Summer seems to be zooming by.
Each time I blink, another week has come and gone.
And I'm not ready for cold weather yet. So I've vowed to stop blinking!
Here are the events that mark the transition from June into July:
We begin with the Color Vibe.
The garden harvesting and cooking is ongoing...
The boys love picking and eating fresh strawberries.
I used kale from the garden to make a parmesan sweet potato gnocchi.
(And fun tip... If your kale wilts on your counter top, you can bring it back alive by placing it in a cup of cool water, just like cut flowers. I almost scrapped the whole recipe due to poor-looking greens. But right before our eyes it came alive, with just a drink of water.)
We have the world's BEST cilantro in our backyard, right now.
So vibrant, citrusy, and flavorful. I can eat it by the handful! It's taking all our Mexican dishes to a new level.
Fresh potent garlic.
And we just wrapped up the last of our pea harvest.
We give Sage a pair of a scissors and a step stool, and put him to work!
I used a large portion of the harvest to make a pea and asparagus fettuccine with a creme fraise and parsley sauce. It was delightful. And we discovered that fresh fettuccine is far superior to dried. Seems we're always discovering new things in the kitchen.
Then came the 4th of July.
And we celebrated with family, in City Park.
We staked out the exact same viewing spot as last year, to catch the city's firework show.
When we texted this pic to our parents, we subtitled it:
"U-S-A! U-S-A!"
But what we really said to Kale, was...
"Are you ready to see Phish?!?"
We've trained him to do this. We mention Phish, and immediately he assumes rock star position.
Both Sam and I brought glow toys for the kids.
I brought the classic style sticks. Sam brought balloons with tiny lights inside of them. We were fully entertained until the fireworks started up around 9:30pm.
If I ever right a book about parenting...
I think the picture below should be the cover.
Doesn't this really sum it up?
What a whimsical image.
One has a cape. The other thigh-high rain boots.
And of course the ever-present box of Teddy Grahams.
I took a Saturday afternoon to mop the floor. I used a large bucket, several wash clothes, and was down on my hands and knees scrubbing away. The only way to really get a floor clean.
I stepped back to admire my work.
How shiny. How immaculate.
15 minutes later...
I kid you not.
An entire jar of sprinkles.
What you see above is Sage desperately trying to inhale them before I get my broom out.
Sage is just weeks away from turning 4.
We spent one evening working on invitations for his upcoming birthday party. We had so much fun making them. We made more than we actually needed!
Much to my liking... arts and crafts seems more and more like an activity I can share with Sage. I've got high hopes for the 4's!
If you are wondering...
Yes. I did ask Kale if he was ready to see Phish.
I cooked my way through another Blue Apron box.
First up:
Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches.
And they were incredible! I'm sold!
But it's more than just the tomato. You need good bread, good greens, and good aioli too. Every part of a sandwich has to be good to have a truly good sandwich.
And we had it all.
Come September, I'm going to have a large number of green tomatoes on my hand. And this is a fabulous way to not waste produce!
We also made pepper, squash, and rice enchiladas.
With a tomatillo and lime salsa.
Mmmm good!
We finished up with a squash, arugula, and ricotta pasta.
This last box might have been the best yet.
I had been thinking about stopping the service for a bit...just to save some cash. But this round of mouth-watering recipes makes me think I just need to keep doing it!
On Friday the 8th, I decided to have a taste of child-less summer. By this, I mean that I requested the day off work and spent it hiking in the Poudre Canyon. Alone. How amazing to pack just for myself. And to put sunscreen on just myself. And to eat when I was hungry. And to walk for as long as I wanted to.
Freedom.
It was a selfish day in gorgeous nature.
With only my thoughts. A book. And a sandwich. :)
I hiked about 3 miles.
Half of it uphill. The other half downhill.
I took a new trail (new to me, that is)
But very popular with the local.
If you go far enough, you reach the summit - Greyrock. But that would have been double the distance I chose to go. Next time for sure.
But on this day, I wanted to save some time for something else... I had plans to sit by the bank of the river and paint. Something which is nearly impossible to do with kids occupying the house.
I looked forward to sharing my art with the family.
And Sage decided he wanted to paint too.
I think his skills are improving!
We've been loyally using the swimming pool every weekend.
Fort Collins has been in the 90's consistently. And the pool is such a great way to cool off. Plus the kids burn tons of energy.
Saturday the 9th, we had our first neighborhood block party.
We weren't sure what to expect. We were timid, to say the least...
There are lots of retirees on the cul-de-sac, and just one other family with kids - two girls. Most people smile and wave when passing, but beyond that there is little interaction. There is even one family on the corner, who always appears to look the other way whenever we drive by. In 6 years, I'm not sure we've ever made eye contact. Who does that!?!
But the block party would hopefully change all that. Everyone came. And we sat together, first under the clouds, then under the stars, until 11pm. Talking. Sharing libations. And earning our mosquito bites. It was truly fun. Sitting in the street together, eating, and celebrating. Just like a scene from the Sandlot!
But the real highlight of the party, was the rock climbing wall.
One of the neighbors put a request into her church, who had some grant money for community-bonding, and earned us the wall for daytime use!
Kids and adults alike loved it!
At first Sage was timid.
But then he couldn't stop.
He was a climbing maniac!
I climbed it.
And Matteo did too!
