lately // staining a deck + washing a dog

Sweet summertime is here in the form of extra warm days, house projects, peaches, and long evenings outside...until we get chased in by mosquitos. Our ceiling fans are constantly spinning and the cool leather furniture has become a welcomed sight after activities like mowing and standing over a pot of boiling corn on the cob.

Thanks to the warm and (mostly) dry conditions, Tim was able to stain and seal the deck, making that project nearly complete. The only things left are to router the edges and maybe add a step along the whole front perimeter of the deck. Oh, and patio furniture of course. I'm just waiting for a sweet Craig's List deal or an end-of-summer sale at Home Depot.

Summertime also means that Callie's bath is an outdoor activity. She loves the water when it's in the form of a lake, river, or pond, but when it involves a bath tub or a garden hose, she gets a little sour.

step 1: get Callie wet

step 2: have some fun at Callie's expense

step 3: shake what your mama gave ya

step 4: soap/massage time = Callie's favorite part

step 5: dry off as you watch Tim remove stain from the house siding

Summertime, I hope you stick around for awhile this year. That'd be great. Thanks.

baby update // 21 weeks

Things of note in this photo:

• Squirrels - it seems we are following in Bob Miller's footsteps and have accumulated quite the squirrel population. One evening, we counted 7 in our backyard at one time. 
• Blanket - maybe one of the most beautiful gifts Grandma D. has given me. It's so unique and different and I love it.
• Sunroom - while it is technically "sunroom season", the extreme humidity lately has pretty much made the room unbearable for the past week. However, we did do something the other night that we've talked about since moving in - moved our old box TV to the corner of the sunroom and watched an episode of Friends. Now if we could only watch a Twins game on there, I'd be in heaven.
• Slippers - yep, it's July and I'm wearing slippers. Since Tim is sure he might die of exposure to any temperature over 80 degrees, the air conditioning has been consistently set at 69 degrees. And I've always said there's nothing worse than a hot/cranky Tim, so comply with this by donning slippers and usually a sweatshirt and blanket.
• Belly - Baby Miller's growth is right on track and has begun punching and kicking everyday (love it!). At this point, it seems that the general consensus is that it's a boy, but the logic behind this is of course not really grounded in anything. 

photo shoot // baby o.

This past weekend I got to meet and photograph a sweet brand new baby girl. She hardly made a peep through the whole shoot and, once she fell asleep, she cooperated so well with the outfit and background changes. What a precious little bundle! And how cute is the mint green?!

If you have a new babe in your future, I'd love to capture the precious first few days of their life in this world! Contact me for more information.

currently reading

source

With our sun room open for the season, I find myself spending nearly every evening in there, watching the sunset through the trees, soaking up the warmth that was trapped in the room during the day, opening all the windows and letting the breeze flow through. It really is every bit as good as it sounds. When Tim watches 30 Rock or How It's Made on Netflix, I no longer watch; I listen from the sun room. I just can't pull myself away.

Most of the time when I'm in the sun room, I'm reading - magazines, books, and (until my little Macbook crashed and burned a couple days ago) blogs. Last week, I worked through a stack of foodie magazines from the library, and this week I started a most phenomenal book, "Dinner: A Love Story" by Jenny Rosenstrach. I can't even remember how I stumbled upon this book, probably from a blog. But at some point in time I had it earmarked as a book I should read = good idea. It's a witty and delicious memoir-turned-cookbook that is well written, practical, and focuses on the importance of sitting down for dinner together as a family. I find myself resisting the urge to dog ear every single recipe that scattered throughout the book since the library probably wouldn't approve of the bent pages.

It's also inspired me to keep a dinner diary (which Jenny has done since 1998) of my own because, like she says in the book, half the battle of cooking is figuring out what to cook. And when you have an easy-to-please husband like mine, I usually don't get much direction when I ask, "Any food requests this week?" And although he can appreciate a good and well-prepared meal when he sees one, he honestly would be happy with Ramen and hot dogs every week, and that's just not gonna happen. But with a dinner diary, I could look back and see what we've had in the past and get ideas through that. Love it. Let's just say that this book will definitely be going my Christmas list this year.

girls weekend

Tara, me, Mom, and Grandma D. at Munsinger Gardens

This past weekend was what I would call a quintessential girls weekend. We shopped, enjoyed the new deck, stayed up late, got up early to go to garage sales, and of course ate some really good food. Tim was around to level out the amount of estrogen flowing around by doing things like digging a new fire pit, making coffee, and mowing the lawn.

The girls didn't come empty handed, either.

They brought
+ crocheted goods and a baby blanket Grandma said she made awhile ago that she's been saving for her first grandbaby
+ a bag full of girl clothes and a bag full of boy clothes. wonder which bag we'll be reaching for in 5 months...?
+ embroidered day-of-the-week tea towels
+ a beautiful pot of flowers for the new deck
+ food! there was fresh radishes, asparagus, lettuce, homemade bread, and cinnamon rolls

I love these women not for just their love languages of gift giving and food making, but for their wisdom and zest for life. I admire them and am blessed to have them as a part of my life.