Monthly Archives: July 2008

When we were in Dubuque and stopped at the Calico Bean Market shop, they were selling little bags of just the marshmallows from Lucky Charms.  It is very funny to just see a bag of them without any of the actual cereal bits, though it is probably just about every 8 year-old’s dream.  I immediately decided to get them to see how they would work in Rice Krispie Bars.  Well, I’ll tell you how they work – awesomely.  I melted regular marshmallows and butter and added that to the already combined rice krispies and rainbow marshmallows.  Stirred everything up and mashed it into a pan, then sprinkled a few more of the fun marshmallows over the top.  I did add a little salt and vanilla into the melted marshmallow mixture as well to try to cut some of the sweetness.  These are probably the tastiest rice krispie bars ever.  Especially if you grew up on Lucky Charms.  And they are obviously way prettier than regular rice krispies (and luckier, of course).

This was definitely a weekend of watching golf.  On Saturday we drove down to Milwaukee to watch the US Bank Championship.  Our friend Clay works for US Bank and has hooked us up with great corporate tickets for the last few years.  This typically gets us into a great parking lot and into the corporate tent area, which means free food, drinks, and ice cream.  Definitely a treat!  While the weather wasn’t the greatest this year and rained off and on, there were a few hours that it held off and we were able to walk throughout the course and follow a number of groups of players.  Some of the names that I recognized and watched included Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell, and Bill Haas.  

I can hardly believe that in two weeks I will be in Peru (specifically Chincha, south of Lima).  PERU!  It has gone from several months to 14 days in the blink of an eye.  I am officially in the “antsy” phase before I travel.  I am a details person when we do some major travel.  I like all my tickets and such in a certain portfolio, all my toiletries bought and packed (I LOVE mini tubes of toothpaste, mini lotions, mini everything!), and typically have an extensive list of what needs to be packed and how.  Really.  I can get a little neurotic about this – but I also love it.  I like thinking that I’ll be prepared for anything.  This is never the case with missions trips.  My last trip to Kentucky my deodorant cracked open on the second day and smashed all over the floor – and it was about 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity.  And wouldn’t you know it, one of the students on the trip packed an extra stick of the exact same kind I use.  Fancy that.  It all comes down to the fact that I will never be prepared for this trip and everything that will happen, but it is fantastic knowing that God will be completely prepared and can cover all our mishaps.  When you get a moment here and there, I would appreciate any prayers you can send heavenward – not only for my own experience, but also for the whole team and the Peruvian people that we hope to help a bit.  Here is a website that has some more information about what we hope to accomplish.

Okay, a quick word of warning – do not attempt to make these bars without a BIG glass of milk standing by!!  

I think God is installing some new software updates to iWeather, and there are a few bugs in the system.  One minute, sunny and hot, the next torrential downpours with hail.  One minute clear with a slight breeze, the next a green sky with OMINOUS black clouds that spin in circles and shift up and down.  I think the majority of the storms have rolled through for now, with a slight chance for a few more throughout the night.  Our lawn and flowers happily lapped up the rain, though there are plenty of substantial puddles down the road where a drain has backed up!

Ah Ha!  Through a sneaky game of peek-a-boo with the camera constantly clicking we finally managed it – proof that Katie Snyder smiles – and when she does, watch out!!  She is just as cute as cute can be!  (Though she does manage to be cute, even without smiling – she is a baby after all!)  Thank goodness for digital cameras – we would have gone through lots of film otherwise!  

We have been enjoying the fantastic weather down here in the Galena, IL/Dubuque, IA/Kieler, WI area while visiting Angie, Kurt & Katie. While Kurt was working today, Angie, Katie, Justin and I drove into Dubuque and hiked a trail in the Mines of Spain recreational area. Beautiful views of the Mississippi river valley, as well as the bluffs in the area.

Then we drove up to Potosi, WI to the newly completed restaurant, brewery and museum there. We had a delicious lunch and walked around a bit, and definitely had to get a picture in front of the World’s Tallest Beer Bottle. Special.

Justin and I then walked around downtown Galena for a bit, picking up some items – namely Strawberry Rhubarb Butter from The Galena Canning Company – our favorite!

This evening we had a great meal with Angie, and then tried our hardest to get a picture of Katie smiling. She is bound and determined to immediately stop smiling just before the camera clicks!

I love crazy people. Without crazy people, life would be pretty stinking boring. Just look at these pictures of a field between Kieler, WI and Galena, IL. It’s just a normal cow pasture, but I can totally understand what went through the crazy guy’s mind before this happened. “This field is missing something. It has cows and weeds, but it needs a little extra pizazz. I’ve got it: DINOSAURS! Dinosaurs are like khaki pants; they go with EVERYTHING! GERTRUDE! I gotta get me some metal so we can class up our cow field!”

Pop quiz: What sort of whistling sounds can a man covered in BBQ sauce make exactly? I definitely need a recording.

While this may be the Chinese Year of the Rat, I think I will remember it better as the Year of the Paint.  I have moved into the basement, where I am painting a little, dark, scary half bath that we never use (because of the aforementioned reasons).  As Travis will be moving in at the end of the month and we are giving him the basement room, we thought it would be nice if this bathroom was actually usable for him.  The previous owners had painted this bathroom a very dark maroon pink with dark teal trim (yes, it was as horrid as it sounds).  I managed to get two coats of primer (light tan) on the walls, trim, and door yesterday, and it will take another two coats of the final paint to really cover it all.  It is already a pretty substantial difference.  We are also replacing the tiny old mirror with a larger one, and the old dark wood toilet seat with a new white one.  I won’t be able to finish it for a little while, as we are heading down to Galena, Il for the next two days to visit our good friend Angie, her husband Kurt, and new baby girl, Katie.  We are leaving in less than an hour!  

Yesterday Dad and I went golfing in Sheboygan Falls, at a course named The Bull. It’s definitely one of my favorite courses (behind the Irish Course at Whistling Straits), so it was a treat to be able to play, especially when the weather cooperated. We ate at Firehouse Pizza in Sheboygan Falls on the way home.