home life

Miscellaneous photos from the last week or so - when we're on vacation, or out of town, my camera is always out and in use! But around home, it's much less frequent. Usually I take quick snaps with my phone to document something and remember it -

So much summer reading!!!!!! Even though there was more Rainbow Magic Fairy and Big Nate than I would have preferred, I do love to see them so engrossed in their stories.

We celebrated Steve's birthday on Aug. 10 with a banner and homemade cards and an assortment of treats (mini-pies, cupcakes, chocolates). He has been really busy at work this month and we have missed him.

 

Both Liesl and Camille loved my mom's amazing pork spare-ribs, which she made when we were visiting last month. So I made ribs when we got back and tried to re-create Popo's secret sauce. The verdict: not as good as Popo's, but not bad! Pretty good! Maybe you can keep trying?

We finally replaced Liesl's broken-down old dresser with a lovely vintage one - she and I had a fun afternoon shopping together.

My beloved dance teacher and friend Ching Ching Wong is leaving Northwest Dance Project to strike out on her own - I am so happy for her and so sad for myself. We had an amazing and raucous final Jazz 101 class last week; Ching will perform in late October for one last time with NWDP. She's cleaning out her apartment and giving things away, including these amazing iridescent high heels - they're size 3, so Liesl will fit them in another two years or so. Eeep! She was so delighted.

I haven't baked very much this summer - it's been too hot to turn on the oven and we've been out on so many fun adventures. But on Thursday after school, the children were playing with friends, I had worked and come home and had nowhere to go, and I felt the familiar yearning return. I made a strawberry French yogurt cake and then double chocolate banana bread, and both were delicious and amazing.

Liesl requested clip-on earrings for a back-to-school present, and I obliged. She got a really cute pack of 12, with hearts, rainbows, strawberries, chicks, etc. Her best friend Nora was very excited too, and so Liesl was kind enough to share - they split two sets, with one heart for each and one strawberry for each.

Sebastian had a tough week - September is always a time of anxiety and uncertainty for him as he gets back into the routine, has to adjust to school expectations, and has to negotiate all the social dynamics of school and afterschool friend groups. But Friday night was sweet and we played a game of chess together and it felt good to re-connect.

This was my Saturday morning homework/chore list for each. All accomplished before 7:30 am and duly rewarded with an hour of watching Phineas and Ferb, their current favorite Netflix show.

Tonight was lovely -  we went to a BBQ at Adrienne and Jeff's - our friends Anne and Cuong, Luna and Anja, Elise and Mitsu, plus children were all there. We had a huge spread of pork chops, sausages, chicken, hot dogs, and five different salads (coleslaw, beet, Caesar, corn-tomato, lettuce-cauliflower). It was so fun to see everyone and hang out together and close out the summer. But as the photos below attest - I made a mixed berry crisp for dessert which fell onto the ground of our driveway on the way out and shattered. There were shards of ceramic (one of my favorite pans) intermixed with all of the (delicious, ruined) berries and topping. I cried. I am so clumsy sometimes.