Full days Summer with Children

We have had a wonderful time with my Great Niece and nephew.

They are not much younger than my two, how is that for perspective?

Wii play they had a wonderful Loud time :)
Goodness sakes they look like siblings!

The garden gave up some of the last of the spring crops.

Hot days here and the garden is at rest.

With these little onions and the parsnip (member of the carrot family a must in chicken soup) a batch of Beef barley stew.

Made up three main meals for the week ahead. The utilities are less in my morning so that is when the cooking is done. I try to turn everything off at 1 p.m.

Rice with chicken stock, tomato sauce and turmeric

Re-fry frijoles, Pintos with cumin, salsa, butter and water in the blender

Chili with pinto beans,tri-colored bell peppers,cumin,curry ect.

Beef Barley with root veggies, potato (three types), carrot, parsnip those onions garlic

The blinder grind up lg can of diced organic tomato use part in chili, stew and rice then add the pinto (no need to wash it) use for the frijoli add butter (melted in micro) jarred salsa and the washed canned pinto bean. (now the beans in the store bought are all white beans, read the labels)

Garlic press for stew and chili wash once

1: p.m. came around and we all left to go to a library and then a free swim.

Lego play was supposed to be 1-3p.m. but an error in the article it was not until 3:30-4:30!

As I told them that Dashes heart mattered and we would wait the two hours for it.

LOOK at the size of that novel Dove is devouring. She is half way through!

Dash is reading an encyclopedia.

I enjoyed a reference manual on cultures/societies of the world.

They had a typewriter and so I showed the kids the "way it was" :)

Although it was a fancy machine for my youth.

When I graduated high school My mom gave it to me as a graduation gift.

Don't see them too often now, Dash mentioned how when you made a mistake you had to start over, 

"no white out"

I said. We had to learn how to fix our mistakes...Sorta rings poetic don't ya think. Now a day kids don't LEARN HOW TO FIX mistakes but how to cover them up or to depend on other to cover it just like spell check does for us now.

Finally the time came and the play was had.

After some confusion and the burning off of the stress of sitting with a 12 year old banging her head against the table in frustration...

We left to go get the cash for the pool. The free swim dead line had come and gone.

We found a pack of day old buns, a pkg of lunch meat and a drink each. Supper under $6.

Steve met us at the pool. While we were changing he had walked in. When we came out of the changing room we were all happy to see each other and amazed once we realized that we each arrived within a minute of each other. Given the confusion a fore mentioned it was really something. 

Each day efforts are made to have some fun, home days relaxed and playing games and watching HULU on computer, sorta like TV you can pause.

They have a buddy over now playing the Wii.

I had my CAT scan with contrast this morning. so it is a low slow day for me. 

No big deal just a baseline on my lungs.

It will now be a yearly cancer screening all of you should remember the ones that you need to do.

Keep centered and enjoy life...

It's the only one we get.

Kids are young only a few short years.

Watch them thrive, show them the way by that example

:)