First Day of School - Parents' Edition

Did someone say "Mimosas"?

First Day of School - Student Edition

Quick Trip Home

Hooray for my husband who made it possible for me to make a second trip to Oregon this summer. I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I would miss my nephew Noah's wedding, but between Dan's generosity and a really great deal on airfare, I was able to take my first Mommy trip (alone!) for a quick weekend home. I was able to pack an awful lot in those 48 hours - like time with my great-niece and nephews, an afternoon with my sister and a sushi dinner with her and her husband, lots of snuggle time with another great-nephew, and many hugs for almost all of my family members.

The famous PDX carpet

Breakfast of Jazzy Bagels and fresh blackberries

I brought my flat family along for the wedding since the 3-D versions stayed behind in Nebraska

"Hi-dee-ho, neighbor"

The gorgeous bride and groom

A little welcome home gift from my girls

And a delicious welcome home cake

Whatcha Got Cookin'?

I remember my dad often singing to my mom while she was in the kitchen, "Hey, Good Lookin'; Whatcha got cookin'?"

It's been another fun month of falling deeper in love with my Dutch Oven and canning equipment. And my garden (minus the beans and peppers) has been loving me back this month.

Pane Bianco from King Arthur Flour

White pants AFTER I spent an hour canning tomatoes - I was so excited to get started I forgot to change clothes. Rather proud of myself.

Homemade lemon basil pasta with yellow pasta sauce

5 pints of yellow tomato sauce

7 pints of roma tomato sauce

...and counting

Backyard Campout

We finally have some cooler temperatures, so we let Dayna have some friends over to camp out in the backyard. It's pretty clear several of them have never pitched a tent before. But the tent made its way up, the dogs and s'mores were grilled over the fire pit. And sleep may or may not have happened. This is the stuff memories are made of.

New School Clothes

Had a fun date with this girl last week to get new clothes for Kindergarten.

She picked Freddy's for lunch and made short order of her cheeseburger, fries and ice cream. Her new clothes are pretty cute, and she's excited to show them off when school starts.

Live Entertainment

Dayna has been looking for performance opportunities. She took the initiative to contact the person who runs our local farmer's market and set up a date to play. Last Saturday, she earned a nice sum while providing music for about an hour and a half. Several people shared positive things with us as she was playing. Well done, Dayna.