Beautiful summer day and my kind of summer eatin': sliced up fresh kohlrabi, cucumber nectarine salad with a vinegarette dressing and sliced sharp cheddar.
Trying to spread out school clothes shopping over a few months. Love it when packages arrive in the mail!
Sweet, little Prudence needed some mending today. Craig's normally the sewer in our house but I managed okay with Sophie's 3-yr-old lovey.
Helping me accessorize for a wedding tonight.
A wedding at Maumee Bay for a friend of Craig's family.
Pretty wedding deets.
Rock candy was available at a candy bar. So fun!
Oh, and a photo booth. :)
Oh how I love this sweet boy and his sweet face.
Weekend morning: walking the dog and picking wild "flowers" from the ditch bank to give our table some prettiness.
Inversion maniac. Check out the no-handed headstand! Oh, and just to be funny, he flicked the light switch on with his toes. Hahaha!!
Laying out in the sun alone is just not an option with children. ;)
First "early girl" tomato out of our garden! So excited! Sliced up and sprinkled with a little sea salt... soooo good!
Crispy chicken sandwiches with cilantro lime mayo out on the deck for dinner. And a leftover grapefruit marg to drink.
How many ways to stack the whales? Current fave "puzzle" (gift from Grandma & Papa from Alaska) and extra proud of this arrangement because of the one that's hanging off the side.
A particularly small class this day and a very hot one too, so Sensei decided to let the kids have a fun day and play a little freeze tag with the big exercise balls. A huge hit - and Popsicles for a reward. We love our karate school!
Arrgh, Matey!
Summer reading.
Playing Winomino with my girl.
Farm fresh.
Up bright and early this morning with banana quinoa waffles for breakfast. Craig left for Vegas this day.
Dentist appointment for both kids.
Treasure box reward after a cleaning.
No cavities! Woo hoo!
Roasted and unsalted. Sooo good!
Dinner at Nana & Papa's after a swim lesson.
Sharing some ice cream at the Dipper with Great Grandpa.
Putt putt with Papa and Nana today.
Despicable Me 2 in the theater Saturday morning.
One of my favorite things about hanging out with my mom in the summer is that we always have the same ideas about summer eatin': fresh, light and yummy. And we can always pull that together. Mom's tuna salad (my fave) on some sharp cheddar and Triscuits, some fruit and a green bean salad with tomatoes, kalamata olives and eggs (recipe pulled from Pinterest). Can't wait to eat this!
Dinner with my parents and brother: roasted green beans, asparagus & potatoes, some sliced raw veggies from the garden, and a shrimp & pesto Panini with tomatoes and feta. Very well received.
Mom and I were having some girl talk over lanterns and wine, when someone snuck out of bed to join the party and snuggle a bit.
Picking blueberries on this gorgeous day.
Peaches & plums too!
National Ice Cream Day calls for a stop at our favorite hard serve place.
Dinner tonight (still at mom & dad's): mom's glazed mahi mahi, herbed rices, green salad with pears, candied walnuts and feta, and more of our roasted and raw veggies from yesterday. I barely ate lunch this day on account of our berry picking so this was devoured!!
Love. Post al fresco dinner snuggles with Nana.
(Slightly melty) blueberry shortcake with lemon and thyme biscuit. My contribution to the meal with our freshly picked blueberries.
Sibling sharing. :-)
Last morning of story hour with Miss Mimi at the library this day. Feels like summer is winding down already!
Eating lunch in my car with windows rolled down at the park. Nice breeze and dinner leftovers. :)
Picked up our new Junie B Jones from the library. Kids were psyched!
Gettin' ready to kick off our heels and pull on our boots to celebrate our bride-to-be! Casey and I addressed and stuffed invites this night and they turned out soooo cute!
Sophie was going potty in the dark until I came in and turned the light on, at which point she covered her eyes and told me it was too bright. Go to bed, goofy girl!
Craig returned safely home from his trip and we were all pretty happy about that. (Understatement.) Four days away is a long time! This little boy is very much attached to his daddy.
Borrowed these from the library's facebook page. Scenes from story hour the other day as the kids listened to books about dinosaurs. All three girls on Nana's lap and Will beside her.
Soph working on a dino craft beside adorable Miss Cora. I think these two have similar spitfire personalities. ;-)
On the Smitten Kitchen blog yesterday: avocado shrimp salsa! How good does this look??? I'd probably eat it like a salad.
Stocking up on lots of end-of-season clearance loot from all my favorite kids clothing stores for next year as usual. This stuff arrived in the mail recently and Sophie is pretty much completely set for summer 2014! Now I just need to remember to do the same at the end of winter this year. I think I'm just burnt out from Christmas when it's the appropriate time for end-of-season winter shopping.
One of my very faves for next summer: a 50's style shirt dress that just screams SOPHIE!! I mean, come on!! Look at the stinkin' belt! Just gotta' get her some little red Saltwaters and she'll be good to go. Oh and P.S. - it was originally priced at $48 and I got it for $19.50 and free shipping. (Full price is for the rich folk.)
Late night dinner for the hubs and me. Post swim lessons and kids bedtime (we haven't done this in awhile!) and chilling out to eat in peace. I made pesto veggie pizza - another summer time fave that I've been longing for!
We quickly ran through the four quarts of blueberries that Sophie and I picked at Erie. They are sweet as candy!
Picking up some of Big Dave's famous sweet corn and a watermelon for dinner from Bench Farms.
He couldn't think of anything to do on this gorgeous evening besides watch TV... When will kids learn never to say that to a mama with more than enough work on her hands?? :-)
Sophie's first time on horseback!
Trying the infamous Reese's cup s'more around a campfire with friends. Delish!
Late night playing outdoors with cousins.
I wish I was a little bit taller....
...wish I was a baller. ;-)
Painting... er, finger painting.
Special date with my eldest while baby girl naps at home with daddy.
Train ride at the zoo.
We decided on some donuts from our favorite bakery to bring home for a treat, but Will picked out a frosted watermelon cupcake to eat there... frosting first.
Decisions, decisions...
Crisp kale and creamy avocado salad with pine nuts, lemon and sea salt for dinner tonight.
Peach vanilla popsicles with almond extract (instead of amaretto) and cream. Delicious use of our picked peaches!
Back to Erie for round 2 of the blueberries. This time with the whole crew.
A little swing set time with my boy Friday night. I've taken to wearing a hat instead of sunscreen, because my nose and forehead keep getting fried from gardening and hanging laundry on the line and sunscreen makes me break out. Blah.
He fell asleep reading during "quiet time" (a.k.a. Sophie's nap time). Going on 2.5 hours for him here and closer to 3.5 for her. Love it when they do this!! Just wish it would start earlier so we didn't have to wake them for dinner.
Peach popsicles after dinner.
Lovely night for a walk after dinner. The clouds were awesome!
Needed an extra layer on this crazy "summer" (?) work day! I never think of Charming Charlie's for clothes but I love this cardi I picked up there on Mother's Day. They have cute non-jewelry things there!
Bless us, oh Lord... and forgive me for scarfing down my fruit before giving thanks. ;)
Ice cream after karate class with some of our karate buddies.
Most beautiful weather night of the summer! Wished it would never end!
Playground time.
Downtown at the cruise-in so daddy can teach Will & Soph all about the cars that they "should" love. Watch out, daddy! They're going to be asking for a Corvette or a Camaro when they turn 16...
Strike a pose, sista'!
Sea glass and yellow today. Two of my faves. Happy colors to lift the spirits.
My easy-to-pack afternoon snack/dessert of choice lately.
Telling me all about the ventriloquist that she saw at the library today with Nana & Will.
Today's garden harvest = tomorrow's packed lunch.
Did you know August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month?
Stopped in traffic this sunny morning. Grateful for the blueberry peach smoothie I made for all of us this morning and the book on CD I'm enjoying.
Daydreaming of a clever new method of book storage. Our front facing shelves (my favorite part of the play room) are beginning to overflow.
Breakfast for dinner on this rainy evening. Omelet and a kale salad for mommy and carrot-walnut pancakes for the littles. (Craig at leftover enchiladas.)
Just hanging out...
Family game of Sequence For Kids. Will won twice... fair and square.
Stayed up way too late making this and then even later to try it. ;-) Peach and pecan sandy crumble from Smitten Kitchen. Yum.
Tomatoes, peaches, zucchini, jalapeno and honey today. Thinking of fresh salsa with tacos tonight and some stir fry tomorrow.
Back to school preparations.
577 Foundation
Oh, I want an herb garden just like this!!
Doin' it old school on the merry-go-round. :)
Lunch at the park.
Stir fry night! With fat slices of garden fresh tomatoes on the side.
Sophie's first pair of Toms. We're new to this brand, but I love what the company stands for.
Sibs reading one of our all time faves together before bed. We always pull it off the shelf this time of year during blueberry season.
One of my favorite color combos: turquoise and red. (On Sophie's dresser.) I also love "decorating" with books.
On my urgent wish list. ;-) Maybe in a couple months... too many other expenses right now. And I want them prescription so that'll be extra...
Due up.
Breakfast prep for tomorrow morning. Banana quinoa waffle batter.
Love my new mint green foldover clutch from my mom!! A "just for no reason" surprise before she left for her mission trip in Honduras. I'm addicted to this color this season!
Will received his first grade teacher assignment in the mail today. She sent him a letter giving some important info and telling him she can't wait to meet him.
Preschool open house tonight. I snagged a plate of cookies on the way out.
Packing for our little weekend getaway. I'm always responsible for myself and the kids and we typically share a bag about the same size as Craig by himself. Chronic over-packer, that one. :)
I seriously can't think of a more appetizing dinner right this second. :) (Grilled cheese & fresh tomato.)
