Trapping...by Riley

First batch to take to the fur buyer...

8 coons and 3 coyotes.

Combing out blood and dirt.

Second trip to the fur buyer...

15 coons.

This was the worst season in the past 4 years. I was trapping in a promising, new area with plenty of coyote signs, but after a week they disappeared. It took a bunch of gas to run the trapline. I caught plenty of raccoons, but they were selling for only $1 this year. The majority of them were accidental catches in coyote and bobcat sets. Coyotes ranged from $2 to $20. Unfortunately, no big cats!

Soup, Casserole, & Freezer Crockpot Meals (New Recipes of the Week~14)

Italian White Bean & Spinach Soup

We liked the flavor of this soup and it used up frozen garden squash. Double bonus!

Find the original recipe that I tried by clicking on the recipe title.

Nana's Chili Rellenos

1 can (27 oz.) whole green chilies, drained

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 eggs

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1/4 c. flour

1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese cubes

Slice chilies in half and remove seeds. Arrange in a 9 x 13. Sprinkle with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, and flour, until smooth; pour over cheese. Bake 350* for 30 minutes. Whisk tomato sauce and taco seasoning until blended; pour over casserole. Place cheese cubes on top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until top is set. 

I used fresh chilies, homemade taco seasoning blend, left off the sharp cheddar, and cooked it on the stove rather than baking this dish. It was tasty.

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

With avocado, cilantro, and lime juice this sounded yummy, but was just too strange of a combination added to sweet potatoes.

Freezer Crockpot Meal preparation. 

Our local homeschool group planned an afternoon of assembling freezer meals. We each brought our own ingredients & recipes from various blog posts, and chopped away. Annie helped me make 10 meals in about 2 hours...All.New.Recipes. We liked the Pineapple Chicken Burritos, Creamy Italian Pasta Soup, Honey Chicken, and Southwest Chicken Soup.

I had several gallon bags of frozen garden tomatoes I'd never canned, that were used up in these meals. I also used some of the chickens we butchered this spring and deer roasts that were in our freezer too. It was a good learning experience and I hope to try again with some different recipes.

Thunder Basketball 2015-2016

In early fall, Riley jammed his middle left finger while catching a basketball at open gym. It tore the tendon and healed into a crooked drooping mallet finger. He got an x-ray, splint, and instructions not to play basketball for 6 weeks, just at the beginning of season.

Needless to say, he didn't get much playing time until January. These are some of the better pictures from the last half of the season. Our home games are at the Municipal Building and Blythe Fitness Center. We can do concessions at the Municipal games...chili dogs or nachos, anyone?

We traveled to Beatrice, Nebraska for a 2-day tournament. Riley was in the starting line-up for one of those games.

Recently he tied as the second high-scorer with 11 points one game. He has come a long way since the summer of last year (videos tell the tale)!

Random Photos in January

Some photos just don't need any description...

And some need a little more explaining...

Ohio cousins come to visit! The game of "occupation" occupied the morning.

 A walk-through of the Pratt Historical Museum filled the afternoon.

Coloring books and baths were the evening routine.

Our resident painter finished white-washing the garage ceiling and walls. 

He also added color to dear daughter's room, on a turquoise accent wall.

Christmas coupon redeemed! Ice cream sundae party night was a tasty event.

 Flowers from friends made a refreshingly-lovely table centerpiece for most of the month, reminding us of God's love through relationships: family, spouses, and new friends. Marriage. It is well worth investing time to learn how to improve, and a blessing to share it with others!