Another week has flown by in our household.  We have enjoyed some nice warm summer temps here in Minnesota.   I will have to get down to White Bear Lake and take some pictures to share with you.  White Bear is beautiful in the summer!

I am loving updating everyone on our happenings each week as it is getting me to take more pictures and reflect more on how wonderful our day to day moments are .   There is so much beauty and love in the everyday moments.

The Color Run…..

Josh and Tommy ran in The Color Run on July 14th at the MN State Fair Grounds.  I love that Josh takes the time to do things with his little brother.  These will be wonderful memories for them both.

The Before Picture:

The After Picture:

Playdate with Ryan….

Cousins……enjoying hanging out!

Ryan is on the move….good thing we still have our baby gate!  I don’t think our dogs appreciate how fast Ryan is able to to crawl.

Gotta love that smile…..trying so hard to open Auntie’s cupboards!

Celebrations:  Birthdays, Anniversaries and New Jobs!

Cute Boy turns………………………..49!!  Enjoy that last bit of your 40’s honey…the 50 train is coming down the track!

Happy Anniversary!  Our son, Josh and his wife, Amy are celebrating their 1st Wedding Anniversary today!   Wishing them a lifetime of happiness!

We also celebrated this week that Amy was hired by Nystrom and Associates!

Random Pictures from Tommy….

I have always loved finding pictures on my camera taken by my children.  They are always a wonderful look into their thoughts!   These are some of the pictures I found this week from our budding photographer, Tommy!

In the Garden:

We have some surprise dill plants that made a return visit this year.  This makes Grandpa very happy.  I made Salmon with a dill sauce the other day!!  I will need to share that recipe as it was definitely a keeper.

We planted a lot of extra Basil this year to keep up with the demand for our Pesto.  The first large vat of pesto has been made, eaten, gifted and frozen for this winter!  Hubby had the great idea to make Pesto for Josh and Amy’s Anniversary gift!

Many blooms on the one lonely cucumber plant in the garden!  Blooms starting on our summer squash as well.  I hope we will be able to freeze some squash this year.

My hubby’s pride and joy!!!  His beans…..he is a bean farmer, ya know!   (…and I, The Bean Farmer’s Wife) 

Even with our late planting, I think we will have plenty of beans to freeze for the winter.   Nothing better than garden beans in the middle of a harsh Minnesota winter!

In Our Kitchen:

New recipes tried:  Broccoli Soup and Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake Bars (These bars are very rich….so cut them into small pieces!! About 1 1/2” by 1 1/2” works well.)  We also made Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce, which was really good!  Of course, I forgot to take a picture of this meal 🙁

Old Recipes Revisited:  Chicken Fried Rice and Homemade Pesto.

Hope your week is filled with wonderful everyday moments with family and friends!

Blessings,