Just in time for the weekend

Summer arrived just in time. We had a great weekend with my Dad and Pat. The iffy looking sky made it difficult to make outdoor plans on Saturday and Sunday (thus no flea market). We did a few of our usual things though... JoAnn's and Costco. I picked up a new quilting book, Material Obsession, at JoAnn's. When it comes to sewing books I often find that the best idea was the one on the cover, but this one is great all the way through. It is always a bonus to find patterns you like using fabric you love, and a 40% off coupon makes it that much sweeter.

The weather wasn't the only thing that cooperated. A few weeks ago in the clearance section of TJ Maxx I picked up Cat Cora's cookbook, Cooking From The Hip, and decided to put it to the test. I tried two recipes, the greek lamb and olive burgers and the Pork skewers with avocado tzatziki, and they were so good. I did switch a few ingredients... used 2 parts beef to 1 part lamb for the burgers, and threw some veggies on with the pork skewers, but as for the seasoning I didn't change a thing. The recipes were both easy and delicious, and I look forward to trying some more of them.

We spent Monday at Kill Kare State Park while poor Eric slaved away at work. The weather was perfect. Lots of wind = lots of waves, and Corie and Dad had a great time flopping in them. Corie's a real fish, and would be happy to spend every day swimming. Zakary didn't like water up until this summer, but now he is the first one in. Luckily the beach was empty when he gave a howl and announced that his "winky" got wet. In his defense the water was chilly. Pat and I spent the day collecting rocks. Why? Why not!

Tuesday was the usual cooking, cleaning and laundry. Yuck! We did get Coraline from Netlix though. I enjoyed it once while Corie enjoyed it three times in a row. I picked some wild black raspberries with the intention of making jam, but the combination of heat, humidity and chores left me feeling pretty crappy. Hopefully they will survive in the 'frige until Saturday.