Week 30

Happy Tuesday and welcome back!  Here we are in the last few days of July.  Deep breath--the crazy starts again in August with back-to-school, all kinds of deadlines, and moving kids tom new places.  Oh my!  I just need to remind myself to take it one day at a time and try not to forget anything.   So long summer--it's been nice knowing you. Thankfully this past week was full of pictures that are all about summer so at least we went out with a bang.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 203- Monday, 7/22/19

It wouldn't feel like summer without sunflowers and sprinklers.  I came across both today while walking the dog.

Day 204- Tuesday, 7/23/19

This cute boy is tired of the summer heat.  Both our pets pretty much deal by sleeping through the worst of it.  It certainly has a way of zapping your energy.

Day 205- Wednesday, 7/24/19

Time to head for the hills and get back to nature for a couple days.  Were camping at Scott's Flat Lake and have a site right next to the water surrounded by trees.  It's so beautiful and refreshing up here.

Day 206- Thursday, 7/25/19

Brandon is the only one of the boys that could escape so it was just the 3 of us which felt a bit odd, but that will soon be our new normal so I guess we better get used to it.  He really enjoyed the rock beach, his own tent, and the campfire.  Playing games with his parents--not so much.  LOL!

Day 207- Friday, 7/26/19

Time to get up out of this tent, enjoy one last view of the lake, and load up to head home before the weekend crowds arrive.

Day 208- Saturday, 7/27/19

Justin was a huge help taking care of the pets while we were gone since he had to stay home for work.  At least he's off today so he could attend a local send-off picnic for Humboldt students, and he won a pair of these glasses plus he met other students from around here that he might be able to travel to and from school with for breaks.

Day 209- Sunday, 7/28/119

Today was a super hot one and thankfully a cool-down is expected after this heat wave.  Bring on the delta breeze or I'm heading back to the lake.  Our pool will just have to do but honestly when it's this hot its almost too hot even for the pool!

That's it!  We had a good ending to July and we hope to see you next month.

Week 29

Hello and welcome back!  Last week was a nice slow and quiet week that allowed me to catch up on many things.  That makes it kind of boring for pictures but necessary for progress and gaining some saintly.  We now have less than a month before everyone will be back in school which means summer is slipping away.  At least we'll get a couple camping days in this week which will be a refreshing and welcomed escape.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 196- Monday, 7/15/19

My new entry way bench was delivered by Wayfair today and pairs nicely with the new art-deco piece I found at Kohl's last week.

Day 197- Tuesday, 7/16/19

We started a new project working at the Center for Equine Health on Old Davis Rd so I'll be making weekly trips out here to pick up samples for testings  That's at UCD and at UCLA Tyler continues to fine tuning his cooking skills in his downtime.  This mac&cheese is quite a step up from his last attempt.

Day 198- Wednesday, 7/17/19

It's just Brandon and I at home all week while the others travel so we've been watching 2 episodes of Stranger Things each night and finished season #3 today.  It's been fun watching with him just like we did the last season.

Day 199- Thursday, 7/18/19

Rusty must be missing Justin who he usually hangs with because it's super hot out and he never snuggles like this on hot days but here he is 3rd day in a row straight to my lab as soon as I get home from work.  It's also too hot to cook so a nice cool steak salad was perfect for dinner paired with a crisp and cool summer wine.

Day 200- Friday, 7/19/19

We did it!  A whole week to ourselves with no hiccups and tonight we celebrate the end of our successful week by having dinner out and stopping by Baskin Robin's to check out the Stranger Things inspired flavors for dessert.

Day 201- Saturday, 7/20/19

They're back!  John got in late last night and we picked up Justin early this afternoon.  It's good to have them home.  Here are a couple of Justin's pictures he shared with us.  The first is the lake house he stayed at with his friend just outside of Seattle.  It was cool and overcast the first couple days but bright and sunny the next few which was perfect for their excursion into the city where they rode the Wheel and took in many other sights.

Day 202- Sunday, 7/21/19

Today is just another lazy Sunday.

That's it for now.  Off to the wilderness tomorrow for some camping.  Sadly Justin can't join us but the pets will be glad he's home for them.  See you next week.

Week 28

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Today was a busy packed day so I'm running a bit late but it's all good.  Last week was pretty low key which is nice and this week we have 2 traveling so it's just Brandon and I at home.  The pictures may be kind of boring next week.  LOL!  

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 189- Monday, 7/8/19

My friend Aiko is here from Chile working for a couple weeks and brought me some of her country's best treats.  She says you know it's decadent and oh-so-good when it has a 3 stop sign warning on the package because it's hazardous to your health with of high sugar, high calories, and high fat.  Super worth the risk! ;0)  Now imagine a 4 stop-sign treat.  That's the worst it gets.

Day 190- Tuesday, 7/9/19

What's for diner?--orange chicken over rice which is one of Brandon's favorite dishes.  Actually all the boys are huge fans but he seems to consume the most if you include leftovers.

Day 191- Wednesday, 7/10/19

I was working in the home office today and Rusty joined me.  This new sleeper sofa is now one of his go-to napping spots.  Later Tyler texted me a picture of some salsa he made to go with his quesadillas and a few days earlier he sent me a picture of his bacon mac and cheese.  I'm glad he's embracing feeding himself and having fun with it.  I'll have to put him to work in our kitchen more when he's home.

Day 192- Thursday, 7/11/19

These two like to bond after Justin gets home from work which is later than Rusty would like, but he'll soak up what he can get.

Day 193- Friday, 7/12/19

It's hot out with  more triple-digit temperatures so it seems like this dog is always shedding and panting.  It can be especially hard and hot when you have a black coat.  Poor thing.

Day 194- Saturday, 7/13/19

At least there is relief in the pool.  Brandon and John are the biggest fans and often spend their weekend afternoons playing here.

Day 195- Sunday, 7/14/19

I took John and Justin to the airport this morning but they are not flying together.  One was dropped at Terminal A headed to Minnesota for his work week and the other was dropped at Terminal B headed to Seattle visiting a friend for the week. Brandon and I made the most of a quiet house and decided to start watching season 3 of Stranger Things on Netflix while cooling off with root-beer floats.

That's it!  See you next week when the gang is mostly all back.

Week 27

Hello and welcome back!  Last week was nice and relaxing with a long holiday weekend.  It was wonderful to have those extra days and to enjoy some downtime with the family.  We missed having Tyler home for the 4th though--first year ever he wasn't there--but I was still able to speak with him and know that he had his own fun in LA.

Here are last week's pictures which seem weird to have without basketball shots even though I didn't miss that at all.  Fear not--they will be back soon enough.

Day 182- Monday, 7/1/19

Welcome to July!  It's Brandon's birthday month so he's posing with the monthly marker.  His summer just got super relaxing with a good break in basketball and he is enjoying this free time to spend with his favorite pup.

Day 183- Tuesday, 7/2/19

I banged out some QC work by testing media plates today.  It's important to make sure they can grow the right bacterial organisms.  Later at home we had a Taco Tuesday dinner complete with blackberry margaritas.  Yum!

Day 184- Wednesday, 7/3/19

Work must have been exhausting for Justin today and his little napping buddy is just too cute.  John is proof that hard work pays off.  He received this meat smoker as a gift from his company for celebrating 25 years of service.

Day 185- Thursday, 7/4/19

Happy 4th of July!  We had a great family day at home enjoying good food, good drinks and good fireworks.  The only thing we were missing was Tyler.

Day 186- Friday, 7/5/19
 With the long weekend John and I had time to go out on a Friday night date for dinner and a movie. 

Day 187- Saturday, 7/6/19

Today we ventured out to Old Sacramento for mini-golf and milkshakes which was a fun and delicious way to spend some time together.

Day 188- Sunday, 7/7/19

Finally we have some baby tomatoes growing on our vines and some day they will be large and red enough to put on great burgers like this.  John made us these cheese-stuffed "Juicy Lucy" burgers he learned about from trips to Minnesota.  They were so yummy and the perfect end to our wonderful holiday week.

Wait!  One more:

July's Family Photo

I know it's early but after this we all scatter a bit and will be in different places a lot so it nay be hard to get a picture plus I really like this one and how it captures what July is all about.

Ok--all done! Now it's time to get back to the real world.  We have a week full of appointments coming up before a couple of us travel out of town  for a bit.