Hot summer days in Oregon

If it's above 80 degrees in Oregon, it is HOT. And-hoo boy-when it gets over 90 degrees , people get crazy. And people complain. We wait all year for the splendor of summer, so the complaining is just nuts. Really all you need to do is find water and jump in. Which is what we did yesterday, along with a boat load full of rowdy, mostly well-behaved children.   Later there were much needed mojitos for the adults. A perfect ending to an early summer day. Cheers to summer!

"How do I do this?"

That's what Jackson said to me last night when I told him it was okay to watch TV. And, then I realized how infrequently he (or Sean) watch TV. I've never been a big TV fan. Well, maybe I was back in the days of Love Boat and Fantasy Island...you know, back when there was "good" TV to watch (HA). But in the last few years, we don't watch much TV at all. During the school year, the boys are busy with activities or homework on weekdays and on weekends we are busy with sports and often end up going out for dinner in the evening. Sometimes the boys will end up watching a movie with friends. If given the choice, the boys will most likely play a Wii game or a game on the ipad or a iphone. No American Idol, no So You Think You Can Dance, no reality TV. It's an interesting shift and I wasn't fully aware of it till last night when Jackson didn't know how to use the remote. So, maybe this summer we will actually watch more TV just to see what's out there.  And the beauty of summer is that we will actually have the downtime to partake in a little bit of mindless entertainment.

Scenes from last week

Photo 1: Creative clutter. I really don't mind the art supplies strewn all over he kitchen table. Mail clutter? Leftover newspapers? Dirty dishes? I can't relax unless those kinds of things are tidied up. But seeing a bunch of paint brushes and a canvas and other miscellaneous art supplies makes me happy. I still have hope that we will figure out a way to have a small dedicated arts corner in our house. For now, we've relocated everything to the dining room table so Jackson can paint when he wants to. Sean hasn't started anything yet but I'm hoping he'll get inspired soon.
Photo 2: The Reader. We've already been to the library twice so there's tons of new reading material floating around. The sight of Sean reading on the roof of the tree house made me laugh.
Photo 3: The Chef. He makes amazing breakfast burritos almost every morning. And, at night he's usually in the kitchen asking to help make dinner. I love that cooking is something we do as a family and that more often than not, we can sit together and eat dinner.
Photo 4: Cool evening sky. I need to get better about taking photos outside. I had my camera with me everywhere in New Zealand and I've gotten out of the habit. But there are beautiful sights all around, especially this time of year.

Summer is here!

I guess this post is really all about Jackson because I don't seem to have any end of year photos from Sean's class. There is a good reason for this....the fifth grade graduation is a big deal because it's the last year of elemetary school. Junior high starts next fall. Whoa!! So the last two weeks of school have been chock full of special celebrations and parties and popsicles and extra recess and so on. The events culminated with the 5th grade graduation ceremony and a party afterward at a local aquatic park. Its been an amazing end to a great year ,but boy, are we all tired!!
So many great friends and families have been part of our elementary years. The kids are all growing up but hopefully staying their same sweet selves, even if it is masked by adolescent indifference (otherwise known as the surliness of pre-adolescents). Truly some of the kids already seem like teenagers....carrying phones, constantly texting, too cool to be near moms and dads. We are lucky in that Jackson doesn't mind spending time with us and doesn't seem too caught up in being "cool". That time will come, I'm sure, but for now we are enjoying the last bit of the pre-junior high years.  

Homemade Pantry party

My friend Mary and I decided to put together a little gathering inspired by the book Homemade Pantry. This book has recipes for all kinds of kitchen items you can make yourself. The items run the gamut from granola bars and ketchup to toaster pastries, even mozzarella cheese. What did I end up making? Something sweet, of course, and a recipe that's not even from the book....homemade almond butter cups!  Several food blogs I follow have mentioned these treats and apparently they are part of the Paleo diet which seems very popular lately. I do not follow a Paleo plan but I was intrigued by the idea of making a treat that's healthier than the original version. They are very good!

We had a small group this time due to the fact that it's a very busy time of year and other people were out of town. But we plan to aim to host the event quarterly. And next time I plan to make a savory item...bread?   Salsa? Hummus? In the meantime, I'm definitely going to try the Nutella filled toaster pastries.

Almond Butter Cups:
Combine 1/2 cup each almond butter, melted coconut oil and raw cacao powder. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into cupcake lined pan ( I used the mini cupcake size) and freeze 15 minutes. Store in frig.

That's a wrap

Lacrosse season wrapped up today with an 3 game extravaganza. Jackson's team did really well and best of all...it was just the nicest, sunniest of days for sitting outside.
On a separate note, Sean was all smiles getting off the bus yesterday. Not even a single mention of the terrible, new shoes I forced him to wear earlier that morning. Good to know we can all bounce back after little challenges come our way.