Mayfly

Summer vacation has begun. In all reality, we've been in summer mode for about a week. The last few days of school were only a technicality. To firm this up we've been doing all sorts of summer activities: grilling dinner, working and gardening into the evening, spending time with friends, picking berries, eating ice cream cones (to celebrate an excellent report card!), driving around with the windows down and music blaring. You know, important stuff like that.

And tonight the boys have a baseball game. There's nothing quite like watching the sun sink over the outfield wall, and as the warm sunlight fades, the tall lights buzz and flood the fields with a cool blue glow. Oh, stop. Quit rolling your eyes at that sentence. It is that good, and I am not being over-dramatic. (If you're in a baseball family, you know exactly what I mean.)

Anyway...

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Ours is packed full of more perfectly summery activities.

Posted by Alicia at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

More rain. Ugh.

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Took a long, leisurely trip to the grocery store(s) with N today. Whole Foods makes me feel good. I like to walk around, knowing all those people- shopping and working- think quality food is really important. I wish I could get all our groceries there, but it's just too expensive.

I made shrimp and brown rice enchiladas this evening for dinner. I winged the recipe, but wrote most of it down just in case they were good. And they were good. They're even headache approved. I'll post the recipe soon.

I'm dreaming of strawberry shortcakes and trying to figure out when to go. It's a long drive.

The rabbit nest was too exposed right in the middle of our neighbors yard. J was so sad this morning when he thought she had abandoned two wee bunnies. They were soaking wet and shivering all alone. And now they're gone. We've nearly convinced him she moved them all to a better nest. Now if only we could convince ourselves.

I have a busy day tomorrow involving 70-some third graders, a school bus, and lots of historical Kansas City locations. The weather forecast looks much better, thank goodness. It actually looks quite grand into the weekend too. Woo hoo!

Posted by Alicia at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Cool and Rainy. Again. We're bout to float away.

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The kids are out riding scooters in raincoats and boots. There is a soccer game going on at the park in a downpour. Lots of mud and umbrellas and cheering.

The new Dunkin Donuts opened today, dangerously close to our house. We went for dessert. It was a zoo, but really fun. We saw little Henry and a familiar boy with flames on his bike helmet.

J found a nest of brand new bunnies yesterday. He checks on them constantly. He thinks they need to be rescued, but what they need is peace and quiet so the mama will return. He says they'll be safer in the rain. Cats hate rain. : )

Posted by Alicia at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Heather has been putting together diptychs this week, and I thought I'd join her. Getting this one ready just now makes me realize how much I miss the Noticing Project.

Spring (especially since sun came back out today) is slipping into summer at breakneck speed as it always does here in the middle of the country. N is already on summer vacation. It's J's last full week of school, but she's already informed them they're done with homework. Lucky devil. Remember how fun and free those last few days before break felt?!

In the last couple of days, I repainted the kitchen- white with a very light tan color wash. I was tired of the yellow. Now I need to find about ten yards of fabulous yet extremely affordable fabric to make cushion covers for a little danish couch we moved into the breakfast room.

We went to the zoo with a few of N's little friends today. The weather was perfect. She rode the carousel. We had a picnic. The geese pestered us. We watched the sea lion show. For my local friends, here's a coupon for the zoo that doesn't expire until October.

I am reading The Lacuna and loving it. It was last month's book club book and I didn't get it done in time. This month is Middlesex, which I hear is really good but "heartbreaking."

I think I'm beginning to have some shutter issues with my trusty Canon. It has frozen up quite a bit lately, and I have to take the battery out to get it to wake up. During a recent photo shoot even! I think it's time to start a camera upgrade savings account. Ouch.

Oh lordy! I hear The Hangover on the television in there. Gotta go, that's one seriously funny movie...

I'll be back soon. xo.

Posted by Alicia at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Already it's been the perfect amount of relaxing and just the right amount of busy and fun.

Last night we went out for a quick dinner*, ran into some friends, ran into the kids' dentist**, poked around Half Price Books, came home and built a fire outside.

This morning we all slept in, and then N and I made these delicious doughnuts while Brian helped J with his book report.

This afternoon we have plans with friends, and this evening J has a soccer game (on the turf under the lights at the fancy new soccer complex- so fun!).

Happy Weekending to you too!

* With the constraints of my headache diet, fast food is pretty much out for us. We've discovered that Jason's Deli is quick and cheap and has many healthy options for all.*

** It's always so funny for the kids to run into someone out of context. You should have seen their faces when they saw their dentist eating next to us! They even felt too shy to say hello.**

Posted by Alicia at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)