Random Photo Friday

August keeps moving along, and the long lazy days of summer continue to bless us with their beauty and warmth. Here are some pictures of how we spent our week...

We dressed for Mass on Saturday night...

And had just enough time of a few selfies before we left.

The kids did some brownie baking...

And I broke in my new favorite pajamas.

You can still call them that if you wear them all day, right?!

They are from Gap...now 40% off!!!!...

And they are soooo comfortable!

I saw this outside my family room window, and knew I had to get out there and join them.

And so, I did.

We spent a beautiful August morning soaking in all things August.

I looked around and saw the very early beginnings of change...

But still so much summer beauty remains.

I have been reading Amber's beautiful blog lately, 

And she inspired me to pick up my camera and try to capture some of the beauty that is August.

 I love this lavender that grows at the bottom of our driveway.

It reminds me of a dear neighbor who used to walk past my house every single day.

She commented on it every year.

Miss you, Deb!

So it is August.

And I am resolving to slow down and be mindful and appreciative of all the late summer beauty.

Even though...

Have a wonderful late summer weekend!

Thank you for visiting. 

What's For Lunch

I have been on a salad kick lately. I go in streaks with eating, but this one has lasted longer than most. When it comes to breakfast and dinner, I am fairly consistent. Lunch, however, is a different story. Either I skip it, which results in an afternoon of grazing on anything I see as I pass through the kitchen, or I decide to wait until dinner and am famished by five and we generally eat dinner at seven. This summer though, I am eating salads. Actually, the same salad. And I am not tired of it yet! I know you do not need a tutorial on how to make a salad, but I thought I would share mine here in case you wanted to change yours up a bit. Or laugh because I am doing a whole post about making a salad.

First I grab all my ingredients...

Then I wash my produce really well.

And dry it even better.

I like to combine iceberg and romaine lettuce.

And then I throw in any tomatoes I have.

This time of year, garden tomatoes are a bonus!

Next I add one slice of lunchmeat and one slice of cheese.

It varies depending on what we have on hand.

This week it is Virginia ham and Provolone cheese.

But my favorite is Gouda. : )

Oh...and just to be fancy...I roll it up and slice it. : )

Just a little.

I like to pretend I am on Food Network.

I add a handful of these...

And there you go.

The secret though...see that dressing???

The. Best.

Oh and one more thing.

I force myself to sit down.

And eat slowly.

And enjoy.

What do you like for lunch?

I'd love to have some new options!

Have a great day, my friends.

P.S. 

My Madison just posted the cutest post on her blog. She also linked to a new YouTube video which includes Nicolas too! Check it out if you are interested. You can find my firstborn's blog here!

Just For Fun On A Monday

Me. All day. Everyday.

Can you relate????

Weekly Wrap Up

We are enjoying these laid back weeks of August here in our country home. May, June, and July were quite packed with fun, family things. But August? August is blissfully free of any major commitments. And that is more than alright with me. This weekend stretches ahead of us with few plans. So we shall be soaking in the summer as it eases into fall. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Here is a wrap-up of our week...

We rode to Mass with the top off the Jeep...

And took selfies just for fun.

We had a wonderful time at Steve's family reunion.

His brother and wife live right on a lake, and host the party every year.

My niece Nicole took Flynn with her down to the water, and her daughter and Flynn had fun playing together.

Life has a way of coming full circle..

I used to watch Nicole when she was little.

Now, my daughter and her daughter play together. : )

Ahhh. Zucchini.

Are you running out of ways to use it yet?

This recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Rice is amazing!

But shhhh. We substituted butter for the Country Crock.

 

And then there is this yummy chocolate zucchini cake.

Please tell me my photography skills have improved since that post!

My beautiful mother came to visit!

She loves to sit on our porch and just enjoy the view.

We had some iced coffee and visited all afternoon.

I finished my yearly scrapbooking too.

I have been scrapbooking for twenty years.

I love doing it, and am so happy that I have these books to pass on to my children someday.

This is how I keep up with it...

At the end of every month, I print out the pictures that I want to use.

When they arrive in the mail, I immediately separate them into piles. Then I put each child's pile into a zip lock bag...Yes...super high tech here.

Every August, I take a few days and devote them to scrapbooking.

Because everything is all ready...I keep a tub of supplies ready and stocked...it is not a major task.

I have three ring binder scrapbooks for each child.

I use colored cardstock and once each page is completed, I slide it into a plastic sleeve that I then put into each book.

Each child has four books, divided into five years each.

And that is that.

New topic.

Am I the last person to discover that Walmart is now selling Yankee Candles????

I found two of our favorite scents today.

And I may have even lit the Honeycrisp Apple Cider this afternoon.

The fall lover in me couldn't resist.

And look what else!!!!

OK. These I put in the pantry until fall.

I swear.

Wow.

This was a long one.

Sorry!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

And remember to take some time to just be.