Weddings

We just had a wonderful weekend with all the kids home.  My niece in Eagan got married and not one Fredrickson cousin missed the wedding, (or aunts and uncles). 

We also got some good news that Nels and Tiffany are setting the date.  They were engaged a few weeks ago, and they are thinking about June 16 next summer somewhere in Mexico.  The number 16 has significance to them.  They met on the 16th, Tiff's dad died on a 16th, her parents were married on a 16th, Nels' football # was 16, and I don't remember what else.  So June 16 falls on a Saturday and there we go!

Here's another picture of all the Fredrickson cousins along with Grandma.

AND, here's Bob and his sisters and Mom.

Bittersweet

Bittersweet is one of my most favorite plants in the fall.  If I can get my hands on any, I like to have a few sprigs here and there.  I think I've read where it's pretty invasive once it gets established.

Bittersweet is also an adjective and that's how I often feel this time of year.  I've spent 4 days at school at workshops and planning and looking ahead can seem so overwhelming.  This year I am working with a new colleague whom I like very much, but I am missing my old colleague, Megan.  Thankfully she got a job in the district at another school.  I am now the K-1 ESL and Anne is 2-6.  Anne came from the junior high and I didn't think it was fair or nice to put her at the primary, so I switched up my job description too.



I will get in the swing of things within a few weeks, but it does take awhile.  It's also prime Farm Market time and these lovely bouquets are always reasonable and the lilies in it smell heavenly.

I've made a few pickles, but it's been years since I made these simple refrigerator pickles.  I'm hoping to find some more burpless cukes tomorrow to make a couple more jars.  We eat them FAST!

Of course the highlight of the end of the summer for me is our family get-together at Sugar Creek.  I love this place and it would not be summer if I didn't get to spend some time there.  This year instead of brownies, I made chocolate chip biscotti.  I also haven't made these in a long time, but here are the pics to prove I baked them!  (Because they didn't last long!)

Bob and I invited his mother to come this year, since none of our children were able to make it.  I think she had a good time.  The pool was a popular spot and the weather was perfect.  I included a picture of little Riley.  What a sweet little guy he is.  When HHG reads this post, I got a phone call from Arlene and she loved your granola and would like the recipe.  She shared it with a couple friends and they all agreed it was GOOD! 

August already?!?

I love my job and one reason is because of SUMMER.  And August is farm market time.  This basil plant is outside my own front door though and this year I tried making blender basil pesto.

My deluxe 33 year old blender did a fine job.  I know it is this old because it was a wedding gift we received 33 years ago!  Gold was obviously an 'in' color back in '78.

I poured it into this jar and then froze it.  Isn't it a beautiful green?  When it thaws I can add the parmesan and romano cheese and use it over pasta.  The basil plant has already grown almost as big in 2 weeks, so I'm going to make another batch tomorrow.

This is the biggest and greenest caterpillar I've ever seen.  It was crawling close to my basil plant.  No idea what it will be.

Last Thursday I walked the farm market and found what I thought were the best beans and the best price to make dilly beans.  This is my first batch of 7 jars.  I may have time to make another batch, but I also want to make regular pickles, pickled hot peppers and pepper jelly and August is already flying by.

Oh, here's a cute couple I saw when I was in Cambridge in July.  Don't they look happy and expectant?

In the pink

Well this title has nothing to do with the sex of a certain baby, who now I hear will be made known in a week or so.  Actually it is the realization that as far as flowers go, it is my preferred hue.  I used to labor over what flowers to buy for my yard and several years ago I figured out that pinks were what I liked.  So it has made flower buying much easier now.  Here's a shot of my whiskey barrel impatiens and my mother in law's old laundry tub that I plant in now.

I am officially on summer break now and today is Nels' 30th birthday.  I woke up that Sunday morning and told Bob that we would not be going to church as usual.  We sat on the living room floor, played cards, timed contractions and went in around 5:00 in the afternoon.  He was born at 10:56.  It was a wonderful day and I was able to stay then in the hospital until Wednesday.  I ordered my meals from the cafeteria, nursed the baby, took sitz baths and relaxed before the real world hit!!  And here it is, 30 years later...

New Baby

 Here is a picture of my ESL colleague and her new family.  Meg is the same age as Nels and we've worked together for 5 years.  She was my EA for 2 years and then went back and got her MAESL and has now been an ESL teacher for 3 years.  I love this girl like my daughter.  So I guess I'm kind of like a grandma! Ha!  Mason is sooooo...cute and he has wonderful parents.

The bad news?  Our school district is dumb!  They have cut 120 teachers, Meg being one of them.  They especially hit the ESL department, even reaching up to tenured teachers.  These are the kids who need the extra help and that's where we're cutting?  I think they're counting on the parents not speaking up.  Well we're organizing, writing letters, attending meetings, getting parents involved and if this new Mom is not in my building next year, I will be one sad girl!

Earth Day

I'm not handing out a flower because of Earth Day.  This was a couple years ago in April when our school handed out coffee, doughnuts and a flower to any of our volunteers as they drove by the front of school on their way to work.  It's a tradition now and this is what I'll be doing Tuesday morning.  This year Earth Day is on the same day as Good Friday, so two things to ponder and commemorate in some way today.  If the weather was only cooperative, I'd hang out my laundry.  Hope you have a nice Easter weekend.

Theater Week

    

Last Friday I went to the History Theater in St. Paul for my SEED class to see "As American as Curry Pie".  A one woman show performed by the writer herself.  Really good, but I was really tired.  Betsy and I went to "The Wizard of Oz" at the Burnsville High School last night.  Really good, but too long.  I guess when you know the ending, the last scenes can drag.  But excellent play, probably just tired again.  (Is there a theme here?)  Sunday we are going to Augsburg to see Marit in "Anything Goes". 



Over Spring Break I walked into TJMaxx and saw this big green dragonfly and had to have it for the house.  It's a good spring/summer decoration after all the wreaths and miscellaneous winter decor.  Now if we could only get the weather to act springy.  (Snowing as I write this :( not happy)