Coffee With Elly

It was a lovely evening for a concert. We got there at 6:30, and by 8 we had sat and listened to the music, the kids had gotten the free popcorn and free balloon animals, we had taken a tour of the Oregon City Trails End Center and we had bought two exorbitantly priced cups of beer and four snowcones. So we figured we had tasted all there was to taste and sampled all there was to sample. The kids had enjoyed themselves, the younger three were tired and we were exhausted. So we went home, tired and slightly grubbier than when we started out the evening, but happy.

And the brothers who love them! Judah sat outside with Elena on his lap playing together with that toy guitar, for probably 15 minutes this afternoon! I ran to get a picture, and for a wonder, I wasn’t too late! That’s the first one:   Then the boys requested the use of my camera and did an impromptu photo shoot of their beloved baby sister:   I love having kids!

I discovered that you can bake bread on a gas grill! By discovered, I mean that I wondered, "Can you make bread on a gas grill?" And then I googled it: "Can you make bread on a gas grill." And the answer is, YES! I tried it last week and accomplished two huge loaves of a basic white bread, which my family was happy to gobble up, even though the inside was just slightly doughy. So this time I tried my mother-in-law's famous oatmeal bread recipe, but made it into 4 small round loaves, rather than two big round ones like last time. The results were delicious and much appreciated. But Seeing is Believing! (Sorry for the fuzziness of the photos)

Is that a line from a song? I've heard it over and over again, but no tune comes to mind. Maybe an old song? Anyway, it is certainly a beautiful truth! The kids play outside most of the day, sometimes they hardly wear anything other than their swim suits, so there's less laundry, and afternoon snacks are easy - popsicles anyone? With our spiffy-wiffy new gas grill, even the cooking is easier... or at least, more fun. I'm not sure it's easier. Sure, there are less cooking dishes, but it seems to me that there are lots more prep dishes. The real plus side is that my husband seems to rather enjoy grilling on a gas grill, so if he gets home and dinner's not quite on the grill yet, he'll take it out there as soon as I get it prepped and then I can focus on the salad! Anyway, we are enjoying our summer immensely this year. Playing frisbee at the park: Hanging on Mom's skirts: Devotions are better with ice cream! Sack races at a summer birthday