A portrait a week for a year.
This week- learning to go down the slide head first.  So very daring!

Banana chips are super easy.  They key is to slice the banana consistently (which I have a hard time doing).  I slice them about about an 1/8" thick.  Then give them a quick dip in a half lemon juice half water mixture (to keep them from browning) then lay them on the dehydrator tray.  I put the tray on a cookie sheet to catch the lemon juice drips.
Check your dehydrator guide for times.  I set ours for 15 hours with the vent closed and then check them for desired doneness.  I don't like them crunchy.  I like them with a little chew.  This batch was in the dehydrator for 18 hours.  The basement smells of bananas!  Mmmmm.
After the bananas have cooked to your desired doneness, pop them off the tray and munch away.  I pulled these out and have not been able to stop eating these sweet little things!

We were gifted a dehydrator from my in-laws.  They had an old one sitting in their garage they didn't use and we were the lucky recipients.  

Shared with: Independence Days Challenge

Once I had the hat finished and was sewing on the crocheted flower I noticed that I had neglected to slip the wrap (from the wrap and turn) back into the knitting.  I decided that since it was a consistent pattern throughout the hat, I would just leave it and pretend it was supposed to be there.   I made the 3-6 month size hat and used Paton's silk bamboo yarn.  I'm hoping that means this sweet baby girl will be able to wear it all winter.

A portrait a week for a year.
This week:  Climbing on the airplanes at a hangar BBQ party.

Joining with SouleMama.

 Another project I have going is my September square for the square swap group.  I thought I would tackle cables since I've not done them in forever.  The back of the Sylvi I'm knitting is all cables and practice is good!  The cable in this square is the only thing I'm doing from pattern.  The rest of the square I made up to make it 12 inches long.  It's not difficult, but it is something that I can't do around a two year old.  I need to pay a bit more attention to the pattern on this one.  Which leads me to think that I'll need some quiet knitting time when I start the back of my sweater.
 On the book front, I'm reading Far from Home.  It was a book given to me by a friend.  It is just ok.  It's a bunch of stories that are interwoven together to make one big story.  I've got about 25 pages left and then waiting in the wings is the next Jo MacKenzie book, Needles and Pearls.  I tore through the first book The Beech Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club (it was a quick read chic lit book).  So I'm excited to read the next one.
Happy Yarn Along Wednesday!

 The pumpkins and kale didn't fair any better.
 But at least there are some pumpkins turning orange.  I'll wait a while to pull those.
 And while everything got a little beat up, for the most part we are still enjoying the bounty!  This is more potatoes than we've gotten in the last two years combined and I haven't finished digging them up.
 The tomatoes will become sauce.  We'll probably just eat the cucumbers as salad.
Usually this is a busy time of year in the garden, but everything has been slow this year.  With the crazy weather we've had, it's more important to watch the weather and know when to get out the frost blankets for those straggler veggies!

This is Coal Creek Canyon and it is the canyon I grew up in.  There are several spots the highway is washed out and this is (I believe) the first one.   My parents went up the house on Saturday to check on it and had to go up Clear Creek Canyon and around.  But at the time they were able to get there.  A neighbor called them yesterday to tell them the dirt road to the house has been washed out.  My dad was headed up today to check on the damage to the road.  And that's if he can get there. We've since heard that the canyon is closed at the top (close to where the house is) because the road is washed out.

So many people are stranded.  We have some friends who can't leave their house because there is no road to town.  They are safe and have food and water, so they are lucky.  Others aren't so.  My heart goes out to them.  There is just so much devastation and damage.  I know you can't prepare for a flood and a flash flood is just that.  A flash.  There was no warning.  There was just water.  Lots and lots of water.  Mother Nature seems to be very angry right now.   And she wins every time.

As I type this the sun is trying to come out.  Come on Sunshine.  We've missed you!

A portrait a week for a year.
This week:  Dance like no one is watching!

*  Last week Corrine came into our room while I was making the bed.  It was 7:33am.  She looked at the clock, gasped a little and said, "oh my.  It's 9:02.  I'm late for work."  Then she turned and left.  I laughed my butt off.

*  Last week it was in the upper 90's which is way too hot.  Especially for September.  This week it has been in the 60's.  That would be perfect.  Except is has been raining every day.  The back yard is getting spongy.  Streets are flooding.  A mile west of us, the streets had to be plowed.   They got a foot of hail!  Crazy!

*  I'm trying to decide if it is time to cut out Corrine's nap.  I think she still needs one mid day.  The problem, however, is at night.  She seems to be staying up later and later.  There are nights we'd like to go to bed early (especially if we have an early wake up).  She will get out of bed a half a dozen times and she uses all of the time honored tricks to stay up...potty, thirsty, monsters, etc.

*  Grace (the Ameraucana chicken) started laying eggs the end of last week.  Tiny little pinkish/beige eggs.  Her eggs are not as brown as the Buff Orpingtons eggs, but I thought Ameraucanas laid blue/green eggs.  Who cares though.  They are still tasty!

A portrait a week for a year.
This week:  Corrine's first day of pre-school.

Buckets have so many uses.  But in our house this bucket has two very important uses-- pet water dish and garden watering.  The bucket lives in our bathroom tucked into a corner next to the vanity.

I got my bucket almost ten years ago when I went to the home and garden show.  It is from Denver Water.  The idea behind the bucket is this: put the bucket in your bathtub and when you turn the water on to get warm for your shower, the water fills the bucket instead of going down the drain.  Then you can use the bucket of water to water plants and pets, mop the floor, or wash the car.  You get the idea.

Our house was built in 1946 and it takes a gallon of water minimum (and that's if you are the second shower) to get hot water flowing to the tub.  The bucket holds a little over two gallons of water.  I have used this bucket daily to water pots of flowers, plants, roses, the garden and grass.  It's not a lot but I know the water doesn't get wasted.  Plus the dogs and cats drink out of it.  Why on earth would they drink out of their respective water bowls when the communal bucket works just fine?

Shared:  Independence Day Challenge

 On the book front, I started a new knitting book.  It's a chic lit book that takes place in England.  I'm loving it so far.  It's a light, easy, fun read.  And apparently it's the first in a series.  I must find the others!
I'm almost finished with City of Bones by Michael Connelly, which is good because it is due back to the library in 3 days.  That is one of the things I don't like about reading on my ipad.  I checked out this ebook from the library, but ebooks are not renewable.  I have to return it and then check it out again.  I'm not sure if that is the case with all public libraries or just the Denver Public Library.

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday!

A portrait a week for a year.
This week: The napping essentials- Pat the Bunny, a fleece blanket and green velour Christmas pants.