I scream you scream **updated**

We all scream for ice cream; because, really, what's better than ice cream to shout about? at least in the food arena... 

And yes, that is a lot of ice cream cones. A lot. Guess what we'll be going through for the next few months? If you come to visit, we'll be offering cones for dessert.

So we had a neighborhood ice cream party on our block this past Monday. I scored some great deals on Tillamook ice cream at the local Albertson's. You think you have great ice cream in your neck of the woods!? Oh no ... this stuff is so much better than anything else out there. Seriously, Tillamook beats them all, hands down. Try it, you'll see. 

So anyway, we stocked up with a bunch of cartons, on sale, and then hauled them out to the street Monday evening. With some chairs, some whipped cream, and toppings from another neighbor's kitchen, we sat and waited. Since the kids had gone around the 'hood earlier in the day handing out invitations, we didn't have to wait long to see people coming out of their homes and down the street. We met new neighbors, we re-acquainted with old neighbors. The kids played, the adults talked. We ate ice cream and ate some more. It was so fun; a bunch of us stayed around talking long after others had gone back home. No one wanted to make the first move to leave, we were having such an enjoyable time. 

It has taken many years to get to this place though. We've lived in this home for 13 years! This month marks our anniversary month of moving into our first home. I could probably tell you the exact date if I was so motivated but since I'm feeling lazy you'll have to roll with me on this one. I remember moving in, unpacking a few things with our 6 month old - who is now a strapping 13 year old, and then the next week we went camping up at Mt St Helens. But I digress..

So the ice cream party was a hit! Now when we walk down the street or go for a bike ride, like we did today, I can wave at the neighbors and actually know their names! I can feel a little safer sending my kids out to play knowing who lives where, and their family dynamics. I'm thinking we'll be having some more of these neighbor-parties this summer for sure!

On the home front:

I'm dabbling in antiques! I found this antique meat grinder at a friend's garage sale. I was so excited to see it - my mom had (has?) one just like it at home. I remember it from when I was little. So I shoved in some roast I had leftover from an earlier meal in the week, and started grinding away. Woohoo - now I have ground beef and I can use it for another meal instead of begging the family to please finish the pot roast leftovers! 

Puppy update:

 Last week I had my final class for the training class we were going through. The pup did pretty well for the 9 weeks we were there. She only made a couple of messes on the floor; boy is that embarrassing. Of course she had to do it when we went through our 'final' test too. Sigh.

But she learned a few things, or rather, I learned to teach her a few things - sit, stay, down, heel. She isn't perfect at them, unless there is food involved. But we'll keep working on it anyway. I hope to teach the kids how to train the pup this summer. 

Can you see how she's grown? From a cute little bundle of fur, to this mammoth rug. She's about 9 months now, and full of energy. Chewing, digging, jumping, bouncing, eating, running .. and often driving us crazy. But she's the sweetest, loving dog I've ever had.