Tuesday This & That

 When I take pictures on my phone I often forget to post them on the blog until weeks later, so forgive me...Here are some fun pics of what we've been up to lately.

My brother and his family stopped by for a quick visit on their way north...Atticus and his cousin Mai are just four months apart - they look forward to seeing each other any chance they get!!

Our garden is reaping the benefits of the nonstop rain we've had for what feels like forever!!  Atticus and I have been getting lots use out of our rain boots...Aaron says he doesn't need a pair, but I think he might ;)  My herbs are growing faster than I can use them - I've made a few surprise visits to my neighbors with bouquets of rosemary, basil, and mint - - they seem to appreciate it :)

 

I decided to give canning a try... One of the changes I made when I switched to a vegan diet was to also cut out as much processed foods as possible (which is SO hard)...Two of the things we eat a lot of that are super high in sodium are salsa and tomato sauce...Those were easy to give up because I can make some pretty awesome salsa and tomato sauce myself!!! Ha!!   

So now I always make those from scratch when I need them - which seems like ALL.THE.TIME.  Our basil and oregano are taking over in the garden so I decided to give canning my homemade tomato sauce a whirl.... So, armed with YouTube and a few borrowed supplies from a friend, I successfully canned my tomato sauce. . . TADA!!!!  I'm so excited and ready to can my salsa next :)

 

Grandpa and Grandma came for a visit...Atticus and Grandpa "camped" in the backyard... They didn't actually spend the night outside, but certainly had fun telling stories, shining the flashlight, and playing hide and seek together!!

 Grandma is the queen of bubbles!!!  When she comes for a visit we know bubbles are on the agenda!  They had a blast blowing, chasing and popping bubbles in the backyard!!

While they were here we also went for a hike at Paris Mountain State Park!!  We tried fishing, but the fish just weren't biting that day....maybe next time!

Also on our summer bucket list... catching fireflies!!  Good thing I have a lot of mason jars...  And as beautiful as that sunset is in the sky, I sure think this sweet boy is the MOST beautiful thing in God's creation - inside and out!!!!!

Atticus started swim lessons!!!  He is in the Pike class which consists of 3 other kids his age.  It's only a 30 minute lesson once a week, but he's doing great, loves the water, and can kick like crazy!  He loves to practice blowing bubbles under the water and is getting better at making "ice cream scoops" (this is what they call paddling with their hands).  I can already tell he's making progress!

When it's not too hot outside we love taking family walks around the Furman lake, it's such a pretty setting and Atticus can run, ride his bike, collect sticks or take a break and ride on Daddy's shoulders.

There is a new restaurant in town that we've fallen in love with...The Tupelo Honey Cafe...OMG!  Amazing food, lots of vegan/vegetarian options and biscuits that will seriously put you on the floor (FYI - the biscuits are NOT vegan!).  

We had brunch there on July 4th and were lucky to get seated after an hour wait...but it was SO worth it!  Atticus insisted on wearing his Captain America shirt on America's birthday...made sense to me!

 

Most of the professional firework displays were cancelled this year because it was raining cats and dogs that day so we decided to just celebrate at home this year.... We made homemade pizzas and s'mores in the oven and lit our sparklers on the front porch :)  Sweet memories!

One of the groups that Aaron does a lot with on campus is the Mere Christianity Forum.  MCF is a unique campus ministry at Furman where they create space for students and faculty to explore the depth and breadth of Christian faith through a series of lectures and discussions on theology and philosophy.  MCF sponsored a huge triathalon this week as a fundraiser for their organization...we volunteered together as a family and worked the event to support MCF.

Ok, I think you're all caught up!!!  Now fill me in on what YOU and your family have been up to!!