So far, this summer has been one for the books...we kicked it off with the boy's wedding and it's been non-stop crazy-busy ever since! I'm finally getting a week off from the madness - I think I've earned a break!
It's been a whirlwind of bridal showers and weddings - my house has been over-flowing with wedding flowers for weeks and finally it was over...just in time for the grands to arrive. Max loved his closet bed...as in LOVED! He also loved the new Legos I snagged for him from a garage sale - which ended up all over the house. Note to self: Never buy anything for the Grands that has more than 3 pieces. Elsa is such a sweet little girl - never makes a peep and was happy to be pulled all over the Farmer's Market in Issaquah in the wagon. Back at the ranch she happily played in her "tea-party house" while Max splashed her from the water table...but he "didn't mean to!"
We had 80-degree days on end, which gave the mister plenty of time to work on the new path he's putting in on the side of the house...he's half way done - I think he's going to put gravel in those sections but I'm not sure, I don't dare ask, this is all his deal...he has control of the outside of the house, I have control of the inside so I'm not allowed to even make a suggestion! The days with the kids were jammed packed with outings - after a good solid breakfast of donuts and ice cream sandwiches...was that wrong? Don't worry, it was just a couple of times and after they had eaten their eggies!
The girl and the grands were here for 10 days so we went on several picnics, (stopping at McDonalds and eating in the park was a picnic) and we went on a Sasquatch hunt every stinkin' night! I know, I started the whole Sasquatch thing but I was tired at night and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head but Max needed to go on a hunt! So with flashlights in hand, we headed out into the forest and I continued to fill his head with crap...the Sasquatch eat the bark off trees and they bury their poop under little mounds of dirt...(thankfully Max didn't want to dig under the dirt to see the poop...Moles provided lots of "covered poop" for us to find...the Sasquatch also eat berries, which is why the black berries were picked clean!
We found 68 trees in the forest (the park behind our house) with bark missing and 37 piles of covered poop. The hunts were a great success even though we have yet to find a Sasquatch!
During all the chaos I managed to put up 6 quarts of pickled beans, okra and pickles...we've already eaten 2 quarts so I'm going to have to do more! I used this recipe for Refrigerator Pickles - super easy and fast because there's no processing. And they are dang good! Even though I had no desire to go to Seafair this year, because the Blues weren't flying, the girl talked me into it...so we made another picnic and found a patch of grass to park ourselves and watched the Patriot Jets do their best Blues imitation...it was just okay...they tried, bless their hearts, but they just didn't hit the mark.
Max wore his new pirate shirt and shorts...but we didn't see any pirates. Oh well, there's always next year! We stopped at Ezell's on the way home and picked up their fried chicken - it was just as good as we remembered so we "picnicked" once again on the deck for dinner.
And there was swimming. Max is demonstrating his idea of Synchronized Swimming (?) - loved being in the pool.
The wedding I helped with was wonderful from beginning to end...Rachel and Tanner were the perfect bride and groom. The girl took their pictures and, in my unbiased opinion, they are awesome!
The day before the wedding the girl and the happy couple went all around Seattle on a photoshoot...it was great fun for them and the bride got to wear her dress twice and be a bride for two days so that's pretty cool! She even managed to keep the dress clean! The girl is very, very reasonable, has a great eye, has had extensive training and does a fantastic job...if you need a photographer in either Washington, California or Utah, look her up here.
As August winds down I plan to dig into the pile of books and movies that have been calling my name and do some more pickling. This past week I was the recipient of some great corn from Idaho (thanks Kay) and I decided to blanch it, cut it off the cob and freeze it for chowders in the fall - it was so easy I'm going to have to do more! Plus peaches will be coming on soon...time to rinse out the Mason jars! Tick-tock - the days are flying by!!
The mister and I are planning a little get-away for September and a couple of road trips and the garage still needs to be cleaned...I think I'm going to just have a big dumpster delivered and throw everything into it - I know the mister wouldn't miss one thing and neither would I - first world problems!
Hope you're having a great summer! Enjoy it while it lasts!
