Summer This and That

I hope all of y'all had a happy Fourth of July! Ever since I met my husband, all of my Independence Days have been at the lake and I was thrilled that my sisters, their boyfriends, and my parents joined us this year. Over the weekend, we grilled shrimp scampi, went on two runs (one of which was a very pleasant 5 miles- the longest I've ran since the marathon!), made a few trips across the lake, sang patriotic hymns at the lake church, biked to see friends, had fresh stuffed peppers, kayaked over 3 miles, boated to a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the end of a pier, had 50 or so friends over (including one dressed as George Washington- wig and all- carrying an American flag, canoed by men in costume), grilled 108 hot dogs, and even squeezed in some some lake lounging time.

I may, or may not, have been up at 1 in the morning Sunday night finishing this cake:

It was kind of a disaster on the outside, but I think the inside turned out alright.

Now we're back home and I'm working on my summer reading. I've been a big nonfiction kick lately (where is that book review I keep saying I'll do?!) so I went into the library looking for novels. I think I succeeded.

I realize that four of these are Young Adult (or as our outdated library has them labeled "Junior" which I think is kind of cute) selections- I'm working on # 28. I've decided that re-reading counts in my 100 book list. I just couldn't resist my Ellen Raskin books. (I've probably read "The Westing Game" a dozen times. Yesterday, I literally squealed when I stumbled upon "The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues" because we didn't have that at the local library when I was little. Just like I squealed when I discovered and read it for the first time at the library in Iowa when I was visiting my grandparents when I was nine.)

We went to a friend's house for birthday cobbler last night and ended up in two beautiful backyard gardens that pretty much make me feel like the most pathetic person ever for not being able to grow a vegetable. Walking through rows of homegrown tomatoes and squash make me feel like a little kid in my grandma's garden again and I feel so incredibly cheated that I didn't enjoy any of that produce growing up. (I refused any fruit or vegetable except corn, potatoes, or the occasional cooked carrot until I was 20. Isn't that sad?)

I'm so excited about the loot we brought home!

I'll let you know what I cook this week!