Mom, I'm Hungry

Sound familiar? It's the refrain of summer.

Cousins

They flew in on Tuesday morning. Some of them flew home this morning. The rest fly home next Tuesday. We fly with them. Yay!

We drove up to Uncle Walter & Auntie Julie's house on Thursday. All of our kids (except for the baby) ran races on Friday. Two ran a one hundred yard dash. Two ran a quarter mile. Three ran a 5K.

Saturday Uncle Mike & Auntie Julie ran a half marathon. Great fun was had by all. To be continued.........

Micah

Summer vacation + Public library card = Blowing through 8 chapter books per week.

Kaia

She's learning that there is a point to gardening after all.

Mmmmm, sun-warmed strawberries.

Big League Chew

Sickness.
Canceled plans.
Big League Chew bought during a fit of nostalgia.

It's helping to beat the doldrums. Too bad it can't cure a sore throat.

Laid Back Days

At least that's what I would call them. Not sure what Todd & Ina would say about these days. All I know is that they are passing much too quickly.

Three dorky guys wearing shorts & white socks. The quality of this photo wasn't affected by shooting into the sun. It was affected by a tiny person's grubby paw prints on my lens. Somehow I like it.

Food And Stuff

Is it me or does it seem like the cost of food skyrocketed overnight? Granted, I had a little less to spend this past week, but still. $100 later & our fridge looks pretty empty. Anyway, it's actually kind of fun to figure out how to feed everyone with a bit less. At least food doesn't go to waste this way. Tonight I started with about 3 cups of leftover roast & I must say supper was delicious. Here's the recipe I used;

Beef Pot Pie

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 cups cubed leftover beef
• 1 1/2 cups frozen veggies (I used carrots & beans as it's what I had on hand)
  
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• your favorite biscuit recipe
  

In a medium saucepan, cook onion in butter until onion is tender. Stir in flour and salt until smooth and bubbly. Stir in beef broth. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Add leftover beef, veggies, and parsley; heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding whatever your little heart desires. Pour beef mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Prepare biscuit dough & dollop on top of hot beef mixture. Don't you just love to use the word dollop whenever you get a chance? No? Okay, moving on. Bake beef pot pie at 450° for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with salad & you have a lovely meal using *gasp* leftovers. I'm too frugal to waste food, but I do try to make each incarnation enjoyable & different. It looked yummy too, but I didn't think of taking a photo until it was half devoured. What do you like to do with your leftovers? Any to die for recipes to share?

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The stuff in our life right now is our seemingly never ending bathroom project. The floor is done! I think it's beautiful. Tonight we primed some walls. Now, we just need to decide on the exact shade of paint to use. Maybe, just maybe we can install the toilet & sink this weekend?

We have a wall color in mind, but just for curiosities sake, what color would you choose?