new layouts

All of these layouts have been sitting it various stages of completion for the last couple weeks, so I decided to get going and finish them all up this morning, since I can't seem to get going on anything else productive today!
I've had these photos printed for months to scrap, just a quick page. He still loves to look at his reflection.
Lots of pictures from the blueberry picking adventure! Probably more than I needed, but I love them all so much. I think it's kinda fun.

This is for a dare, but I can't say I'm too happy with the design. I've had the pieces hanging around on my table for a couple weeks, so I just finished it up. Whatever, not every page can be my favorite.
L is working on new sounds and words every day. So far, the b sound is the most popular. :)

Here I am with the weekly update, having trouble getting here more than once a week this summer, but who knows, I'll probably post every day for a week now!
Tonight I taught a class at Home Ec about fusing plastic bags. It is such a fun and easy technique. And a little unpredictable, which makes you get creative - that's good! All the students made gorgeous bags. It was fun to see all the different shapes and colors. One of the students taught me how to use the bags to make yarn and crochet a bag. Can't wait to try that!

Other things happening around here:

• Picking blueberries
• sweet corn.canteloupe.blueberries.strawberries
• watching the garden grow (notice I didn't say weeding the garden, oops!)
• wrapping up the summer preschool session
• making zucchini recipes & Amish friendship bread
• watching Lachlan work on his "projects", which usually involving moving a group of things from one location to another
• looking forward to the ISF
• trying to read more, just finished The Reader and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

And a few links for you:
my new go-to recipe site: Tasty Kitchen
looks like a fun magazine: GreenCraft
I will be trying a few of these: Martha zucchini recipes

middle of July already?

Not much to report - now that everyone is healthy again, we've been spending lots of time outside. The garden is growing great. I'm loving the tall sunflowers and in awe of the pumpkin & squash vines! I love that Lachlan loves to be outside, too.
Last weekend we had a BBQ in honor of my mom's birthday and I made my first cheesecake. Big success, yum.



Harvested our first zucchini today! Bring on your favorite recipes!

This past week hasn't been very fun around here! Lachlan had his first real sickness - it started with a fever, which gave way to goopy eyes and a runny nose. After a visit to the dr. we found out it was Conjunctivitis and by Friday dinnertime the antibiotics were doing their job. Until... he woke up Friday night throwing up for the first time ever. Aww, it was so sad. Luckily, it was a short-lived stomach bug. Lucky for me, since it caught up with me yesterday. Yuck. And Bill has been sick all weekend with a head cold. So, not the most enjoyable long weekend for us. At least it meant some extra cuddle time with our cutie-pie.
We did spot some wildlife in our yard, though! This is the second time I've seen this buck in our yard. He was tasting our apples, and I've also noticed some lilies have been nibbled.
Then I spotted a skunk rooting around in the front yard. Don't worry, I wasn't in danger of being sprayed because I used my camera's zoom to get a closer look. Did you know that skunks are a main predator of honeybees?
I haven't had time to do much crafting lately, but I did manage to finish up a tag blanket that is a gift for a new baby boy. Here's hoping for healthier days around here!

the "run the driveway" game

We officially have a confident walker here. He is verging on running actually. Definitely fast-walking. Anyway, his favorite game outside right now is to walk down the driveway with someone following/"chasing" him.
He loves to carry something along. And checks every now and then to make sure you are still looking.
Sometimes he needs to stop and investigate something interesting.
Usually he keeps going and going until he reaches the end of our (very long) driveway, and then tries to keep going across the street until we pick him up and carry him back home.
Tonight was the first time he turned around voluntarily and came back the other direction. Exciting for me because I was off the hook for carrying duty!
He had a blast last weekend in Des Moines, because my parents live on a circle, so he could walk and walk on the sidewalks without having to turn around!

Helen's banner

As promised, here are a few photos of the banner I made for my friend Helen. She picked the fabric, and I think the prints and colors look adorable together. The fabric & yummy felt is from Home Ec, of course.
I also decided to make a little storage bag for it. I have been wanting to make something to keep my banner safe and clean and all together, so I thought Helen would appreciate it as well. The bag is just a simple rectangle with a drawstring. I added a few strips of the matching prints just for fun.
That's all for tonight, I'm tired after a busy weekend visiting in Des Moines and working much of the afternoon/evening on getting the garden back under control!

Be back soon

We're on an adventure in Des Moines. Looking forward to visiting the
Art Festival and hanging out with family. Have a great weekend!