We've Been..

Powerless...Irene came on Sunday and took our power with her.

No damage to our home..just some small trees down.

It was a fun and productive day!

While we had daylight, Steve hung pictures for me!

Finally, the big empty space behind the couch is being filled.

My "London Wall" as inspired by Tracy Porter. 

We had dinner with our neighbors..

and then came home and played games and read by candle light.

We've been lucky to have our power restored as most of the town still does not.

The first day of school was even pushed back a day.

Hoping Irene went easy on everyone!

Crafting...Griffy and Will painted rocks

Hannah stamped all of our names on some to use as place settings.

I love them!

Playing..in the sink.

He loves it in there.

Griffy is talking so much lately.

I just love his little voice.

Reading...ok. I have been reading so much.

So many great books this summer!

I'm trying to get them all in before the puppy comes.

I get seriously cranky if I can't read.

Last night, I finished Anna Quindlen's Every Last One.

Bawling.My.Eyes.Out.

I can't tell you the last time I cried so much over a book.

Even though it was really really sad

I highly recommend it.

I also just finished 

What Alice Forgot.

It's not pictured here because I finished it on the Vineyard

and left it for my mom.

There is a link to it over there on my sidebar.

Read this book!!

It's about a woman who goes to a spin class at the gym

falls off and forgets the last ten years of her life.

She wakes up thinking she's 29, happily married and pregnant with her first child.

She's really 39, going through a divorce and has 3 kids that she doesn't remember.

Great read!

I just finished The Winter of our Disconnect as well.

I picked it up on the Vineyard.

It was displayed at the check out and it was an impulse buy.

The check out girl said she read it and loved it.

I didn't love it.

I love the idea of disconnecting for 6 months.

No screens at all.

And that was what this woman did with her 3 teenagers.

And after reading about them..they needed it.

None of us are on Facebook, Twitter, or are "Gamers"

I think I do a pretty good job of monitoring the screens in our home.

So...

could you go 6 months with out screens?

A few people have asked me when I read.

This summer I got a lot of my reading done on the beach.

The older kids entertain the baby

(notice how I still refer to him as the baby.)

We would also have quiet time

when the baby was napping

and I could read for 2 hours then!

(not a lot of housework done during that time)

And I read at night. 

What are you reading?

I have 2 1/2 weeks until..

Gus, Tucker, Remy (RemDog), (Steve and the kids like that one..and if you are a Sox fan you'd get it)

Charlie...

shows up.

Trying to get all my reading in!!

Cranky Pants

Not all of our summer days have been so....beachy.

Let's take today for example.

I wake up and see that it's another beautiful, sunny day.

So we pack up the car and the cooler and deal with a certain cranky kid that is "sick of the beach"

and tells me on the way to the beach that when he's old like me, he's never going to the beach.

I told him that's fine.

We aren't on the beach 5 minutes and it's hitting the fan.

It's too windy, too hot, a beach chair is broken, blah blah blah.

So I pack it up and we go home.

The kids were like..really?

We're leaving?

They're conditioned by now to realize that when we go to the beach

we're there to stay.

Not today.

I get it.

I'm getting a bit cranky too.

Today I thought...I'm ready for them to go back.

And then I thought..

well, then it'll just be me and Griffy..

and the puppy.

We get him in 3 weeks.

I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Like...what have I done?

I did this last year too you know.

I put a down payment on a puppy and then called the breeder the week before

we were supposed to get him and canceled.

Steve says we have more money invested in dogs that we don't own.

True.

But, it's going to work this time.

Is it bad that I'm most excited about the puppy cleaning up all the food 

off the floors that Griffy throws?

Vineyard Vacation

We've been on the Vineyard.

We go every year for the Agricultural Fair.

The Oak Bluffs fireworks are Friday night

They are the best!

We bring wine and cheese

and then we get buckets of ice cream from my sisters shop.

Stephen actually scooped them for us!

It was so great to see him!

Even though we didn't see much of him.

My mom has taken such great care of him.

I'm not sure if he's ready to come home yet.

Saturday we went to the fair.

Will and Hannah entered art work this year!!

I thought Will won a prize for his horse

but Hannah said, "mom, everyone has a ribbon"

They were just entry ribbons.

Still, I thought Will's was great!

Hannah's "hydrangea in a cup"

Way to go Hannah!

It was so cool to see their art work up there!

Griffin loved the animals.

Time for the rides!

The Sizzler was by far the favorite of the night!

My brother in law spends a fortune trying to drown the clown..

..and he always does it.

And of course we eat.

Griffin had his first corn dog.

Yuck.

He ate the whole thing.

Lobster rolls

And deep fried twinkies.

Yes, you heard me.

Deep. Fried. Twinkies.

Sunday we drove out onto South Beach

with my sister and her family

and my mom

It was the best day!

Hi Annie!

:)

The waves were huge!

Edgartown..

We didn't see him

But did pass the motorcade

One of my favorite shops 

Edgartown Lighthouse

A favorite shop in Vineyard Haven

Loved this idea!

Ferry home

:(

Not sure who was on the ferry with us

but we had a Coast Guard escort the whole way back

Another great Vineyard vacation!!

One week til school starts.

And I'm still not ready.

Some Things I love About Summer

driving barefoot

the smell of low tide

freckles

eating lots of seafood

getting on the ferry

afternoon naps

red sox games

eating lots of ice cream

tan lines

corona light with a lime

heart rocks

tomatoes

sundresses

griffy's crocks

straw hats

never knowing the date

Around the House

We spend so much time out on the porch

eating, reading, playing games

napping, drinking wine

bird watching.

Will got the binoculars for his birthday.

summer mantel

It rained all day yesterday

I made Ina's chicken with tabbouleh 

and 

her wheatberry salad 

both really good!

Stephen has been gone two weeks today.

I miss him

but he loves it!

He's working..a lot and making friends.

I think he'll come home a little more grown up.

I've never been away from any of my kids for this long.

And whether you like it or not,

you adapt.

We're Expecting...

...a puppy!

Everyone thinks I'm totally crazy..

including my husband.

But we're going for it.

Hannah has been begging for years.

Since our last dog ...

This time

we're ready.

He's 3 weeks old

and we can pick him up in 5 more weeks.

So I've been organizing and doing things now 

that I know won't get done when he gets here.

Today I'm in the attic.

Staring at all the baby things

that I still can't get rid of.

Ok..let's talk names.

Here are some of the names we like..

Tucker

Gus

Murphy

Ziggy

Any others?

And please tell me I'm not crazy.

:)

Summer Comfort Food

We spent a lot of time at home this week.

No field trips

no beach

no friends.

Steve was in Jamaica on travel...

seriously?

So it was just me and the 3 kids.

We spent a lot of time in the kitchen

and on the porch reading.

The weather has been nice...70's and 80's

with the occasional thunderstorm.

Who doesn't love a good thunderstorm in the summer?

Anyway, this was the view from my sink today.

And this.

And while they were out playing I made this...

Chesca's Roasted Corn Chowder.

From the Morning Glory Farm Cookbook.

(Morning Glory Farm is on the Vineyard and Chesca's is a restaurant in Edgartown)

Ok...typically in the summer I don't crave comfort food.

It's in the dead of winter when I need big bowls of soup, mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie...

you get the idea.

Generally, my summer comfort comes in the form of my beach chair

with a good book in my hand.

But, sometimes even when it's warm out..you need a big bowl of comfort.

And this chowder is it.

I will tell you it's time consuming.

I roasted the corn yesterday.

And today sauteed the bacon

and chopped a million vegetables

and then made a roux

and had to dig deep in my pantry for some Sherry.

But, man...was it worth it.

Even Griffin loved it.

And he's picky.

Anyway, I called my sister Jen who lives on the Vineyard

and told her I made it..finally.

And you know what she said?

To add some lobster meat.

Why didn't she tell me that yesterday?

I'll have to make it again..

because lobster in this chowder

would mean I'd have died and gone to heaven.

Tonight I'll just have it with a piece of french bread

and my glass of white wine.

Maybe on the beach 

in my chair

with my book.

Comfort.

Books and Donuts

The weekend was jam packed.

Friday night I spent the night with an old girlfriend at her cottage on the Cape.

I was in need of a night away.

We had so much fun...

slept in the next day and went out to lunch.

Sunday we had our annual family birthday/bbq celebration at my brother John's

back down on the Cape.

It poured ALL day.

And then sat in 2 hours of traffic coming home.

Ahhh...the Cape in the summer.

The past few days have been quiet.

Not great beach days = lots of cooking/baking/reading.

I just finished Still Alice.

I loved it. 

And could resonate with it as Steve's mom is suffering from this horrible disease...

Alzheimers.

I pray every day for a cure.

I'm in the middle of A Homemade Life.

I like it.

I like a book with recipes and will be trying some of Molly's.

She is also the author of the blog Orangette.

I'm really looking forward to the Secret Garden!

So much to read!

So little time!

Yesterday the kids and I made donuts.

Ok...seriously...so fun and easy and GOOD!

Don't you just love my little donut cutter! 

Oh how I love kitchen gadgets.

Forget the jewels...

shower me with fun kitchen things!

That is a lot of vegetable oil.

While they're still warm

put them in a paper bag with cinnamon and sugar

and shake.

You can also use left over frosting

and sprinkles.

Wicked good.