Showing posts with label to sum it up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to sum it up. Show all posts
August 20, 2013
{The Calvin girls, but we're all married women now. None of us are Calvins anymore!} :)

Went to Nebraska for my little sister's wedding weekend!
Watched Chelsea become a wife and gained an awesome new brother.
Got to be a co-matron-of-honor with my also-pregnant twin sister. (due just 2 weeks after me!)
Saw my husband win the 3rd Annual Camp Shetek Maintenance Man Olympics.
Grant turned 30!!!!!!
Made an orange vanilla cake. I tweaked this recipe and it was weird. Next time I'll just follow the recipe.
Went to 2 more doctor appointments about Grant's eye.
Did a bunch of back to school shopping.
Washed Grant's entire teacher wardrobe.
Read a couple library books.
Grocery shopping. Lots. Because we haven't eaten from our own kitchen all summer.
Moved from camp back to our house in town!!
Bought gladiolas at the farmers' market for our homecoming.
Unpacked. Unpacked. Unpacked.
Sorted through baby/toddler clothing and cleaned out ALL THE CLOSETS.
Found out that our egg supplier we've loved over the past few years is getting out of the egg business. (Noooooo!) Working on finding a new source as I type this.
Made pickles.
Bought a bed! We've been sleeping on the floor for the past year!
Visited with family from California and celebrated more August birthdays.
Made it through another day with our water shut off by the city. (why is this so frequent???)
Went to the dentist and got a good report, although pregnancy makes my gums bleed like crazy.
Grew a nice 19-week baby bump!

Competitors in the 6-event MM Olympics this year. Grant was the victor. 
Cutest polka dot birthday cake made by Aunt Debbie. 
Grant demolishing the old Ford Escort for his 30th birthday. 
August 6, 2013

Hey girl,
You're the best. You really grew up a whole lot this summer. When we moved out to camp, I still thought of you as a baby. But your daddy and I have realized lately (especially seeing you in the tub) that you are such a kid! New words come bursting out of you every day, although the syllables are often backwards, which is really cute. ("Stop!" is "Pots!" to you) Last night on the car ride into town you told us every time you saw a stop sign. That's the first time you've ever done anything like that. At bedtime now, you like to pray "Dear Jesus" and squeeze your eyes shut so tight. You always point out the little brown mole on my forearm and ask, "Uhh, ball?" I tell you, "Oh, that's just mommy's mole." And then you say, "Oh." and giggle, like you made an awesome joke. You and I do this probably 15 times in a row, over and over, and you think it's hilarious every time!

Your hair is almost always in a pony tail now and your legs and feet are summery brown. Your fingernails grow like weeds and are hard to keep clean. You're tough. You've skinned your knees on the sidewalk countless times this summer, but you always get back up and want to keep going. Your little limbs are stretching and filling out so much that you feel heavy sometimes. You can hit a ball like a champ and are trying so hard to learn how to jump. And you're all into snacks and Curious George and Elmo and playing outside, just like a real, honest to goodness toddler.

You loved to play with your cousins Josie, Symone, Chloe, Thaddeus, Winston, and Atticus all summer during camp. And now you love to gently pat baby Filippa on the arm, too. You have so many friends out here at camp (Justin, Sterling, Ryan, and all the kitchen girls), but they moved home yesterday and we are really going to miss them.

Thanks for being so loving. You are good about saying you're sorry, helping Mommy, cleaning up any messes you make, and putting away the things that you get out. You're also dependable for kisses, hugs, pats, and sweet things in general. You're our good little girl, and we're working on learning so many things together. It's been the best ever to watch and help you grow this summer.
Loves,
Mom
August 17, 2012
Another camp season, done. Goodbye campers! See you in 2013! 


Hi! Let's get back to this blogging thing!
I hope you guys had an amazing summer. Summer 2012 was such a sweet one for us. It was peaceful, sunny, simple, and scheduled, via the Camp Shetek schedule, that is. Breakfast at 8:30, Dinner (not lunch) at 12:15, Supper at 5:30, Chapel and Free time and Cabin Clean-up and Night games, etc. Schedules are my favorite! And Hadley thrived on it. She is already a camper at heart. Once again, I had high hopes of blogging while at camp... but, alas, naps had to be taken. and books read. and bathrooms cleaned. and cousins played with!

Every summer, camp provides the perfect atmosphere to mix being a grown up with being a kid. It's so awesome! We make up games with our fellow staff members and rent movies and eat late-night snacks, but we also make baby food and pay bills and observe the teething status of our little babes. Kid Me says, "Let's just go, go, GO, and not miss anything and stay up late every night!" and Grown-up Me realizes: "Camp life is non-stop and really exhausting! I need a nap before I burn out." :)

All said and done, this summer was a brilliant mix of rest, work, and play. I didn't want camp to end. I hated to see the dock come out of the lake and the canoes and picnic tables tucked away for the year. But I'm also completely excited for a new season, the farmers market, and everything fall! Also a tad excited for back to school supplies, but certainly not school itself. Well, more coming soon-- we just moved home 2 days ago so we are still settling in. It's amazing how much stuff we have. The toys. Wow. We haven't been married that long or had babies very long, but I already want to throw away half of the contents of our house. (Ok, maybe not half.) If you need me, I'll be trying to figure out where things belong in my house...

It feels so good to be back here! (meaning my house and my blog.)
February 22, 2010
acquire
the weekend went too, too fast.
since friday, my sister and future-brother-in-law have come and gone.
but before they left, we did a few things..
1. we reminisced about high school at a high school basketball game
2. we reminisced about the shoes that were cool in high school
3. we discussed the hopelessly confusing show that is lost
4. haley and i split a slice of carrot cake straight out of its take-home box
5. and as you can see, we left a slab of cream cheese frosting uneaten. signature move.
cakeeaten
6. i had a curling iron lesson. every girl should have one.
7. i've always been butterfingers when it comes to the curling iron.. until now. thanks, hales!
8. grant and derrick re-built our table (more on this soon)
9. we all went thrifting and found a couple of fabulous things, like a dresser (yay!)
10. haley and i bought matching 1/2 pint milk bottles
11. grant bought vintage walkie talkies, complete with 4-foot scope antennas
12. the boys ran to the store for batteries and bananas while the girls made lunch
13. haley and i flipped through magazines, wedding notes, and blogs
14. we fell asleep (or at least haley did) on the couch while watching the african queen
15. we drank root beer and caught some olympics
16. i got to sit next to my sister at church and hear her sing, just like how we grew up
17. and we played a serious game of acquire.. the best board game ever.
18. thanks for a great weekend, haley and derrick. miss you already. come back soon!
August 20, 2009
we have some catching up to do. has it really been this long? really?
yes, really. i have skipped out on almost a whole month of the blog. my friends are telling me that they are tired of checking in and seeing imogen's picture. okay, okay. you're right, guys. thanks for still stopping by after a month of inactivity and for caring enough to tell me to get with it. or to at least change the picture. i love you.
the world (meaning my life) has changed quite a bit since i last wrote, and i almost don't even know where to begin with the catching up. i would try to do it little by little, but would surely feel overwhelmed. it would simply be impossible to tell you everything. so, i will settle for a hasty recap and then move on to blogging about things of the present. here we go.
camp is over. the summer was a huge success. we had a fantastic staff, no major injuries or illnesses, and record numbers of campers. lives were changed and hearts were won and relationships improved and priorities were set straight and the blessings were innumerable. God is so good. His work is beyond anything i could ever ask or imagine. camp always makes me realize that fact over & over again. i love that. and at the end everybody went home & back to the real world.. except for us. grant and i are lingering a little while at our summer home, enjoying life by the lake.
last week we roadtripped to omaha to visit my family + friends. we celebrated grant's 26th birthday and i made him a butterfinger brownie cake that i will share more details about later. i found a stellar shirt at a thrift store that i can't wait to wear. grant calls it my 'farmgirl' shirt. oh, i finally saw the new harry potter movie and really liked it. and i also saw the new g.i. joe movie and totally hated it. oh, one more thing. a brand new possibility has popped up on the fall horizon for me, so grant and i have some deciding to do. will keep you posted on what's in store for me this year. no matter what, it's going to be good.
ps. i'm officially back. for good.
April 14, 2009
all things easterie '09.
a haircut from haley.
paul mitchell lemon sage thickening magic.
bowling. with personal bests included.
high speed scrabble.
an early birthday soiree, featuring mom's 3-layer red velvet.
meeting up in the big corner booth over chicken burritos.
a flawless, sunny saturday.
frisbee golf outing with grant.
late night egg dyeing at the kitchen table.
it's the easter beagle charlie brown.
the pow-wow panera breakfast summit.
giving grant the grand tour of my alma mater.
cruising with the sunroof open.
laptop central living room.
redken all soft + smooth down.
sunday morning at cbc. just like the good old days.
christ the lord is risen today, alleluia.
easter ham & classic corn casserole.
and the drive home was adventurous too.
the april issue of instyle- thanks, mom.
reading up on the beauty buys '09.
new mix cd from haley.
including new john mayer & a little archuleta crush.
surprise mochaccino from grant.
homeward. with a full car & full camera.
thanks for a wonderful time, guys.
you are always the perfect hosts. love you.
April 10, 2009
errands with no coat chelsea in the backseat brand new buildings on giles the apple store checking out the 24" imac #35 at ming's the waiters still remember familiar faces from my ortho days familiar target aisles starbucks in my hand my second cup of the day chels texting by the minute browsing & buying new shades & nesting bowls crash on the couch seeing my 16-year old sis driving solo the dog sighing & snoozing us kids laptopping it's fun being the kids apples & cookies on the counter harry potter & the sorcerer's stone wizarding questions from grant it's his first time to hogwarts. wishing you all a good friday.
April 8, 2009
did i mention that it snowed last saturday? yeah.
gobs & gobs of clumpy snow. heavy & wet. snowball perfect.
the above photo was taken at 1 o'clock in the afternoon 
and is a gross understatement of the final outcome. 
it was the snowiest we've been all winter.
which, by the way, became a full 5-month season over the weekend.
so it was saturday & snowing. i called mom to discuss my left shoulder
bothering me while i run & what she's going to bake this week.
grant spent the morning being a spelling bee judge. 
later we went for a drive & i found a real charlie brown tree.
i passed on grant's offer to stop for cappuccino due to my sugar game,
and opted to curl up on the couch & take the most glorious nap ever.
jesse, julie, & moses were here for a visit. we were invited to the harms farm 
for dinner dominican-style. plantains & all. delish. 
the meal was accompanied by name that tune
& speculation over whether or not church would be cancelled. 
it was.
by the time we went back to town that night, 
(i used to think "going to town" was only a literary phrase 
from my laura ingalls wilder past, but i was so wrong.
it's a very real & mainstream expression 'round these parts.)
the snow blanket was 6 inches thick & the highway was perilous.
it was a pretty april snow storm. and i'm feeling even better about the
whole thing now that there's only a few patches of white left on the grass.
supposedly 51 degrees on friday.. come on spring. 
note: please forgive the winter dreariness of this post.
i felt compelled to continue with my task of 
accurately documenting my first minnesota winter. 
hopefully i will come back & read it someday when winter 
is only a 3 month season & realize how far i've come. 
February 22, 2009
last weekend 
found these mini pumpkin-colored bowls at pottery barn. stocked on the sale shelf, the petite dishes were only $1.47 a pop. what may be an out of season color to pb is just right for my cupboard. perfect for a side of southwestern salsa for grant's favorite chili & lime chips, a single scoop of my favorite, or a smidgen of homemade granola.
this weekend 
found us with a full plate. 
grant did our taxes & set up an external hard drive. we went to the farm to be with the fam. february birthdays to celebrate, babies to hold, cakes to cut, games to play, songs to practice, & vacations to plan. the harms' house is one of my very favorite places to have a gathering.
sunday night agenda: 
sprawling on the couch, enjoying one of my new baby bowls filled with cereal.
i smothered myself in a quilt, planted my laptop in the folds, & browsed for new running shoes. grant & i figured out that my current pair have somewhere around 1,000 miles on them. my poor knees! it's definitely time to get me some new cushioning. 
to top it all off, tuned in to abc for a night with the glitzy & glamorous side of hollywood. i'm a sucker for sparkly dresses, star camaraderie & hurried speeches. hugh jackman: smart choice. classy. zac & vanessa: happily surpised to see you on the big stage. slumdog: can't wait to see you. glad you got the big win. musicals: they are so back. and you won't see me complaining. kate winslet: even though i haven't seen your two new movies, you are always my favorite. mr. roboto: hilarious.
February 18, 2009
finally, i'm back.
i was all excited for a week of normal posting, & here it is wednesday already & only my first post!
oh well. here is a little recap of our extended valentine weekend.
he told me to pack my bags, we're headed out. 
my sweetheart husband had planned the perfect weekend on the sly.
in the car. grant sports shades & a tie, 
with jesse mccartney singing "how do you sleep?" in the background. 
i break out my mags & latest book, one of my favorite parts of any journey.
ps. the older you get, the more you appreciate the cleverness & subtle wit of c.s. lewis. 
we stop @ bk and load up on the nestea. we're set.
documenting. our little excursion eventually brought us to omaha... my old stomping grounds.
it was great to be back where they have stoplights & target & a thick, issued-daily newspaper. 
nighttime. still hanging on to my camera. we're almost there!
listening to john mayer's "city love" and really feeling the love.
in omaha, the trees were freshly coated with snow, 680 was a bit sloppy, the traffic wasn't bad, the moon was huge, & the world was glowing. perfect.
we arrived in time to enjoy all my favorite things, which of course, was grant's plan.
he spoiled me with mini cheeseburgers, a leisurely browse through the regency shoppes, a relaxing morning including good coffee & scrambled eggs, a stop at borsheims, & a visit with my fam. must mention that traveling & being in a city are among my favorite things too.
we also squeezed in a documentary on the jackson 5. (because grant deserves to enjoy a favorite too!)
grant, thank you for an unforgettable valentine's day. i love you madly.
February 2, 2009
You know you've become a Minnesotan when you hear that it's 36 degrees outside & decide that you don't need a coat for the day. 
I deeply regretted the decision to go coatless on Saturday afternoon, when the wind picked up while Grant & I were on a running-errands-date. 
When you live in a small town, dates like this are quite common. 
You set aside a day to make the journey to someplace well-populated enough to have a walmart. You stockpile your grocery lists ahead of time, opting to wait for the walmart bargains rather than surrender to the overpriced goods at the little market in your tiny town. You hop in the car, sporting sunglasses & pretending that it's warm outside, smiling because it's Saturday & because you are heading to a city! Hurray! And even though this "city" is small & has recently been stripped of its Starbucks, it is still a very happy occasion. While you're in that metropolis, you take advantage of other "big city" things, like mcdonalds & a movie theatre. (humble things become rather significant after a dose of small town life) At the movie theatre, you take in a new flick about a city girl who moves to a little town in Minnesota... how ironic. 
Thankfully on this cold day of running errands I had the following items to get me through...
gloves. don't leave home without them.
sour patch kids. for me. for the movie.
reese's pieces. for grant. for the movie.
grocery list. for surviving the walmart aisles.
v. c. grapes lotion. dry hands are my unending battle.
(my sister haley stuck this perfect-for-the-purse bottle into my stocking. it smells phenomenal.)

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about this blog

Hello, I'm Summer. A people-loving introvert whose hope and life is in Jesus. His promises are my passion and my ministry is homelife. This blog is a place for me to write about everyday things. Especially food. My favorite thing to do is sit around a table, lingering over a long meal with good conversation. I live with my husband and our 2 littles. We like blizzards, thrifting, grammar, guacamole, cheerful hearts, nice manners, good movies, and making simple, real, nutrient-dense food.

"If Christ be anything, He must be everything."
-C.H. Spurgeon

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