Baby Jane

This is Jane. Isn't she precious? She moved to San Diego last weekend with my baby brother and his wife and her big sister Maggie. Time to plan a road trip.

Wednesday chores

I am not sure what it is about making bread that is so fulfilling.

This is what I have done so far today. Walked the dog, and made two loaves of bread, eight oversized hot dog buns, and a dessert twist. Oh, and unloaded the dishwasher and made my bed.

Somehow it feels like enough.

Fabulous Fourteen

Cassidy turned 14 yesterday. She and a friend went to Nordstrom and had Mac do their makeup, then they had their hair done, and finally had a friend of Lindsay's take pictures. She might not appreciate the ones I chose to post, but I love them because they show her personality. She had tryouts for the high school tennis team this week and found out today that she made the team.

Happy Birthday to me

This is what I got for my birthday this year, a Bosch mixer. My youngest wanted me to get a Kitchen Aid because of the color options and cuteness, and I was tempted. I ended up going with the Bosch because my Mom has had one since she got married and it still works. It has made many loaves of bread. I have fond memories of homemade bread and homemade strawberry jam. My Dad has been baking all of their bread since January. Impressive. Yesterday I baked bread and made homemade pizza. I felt provident. Now I just need to continue for many years to have the machine pay for itself.

Girl's Camp

June is gone. It passed by unbelievably fast. For me, much of it was spent preparing for and attending girl's camp. We go to a beautiful spot above Heber called Aspen Lakes. I had a bad attitude when we left and kind of just wanted it to be over. All I can say is that it was worth it. I came home being really grateful for the experience. Here is my list of things I was thankful for.

warm sleeping bag

campfire songs

feeling 14 again (except for my aching back in the morning)

the picturesque landscape

sharing the experience with Cassidy

testimony

beanie/hats to cover my hair

insect repellent

french braiding skills

friendship bracelets

my husband's time and trailer

9 Lives

If you can't tell from the picture...this is our cat Rosy stuck under the hood of my SUV. This afternoon I heard some meowing in the garage and finally surmised that it was coming from the car. I popped the hood and couldn't see anything but I could hear that there was a cat inside. Luckily Derek was home because once we got a flashlight and spotted Rosy, it took a while to figure out how to free her. Derek ended up having to take out some screws that attached to a pan of some sort, and loosening it enough to tilt it down and release Rosy to live another day. The strange thing was that the car engine was hot so we are not sure if Rosy was inside when I drove to a tennis practice for two hours. 

Adding On

Every year when it warms up we pull out

the stored outdoor furniture 

and gain this additional room. 

It quickly becomes my favorite.

It is secluded and comfortable. 

The view could be a painting.

Welcome home summer.