Day 37: Reunion Cleanup

In recent years, we haven't made it back for Reunion cleanup. Always the Saturday before the first full weekend in August, cleanup is where a subset of our big family gets our campground ready for all 300 people next weekend.

I did way more kid wrangling than cleaning, but it was still fun to be with family.

Chad did all the work for our family: digging post holes, scooping cow poop, moving picnic tables, and shooting the bull with the wise elders. As seen here.




We spent some time riding on the back of the truck and swimming in the River.




Kate and Claire played with their cousins, Greta and Owen.




A highlight of the day was Kate saying "That's where you and Daddy got married" as we drove up to the camp house.

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Daddy's Girls

Instagram, the iPhone app, is my new obsession.

This tryptic is my fav. I had great subjects.










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Charlee Rules the Pool

I love this photo. It captures who Charlee is right now. She wants to be the boss. She's very independent. She is a bother to her sisters. She's a starlet.



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Day 29: More Galette

A galette is basically a free-form pie. I've made Ina Garten's apple galette for years including her crust.

Galettes are super easy, and I think more elegant than pies.

I made a blueberry/blackberry galette in the last couple of weeks. Tonight I made a cherry galette with Bing and Ranier Cherries. I used a store bought crust, so it only took me about 20 minutes to prep--most of this time spent pitting cherries.

Here's the crust with cherries plopped on top.



Add a little butter, fold up the crust, and brush the crust withal egg wash.



Try to wait until cherries have cooled below molten phase. Then try to eat only 1/8. Scratch that... 1/6. OK, 1/4.



Yummmmmmmm

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Giant Baby Eats Baby

Charlee likes to carry around a plastic baby in her mouth... by its head.

Here's Charlee, the jolly giant.










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Movie Night: The Whole Crew

Friday nights are always movie nights at our house. The girls put on their PJs, plop on the sofa, eat popcorn, drink chocolate malts, and watch a movie.

Tonight, for the first time ever, Charlee joined her sisters on the sofa for a few minutes of the movie. She even got Charlee snacks--raisins in a snack trap.

The kid was thrilled.

We were thrilled. True kids-free time. Until Charlee tried to steal Claire's buttered popcorn. Charlee's allergic to milk, so the fun ended quickly.

But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Soon enough, they'll all entertain themselves.








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Day 22: A little post-birthday quiet

I originally titled this post "a little post-birthday depression," but, really, depression is too strong a word.

You know how you feel a little lost and bummed out when you finish a page turner of a book? You're not sure how your next book could compare to this one.

That's how I feel today. The last couple of days were spectacular! And today isn't bad, just not as good as yesterday and the day before.

To be expected.

The things I did today that made me happy:

• Taught a problem solving class to our new class of college hires. I created the material. I like teaching.
• Spent one-on-one time with Kate. She has strep throat again, requiring a trip to the doctor. But she was in good spirits and fun to be with.
• Read more of my good book, "State of Wonder"
• Belly laughed watching Charlee squirt herself in the face with the hose. As a preface to this video, Charlee INSISTED she hold the hose. She didn't want Kate or Claire to have it. Only problem is she couldn't hold it without spraying herself. You can hear Claire's laughter mixed with mine in the video.

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Days 20-21: The View from 40

Top 11 things I did on my birthday:

1. Dropped off our children at the babysitter's, thus enabling the rest of these things to occur.

2. Worked my tail off at bootcamp class

3. Had a fantastic couples massage with Chad where therapist focused on muscles I made sore during aforementioned bootcamp

4. Read and relaxed in spa "tranquility" room, also known as Amy McGeady's favorite napping spot. **Note: We have not changed our looks to protect our identities. I had some fabulous iPhone pics of the day until then my phone died and had to be replaced.

5. Sat by the pool at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis in a cabana, drank a Bloody Mary, floated in blue, blue water. The cool pic of my feet below only available on Facebook due to phone dying.

 
6. Checked into a suite larger than our house. Took a nap.

7. Was joined, as a surprise, by two good friends for drinks on the hotel deck

8. Ate and ate at Farmhaus, officially my favorite restaurant in St. Louis. Highlights: beet risotto, apple and onion crouton thingy (what the heck was that thing called?), escolar (a white fish)

9. Blew out a candle on a birthday Busch, the official celebratory dessert at Farmhaus

10. Slept in the next day

11. Enjoyed it all with my husband and sponsor