Where Were We?

Have you been wondering where I've been and what I've been doing?

No?

Oh well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

For the past two weeks I've been watching lots of this:







4 of my 5 kids participated in Gymnastics through the Park and Rec program. I have been so pleased with the opportunities provided to our kids through our city parks and recreation program. Throughout the summer they offer tee ball right on up through little league, swim team, volleyball, golf, softball, gymnastics, dance, theater, and track and field. It is only $15 to participate in a program, and they cap it at something like $75 for a family. So for us- that is a great deal. The kids can participate in as many things as they want to, and the most it will cost us is $75. Not bad.

Julia and Kennedy also did the 2 week dance camp. Dance camp took place over the same two weeks as gymnastics, so it's been a little hectic around here.

Devon is also playing coach pitch baseball. Lincoln is his coach, so that has been fun for them.

I've also been doing this:



Thanks to some friends who gave me raspberries and rhubarb, I was able to make several jars of strawberry rhubarb jam and a few jars of raspberry jam. I just got some more rhubarb today and I'm planning to make a batch of rhubarb jam. I've never made just plain rhubarb jam before, so I'm excited and I hope it turns out.

You can also see in the picture that I canned my first batch of green beans this week. I LOVE home canned green beans and I'm thrilled to be off and running with those.

There is one lonely jar of pickles up there. My cucumbers have just started to come on and I didn't want to waste the few that were starting to come, so I made just one jar. I just used a seasoning mix so it was easy to do just one.


In between rec programs, canning, and gardening, we've been spending lots of time at the city pool. This heat wave has had us seeking relief in the afternoons.

And in the few moments of spare time that have popped up here and there, I've been working on redecorating the bathroom. It's not done yet, but I hope to have a post up soon!

We had a guy come this past week to give us an estimate on hanging and mudding and taping some drywall for us. We're anxious to hear back from him so we can get moving on Kennedy's room in the basement. We also have a friend who is willing to come over and help us put in a window in that room. As if all that isn't enough, we are also picking out flooring for our basement. Once we make our decision we'll have that to install. So, yeah, we're busy. In the middle of all this, we'll be taking a 10 day vacation to drive to NY to visit our families and attend family reunions on both sides. So if I'm not back to the blogging world again soon, I hope you'll understand why!

Another Cake

Wow, has life been crazy lately. The kids have been out of school for nearly a month already. The fourth of July is upon us. My niece has come for a two week visit. My responsibilities at church are feeling a bit weighty of late. My gardens require constant attention. Sometimes I feel like I can barely keep up. It doesn't leave much time for blogging or projects. Today I was at church from 8:30 in the morning and didn't get home until 4:00 this afternoon. By that point I was starving and had a pounding headache. I laid down to take a nap and woke up at 7:30. Tomorrow is the Fourth and I feel completely unprepared. But I did squeeze in a date with my hubby last night and a cake order yesterday. I also did a cake last weekend, and, as proof that I've been barely keeping up, i completely forgot to take a picture of it. I didn't take a single one. But I did photograph this week's cake. In April I donated a custom cake for an auction at the kids' elementary school. The winner of the auction finally contacted me about the cake. She said a superhero cake would be great, as this was a birthday cake for her 3 and 10 year old sons. She especially liked the Spiderman cake I had previously done, so I used it and some other ideas I saw on the internet as inspiration. She left all the details up to me and really gave me the freedom to be creative. Here's what I did:

I love when this happens...

Yesterday my clematis decided it was time to burst into bloom. This may finally be the year that it really establishes itself so that next year it will be much more full. I love this time of year!

Little Girl Room to Guest Room

I have been given the green light from my husband to go ahead and redecorate pretty much the whole house. (Have I mentioned before how much I like that guy?!) I am starting in what is currently Kennedy's room. We will be moving her to a new room in the basement this summer (hopefully sooner than later), and I am going to turn her room into a guest room. Why am I starting the guest room first? Well, we recently were given a king size mattress set and metal bed frame. Given. It's in great condition. We put it in Kennedy's room since that will ultimately be the guest room. Then, I made plans for my niece and her two children to come visit. I'd really like to have the guest room done before they arrive. In 11 days. Sooooo.....

Here is the before picture:


I redid the room for Kennedy a couple years ago. It was a lovely little girl room. BUT...

I hate the oak trim in this house. I really really do. Personal preference. So I am starting by painting the trim white. I think this will really help with the limited natural light in this room. The trim paint is a nice shiny, reflective, glossy white.

I have already ordered bedding for the room. Since this is the first king size bed we have owned, we didn't have any king size bedding other than the threadbare sheets our friend gave us with the bed.

So trim is started, bedding is on its way, and I am totally excited to get this moving. Of course, I also need to get moving on Kennedy's new room in the basement so I should have plenty to keep me busy for the summer!

Good Luck to You (In Chinese)

I know the cake posts are getting a bit out of hand, but here's the latest:


Our good friends have had a lovely foreign exchange student this year from China. Her name is Mo and today she left for her home in Beijing. Yesterday her host family threw her a fun farewell party. As a gift to her, I made the cake for the party.


This is a strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting. I did the very popular ruffle cake design, and added the message on fondant on the top.
I used google translate to find the correct characters, then I practiced a few times before I painted them on the fondant with decorating gel, thinned out to a paint-like consistency. I was worried I might make one stroke incorrect and totally change the message, but luckily, that didn't happen. It was so much fun to learn these characters and I think I would really enjoy the art of learning to write them.

Best of luck to you, Mo! You will be missed!

Summer Mantel

For me, summer decorating has a lot to do with patriotism and Americana. There is something about decking the house in red, white, and blue and stars and stripes that just feels warm, fun, and nostalgic to me. I've just started the process in preparation for Memorial Day. Hopefully I'll get the rest of it out soon. Today I thought I would focus on my piano "mantel" in honor of the summer mantel linky party going on right now. So, without further ado, here it is:



I've kept a lot of the elements from previous mantelscapes, changing out a few items here and there to freshen the look and keep it in season. For spring I changed out the red berry garland for this one in creamy white. I added a dried hydrangea blossom because even though it's dried, I think it adds a light and summery feel to the area.


And lastly, some patriotic Americana- a painted flag with the Pledge of Allegiance printed on it. I love this simple piece.


So that's it. Nothing fancy, but I think it fits the bill!

Here a couple other spots:

The top of my hutch:


The front door:


This is a work in progress. Hopefully I'll add to it soon!
Linking to:

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Here's how my garden grows:






When we first moved here there was no garden spot. I very much wanted to have a garden, so the following summer we broke sod and put in our first decent sized garden. It was so exciting! I LOVED learning to can the produce I had raised in my own back yard. I canned salsa that first year, and a few green beans. I ate delicious tomato sandwiches and Lincoln made a few quarts of pickles.



The next year, I planted more beans, and brother, did I get more beans! It was fantastic! I canned between 40 and 50 quarts of beans. I was also the happy recipient of extra tomatoes and cucumbers from friends. I pickled and canned and preserved like a mad woman. I was in heaven! In fact, I took inventory at the end of the season.

The following year, which was last year, I expanded my garden by a few feet. I tried planting a few potatoes and was excited for another banner year. But then my garden died. I went on vacation and by the time I got home, it was beyond saving. I froze a few quarts of green beans, made a stew with the potatoes and carrots and that was it. It was so disappointing.

Well, this year, I'm hoping to get back in the game. I have doubled my garden size by renting a plot at the Lands End garden. In that plot I have planted:

One pumpkin plant. This is my first attempt at growing pumpkins. This is an experiment to see how it goes.

One yellow squash

Two zucchinis

6 cucumbers

A row of onions

6 rows of potatoes

Here in the backyard garden I have planted:


A row of lettuce

A row of mixed greens

A row of carrots

green onions

cilantro

basil

20 pepper plants

3 rows of green beans

32 tomato plants

And this year, I am finally trying to grow a pea teepee. (And one row of peas in the garden.)


I am still very much a beginner, but hopefully the addition of some nice, aged horse manure this year will help provide the boost my garden needs. I am determined to get some mulch in there as well. I need all the help I can get keeping the weeds down!


A great pair of Wellies make rainy days fun!


So, fingers crossed! It's time to build up my green bean supply again! Last year my tomatoes did nothing...I really need those to produce well. Any tomato growing tips for me?