National Pie Day observed

Thanks to my friend Rachel of Rachel’s Cooking, I learned that Sunday was National Pie Day! So I made a delightful cherry pie in honor of the holiday. (Cherries picked from our friend S & L’s cherry tree.)

No pictures of the cherry pie – we dug into it too fast. But here are a few other pies I made last week. The “house” pie, was for Nick’s every other Tuesday lunch at work where they discuss crazy architecture ideas. And then I made us a N & H pie! Yum!

National Pie Day VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

At our wedding, (almost 4 years ago!) we had pie instead of cake. All the neighbor ladies brought homemade fruit pie over for a grand total of 40 pies! My oh my! It was wonderful!

When Nick broke his leg…

Two weeks ago Nick broke his leg. He has been a trooper through the surgery, pain, and slow-down in life. Lord willing, it will heal soon and he’ll be back on his feet…without crutches!

The day he broke his leg (golfing) – one of the first things he said was, “I guess we won’t be putting those egress windows in this afternoon.” What a guy. :)

And of course we didn’t put the windows in. Instead his amazing co-workers surprised us one day and put both of them in for us! That was so thoughtful of them! And many other people have been such a blessing – bringing food, transporting Nick to Dr. appointments, and stepping in when I was gone to Washington D.C. last week for work. Thank you to all for your generous help!

So here’s a few pictures from D.C.. If I ever get the opportunity to go back, I would love for Nick to join me – to browse museums, walk the mall from the Capitol to the White House, and eat the best guacamole ever at Oyamel Cocina Mexicana.

It is hard to capture the rich history found in our nation’s capital in a photo. I opted to “remember” most of it instead of always grabbing the camera. But here are a few:

We did a “Night Tour” of the Monuments – I loved the Lincoln Memorial pictured below and seeing the reflection of the Washington Monument on the water.

One of my favorite tours was of Mt. Vernon – home of our first President George Washington. More to come on this…

Dirty Gumbo

This weekend was lovely. It was productive and relaxing. Here are a few pics of what went down.

Nick working on a bathroom vanity. Sure is coming along!

 

Bread baking. I haven’t baked a hearty loaf of bread in a while. My mom shared a recipe for “Sunflower Seed and Honey Wheat Bread”. It was yummy! Served it with what we now call “Dirty Gumbo”. Nick started calling it that because the gist of the gumbo was a roux (olive oil and whole wheat flour mixture) that simmers and slowly turns a deep mahogany color. It interestingly develops a unique flavor, but looks dirty. Some daring friends joined us in the “Dirty Gumbo” dinner. No one died.

   

Actually one thing did die. My favorite cookbook.

I’m sure you can guess what happened.

Cookbook resting. Flat stove. Wrong burner on. Cookbook on fire. Hanna sad. Chicken burning too. Fire out. Chicken saved. Hanna happy. Cookbook stinky. Oh the joy of cooking…

 

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

I saw this today and it made me laugh. Who would have thought?

Your amazing sandwich will never be stolen again at work or school! These sandwich bags have green splotches on either side making your food look spoiled. Ha!

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

Simmering

I stink at blogging. I've written only two posts since May and have placed my thoughts and creativity on the back burner to simmer this summer. Simmering...over what is worth writing about.

I follow many blogs and find that some people have way to much time on their hands while others actually have sweet ideas for projects that are truly inspirational. (And I'm sure some have secret groups of elves to finish projects, take fascinating pictures, and write up detailed tutorials.)

I just need to jump in, feet first....splash a lot...and hopefully I can learn and help other young women be hospitable, frugal, and creative in the home and servants in a world where fast, fast, fast is the common theme. Fast food. Fast homes. Fast driving. Fast lives.

Lets slow down and take a look at the bigger picture.

Family. This weekend I spent some good quality time in Bozeman, MT with my siblings. I love them all so much! Bozeman is a beautiful place. Here are a few snaps of our time together:

"The Bite of Bozeman". Turkey legs...what a filling feast!

Beautiful area by Ted Turner's ranch. My sister and I hiked up Spanish Creek trail. Amazing.

We got drenched by rain on our way down, but Oh how refreshing and fun it was! It was fun visiting with my dear sister.

Have a blessed day!