Mower

*Image & t-shirt by Viva Sweet Love

Today I tried to mow the lawn, and I failed.  I couldn't start the stupid lawn mower.  I tried until I was super tired and sweaty, but still couldn't get the lawn mower to actually start.  I feel like a big wimpy failure right now.  My husband said that it might take a bit to get the lawn mower started because we haven't used it in a while, but I didn't think that it would be this difficult.  Hopefully we get it started tonight so I can mow to my heart's content tomorrow.  Oh, such an exciting day I have planned!

For two

*Image & tag by Vintage Twee

Today I explored my town a bit more and met a friend for afternoon tea.  We had lunch and I enjoyed a nice pot of Earl Grey at Madhatters and I know I'll be back.  I'll have to make it a point to keep up to date with my middle school teaching friends now that I'm moving campuses, and afternoon tea is the perfect way to do it.  Plus, it was a bonus because my friend is currently growing her own little family with twins arriving in December.  Tea for two, or four depending on how you see things.  How do you stay connected with old friends?

Torture

*Image & print via Outdated

Last night around 3 a.m. I could have used some relief.  I have a ridiculous amount of mosquito bites all over my legs.  There is even a lovely cluster of 5 or 6 bites on my left foot.  I think it's pretty obvious that I was miserable and not sleeping.  Both of my legs are speckled with bites and just being touched by the covers was almost too much.  I currently have a tube of hydrocortisone cream at the ready, but I still have that tingling itch that wants to be scratched until it bleeds.  How do you cope with mosquito bite torture?

Sunrise

*Image via Gilt Groupe dress by French Connection

Something about this orange color strikes me.  Although I'm a blonde, I can get away with some bright and deep colors due to my olive-toned skin.  I'm trying to elevate my wardrobe for my new tenth grade teaching position and I think silk is one way to do that.  Something more sophisticated in my closet than the standard cotton dress.  I'm a huge fan of cotton, I think I'm becoming a bigger fan of silk. What are your favorite bold colors?

Peter Piper

*Image by me

All of these peppers are from our garden.  My goal today is to can them so that we can enjoy them for a while longer.  I haven't yet tasted those beautiful orange and red peppers, but we bought the plants because of their name - tequila sunrise peppers.  They start out green and then slowly darken to orangy-red. Hopefully they spice up the pepperoncinis. I think that this will be a tasty savory treat.  What are you growing in your garden?

Nose

*Image & print by f2images

Last night I made it to Thursday night water polo practice.  It was great to be in the pool and we had enough players to set up a half court scrimmage.  I had a blast until the last few minutes, when in the middle of chasing the ball my face slammed right into another player's forearm.  I thought I would totally bleed, as is my tendency, but there was no visible damage - only pain.  Today there is still no obvious damage, but the space between my nose and upper lip sure is tender today and I have the remains of a headache.  Part of me wishes that there was at least some bruising or something to make me feel tougher, or at least not too whiny.  I guess I'll just have to be tougher and suck it up.  

Red Raspberry

*Image & print by A Two Pipe Problem Letterpress

I have another home brewer to add to my list of friends, or would it be a friend to add to my list of home brewers?  Either way, last Saturday we all toasted and enjoyed his summer red raspberry beer.  The beer was a lovely pink color, almost that of ripe grapefruit flesh.  The beer was refreshing, slightly tart and perfect for summer.  Rather than using raspberry flavor or syrup as many are wont to do, he used a pound of fresh macerated raspberries in muslin and immersed them in his beer (I'm not exactly sure at what stage in the process, but if you really want to know I'll get you the recipe).  This was by far the best tasting raspberry beer that I have ever had, and it is also the perfect beer for summer. The flavor of the fresh berries was a compliment to the beer and the absence of artificial sweetness let the flavors of the beer and berries mingle to create a tart, but not bitter end note.  Lifting the glass to my nose, I could even smell the raspberries. I'm glad that I know such talented people, and that I can drink to their success.  What is your perfect summer beer?

Reese

*Image by Nik

Little baby Reese Kay was born on Saturday and today I get to hold her.  She will be officially the youngest baby I have ever held and I'm so excited that I get dibs to visit and hold this baby pretty much all of the time.  Not a bad deal really, and her mom will get naps and showers out of the deal too.        
Any tricks for amusing newborns?  Ha! I'm kidding, this is when they're easy!

Labor

*Image & card by studio wren

This morning I awoke to a text message from my friend letting me know that her water broke.  I'm so excited to hopefully welcome a new little baby to the world today.  When I stopped by the hospital to bring them entertainment (there weren't any contractions quite yet and it was looking like the day would get really really long).  Hopefully more good news is on the way tonight.  Yay for babies!

Update

*Image & card by MAN vs. GEORGE

My grandfather seems to be doing well.  His tests revealed a bile stone and when they found it they removed it.  He was supposed to be discharged yesterday, but will hopefully go home today.  I'm feeling happy and hopeful.

Adult

*Image & top by x silk

With my return to a high school campus I feel like my wardrobe needs a bit of a tweak.  It will no longer be immediately obvious that I am an adult on campus because my students will not be in uniform, nor will I be taller than most of them.  I like to flatter myself and say that I look younger than my 31 years, but hopefully not so young as to be confused with a high school student (although, administrators have a skewed view of younger teachers).  I've gotten to try a few new fashion trends while working at the middle school, but now feel like I'll have to do something to distinguish myself as an adult.  This doesn't mean that I'm going to pay more for my clothes, but definitely that I'll have to try a little harder to be refined if I want to try out new trends.  What do you recommend?

Tetukas

*Image of my grandfather

Currently my Tetukas, my grandfather, is in the hospital.  He's awaiting some tests, but it's always scary  when a grandparent is in the hospital for any amount of time.  It's also a nail-biter when your grandparent is 91 years old.  This has been in the back of my thoughts for several days and all I can ask for is that he gets to go home soon.  I am really looking forward to seeing him in October.  Will you keep him in your thoughts please?

Sophomores

*Image via design:related; designed by Mikey Burton

Today I'm starting my week of Advanced Placement (AP) training.  I'm pretty excited to learn and to plan for my upcoming year teaching 10th graders.  Hopefully there are a bunch of new productive things I can do in my classroom to make me a stronger teacher, because I'm already excited about my new prospects.  I'll be reading Lord of the Flies this year and that excites me as well.  What do you remember reading in high school?

Review

*Image & print by Jena Ardell

Today the Gators got together to watch video of our games from Nationals.  I wasn't looking forward to seeing myself slaughtered on the big screen, but it wasn't that brutal.  I am thankful that we have video of our games so that we can have feedback on what worked well for us during games.  I learned that I need to spend more time in the pool!  Lifting some more weights could also help my game play.  I need to model myself after the 50+ team and maintain and increase my level of fitness.  How was your Sunday morning?

Winner

*Image by me

Last night we explored another San Antonio hidden gem.  We drove out to the Boardwalk on Bulverde where a host of food trucks gather Thursday through Saturday night. The night was perfect and the food was excellent.  We'll go back for sure.  I had the Mimi Melt from Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and didn't think that I could finish this enormous sandwich, but after passing it around my group for bites (they were salivating) I managed to finish the entire thing with no regrets.  Chicken, avocado, spice, bacon and cheese with a tasty slaw on Texas toast made for a lovely dinner.  The sweet, creamy and spicy all married well together and I couldn't put it down.  I've already planned my next dinner because the selections from the Spice Runner truck were so good I don't want to settle for bites next time.  The owner of the truck is from South Africa and makes some delicious, well-balanced flavors and his own complex hot sauces.  Because the food trucks don't have a liquor license, it's either BYOB or a taste of the free beer they offer on site.  Free beer, you ask?  Yep, they can't sell it, but they can give it away.  Have you been swept up by the food truck movement?

Strawberry Pie

*Image & recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Yesterday, to celebrate the 4th, my husband made a fresh strawberry pie.  I wanted to take a picture of it, but we devoured it too quickly.  Seriously, there is no pie left today and I am sad about that.  The whole, fresh berries are pulled together with a cooked jam and fill a flaky pie crust.  There is nothing better than chilled fresh strawberries on a hot day, and this pie was just the ticket.  I think that it will be a repeat in this house.  We spent our day outside playing by the water, grilling, and then devouring this tasty pie.  How did you spend the 4th?