Making Home Fun

I've talked before about making home a fun place and it occurred to me that one of the things we do on weekends falls into this category. Last weekend the weather was gorgeous, so we had breakfast out on the deck. It was wonderful. Don't forget that making your home fun is as simple as turning the everyday into something special. It doesn't have to be a big deal.


As you can see, we didn't do anything more than head outside, but it was so nice. Birds chirping, the fountain burbling, and the morning breeze. That is was I call fun. Do you have any ideas for making things fun with older kids? I'd love to hear them.

Do you like garlic?

Then you'll love this Garlic Pull-Apart Bread that I got from Sandra at Keeping It Simple. Years ago, I used to love a bread called "Death by Garlic" that was served at Alice's Restaurant in Westwood (I think...it has been a lot of years!) This recipe reminded me of that bread and I wonder if this is the recipe she was copying. Hmmmm. This garlic pull-apart bread is seriously easy and the recipe is quite adaptable to suit your tastes. If you're looking for a simple departure from rolls or garlic toast, you have to give this a try. One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can make it with frozen bread dough you buy at the store or you can make it with your own dough. How cool is that?


Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
Sandra @ Keeping It Simple

1 pound loaf of bread dough cut into pieces
3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder (Sandra's recipe said Garlic Salt, but that made no sense to me)
2 Tablespoons Egg -beaten
1/2 cup butter melted
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning (Sandra called for parsley, which I didn't have)

Grease a loaf pan. Mix beaten egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and butter together in a small bowl. Dip pieces of dough in butter mixture and put into loaf pan. Continue until all pieces have been dipped and placed in pan. Let rise roughly 30 minutes. (If you're using frozen dough, let it soften for 15 minutes, then cut into pieces, dip as above, and let rise 90 minutes.) Brush the top with butter and sprinkle with garlic. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes and serve warm.

It is Summertime!

...and I'm camping again. I'll be back on Friday to do some laundry, but if we can get a reservation extension, I'll be heading out again for a full week. Two weeks of camping! Wooo Hooo! No Making Your Home Sing Monday for me, but still, head on over to Momstheword to see what everyone is up to this week.

As for me, I thought I'd share with you a quintessential summertime picture:


Valiant getting some air during a flip off a diving board. How cool is it that I captured that shot? We had the privilege of spending a few afternoons at a neighbor's pool and it was divine. Not only was it beautiful weather, but it was a salt-water pool. No chlorine sting, no chlorine hair, no dried out skin. Truly, it was awesome! I was so excited to finally understand what all the buzz is about and I have to agree. If you can swing it, salt-water is the only way to go!

Serenity

Photo: Lake Serene (outside Seattle)

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm”

Birthdays!!

July 11 is a big day! Not only is it my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!), but it is my sister Kate's (LoveAphid) birthday, too! How cool is that? Never a year goes by that I don't think of Katie when I celebrate my dad's birthday and finally I get to celebrate both this year. I love it.

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, Dear Dad and Katie,
Happy Birthday to you!

...and many more!

So, Dad I hope you can still taste the cake we made for you last weekend (it was a bit dry, sorry about that!) and know we love you and the kids are totally bugging me about you and Nana moving up here. Happy Birthday! We love you!

Kate, I hope you're out having fun for your birthday! (I'm so glad your present got there on time...unfortunately, I just found a little something that was supposed to have been included, so now I need to begin another box for you!)

So, if you wouldn't mind, would you please head over to say Happy Birthday to Kate at our shared blog: www.365thingsyoudidntknow.blogspot.com. She'll love it!

Friday Photo Flashback

It is Friday Photo Flashback time again! It is the time that Alicia at More Than Words asks us to dig through our pre-digital photos and share our finds with you.

The one I found has Superman and me doing our very first level testing for advancement in karate. I think it might also have been our last test, too, because we couldn't justify the expense of taking karate and paying for our boys to take karate...guess who got to keep going. Anyway, Buttercup was 8 months old and I was at the studio all the time, so I decided to give it a whirl. It was fun while it lasted.


(For those who are keeping track, it was shortly after this that I decided to dye my hair dark...this was three months before we decided to buy the house we were living in, thus the dark hair in last week's picture!) As I look at the picture, I remember the sensei getting mad at me because we couldn't get my watch off for the testing. I even told him he could try to get it off...it just wouldn't budge. I think he thought I did it on purpose. I have to laugh now, at how seriously he took my transgression.

Ah well, time flies. For more Flashbacks, head over to Alicia's and see what everyone else has dug up.

A kind word...

Last week, right in between the Great Furniture Stampede and preparing for my dad to arrive, sweet Lorrie at My Spot on the Shore gave me an award. I was so touched, but I don't think I did an adequate job of letting her know because I was, well, frazzled. Frankly, I was stunned that she even knew who I was. (I know she follows me, but you know what I mean!) Lorrie is Mom to boys...only boys. I wonder if that is why her blog is so terrific. Why would I ask that? Well, you just don't have some of the chatty conversations with boys/men that you do with women and Lorrie poses some really thoughtful questions in some of her blog posts. In between making my brain hurt with tough questions about faith, friendship, and life, she reminds me of life in So Cal, she shares her life of strong family ties going back generation combined with new challenges and the ever-changing world we all live in. So, imagine my surprise when someone I'm enjoying getting to know so much gave me an award? So, Lorrie, thanks...I would love to sit at the beach and chat with you for hours. (It really did mean a lot, even if it took me a while to get back online!)


"This award is bestowed on blogs whose aim is to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement and are real. Our hope is that when the ribbons on these prizes are cut, even more friendships are made... "

So, what blogs do I think are following that credo (besides Lorrie's, I mean)?

First off, let me introduce you to DarcyLee at In This Season. DarcyLee just became a grandma for the first time to a beautiful baby girl born last week! She is so generous sharing hints and tidbits about life with older kids (which is what I now have!), as well as always willing to lend an off-blog shoulder or ear when I need one. DarcyLee is definitely someone I'd be calling to have lunch with, if only we weren't thousands of miles apart. So, go say "hi" to my friend DarcyLee and congratulate her on her brand-new granddaughter.

Next, I'd encourage you to head over to see Andrea at the Train to Crazy. Andrea mixes crafting and parenting of young girls with thoughts on the world even as she and her family are in the midst of relocating. She's also just begun a new blog called Hatch (from which I borrowed a buttermilk pancake recipe that my family said was better (!) than the recipe I've been using for years!). As I understand it, Hatch is all about making things: food, clothes, anything. So far, so good.

Alicia at Confessions of a Snowflake is one of those bloggers who sneaks up on you. She's quiet and hangs back, but I love her blog. She fills it with honest reflection, even during struggles, and I feel like you could tell her anything and she'd listen. She writes about her faith and life's journey and, frankly, I just like her.

And, for those of us who love to see what others are doing in their homes, I think you should head on over to Tootsie's and Lil' Sista's houses so that you, too, can wonder if these girls ever, ever sleep. They always have such terrific ideas for things to do around the house and Tootsie's garden is to die for. Even better? They share the how-tos!

Finally, I have to mention Alicia at More than Words. She's the blogger who has given us Friday Photo Flashback, but that is not why I'm mentioning her. Actually, her blog is some warm and friendly, I imagine she's the woman whose door is always open. I picture her life full of bustle and energy, but never too busy for a friend.

Random stuff...

Some of you may have noticed that I switched my blog background (but some of you, who receive the feeds like I do, might not have!)...I switched to one I got at ShabbyBlogs.com (for free, of course). You should check it out and see if there is anything there that tickles your fancy. That doesn't mean, however, that I've stopped checking in at Jannypie, the designer of my previous blog background.


In fact, I'm sporting this sweet little calendar as my desktop image these days. Isn't it cool? I don't know about you, but I like to have my computer be pretty, too, and these designers make it difficult to choose a new look. Jannypie does far more than blog design, though, she's quite crafty, too. If you're looking for inspiration, she might just have it. I'm feeling all crafty now that my craft area is finally coming together and things are settling down after the great furniture round-up.

So, for now, this is what I have on my computer. I'm always amazed at what people can do with a little knowledge about HTML. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. I love that so many people are willing to share the fruits of their labors for free. It feels so much like a wonderful community, doesn't it? As for next month, who knows!