This past weekend we gave the boys’ old boats a fresh coat of paint:
And headed out to the raingutter regatta:
Where J raced as an outlaw:
A raced in his bear den:
And A placed first in his den:
Which he was just slightly excited about, ha! B and I are both stepping up our volunteering in Cub Scouts this year, so J and I will be going to more of the camp-outs. I’m already starting to plan for what we will need extra for us going (probably a lot more allergy medicine, ha!).
Several years ago, I overhauled and straightened up our pantry. However, as of late, it was in quite a bit of disarray:
I purchased just three new baskets and a clear can holder from Target, tossed all of the expired food, and did some serious re-arranging:
I also did some re-stocking of pantry items for back to school. Extra snacks, canned veggies, beans, pastas, and rice make it easier to figure out quick weekly meals and prep lunches. I also labeled the bottom drawers (which you can’t see in the picture), so the boys can quickly find items they use often and put things away.
And afterward is was back to work on our sails:
For the Cub Scout raingutter regatta!
For this year’s anniversary sale at Nordstrom, I found a couple of pieces for myself, and several deals for the boys to get them started into Fall.
First up, the best deals I found for the boys:
All of their shoes from last year are essentially done for, so I’ve been working this summer to get them updated shoes. Nikes for J (these look a lot smaller than his shoes will be), and one more pair of Converse for A. I also got them each an athletic hoodie to wear when it gets cold and they are playing sports. They each have one already, but, seriously, they need two to switch out and wash. And then a long sleeve athletic shirt for A, because it was under armour at a super reduced price, and I couldn’t resist.
And for me…
A dress for work. I wear more dresses for work than I ever used to because there are a lot of mornings it’s easier to throw on a dress than try to figure out what pants and top to wear.
And a sweater for fall:
I got this in a different color, but it’s sold out. I’m guessing they’ll restock after the sale. I looked at shoes, but didn’t end up purchasing any because it seemed like the same five pairs were everywhere and they weren’t amazing. So, that’s it! A few new things at good prices to start us toward back to school and Fall!
Technically summer is just getting started in the south and will continue until mid to late October. However, the boys summer break is drawing to a close and we have just a mere week left before it’s back to school, sports, Cub Scouts, piano lessons, and more. We are currently living summer break to its fullest including,
A final trip to the library for story time:
We finished swim lessons and the boys improved by leaps and bounds:
We had dinner at a hibachi grill and the boys loved it:
We checked out the hay bales prepped for the winter:
And speaking of winter, the boys had their first blizzards:
The boys played some evening catch:
And ran through the sprinklers:
Enjoying those last bits of summer before they are gone!
Getting in one of our summer goals: sleepover!
Picking the perfect paint brush.
Experiencing all of the extremes of California.
A Star Wars hotel…sign every dude in my family up.
Don’t believe Michelle Tanner from season 2 of Full House. Dirt is good!
A week of outfits.
Creating the perfect brow. Did you know that your eyebrows regrow every three months? Indeed.
A beautiful, modern, light filled house.
And finally, finding inspiration from Paris. So classic!
Shrimp risotto with lots of lemon. It’s tangy, comforting, and you can get it all together in one skillet. We made ours without the onion or the extra cream, I added a can of diced tomatoes for some extra veggies, and there was not a single leftover!
Perfect for summer days when you’d rather do this:
Then spending a lot of time making multiple sides for dinner. Enjoy!
Same creek, same trail, what’s new?
All the boys biked the trail!
I ran behind so that I could stop with J when he paused to look at sticks, butterflies, and bunnies:
We only went as far as the creek because that’s about J’s limit (plus it was fairly hot even though there was shade):
The boys did great! And after we had lunch and immediately headed to the pool to cool off:
Hurray for summer!
This past Saturday we headed out for our first Cub Scout event of the summer, model rocket launches. It was scorching hot, even though it was early, a sure sign that summer is definitely here. Despite a last minute rocket issue (bend in the rocket) that we quickly fixed with duct tape, A’s rocket flew like a charm, and even J joined in on the fun with the help of his cousin.
Smooth landing!
And my nephew, J’s rocket also had a great launch:
And then J loved watching his brother and cousins and asked to have a turn, so they obliged and quickly got to work setting up M’s rocket for another launch:
It was a fun event! By the end we were definitely ready to head in to the air conditioning!
All lined up after a day of model rocket creating, swimming, and playing outside watching the start of the newest Minecraft: Story Mode. The best of summer!
Simple, girly, and somewhat sporty summer outfit.
Books about wonder to read with the boys.
Such fancy pasta!
A bench to put on my next summer to do list.
How I love sunflowers.
Effortlessly adding woven wall art.
A panda array of solar power. Both mathematical, ecological, and adorable.
The reason why our Grandparents are just “resting their eyes” in the afternoon.
Inspiration arrives when…
And finally, why constraints are important in creating a narrative, definitely using these ideas as an activity in my speech class!
Our library book stack:
Every year my sister makes these pickles:
A is obsessed with these, and he doesn’t even like pickles. He’s eating them faster than I am!
Fine motor skills:
Summer goal accomplished:
Which is after we eat we rinse our items and put them in the dishwasher. And put trash items in the trash.
The flowers on my work campus are in full bloom and gorgeous:
And this line of wear on B’s hat that J wore:
Melts my heart!