HOT

I don't know about where you all are, faithful readers, but in Minnesota it is HOT.Thankfully we live in the land of Sky Blue Waters, and there are great beaches in almost every city.
We went on an adventure yesterday with Mpls Nature Kids to Bryant Lake in Eden Prairie.
We got to meet some great families, and have some delicious junk food from the concession stand. Yesterday was a hot dog and popsicle kind of day for us.

Sun Tea

Hey, has anyone made Sun Tea?
This is my first time.
How long do I let it steep?

Update:
I left it out in the yard for a few hours, and now it's in the fridge.
I used some Elderberry Tea that I bought in a convenience store in WY on our whirlwind tour in June.
This stuff is so good! I foresee many more batches before the end of the Summer.
Why, oh why did I think I didn't like iced tea?

Monday

I worked the last 7 days, and will work this evening, but until then I have at least 8 hours of free time.
My plans so far call for a little of this -fixing up this guy -
and probably lots of park time.
What's on your plate today?

Happy Birthday, My Love

What he really wanted for his birthday was a clean kitchen, a trip to a restaurant, and a Pokemon cake so the kids could have the toys.
He got a card from each of us, hand-drawn from the Elder, Talking Transformers from the Younger and a lovey-dovey one from me.
Also, a clean kitchen.
Happy Birthday, Super Dada!

a quiet moment

The past few days have been really busy.
This week is another kids' camp, sewing this time, and my mornings are spent teaching.
Monday I came home and passed out on the couch while the kids watched T.V.
Not particularly my finest mama moment, but what can you do?
Yesterday there was a blackout in our neighborhood and so we went to hide from the heat at the movies. When we got home, we headed out for our last night of t-ball, quickly followed by a potluck with the neighbors for National Night Out.

Today we are waiting for a tow truck to come and take away our car, so we're forced to take it easy and stay at home.
This is just my speed.

Revelation

I have figured out how to make vegan cheese palatable, and I just had to share it here.
I grated up 1/2 cup cheese about an hour before I needed to put it on the pizza for dinner.
Then I drained it in some paper towels suspended over a bowl.
There was about 2 tablespoons of liquid in the bowl after I gave it a little squeeze after the hour was up.
Then I mixed the drained "cheese" which was about the texture of cream cheese at this point, with a little flour, some dried basil, dried oregano, fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.
I crumbled the mixture over the pizza and baked it.
The cheese-y mixture didn't melt much, but it did get toasty brown and it tasted good.
All the "Next Food Network Star" that I have been watching must have paid off!
Thanks Bobby Flay.

August 1

I may keep up this habit for a little while longer, I was a little sad to let it go.
I just hope I haven't forgotten it all.