Book 21

I finished book 21 last week:

This was our next book club read, and it was rightly described as a Hallmark movie in book form. It was a nice little piece of fluff, just don't think too hard about some of the details. I will happily pass this one along after book club.
 

Quick Trip!

Brad and I flew to the Gulf Coast this weekend for a very quick trip:

We were there to join the family in celebrating Becca's wedding:

She looked beautiful, and it was fun to all be together to celebrate. Brad and I even managed to sneak a little time in the ocean in, which is always a bonus!
 

A Little Japanese Culture

Evan is taking Japanese again this semester, and I really appreciate that his teacher incorporates a lot of the culture into the class along with the language.

They had to research a Japanese recipe and do some translating with it in class, and Evan came home and asked if he could actually make it for us. It was a tempura recipe with ramen in a broth:

He did really well! I think the sweet potatoes were my favorite, but the shrimp and carrots were good, too. I'm hoping he has a few more assignments like this!
 

She Did a Thing

Issa's birthday dream came true yesterday:

Brad took her to the same artist that did his tattoos for this beauty. Keron took a lot of time to get the design exactly how Issa wanted it, and it took about three hours to actually do the work. She loves it, and she insists there were only a couple of points that hurt a little. She is one happy kid, and now Evan can hardly wait to turn 18.
 

Happy Birthday, Issa!

Issa is officially an adult:

She had a great birthday yesterday! Several of her friends made her cards, and her roommate made signs and gave her the sweetest little gift that is so Issa: a jade sea turtle with hearts on it. One of her classes sang to her, and she said she was surprised how many people left her notes on her door.

We took her new favorite pizza to campus for dinner, and she wanted to show us and eat in her favorite place on campus: the gazebo by the pond. It was dark by the time we finished, but a buck and several turtles joined us over the course of the evening, and we got to listen to the barred owl call as we were leaving. It was so fun to see her in her element, and I can see why this is her favorite place.

It was hard not having her home so I could wake her up by singing, but it did this mama's heart good to see her so well-loved by her friends and so happy in this next chapter.
 

I'm Calling It Fall

It may still be in the upper seventies around here, but the leaves are starting to change so I'm calling it fall.

It started in the pottery studio, where I started a set of leaf napkin rings to use for Thanksgiving:

Mom was horrified by the state of my silver ones last year, and I don't have it in me to polish. I'm sure excited by these, though. I also made a new friend at the studio:

The Farmer's Market has transitioned to fall, and was got some Bramley apples as the suggestion of my apple guy when Brad mentioned he wanted a pie:

The apples are super tart, and they hold their shape insanely well. It is my new favorite pie apple.

I also made these cinnamon pop tart cookies:

They are a lot of fuss but not hard, and they are also worth every since moment of fuss.

We ended our weekend with our first fire of the season:

I posted the pie on socials, and Issa texted almost immediately horrified that I had made pie when she wasn't there. The perk of working on campus is I brought her some today. I just leave it on my table, and she comes in and gets it while I'm out of the office in meetings. She has a good thing going.
 

Book 20

I absolutely loved book 20:

Issa passed this one along, and I was highly suspicious. It's a love story between a vampire and a werewolf, which is not usually my thing. However, the angle was different and the characters were wonderfully complex. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am hoping for a sequel! I will likely come back to this one at some point.
 

What a Weekend

Issa came home last weekend so we could celebrate her birthday:

I was so excited to get her room all ready for her:

She stayed on campus Friday night, but she met Mom and I for lunch and shopping Saturday. It is so fun to listen to her college adventures and see her settling into her new life. 

Saturday night, we had her birthday celebration. After giving Evan grief for not wrapping her presents last year, Issa was surprised by a shark package this year:

It's been her nickname for Evan, and we were all shocked Evan went to such lengths. That was followed by the fashion show of birthday clothes:

Her big gift from us is her first tattoo (scheduled for September 15 after she is officially 18), but we couldn't let the day go without out package. We assembled some favorite dorm snacks, and she was a little too excited about the mac and cheese cups:

I don't remember the last time the five of us laughed that hard. The whole night was just hysterical, especially when Mom and I were giving Brad and hard time about the cake cutting so he went with a Matisse inspired design for the second half of the cake. 

Sunday, the four of us hunkered down for our first fall day. Issa wanted to haul out the Halloween decorations, so Evan did. We watched movies and just enjoyed the time together.

Monday, Kai and Nana joined us again for a Labor Day cookout before Issa headed back to campus.

I cried after she left. I don't think it will ever get easier to watch her pull out of the driveway, but it was such a fun weekend of being together.