NumberNineteen

Hope's (Early) Birthday Party

Hope's birthday isn't until mid September but we wanted to do a pool party this year, so we went ahead with the celebration before school starts.  It was a low-key event, with several of her closest friends.  Immediately after  last year's Cake Boss extravaganza, I told Hope, "This was really fun, but yeah, next year it's a pool party." ;)
The birthday girl before the fun began -- the "nice" picture & the "crazy face" ones.  She is turning 8, after all.

The girls had a great time in the pool and, of course, eating pizza & cake. 

I couldn't resist one little Pinterest inspired detail -- I used sand buckets & shovels as containers on the snack table:

At the end of the party, in a very UP-esque manner, the balloons were caught by the wind & sailed off, high into the sky:

 

At the Fair

Last week was  fair time again, one of my favorite things about summer.  I love the rides, the food, the animals, the exhibits (yep, I love to check out the homemade relish), and the bingo (yes, I am admitting it, I love to play bingo).

We went on Friday night and the fair was bustling with people.  Hope was so excited that she didn't know where to look first.  Here she is, waving her arms in the air with excitement:

After getting some bad-for-you-oh-so-yummy fair food, we headed to the exhibits, where I found that I'd won first prize in the drop cookie category!  I'd entered on a lark this year & was so excited to win!

We headed out to the midway where we went on some rides & generally enjoyed the atmosphere.  I remember when I was a kid, it was really exciting to be out after dark, among all of the lights & bustle. 

Freezer Cooking

Fall is coming and that means back to school!  I'm going back to work this week and the kids come back the day after Labor Day.  Knowing that I'll have a full schedule this year, I took the opportunity while Hope was at my parents to do a batch of freezer cooking so that we can have good meals ready to cook on busy weeks.

3 containers of ham & bean soup, 2 lasagnes, chicken enchiladas, 3 containers of South of the Border chili, 1 batch of clam-pesto sauce and 2 crab quiches. I made all of this (aside from the Ham & Bean soup -- I'd made that a few nights prior) in one morning. 

Some things that I've found really helpful to have on hand during a freezer cooking session are foil pans, plastic containers, and a label maker (I have one similar to this).  I make each dish from start to finish and then start on the next but some people like to do all of the chopping first, all of the assembly next & so on.  It's really personal preference.

Here are the recipes that I used:

Chicken Enchiladas

South of the Border Chili

Clam-Pesto Sauce ( I use jarred spaghetti sauce rather than the marinara they suggest)

Crab Quiche

Lasagne ( I make several modifications to this recipe: I use about 5 cups of spaghetti sauce, add oregano, basil & rosemary to both the meat & cheese mixture and sprinkle mozerella on top rather than parmesan.  I split it into 2 square pans rather than 1 large rectangular pan since we have a small family)

Ham & Bean Soup (I just buy this & cook as directed)

I've frozen all of these dishes before so I know that they come out well after a few weeks in the freezer. 

I'm looking forward to these hearty dishes this fall!

Vintage Finds at the Beach

Vacation = Antiquing Time.  Everyone does that, right?  I found some really wonderful things this time. We stumbled onto a small outdoor antique show in Lewes and found this lovely painting that is perfect in the dining room. 

I don't know if you can see it in this photo, but there are small sailboats in the background - they feel so peaceful to me.

And, I'm so thrilled with this coronation tin that I found.  Isn't it wonderful?

It fits right into my Anglophile corner.

I'm always looking out for new (old) Christmas ornaments & was happy to find these:

I think that flower looks very Mary Engelbreit-esque, though it's a vintage ball. 

My finds are the icing on the cake of the vacation :)

 

Beach Days

I'm sitting here on the front porch, sifting through our beach vacation photos.  I love this one -- the surf hitting the sand, the kids playing.  That was our last day there &  it was the most beautiful beach day that I've ever had.  Temps in the low 80s, a wonderful breeze, and a bright blue sky with big puffy clouds.  Glenn & I went on a walk, searching for shells & sea glass and it was one of those perfect beach times, when you aren't thinking about anything else but being there.

We are fortunate to have gained easy access to the Delaware beaches since my parents moved near Rehobeth a few years ago.  A summer trip to Nana & Grandpas = a beach trip!  We've had a lot of fun over the past two summers exploring Rehobeth's boardwalk & town and, this trip, discovering the adorable nearby town of Lewes. 
This park is tucked just off the main street of Lewes.

Food was a major theme on this trip. Seafood...mmm...had to take a picture of this dish....those are chunks of crab on the top...

Another night, we inadvertently took the entire family to a gay bar/restaurant complete with shirtless waiters. That was pretty amusing.  And almost every night,  ice cream....no beach trip is complete without ice cream.

Skee ball is another essential.

Ditto for bumper cars.

Hope dancing on the water's edge -- the picture says it all.