If You Build It They Will Come?

Not so for the Riverside Schoolhouse Condo's. A year after they became available there are only one or two condo's sold out of the 15. I thought it was a great idea to turn the old grade school into condo's so the building wasn't sitting there deteriorating and with broken windows. Evidently Frantz Construction did too but we may both have been wrong.


Terri and Bridget have walked through these very doors many times. They both went to grade school here.

Front View

Back View

Side View

Some of the balconies even overlook our scenic pond.

But the parking lot is empty.

And the mailboxes (except one) are unused. The only car I ever see in the parking lot is the red one behind the mailboxes. I would think the low prices might be attractive to singles, young couples or even retired people but after a whole year I think I am wrong.

Waste Not Want Not

I hate wasting garden produce so sometimes I make up weird concoctions like sauted summer squash, zuccini, sliced beets, onion and fresh herbs. Everything is from our garden except the the olive oil.

Laina and Grandma's Great Adventure

Last Saturday Laina and I were getting a little bored so we decided to take off on an adventure. First we went to Sister's Garden in Kalona to get this great butterfly net for Laina to catch butterflies and fireflies. I told her she can only look at them up close and then turn them loose. She said she might carefully pet them before she lets them go. To my surprise Laina really liked looking around at Sister's Garden.

Next we stopped at the Cheese Factory and got some cheese curds. Laina really liked the cheese curds, which are fairly salty, and got really thirsty after eating several.

So next we stopped at the Kalona Bakery to get a treat and Laina drank a whole carton of chocolate milk.

After we got home we picked and ate raspberries and.............

Laina picked a big summer squash! That was the end of our adventure.

A song about.......what?

What will I be when I grow up?

If you ask Laina this question now a days her answer is "a ballerina". She told me last night that her mom WANTS her to be a ballerina. When I asked her what ballerina's do she looked at me like I was crazy and said "they dance!" I think you will agree after viewing the video that she is well on her way to becoming a ballerina!

Smokin' Chickens

Barry smoked these organic chickens for our family Sunday Dinner a few weeks ago. They turned out pretty darn good!

I contributed this made up recipe of roasted potatoes, carrotts, summer squash, eggplant and onion. I coated the vegetables with olive oil, and seasoned with kosher salt, coarse ground pepper, fresh basil and oregano. The tricky part was I knew I needed to roast the potatoes and carrotts much longer than the squash, eggplant and onion so I added those after the potatoes and carrotts had been in about 20 minutes.

Fussy Pink

Terri, Tom and Laina moved to their new house in North Liberty this weekend. Laina's bedroom got painted "fussy pink" just hours after they closed on the house. Laina likes the color so much that she now claims that she doesn't like her mom and dad's bedroom or any other bedroom for that matter that is not painted fussy pink!

Laina and I had a hotdog, Dorito and Gatorade picnic Saturday at their new house before the table or much of anything had been moved in.

It is my job to keep Laina entertained while moving takes places. Here she goes for her first spin around her new block.

She also likes to drink sprinkler water.

And spit it at Grandma!

Adorable

I was pretty sure when I saw this visor in the display window at The Children's Place it would look adorable on Laina. And I was right!

Triple Corn

When the girls were little we started the tradition of having caramel corn on the fourth of July while we watched fireworks. In recent years it became just plain popcorn. Terri one-upped me this fourth of July by making 3 kinds of popcorn while we watched the Coralville fireworks from their back yard. Laina was very excited to have us all over to her house and I think for the first time really enjoyed the fireworks.

Ace of Cakes

After our plans of a swimming party got cancelled on the fourth of July for my great nephews 8th birthday party it was decided to move the party inside and make the theme Ace of Cakes after the food networks show on cake decorating. Below are some of the entries and the cake juding.

Griffen (the birthday boy) holding his brother Charlie and Parker holding Laina.

The cake judging.