Electric pressure cooker and new carpeting

Our week has been full.

I found out I will be teaching freshmen seminary again, though I won't know who or how many are in my class until Sunday night's Seminary Kick-Off (7 pm Tolas St building).

An interesting program note for Seminary--due to the charter school's 4 day school week, we will only be having seminary Mondays through Thursdays. I'm quite excited about it. They've added 15 minutes to those days (it will start at 6:45 instead of 7:00), so we actually will be spending 15 more minutes a week in seminary. I doubt I'll be able to sleep in on Fridays, but it will still be nice.

While I was at my mom's last month, I ordered an electric pressure cooker from Amazon that was on sale. It does more than just pressure cook. It can be used as a slow cooker, a rice cooker, and it can saute. It also has a yogurt setting, which I used today--it even scalds the milk for you.

I made my steel cut oats in it the other morning--no babysitting the oats while they cook. I've also made polenta and clam chowder in it. I love it. Check it out at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FLYWNYQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Making yogurt

While I've been playing with my new toy and working on getting ready for Seminary, Glen and the boys have been busy ripping out our carpeting. We ordered the new carpet and flooring and they should arrive at the store maybe as early as Monday, but we don't know yet when it will all be installed.

the office and hallway after the guys got through with it

the family room is now full of the things we had to move

Ryan didn't get his bed back together in time for sleep the other night, so he slept on a chair. It didn't look comfy to me, but Chloe kept him company.

a boy and his sister's dog

And today is the last day of our 2nd "No Treats Challenge." Wow. I keep thinking how grateful I am that Hannah came up with that idea. Alex wants to wait until school starts before we have round 3. I think the boys might be planning on pigging out a bit this week. That's not my plan, but I'm definitely planning on having some Reese's cups.

And it sounds like Alex is planning on playing a lot of games this week and he is looking for other players. He wants me to invite you all to come and play with him...especially if you are a boy around his age and has the game "Ashes" to bring with you...

vacation photos

So, I'm home for the first time in 4 weeks and can download photos to my computer to post on my blog. I love being able to take photos on my Kindle and so easily post them to my blog, but it really doesn't take the best pictures.

First off are photos from when we were camping with Glen's family at the beginning of July. Then there are photos from my 3 weeks in Oregon. My sister and I surprised our mother for her birthday (which isn't until August) and then I stayed on. Glen and the boys came the last week of July and I left with them. Hannah is still there.

Camp Conery, Lake Almanor, California:

Some photos Andrew and Heather sent to us:

Hannah and Henry (who was almost 3 months old here)

Heather and Henry at Lake Almanor

Andrew and Henry

Henry doesn't seem to be as pleased to be with us as we are to be with him

Some of my photos:

square dancing is a Perazzo reunion tradition

I forget which dance this was...maybe it was the Virginia Reel

still dancing, though I'm not sure which move Ryan is busting out

doing the Bunny Hop when Andrew, Heather, and Henry arrived, so they hopped on over to the car

Henry and Glen getting acquainted

Great-grandma Perazzo getting her turn in with Henry

4 generations of Perazzo men

Hannah and I took a quick trip into California to go shopping. Crescent City is about a half-hour drive from my parents' place.

Crescent City, California:

The lighthouse is on the little island in the middle of this photo

Brookings, Oregon (well, my parent's house is actually in Harbor, Oregon):

one of the presents Denise gave mom was this adorable crab

Hannah borrowed someone's guitar so she could chill with it

walking down to the harbor includes passing this wall which is often covered in chalk art

 Since we didn't make it to the Japanese bomb site on our visit in June, Glen tried again. He and Eric were successful, though there isn't much to see, apparently.

Eric at the trail head (at the end of a 16 mile drive up a dirt road).

Glen at the marker indicating the site of where one of four Japanese bombs was dropped by airplane on the continental United States during WW II.   The bomb was an incendiary type that was intended to start a forest fire.
However, due to damp weather at that time, the fire did very little damage.

And since I spent 3 weeks by the ocean, I figure I better post a photo or two of the beautiful Pacific.

And now it's back to my normal routine, whatever that is. The next 2 weeks before school starts will be filled with getting ready for the new year in Seminary.