Back to reality

I think I gained a few pounds on my week off. That was not in the plan, but between eating our way through Austin and Carrot Cake for Hope's birthday it happened. I felt supremely lazy sitting on my couch watching the US gymnastics team last night. I kept making myself jump up during commercials to solder or sew a seam. I don't think I accomplished as much as I had hoped this past week, but I did do a lot. I'm not ready to go back to work.

Thankful that I froze those 5 lbs of Parker County Peaches! They are just as sweet and tender frozen as they were fresh.  Yum!
 

The colors in the backyard are hot just like the weather.
I don't know what variety of Zinnia this is, but it's the only one that has thrived for me this summer.  They are about 10-12 inches tall with tiny blooms.  I like anything miniature so I think these are really sweet.


I'm liking the color scheme that I'm using on my patio chairs.

 Meow
 

Serious Girls

Mom sent me these pictures after reading my post about not having pictures with me in them.
She said:
My two favorite serious girls.



 Gagee, Aya and Karlie on the glass bottom boat at Aquerena Springs.

We are in the middle of prepping for my mother in law's birthday party. The cake is baked and crumb coated and just waiting to be decorated. I made two salsas, my creamy green and habanero. I'm letting Hope make her salsa since it comes out a bit different when I make her version.

Summer Vacation

With my entire family now in the Austin area, our summer vacation was bound to take us there. Sure, a part of me wished that Frank and I could go somewhere more exotic, just the two of us. It has been so long since we took a "real" vacation. And, well, it can be hard to wrangle six adults and get everyone on the same schedule. Despite all that we had a blast and I wouldn't have changed it for the world. As usual, Karlie was the center of all or our attentions, and as always she kept us all entertained.

Karlie agreed that my Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies were delicious. In her words they were, "Goody Goody".
 

Saturday evening we took Karlie down to the Congress Street bridge to see the bats at sunset. We parked on South Congress and walked around for a bit.

On Sunday we all headed down to San Marcos and swam on the river, right on the Texas State campus. It is such an awesome place to swim. We were so busy Sunday that I didn't even take any pictures. I also noticed that there are no pictures of me, or of Frank and I together.

Karlie and Gagee 


On Monday we took Karlie to Aquerena Springs, which is where the San Marcos River bubbles out of the ground. When I was a kid it was an amusement park. I remember the glass bottom boats, mermaids swimming underwater and Ralph the swimming pig. These days it is owned and run by Texas State. The tour on the glass bottom boat was equally fun for the kids and adults. It is such a beautiful place!
 

Monday night was back to Austin, Pizza at Home Slice and Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress.

Tuesday morning Frank and I went off on our own and explored. We checked out Boite, a Cargo container turned coffee spot for breakfast. They had the most delicious croissants.

I drug Frank into Stitch Lab, since I had no money to spend on fabric I knew it wouldn't take long. I have heard about that place for several years and finally got to check it out. They did have some beautiful linen fabric in several colors that I would have loved to own.

 Oh wait, I did take a picture of myself because I love my new orange knit and lace thrifted top.

Back home now, I have been obsessively sewing and am almost finished with a new Self Drafted Knit Dress with Draped Pockets. I could not be more happy with the outcome! We are preparing for Frank's mom's sixtieth birthday party on Saturday and I have a carrot cake to bake. Karlie's birthday is less than a month away and I have some sewing plans for her, but for now I am taking the rest of my vacation to sew for myself.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

Cookie update, they are now baked and one has been taste tested. They are so freaking good! Make them as soon as possible, you won't regret it. Frank says they taste like "mall cookies, but better". They are really good. The fact that they are choc full of chocolate helps, I'm sure. For a not too huge batch of cookies, this recipe calls for one and a quarter pound of chocolate chips. I only had about one pound on hand. I used bittersweet chips along with a quarter pound of chocolate chunks that I bought at work and roughly chopped. I also added some chopped pecans.

Make these cookies! Seriously yum!

Dear Summer,

Oh Summer, you are a new friend who I'm just warming up to. No matter that you have made an appearance each of my thirty six years, I'm hard to get to know. You warm up to me every year, but it has taken me all this time to start to enjoy your company. I'm sure as a child I didn't mind your heat, there was a pool or a sprinkler to run through. If only I lived closer to a swimming hole these days, I would call you my best friend. In the mean time I will hang out with you and do my best to live in the moment, enjoying the fruits of our labor.

I have no more illusions of doing "work" in the garden, now it is just maintaining and keeping things alive with water, love and a little bit of organic fertilizer.

Basil
 

Habaneros for salsa and maybe a Spicy Grapefruit Margarita?

 Flame acanthus for the butterflies, hummingbirds and my enjoyment.

Mint for my tea, Vietnamese food and maybe a Mojito?
 

Bees to pollinate
 

 Zinnia Volunteers
 

 I think this one is a cross of a green and pink. I need to save the seeds.

And Zinnia seedlings thriving!
 

To help us enjoy summer even more I need to order Popsicle molds, and a new blender part so that we can enjoy some cold drinks. I'm off today with a long to do list, including figuring out what to do with those peaches. I hope you had a nice holiday and that the rest of your week goes by quickly. 

Happy Summer!
Ashley

Reasons I'm Loving Summer

Mint in my iced tea, grown in my own back yard. Why oh why did it take me eleven years to plant mint here? It reminds me of my Pawpaw, who always had a patch of mint growing and always put it in his tea.
 

Parker County peaches, ripe, sweet, grown just down the road, and I bought five pounds. I must act fast and be decisive in deciding what to do with them before they go bad. These are the most delicious peaches I have ever had. Seriously!
 

 Zinnias from the garden. There aren't too many this year, just the volunteers. I planted seeds late, and the ones seedlings that have survived are still small. I need to remember to reseed in late Summer so I will have more in the Fall.
 

 I hope you are finding reasons to enjoy this season. I also hope you enjoy your holiday tomorrow, and be safe.