August

August has gone by in a flash.  I'm thankful for this summer with both of the children home, knowing it could perhaps be the last one with them both here for the whole stretch, I tried to cherish it.  Every summer I think that I'm going to see more friends and have more gatherings... and it doesn't happen.  However, we did make time to go to our friend's lovely beach house.  Matthew and Harris have been friends since they were 2!

Grace's Waldorf class had a gathering to celebrate their graduating.  It was so nice to see everyone, especially their teacher, Ms. Motter!

Full credit for this photo to another Mom, Cari Ellen!

The garden has been generous in a lot of ways and stingy in others.  Much to our disappoint a raccoon stole all of our fruit off the trees!  We managed only a few peaches!  However, with those peaches Grace made an amazing and delicious dessert, cold poached peaches with peach buttermilk ice cream.

We had a gathering with my family to get everyone together before they all went back to school!

Our back to school dinner looked a little different this year (no alphabet soup!).  

We dropped Harris off back at school!  This year he is in an apartment so we spent the weekend at Ikea and Target getting his room together.  His apartment reminds Bryce and I so much of our first college apartment- old, decrepit and typical of a college apartment!  He loves it and loves the fact he has his own room!  

Finally, we had a last dinner together at Gretchen and Ron's home.  They are moving (staying in town) and I might be the saddest one about it.  We've spent countless hours at their home and pool and it feels significant that that time is ending.  Earlier in the summer when someone asked Grace about their move she said their house "was the backdrop to my childhood."  Oof.

I hope you have had a lovely August!

The Garden

 

I don't think I've really done a garden post all summer!  As per usual, it's been a good year for some things and a terrible year for others.  

It was an absolute awful year for fruit (except for blueberries!) because a raccoon literally stole all of our peaches and apples.  I didn't even know they would do that!  It's been a huge disappointment as we wait all year for the peaches, and it was the first year we had a number of apples that were looking good!  Even our steadfast blackberries didn't produce.  I blame the lack of water on that one.

what will never be...

The tomatoes we have gotten have been so, so good.  We had a glut of them and then the super hot weather put a damper on things (most plants don't do much after 92 degrees) but now they are coming back!  

The zucchini has done well, as have the peppers. 

The flowers have been especially lovely.  I intentionally kept most of the flowers in the white and pink range since those are the ones I most enjoy bringing in the house.

And finally, an update on our guinea turned chicken.  She is doing well and "mama chicken" is still taking care of her baby! We still haven't figured out how exactly we will integrate the one guinea into the pack.  

2G Girls Door

Grace wanted to give each of her roommates, Emma and Stella, something special for graduation and had the idea to give them each a painting of the doors to their flat.  They had an amazing flat for the years that they lived together and the blue doors were darling.  I reached out to a super talented friend, Susan of Billington Designs, who I met when she was a vendor at our Barn Sale.  She made a much appreciated effort to get it done and to me before we headed to Scotland.  She's the best and Grace loves how it turned out!

The girls always called themselves the 2G girls!

She hung it up on her wall along with two other pieces of artwork that she loves.  We gave her the Kate Shelter painting for her 21st birthday to commemorate her love of pajamas and her internship at Sleepy Jones.  I think she's working on gathering pieces she loves for a gallery wall, perhaps in an apartment wherever her first job is, perhaps in her room at home, we will see!