embarrassed that she does not use her table manners; a result solely blamed on us always eating on the go. It is so cute to hear her ask if she may be excused from the table.

"...nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should."
— Julia Child

A text to Kyle: I’m in heaven!

What an amazing weekend; and really what else can I say other than AMAZING. Amazing in every way. I got to take a photography class from THEE one and only Karen Russell. www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com. Karen is remarkable! The class was astonishing. Starting at 9 am-9pm I really enjoyed every piece of it!
I have been following Karen’s blog for some time now. I feel like I knew her but have never met her. She was just how I thought she would be. Aside from her photography talent she is an incredible teacher. There are many people who are good photographers, but in order to share your wealth of info you have to be a step above the rest. And trust me, Karen is an AMAZING TEACHER! She is full of energy, and pure excitement... her love of photography just shines through. Better yet Karen’s love for her family glows off of her. This woman speaks so highly of her family. That’s who I want to be!! I want to be the woman who walks into a room and EVERYONE in that room knows how in love with my family I am…that’s me!

The day began with a text to Kyle just 10 minutes into class letting him know I was already in heaven! He was too; he was with his parents in West Yellowstone at the Rod Run Car Show. It has always been one of my favorite car shows other than the fact that we have to leave at 4 or 5am. This year my adorable father in-law offered to stay the night in Big Sky if I was going so we didn’t have to get up so early. A few years back we got up at the wee hours of the morning and Kyle was sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast and I came down to talk to him and passed out…wow the weirdest thing ever. I had taken a mussel relaxer for my back the night before but I don’t know and will likely never know just exactly what caused that, I guess my blood does not pump right at 5am. It scared the daylights out of both of us and I felt so icky the rest of the day. But this year I was getting a glimpse of what heaven is like in Karen’s photography class so Kyle and the “rents” enjoyed a day just the 3 of them.

With that said…I’m no longer shooting in Auto!!

Sunday morning I even photographed our breakfast I was so excited about everything I had learned on Saturday. The cake you see pictured was made by Lovely who works at Sisters on Grand.


Lovely made this cake for Karen as Karen often says “it’s a cake issue” you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Only in Montana can Karen have her cake and eat it too!

This is Angie, she was my class partner...and so much fun! Angie owns Luvletters and Design. She is also a VERY talented girl.

This is my first Blog hop!!! Thank you so much for stopping by. I look forward to meeting all my new blogger friends.