Soccer

When Burke plays soccer he is very hard core. He runs hard, kicks hard, falls hard, etc.

And then there is Dean.

Hello yellow

Before fall comes I had to try this summer's "it color." All the cute teenie boppers have been wearing it, so I had to push my luck and try to fit in. Honestly, it's not my favorite and Jim says it makes me look like I have jaundice! Nice. I guess I'll set this color aside for Jamie:)

First lost tooth!

Dean finally lost his first tooth! He was starting to think it would never happen, so he is beyond excited. We pulled it out this morning and of course he wanted to take it to school to show everyone. I'm betting the tooth is really lost now! If by some miracle he comes home with the tooth let's hope that the tooth fairy isn't on vacation or sick tonight! These things happen:)

Hairspray!

Jamie and I were invited to see Hairspray live at the Music Circus last night with some friends. That's the sign for the Corny Collins Show behind us. It was so much fun! We both liked the live performance so much more than the movie. She had a tough time getting up for school because we got home so late, but she said it was still worth it! Jamie started Junior High this week and is loving it. Not having the same teacher all day long is great for her. She's not loving the PE uniform, but after seeing the '60s PE clothes in Hairspray last night, she is at least glad her shorts aren't super short with the waist above her belly button! I'm just grateful she doesn't have high maintenance hair-do's:)

DIY scones

The bakery in the grocery store near me makes really yummy lemon scones, but they are kind of a rip-off at $2.15 each. So I decided to try to make them myself. My first attempt (above) was lemon-craisin scones which were pretty good. But my second attempt (below) was lemon-blueberry scones and they were awesome! They're great to make right now with all the yummy fresh blueberries in season. The recipe I found online said to bake them as two big round circles and then cut them into wedges to serve. But the second time I cut the dough into squares and then diagonals before I cooked them. Also, in the pic below I drizzled the icing so it looked pretty, but in actuality I gobbed it on:) Yummy! My kids ask for "scomes" all the time now:)
Lemon-Blueberry "Scomes"
Cut together until like little crumbs:
1/3 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
3 T sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 salt
Gently add until dough leaves sides of bowl:
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 T finely grated lemon zest
1 egg, beaten
4-6 T half & half ( I also tried milk and it was fine)
Gently knead 5-10 times. Shape as desired. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool a little (I can't wait more than 3 minutes!). Frost.
Lemon Glaze
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Back 2 school

I spent the last six months kind of worrying about Dean being in 1st grade and having all my kids gone all day long. That was dumb. Burke and Dean went back to school and it has been, well, fantastic! Look at Dean (below)...I told him to turn around for his first day of 1st grade picture and he was like, are you kidding me?...that is sooo kindergarten!Of course he is loving school. He has a great teacher and a really nice 4th grade buddy to show him the ropes.And added bonus...he comes home exhausted at the end of the day!Burke likes 4th grade and is already working hard to beat his mileage record for last year. He ran over 100 miles around the track over the course of 3rd grade! That's gonna be tough to beat, but, knowing Burke, he'll probably do it! Leaving them at school the first day was kind of tough, but coming home to all that peace and quiet was awesome! Jamie and I have had tons of fun burning through her birthday money. I don't love shopping, but it is amazing how much we can accomplish without the usual hide and seek through the department store with the boys. Only one more week till Jamie and Nelson go back to school.The true great and dreadful day for me:)

Working from home

Anyone who says they don't have enough room in their house for a year supply of food clearly isn't committed to the plan. Jim found cereal on sale today at Bel Air (4 boxes for $6) and brought home a whole bunch of it. Now we have a tower o' cereal art montage in our entry hall and he is going back to buy more because the tower isn't big enough. But before he goes back to Bel Air he decided to teach Jamie how to change the oil. What is the theme of my post? Jim is "working from home" today! I'll spare you the pictures of him falling asleep while watching Oprah:)