What Summer Has Looked Like

This summer has been all about simple, easy meals...mainly because I've lost my cooking mojo.  I just can't seem to figure out what to make and to be honest, nothing has really sounded all that good.  Well, except for bbq sauce...but I live with a bunch of people who don't share my love affair with bbq sauce and that's all I seem to want.

Oh well.

Big bowls of fresh pastas to the rescue.  Lots of pesto this year because the basil seems extra sweet right now.  And it's super easy.

Good, old fashioned mood rings have been the hot topic.  Thanks, Amazon, for a few things...prime being one and mood rings being two.

I've learned I'm moody...haha.

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Daily walks around the hood with a pup in tow.  Buddy the Dog still doesn't love the great outdoors...or rather, the big open outdoors, but he's still the sweetest thing ever.

I do think he needs a buddy.  A buddy for Buddy.

That guy that I like so much is not in favor of that.

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My nieghbor has the magic touch when it comes to grapes...and lighting in their garden.  

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Lots of girlfriend time...though it never seems like enough to me, spent in one garden or another. Lots of dancing, lots of wine, lots and lots of laughter because hello, our world is too heavy right now.  

 The cousins were all in the same place for a whole weekend and I love how much fun they have together.  Round three is heading to college this fall and so they had a fun beach weekend to celebrate.

 We recreated a favorite family photo and probably will every time they are all together.

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They might be getting older but it is NOT getting any easier getting them to cooperate.

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 We had a family dinner party that slowly trickled down to just the two of us and suddenly we had 11 extra chairs at the table.  It was all good...but I will say, I don't get the sitting on opposite sides of a long table thing.  We've always sat next to each other at the dinner table and never across from one another and it just feels so far away that way.

Or maybe we're just weird.

I'd ditch a family dinner for the beach too.

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And hey, we're late to the whole cornhole thing and now can't get enough.

Actually, that's not true.  We only play it once in awhile but when we do we like it.

Sometimes, you just need a pb & j.  I could eat one every day.  My family that doesn't share my love of bbq sauce also doesn't share my love of peanut butter.

Who are they????

Operation house purge is still in full swing.  We've dumped tons and my car is loaded for a 5th trip to goodwill.  The youngest shrubs life is being separated into two worlds...the stuff that is going to college and the stuff that's staying home and we're checking things off the list.  We've done this before and feel like pro's, but it's still a lot of work.

And I've realized that for the first summer in forever, I'm not washing endless sports uniforms.  And to be honest,  I don't miss it.  Yet.  Maybe I will?  Or maybe not.

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