I'm sorry, did I forget to blog?!!

 Oh the summer days, a seemingly endless supply.  I'm 57 years old, and I still don't like knowing what day it is during the summer...or how many days are  left until school starts...

Yesterday after physical therapy, Camille and I went to a little Mennonite market, looking for some interesting sprinkles, for a cookie decorating activity we're doing with the kids at summer conference.  Well, they didn't have any good sprinkles, but we still managed to spend seventy dollars.  Who on earth needs a 500 pack of cupcake liners?  Apparently, me.  A big jar of local honey, some milk chocolate covered almonds for Miss Char, some coarse ground pepper for Mariel, xxx sharp cheese for Paul, a dozen ears of fresh sweet corn, and a big jar of molasses.  Camille decided, upon walking in and seeing some baked goods, including molasses cookies, that she was going to go home and bake.  

By the time we got home, I was going to bake, too.  I've been eating the keto zucchini muffins, they're so good, so moist, not as good as real zucchini bread, but not bad.  So I got out the kitchen aid, and put on the shredder attachment, chunked up two huge zucchini from the garden, and made 24 muffins, plus two regular real loaves of zucchini bread.  

The recipe is from Low Carb with Jennifer, Jennifer Banz (this makes 12)

2 cups almond flour

1/2 teas salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I double this, plus add pumpkin pie spice)

1/2 C granulated sweetener (I used monk-fruit, mixed with brown sugar Swerve)

1 teas baking soda

2 large eggs beaten

1/4 c melted butter

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

(whisk together dry ingredients, I melt butter in glass measure, add on top of shredded zucchini, beat the eggs in the same glass cup, add to the bowl, and mix it all up). (it's super simple and quick!)

She recommends squeezing the water from the zucchini before measuring.  I add extra zucchini to my muffins, it makes it so moist.  They bake at 350 for around 20 minutes, maybe a bit longer.   She has a recipe for pumpkin muffins too, same thing only a cup of pumpkin puree instead of the zucchini, and add pumpkin pie spice)

Anyway, I was baking away, Camille was baking away, and our house smelled like a bakery.  I did take a nice swim after shredding the zucchini, while the sun was shining, did some water aerobics all by myself out there, tried not to think of the way the shadows are changing and summer is ebbing away, winding down.

I put most of the muffins in the freezer, it really helps to have something like that for when you just want something baked.  

Our dinner was so good last night:  burgers with tomatoes from the garden, and the sweet corn.  The apex of summer, right?

This fine morning, we are going to Target!  I need chicken breast for this coming week, and Target's is the best, they haven't had any the last few times I went.  So, I told my girls that I'm leaving early, so if they want to go, they have to wake up early...early, ha, we're leaving at nine.  

Summer conference/Family week starts tomorrow at our church.  We used to stay out there in our camper, but our camper has seen better days.  Once the leaking started, she went downhill fast.  I know you're not supposed to love earthly things, but I loved my camper.   The whole cleaning/packing/moving in for a week, loved it.  Coffee in the morning outside, seeing all of your friends...loved it.  Well, we are planning on getting a "new" camper, not brand new, but a nice one, one that is small enough to tow on our little camping weekends, just the thought of it, yay!  But, it isn't happening yet, so we are commuting.

Commuting makes it much more difficult, even though it's only less than half hour away.  We are bringing out ride-ons and dollhouse stuff, and even Suri is going for one of the children's meetings.  We have to bring out coolers with drinks, and our lunches, and dinners.  We can still use our yard, but the camper...it's just not usable anymore.  

So we'll be thankful for what we have.  I did plan meals, keeping it simple:  ordering pizza one night, making crockpot salsa chicken to have in tortillas (fajitas), hot dogs on the grill with salad, and the first night is a barbecue so I don't have to make anything.  The conference ends on Wednesday, then Thursday there's PT for Cam, then we leave for a 3 day camping weekend.  When we'll pack for that is beyond me.

Paul leaves Sunday morning for Colorado, comes home Wednesday evening, for work.  You can't always pick and choose the timing of those things, so again, we're going to be thankful, thankful he has a good job.

Paul found a huge cricket, and saved it to show Achilles.  The little guy was interested but hesitant...

Sunny, however, was really interested....

The girls (Charlotte Claire, Sonja K., and Camille) who still live at home...they are too much fun, I'm thankful for our outings...this was the other day, we had taken the bottles and cans back, then went to get an oil change, which was hysterical:  Sonja was driving, the truck, and the guy guiding us into the bay was like No, THIS way, NO, OVER HERE, pay attention!, he said to Sonja.  She WAS paying attention, but he told her you almost fell in like four times!  oops.  Us all laughing like idiots, oh dear.  we can never go there again.

We then went to the thrift store, and to BJ's (helium tanks for summer conference).  

Anyway...summer isn't over yet, and I intend to enjoy the heck out of the rest of it.

recap of a Monday....

 Yesterday was one of those days where I was happy just to putter around the house.  I cleaned out a kitchen cabinet, then another one, then another...oh, so nice to be organized, it almost makes me feel like a normal person!  Oh, I can clean something out, and get it all nice, then what the heck!  It doesn't take long before it's shambles, in spite of me promising it'll stay neat.   

In the busy years, when I was knee deep in small children and my only breaks were nursing a baby, with a few toddlers perched on the arms of the chair too, if I was lucky...more likely, they chose the nursing time to drag a kitchen chair across the floor, heading for the salt shaker or the sugar bowl, or perhaps took the Desitin into one of the bedrooms and finger painted with it.  

In any case, I was BUSY.  From the time I got up in the morning, til the time I got in bed at night, it was non stop.  Feeding, consoling, washing up, cleaning, going off on adventures, appointments, cleaning, washing clothes, putting them away, then afternoons giving way to dinner times, and oh my dear LORD, I have to make dinner AGAIN?  And yeah, there were days I was fork prying frozen chicken pieces apart under running water, because there was nothing thawed for dinner.  You could just put them in the oven, and take them out every little while and pry, but you had to get the styrofoam package off first. :)

Anyway.  Back then, it made sense to put things back with no rhyme or reason...and honestly, for YEARS, even the peanut butter always got put in a different place.  I didn't like it that way, either.  So it's been a real work for me to be organized.  

I wasn't TOTALLY unorganized though.  I kept their clothes nicely.  I hung most everything up.  And I kept the floors clean, I do not like crumbs or sticky on the floors, at all.  The kids always ate at the table, and were washed up before getting down, so we kept the food mess confined.  There were toys scattered, but at least it wasn't yucky in here.  

Anyway.  I do like cleaning and organizing cabinets.  When I open the cupboard, and it's all neat, I love it. So yesterday, the girls had the let's do something vibe going here, mostly Miss Camille.  When I finish this...we can go somewhere.   When I did finish, I sat in my chair with a coffee, put my feet up, and...Sonja and Char wanted to stay home...I kind of did too.  Cam was bummed.  She wasted her WHOLE morning, waiting to go somewhere.  oh dear.  We went somewhere.

They have such different styles...Char, the tomboy, Sonja so lovely, Cam with her country girl dress on...

It was fun, we got Lydia an outfit for her birthday, and some headbands and a necklace.  It was absolutely pouring out, so we dawdled, waiting for the rain to stop.  

Miss Camille with Orange Guy...

Anyway.   The days go by too fast.  Now, I have to leave to take Camille to physical therapy, then Kathryn is coming over with Achilles and Rhys, and we're going in the pool...and at some point, we're going on a mission to pick up an old electric typewriter for Cam...she's writing a book, and has wanted one for a while...I found one that seems to still have ribbons available...for twenty bucks.  

Have a really good Tuesday...be good!

birthdays and wineries and swimming, oh my!

 Summertime, why can't it just last forever?  Bare feet.  No coat.  Windows open.  The crickets in the evening, tree toads croaking.  The birds singing in the morning, the pool.  

We had a birthday here on Saturday, and it was a warm ordeal.  I made macaroni and cheese, and it was really good, if I don't say so myself.  The pulled pork came out really good (I put vinegar and brown sugar on it, along with pepper, and some cajun spice, then a bottle of Wegman's Memphis bbq sauce when it was all shredded up in the crock pot).  I made pasta salad with little tomatoes from the garden, and cucumber from the stand down the road (and black olives, green peppers, and red onions).  We forgot to get hot dogs for the kids, so we put chicken nuggets in the air fryer, a few batches of them, they were actually really good.  There was a watermelon, and Grace brought some coleslaw.  

Margaret made the cupcakes, beautiful cupcakes, with pink buttercream frosting.  Grace made a "smash" cake for Ruth, happy first birthday beautiful little Ruth Eleanor!

It got hot in here, and it was rather getting time to eat, but I announced we were all going in the pool first.  I could have stayed in there for much longer, it was too much fun, and so refreshing, but kids were hungry.  I had turned off the oven, so the mac and cheese was done and hot, (what were we thinking, no AC, and turning on the oven!).   After cooling off in the pool though, it was much nicer to get the dinner out, we just set out the plates and forks and put serving spoons in everything, and we all bring our plates out to the deck...there's a little picnic table for the kids, and I put a table cloth on the new fire table, and it had cooled down a bit by then...not much, but a bit.  :)

Ten of the kids made it here for the birthday, and some spouses, (we also gave Sam some gifts, his birthday was on the second), and nine of the grandchildren.

Yesterday, we went on an adventure, Evelyn and Kathryn and I, along with Grace, and her mama who is visiting from Louisiana.  We packed a cooler with cold seltzers and waters and iced tea, and Evelyn brought some yummy charcuterie snacks, off we went towards the Finger Lakes.  Seneca Lake, so beautiful.  It was hot and humid, again, but there was a forgiving breeze from the lake, and it was cloudy, so it was more tolerable.  

We went wine tasting!  Now, I cannot tolerate alcohol any more, but I can have a few sips here and there, just a taste of a taste, and do all right.  I really enjoy the different wines, so it's hard, but I am thankful that Evelyn lets me take little tastes of hers.  

The funniest and loveliest thing:  Grace's mom, Tammy, had on a beautiful dress....the exact same one I had on, only a different color/pattern!

Grace and her mama...

Kathryn and Evelyn...

Evelyn, me, Kathryn...

I love love love that we had the same dress on.  I was going to wear a sleeveless dress, but I kept going back to this green dress, thinking I really wanted to wear it, and then Tammy got here and had one just like it, I don't know why it tickled me so.  

We had a nice time, were a bit silly, but enjoyed the scenery, and shh, stopped for ice cream on the way home.  Now, I should know by now that as much as I enjoy it, I never feel well later...I get used to eating cleanly, and it throws me off, hurts my tummy...blah.  It WAS good, but not worth it, for me.  

It's warm and humid again here today, but there are no plans, and the girls are here, and we might do something fun...whether that something fun includes a trip to Target, or to a beach, or just hanging out in the pool, I don't know, but I'm excited about the day.

Our week:  PT for Camille tomorrow and Thursday.  I will probably be working with Abigail this week, as she is returning from Norway today.  I have to get all of my dollhouse stuff out and ready for our summer conference children's area, next week.  I have paperwork to do for Camille's home school, and dr. appointments to make.   

Next week is our church summer conference/fellowship week.  It's focused on the children, so we'll have lots of things to keep them busy, with the youth/young people and adults mentoring, helping with it all.   I'm going to be helping Margaret with a cookie decorating station, and helping set up the toddler area.  

So Jonathan is in Germany, adjusting to being away.  We talked via face time, and he's sent pictures and texted, he's working, and having fun....I'm not sure this is the wisest shirt to wear there, but it's Jonny.

Oh dear.  Anyway, enjoy your day, and be thankful, make good choices!  (Freaky Friday, a movie from way back when, we are movie quoters here...make good choices!)
 

taking a wee bit of a break, shh!

 So yesterday didn't end up being very lazy:  Kathryn and I went out and about with little Miss Rhys Harper:

She helped her little self to that stuffed dog, but no, we didn't buy it for her.  When she was sitting in the front of my cart, she helped herself to two shirts, took them right off the hangers and wrapped them around herself, all huggy.  :)

Home in the afternoon, a quick clean up, and yay, the girls got home from camping!  I had some time in the pool, then Margaret and Adrian came with Wulf and Tennyson.  Back in the pool, poor us!  I had marinated some pork chops and chicken breasts, so out to grill in the heat, wow, it was steamy, even after being in the pool.  

I had made pasta salad earlier, Sonja and Camille made some Brussel sprouts in the air fryer.  

This fine morning, I should be busy.  But, I'm sneaking in a little break....I got up this morning and got an eight pound pork loin into the crock pot with some brown sugar, vinegar, cajun seasoning.  Then, macaroni and cheese...two pounds of pasta, and 3 1/2 pounds of cheese...I make a roux: melt a stick of butter, some onion powder,  half to 3/4 cup of flour, then lots of milk...I never measure, just eyeball it...more than half a gallon...cook that up until it thickens and starts to bubble, then add in all the cheddar.  I like making something low carb for those of us who would love to eat all that pasta but really can't, so I put a bag of frozen broccoli in a bread pan, and poured some of the cheese sauce over it.  Cauliflower rice is good, as is cauliflower, but I honestly didn't feel like digging through the freezer, just grabbed the broccoli.  There was exactly enough cheese sauce to make two 13x9 pans, one 9x9 pan, and the broccoli.  Sprinkle some bread crumbs and pepper on top, wrap in plastic, and find a way to fit it all into the refrigerator....(I had to clean the refrigerator out today, before I started...)

I have more things to do as lots of people are coming over in a few hours.  I have to sweep and mop, I have to clean up the yard (we have dogs!).   I have to clean the bathroom and and and.  But it can wait a bit.  I am actually here all alone with the pups.  Paul is working, getting an apartment ready to rent, and the girls are all doing different fundraisers (building/sanding decks, working in the kitchen).   

Getting ready for a party all by myself is different.  I know I have a lot to do, but I decided to break it up.  I did a lot already, now I'm in my room, the only room in the house with AC, which we usually turn off in the morning...but shh, not today!  I'm relaxing in here, cooling off, before I go out and do more work...I am going to fit in a dip in the pool, too.  

This was from 2014.  Margaret was 17, Kathryn 16, Evelyn 14 (almost 15), Suzanne 13, and Sonja K. was 12.  My five-girls-born-in-five-years, as Miss Margaret was only five when Sonja was born.  (Jon was 10, Char 8, Camille 7) (then on the upper end was Emily 29, Abigail 27, Ben 25, Mariel 24,  Joseph, 23, Aaron 21,  Molly 20, and Sam 19)

Anyway...I'm enjoying a nice cool break, it is a very hot and humid day!!!!

oh just lazy...

 I have to get moving, just can't seem to today.  It's warm and humid, it feels like the heat is cranked in here...then I walk out onto the deck, and it's just cooking out there.  I did a few stray dishes, and put some things away, fed the deck kitty, and the house kitties, and gave the dogs some water, turned on the pool filter, pulled some weeds from the back patio, and not much else.  

I was busy yesterday cleaning out a cabinet, and Paul asked me if I wanted to go visit Margaret for a bit, as he had some things to do in the area, where she lives.  She was going to be going to the gym, but Adrian would be there with the kids, so off I went...they are so precious, Wulf and Tennyson...it's nice to be loved, there's nothing like grandkids!

Tennyson is going to be two years old next month!  He's such a charmer, love him so much.  And Wulf, oh he's got spirit and personality and he keeps me laughing, and is so soft hearted too...so much energy, too!

Ah well...big birthday party tomorrow here, I have to get cleaning...I don't know how many will be here, maybe 30?  Off I go...out of the comfy chair!

being thankful, no matter what...

 Kathryn and I were in the pool today with her little kids (Achilles and Rhys), and I think Camille was floating around then too.   Well, we were talking about being thankful.  In everything.  You can let situations go by without taking them seriously, and life goes on, and you've missed your chance to get oil in your lamp.  Also, you can live your whole life thinking how the future is going to be so much better because:  thinness...it MIGHT happen!  There will be extra money!  Hawaii, it might happen!  Peace and quiet, might happen!  Enough sleep!  Hey, you never know!

One broadcaster that Kathryn heard said it something like this:  you chase around a dollar tied to the end of a pole, then you turn to a skeleton and fall into the grave.  

We only have this very moment, we have today.  The thing is, today rarely meets our standards for a perfect day.  So many things could be better!  grumpity-grump-grump!

Oh, but to be awake!  To be thankful to God for all that comes our way!  We can be so happy when we live this way!  When we bless instead of curse, turn the other cheek, give without wanting something in return, and simply give thanks.  

We need reminding, because it's so easy to get caught up in wanting, or in feeling just a tad bit sorry for ourselves.  I sometimes imagine me standing on a precipice, looking back at the journey that led to the end of my life, and seeing loud and clear the sessions of wasted time...when I was misunderstood, not noticed, dissed, and I didn't take it right!  Dwelled on the BOO-HOO, wallowed in it.  

I don't want to waste my precious moments of life on things like that.  I want to bless and be good.  It's been my prayer, too look at my hands, and ask God to have mercy, and let these hands do good.  I want to use my voice to build up, and knit the others together, not tear down and backbite.  

Today was a glorious day.  Kathryn brought the kids over bright and early, as she had a dr. appointment.  She came back and stayed for a bit, because her sink at home was backed up and not working.  So we swam and we hung out, and Achilles went in for a nap.  Sonja K., Charlotte Claire, and Camille were here too, so it was a nice day, a social day.  They told stories of their latest Norway experience, and packed up their things to go on another trip:  Emily picked them up after work and took them camping!

Kathryn stayed until about an hour ago, her sink was fixed and it was time to take the little ones home.

I stole this one from Kathryn, she took them to the grocery store the other day...this was before Achilles threw a fit, but shh, right?

Miss Rhys Harper....so adorable.

Achilles LOVES Grandpa!  They mowed this afternoon...

Just too cute.

We have a kitty that has adopted us.  I've put it on Facebook, have to post it a few more places.  Sadly, it doesn't seem like anyone is looking for this guy, he was so starving...the girls fed him a few days ago and we didn't know it, so of course he won't leave.  He's scrappy and scraggly and needs some loving, and a vet visit.  Well, we do NOT want or need another animal, we have two cats and two dogs.  But, he's so sweet, he purrs and purrs, and is so hungry.  He hangs out on the deck all day long, he's not going anywhere.  He's a handsome fellow, and shh, I looked into getting him neutered and the cost of a vet visit...and he needs a good flea collar, the Seresto ones cost over fifty bucks these days....but he's SO cute.

Little Miss Innocent, did NOT jump up and get the box of dog biscuits from the pantry shelf...no, not her.

It's hot here, really oppressively muggy and hot.  We always say in these parts, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity!".  When that humidity cranks up, oh dear, you can't sweat!  You're already all wet, so you just overheat.  blah.

But, we're not complaining, just a bit of recreational complaining.

My job training is on hold, btw, because Abigail and Mariel are in Norway.  

I made bacon and eggs for dinner tonight, Paul hasn't even eaten yet, (I saved him bacon, but he will make his own eggs when he gets to it) (the price of eggs!  oh my!) as he mowed the lawn.  He discovered wasps, a giant nest, so he went to the hardware store to get wasp spray.  It's so quiet here right now, just me, and the pets....two dogs and TWO cats, ha.

la la, Monday Monday....

My girls are back from Norway, Miss Sonja K. and Miss Charlotte Claire!  And, they brought...

 Norwegian chocolate!

Charlotte Claire with Jonny and Sonja...together in Norway, he went to Germany from there, and will be there for a year!

Miss Char, skateboard girl.

Some garden snacks...

...and the pool...I LOVE it, just love love love it.

After physical therapy today, I found my way out there to the pool....ahh, so nice.

The week is shaping up to be busy:  dentist appointments tomorrow, babysitting Wednesday, PT again on Thursday, then Saturday, a birthday party for little Ruth, and her daddy, Samuel...his birthday is actually tomorrow.  Sam, my eighth child, 27 years old, how can that be?

My jet-lagged girls are napping the whole afternoon/evening away, they're not going to get back to any semblance of normal if they do that, but it's summertime...they had big lunches, and didn't have any input as to what they wanted for dinner, and I had a four o'clock snack (first meal of the day) of some bacon, a handful of cherries, and a spoonful of peanut butter.  I wasn't hungry either, but I moseyed into the kitchen around five, and... we have zucchini from the garden!  I had made zucchini muffins and bread the other day, and it was rather fun.  I decided to make keto muffins, and the regular zucchini bread, so I started chopping and grating...I left the kitchen around 7:30.  Between the clean up, and making myself three scrambled eggs for dinner,  wow.  (Paul had gone on a bike ride, then came in and made his own scrammies...Camille had toast with Nutella.  

I also ate two of the muffins, so good, hard to believe they're low carb!  

Her face, so cute.

Paul is going on a work trip on the week of our next scheduled camping trip.  He is not the trip scheduler, so he's going on the work trip.  That leaves me to either cancel, or go by myself with the girls here, and shh, they do not love camping, especially tenting.   I, on the other hand, love it.  I would RATHER have a camper, but I don't, so tenting is better than not camping at all.

Paul is the smart camper though.  He can put up a tent lickety split, and knows all the secrets to lighting the tricky camp stoves.   He can manage both Labradors at the same time, on their leashes.  I can barely manage one, especially if they know they're going to play fetch-the-stick-in-the-lake.  He is just calm-cool-collected, and so relaxed about everything.  

The last time we camped without him, we went up a day earlier than he did because he had to work, we put up the tent and one of the poles broke.  We had to string the elastic-y thing back through it like fifty seven times before we got it.  Of course when you're doing something like that, the bugs are biting and the sweat is dripping into your eyes.  Then we were trying to pound the tent stakes in with large rocks, and the sweet little boy in the site next to us asked his mommy if he could let us borrow their hammer/mallet thing, what a good idea, and it was his idea!  (Yeah, it's even more fun when you have an audience, they seemed to sense we didn't quite know what we were doing.)

Anyway.  I am sure we will manage somehow, I'll fire the girls to action by suggesting that maybe we just aren't as good at setting up camp because we're girls.    Hopefully that'll make them want to prove we can do it, ha.

I do love summer, even the heat, but oh dear, it's going to get more humid here...Thursday is supposed to feel like a hundred degrees...heat WITH humidity is a whole n'other game.  You drip and dribble and can't cool off because the air is wet, and you feel like you can hardly breathe, but you still have to clean and cook and do other things besides just float in the pool, ha.  We only have the one A.C. unit, in our bedroom window, which WILL be nice, but out here, oh no.  

Ah well.  There's always something, isn't there?