Link Love

I'm so sorry I forgot about Link Love last Sunday.  Seems like life has caught up with us this month and I've been doing a lot of scrambling to get back in a rhythm.  Since last Sunday was Party Link Love, I decided to go with that theme this week and show you some of the great parties that are cropping up around the blogosphere.  Enjoy!

This Girly Birdie Baby Shower (@Creative Party Place) is adorable.  I love the floral arrangements.

I'd love to throw a tea some day and this Menu for Tea Parties (@An Afternoon to Remember) would be a great resource for getting started.

Christmas will be here sooner than you think so check out this great resource of Christmas Theme Parties (@Tip Junkie).  Great ideas; time to start planning.

Share Your Summer Photos: Week Eight

This week's topic: Photograph that Summer Sky.

Week Eight already.  This has been quite a ride, looking at our summer through new eyes.  And actually my husband took these photos while we were at the beach this summer.  We usually have pretty great sunsets in our area, but with the temperatures we've been having, we don't do a lot of outside time in the summer.  Here's what we saw in Oregon:

So what does your summer sky look like?

Let's start sharing.  Journal or don't journal, but do share with us what's going on in your life.  And don't forget to invite others to join in on the fun as well.

Next week's challenge: What Color Means Summer To You?

August's Cheapest Fruits and Vegetables

What new ways are you incorporating fruits and vegetables in your diet lately?  Pea pods (although not on this month's list) have been a staple in our house as of late.  The kids love munching on them for snacks or having them along side their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch.  I've been buying them by the bagful.

August's Cheapest Fruits and Vegetables:
Watermelon
Strawberries
Cantaloupe
Blueberries
Peaches
Apricots
Kiwi
Raspberries
Plums
Cucumbers
Corn
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Summer Squash
Green Beans
Lettuce

You have to make sparklers if you haven't already.  Name them something else if you must, but it was one of the best family deserts we've had in awhile.

Fresh fruit is in abundance and we are loving serving it with every meal.  Most evenings we have a variation of some sandwich and serve it with green salad and fruit.  Quick, easy and refreshing.

Pasta salad is also easy with BBQing in the summer.  We went to a neighborhood block party last week and took pasta salad with cucumber, squash, onion, and tomato.  It was light and fresh.  I've never done squash in my pasta before, but it tasted great.

Speaking of BBQ.. we did kebabs last night.  Oh, they were fantastic.  What a great way to stretch some meat and be nutritious.  We layered our meat with squash, onion, and bell peppers.

Eggplant lasagne is on our menu for next week.  I've never had any success cooking it with the skins, but peel the skins off and it's fantastic.  Both of my kids love it and it's actually pretty quick to pull together.

How does this month's cheapest fruits and vegetables inspire creativity in your kitchen?

52 First Dates: Week Eight

So sorry for the thrown together date last week.  I had all the best intentions of writing that post early, but as the week wore on, I got overloaded with settling the house, kids, and getting myself ready.  It turned out being more overwhelming than I had anticipated.  Anyways...

Hubby and I had a great time last week.  We ended the week with a four day church staff retreat.  It was a nice time of spending time with other couples and actually having some adult conversation.  Some adult conversation without hearing, "Mommy, I have to go potty."  And although the time commitment kept us from having a formal date night, it did open up lots of time for communication.

We find ourselves communicating on a deeper level than we have in a very long time.  Deep heart conversations  into things we've never shared.  It's amazing that after only 2 months of committing to a regular date night, we've made lengthy strides in our relationship.

So here's your assignment for this week:
  Take a walk together this week.  Send the kids out to grandma's for the evening or to have dinner at a friend's.  Stroll through the park, farmer's market, neighborhood, etc and take note of what you see.  Spend some time just chatting and letting your mind wander.  You might be surprised at what topics of conversation arise.

Check back in and let us know how your dates are going.  Anything new you've learned?  Leave a comment or check out the Facebook Event Page and let us know how you're doing.

So sorry dear friends...

I've been sitting here for awhile trying to get photos to load and just don't seem to be getting anywhere.

I have missed you over my long weekend, but it seems although my absence may be a bit longer.  I'll try to add something tomorrow, but in case I don't, I'll be back for 52 First Dates on Wednesday.  So sorry.