August Days

I did a little landscaping project one Sunday afternoon. For the past several years, we've planted some vegetables on the side of our garage. It's the only part of our yard that gets enough sunlight for a garden (too many tall trees mean too much shade). However, we never got around to it this year and I felt a desire to make that area look a little prettier. It started with weeding. You can't even see where the garden area ends and the grass begins. So many weeds! To be fair, our whole grass is weeds, but we don't want it in the flower bed.  

Much better. Now we've got a blank canvas to work with.

I planted some limelight hydrangeas and hostas. It definitely looks better, but not as good as it will look once these plants get established. As long as I can keep them alive!  

I went to say goodnight to Graydon and realized we were wearing matching t-shirts.

A sweet member of the community reached out to me about crocheting finger puppets for my counseling office. I asked if she could create some emotions puppets and she had these whipped up a few days later! They really help my younger students talk about their feelings. 

My birthday was on a Sunday this year. I love when it falls on the weekend. After church, we drove up to Carmel and got some cake at the Cake Bake Shop. There is another location in Indianapolis that Bella and I went to a few years ago. This one in Carmel is newer and we hadn't been there yet. I guess the next one is opening up at a Disney World Resort in 2023. Anyway, that's where I wanted to go on my birthday.

It's definitely over-the-top and pricey, but you're also there for the experience. It all feels so fancy. 

And they do give you pretty big slices of cake. 

Carmel is definitely one of the nicest cities in Indiana. Outside the cake shop was this huge outdoor chess board. Andy and Curtis went up against Graydon. For their first game, Graydon beat them in four moves. The second game lasted another 45 minutes. At that point, Andy took a picture of where all the pieces were and they finished the game days later on the chess board at home. 

Bella and I watched the chess game for a while, but then went around to explore. She works at the Carmel Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings as part of her job with a friend from church so she showed me where the market is held. We also just walked around the town a bit. A lot of places were closed because it was Sunday. 

Once we left the chess game, we went to Ikea. It looks like it's evening and Curtis and I are in a nice back yard. It's really just an Ikea display. 

Here's another one. 

Time with my family is my favorite. I loved this day and felt sad when it came to an end. 

I walked out of the bathroom one evening to find Mabel's head propped up on a pillow. She loves to create a little nest in our pillows. 

Curtis went ax throwing for a friend's birthday. He had some success at it. 

A friend gave me a new cookbook for my birthday. It has weekly meal plans and guides you through batch cooking and veggie prepping one day per week and then using all those ingredients in meals throughout the week. I loved this process of cooking because it made week night meal prep really efficient. And, everyone really enjoyed each of these meals, so they are all going into the rotation. We have BBQ Chicken Casserole.

White Chicken Chili. 

And Chicken Fried Rice.

And now we've made it to September. I brought out my pumpkin mug and lit a fall candle that Bella gifted me for my birthday. We are embarking on my favorite time of year!