Sunday, August 23, 2009

August Fly-by

School is just about to start up, and in the month since I've posted we've:
  • picked Natasha up from camp;
  • visited my lovely cousin Karen and some Twin Cities attractions;
  • spent a week camping in MN along the beautiful St. Croix River, and picked up an armful of fun antiques;
  • harvested plenty of beans, broccoli, zucchini and tomatoes from our garden
  • Painted Natashas' room (finally) a gorgeous Fountain Blue, glazed with a seafoamy green color we swirled and ragged on as a top layer. I think I want my old office back...
  • Visited Michelles parents in Chicago while attending her grade school reunion in the park (and an evening out afterwards), and spent a day at the Museum of Science and Industry including a visit to the Harry Potter Exhibition and the U505 German Submarine Tour.
Right now I have a few trays of tomatoes slow roasting in the oven. It's been a cool year so the tomato harvest hasn't produced near enough to start canning sauce. However there are still too many tomatoes to just eat. So when I came across the idea in Molly Wizenbergs A Homemade Life it seemed like the perfect idea. I already love romas topped with olive oil, fresh chopped basil and fresh mozz and broiled to a lovely warm gooey mess. I just don't know if I can wait 3 more hours to taste them, they smell so GOOD.

The other night I finally took a little time to scrapbook too - felt good to just sit back and create, even if I kept things a bit simple. Used quite a bit of old product too. This is Natasha's 6th grade school photo - just in time as the new ones are scheduled for a few weeks from now! The golds are a bit more vibrant IRL and those two orangey flowers on the side came off another page you'll see in a minute - in other words, imagine the page without them!
Sarahs' second grade school photo - used Perfect Pearls bronze on the Basig Grey white letters.
Mira last Labor Day. Every year we camp with my parents ( it's lovely to have a getaway every year on my birthday) and every year it seems we find a walking stick at our campsite- climbing up Grandpas' chair while we roast marshmallows or just after we've finished packing up the car and are setting up for the annual photo of the girls with Oma and Grandpa. Not this year - lots of fuzzy caterpillars which Mira took a huge interest in. We stopped at the range station just before leaving the park (which we never do) and there in the grass was our walking stick!
Mira early last summer (note boxes of bedding plants on the picnic table). She had her Disney Princesses in hand and spent the afternoon playing with them and dancing all over the yard. What an enchanted day! Karen Russel products (including parts of a rub-on that inspired the outside circle to tie the page together, and painted CI flowers, didn't notice the missing flowers when I took this photo). The rest of the circle consists of my handwriting and AC Kate alphabet rub ons for the title.