Summertime fun

Lots going on over here!

The bridal shower is over - it was lots of work to get our house in shape to host such event (we are perfectly suited to host playgroups of 20+ children, but adults? Not so much), but it was well worth the trouble as I now have beautiful, weed-free gardens, a painted dining room (with a table and chairs, no less!), and happy memories of hosting family and friends for a party that honored my brother and his fiancee. I hope they loved it! The best part, and my favorite of all the planning and ideas, were the desserts. Michelle from Sweets 'n Moore outdid herself!

The bride and groom cake:


With matching cookie favors:


And a lovely display of desserts:


We recovered from the festivities in time to celebrate the 4th with family and then take our first family "vacation." Rob and I haven't been anywhere for more than a long weekend since we visited Brazil back BK (before kids). Marty has been on a plane for a wonderful weekend in Jekkyl Island, Georgia. That and a few drives to Chicago are it for our vacations. So I was pretty excited when my friend Jodie offered us her gorgeous summer home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. We visited them there over Memorial Day and knew how fantastic it was - spacious, beautifully appointed and decorated, with lots of space, a pool, and a hottub. I had dreams of knitting by the pool while my children played and then spending the evenings drinking wine and talking with my husband while the children slept. These dreams were dashed progressively over the course of this "vacation," which is more aptly called "how much candy will it take to get 5 minutes of peace" or "summer of family pink eye."

It wasn't all bad. The house was great, it was wonderful to get away from the day-to-day duties at home, and the kids had fun. Plus we saw my Uncle Mike, which was the highlight of the trip. I had about one hour of knitting poolside, lots of knitting time in the car, and did make a ton of progress. I finished this within hours of our arrival (it still needs blocking):


And here we are, sun-kissed, tired, sick, but happy: