Weekly Menu August 26

Sorry friends, I don't much feel like being creative and newsy and entertaining today. We bought Bracken some new booties today, to protect her fragile nails and keep her from licking her feet, and as I was putting them on I found that every nail on her two front paws is cracking, separating, oozing, and crusted. The poor girl has infections in every nail bed (and inside the separated nails), and my heart is just breaking for her. No wonder she can't leave her feet alone, and I've been scolding her every time she licks them. She's such a good sport, so cheerful (well, except with her old booties, she totally pouted with those on) and loving and snuggly and playful, but she's in constant pain. She's my baby and my therapy; her goal in life is to make me feel better, and I can't fix her. I can only hope that in a month or two, she'll feel better. Months. It's just very, very hard on my heart right now.

Peach & Plum Ginger Jam

One more week till September!!! I can't wait!! For multiple reasons! LOTS of Colorado's best produce comes into season in September: blackberries, pears, plums, apples, raspberries, late crop strawberries, ALL of which I am just dying to turn into gorgeous jars of scrumptious preserves! Not to mention the weather is cooling down and I think it's going to actually start feeling like Fall in a matter of weeks... I'm Fall-crazy already, I'm itching for long sleeves and crisp mornings! Until all that gorgeous fruit is ready for me, I have to work with what I can find, because I am seriously addicted to this jamming thing. So when I was making a quick grocery run and saw these beautiful yellow plums on sale, and actually ripe instead of rock hard, the wheels of inspiration started spinning. I just had to make them into jam! I can't ever leave well enough alone though, so it had to be more than just plum jam, right?? I thought ginger immediately, but was a bit wary so I only made half of the batch with ginger, just in case it turned out awful. The plums were plenty sweet, but I wanted a bit more tang to them, so I threw in a few peaches to brighten things up, and it turned out fabulous. A perfect late-Summer treat!

Jam & Almond Cookie Bars

Well, our first week of school is over, and I would have to say it was a total success! The boys are already making friends, loving their teachers, and excited about school again. SUCH a blessing!! Not to mention with all the communication going on between parents, administration, and teachers, after just a week this school actually feels like its own little community. I've even been tempted to join the PTA... which, for those of you who know me up close and personal, is just a little nuts. Loving my mornings with the boys, my chats with Bracken, my afternoon naps... oh wait, I haven't had any of those yet. Still catching up on errands and appointments, end of the summer-type stuff. 

Speaking of which, we got Bracken's biopsy results back, and they were actually inconclusive. She clearly has a major infection, and some of the indicators of SLO, but not all of them. Oddly enough, this is actually kinda good news, because it either means that she only has an infection, or a very mild case of SLO. Both better scenarios than, "Yikes, she totally has this awful lifelong autoimmune disease." So we're going to hit it with some mega antibiotics and a couple of growth-helping medications, and keep an eye on her nails. It'll take a few months to know for sure. Fingers (and toes!) crossed!!

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Meatballs

Ack, I'm so behind!! This new schedule is taking a little longer to get used to than I anticipated. I'm not complaining!! The free hours and hours are fantastic, I just have a lot to catch up on, including sleep...zzzz... For the first time in my life I've had the self control to wake up an hour before my kids and actually make them breakfast every morning, instead of groggily pointing them toward the cereal boxes. I think I'm starting to enjoy this whole morning thing... Of course, it's a whole lot easier to do when school starts at 9:00 instead of 8:00, so I'm still kind of a morning wuss, but hey! It's progress! It feels good to sit and chat with them, to take our time in the morning, and of course to cook them real food. We're totally on an oatmeal kick. Stephen loves candied ginger in his, while Joe is nut for honey. I, of course, add vanilla and cinnamon to everything!! The boys are absolutely loving their new school, and I'm just so happy for them I could cry! 'Tis going to be a good year!

Weekly Menu August 18

Source: littlesugarplumfairy

This week we have:

Jam & Almond Cookie Bars

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Meatballs

Plum & Peach Ginger Jam

For today, Aug 18 ...

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Wait a minute, it's AUGUST?! How did that happen?? The summer is almost over!! My boys go to school in TWO WEEKS!!! There are so many things we were going to do this summer that we never did! I was going to work on flash cards with Stephen! I was going to make Joe practice reading!! Okay, I managed that last one, but he's going to be in school ALL DAY! My shopping buddy is leaving me! It's been a good summer, but maybe the fastest one I can remember. And now it's almost over. Well, not the actual season, we still have a good month or two of that left, but the out-of-school part. Part of me feels like I wasted it... but it was a happy summer, so who cares if we didn't go to the water park, or go for hikes, or make it to the dragon boat festival. The boys and I have had a nice, mellow, sun-soaked summer, mostly right here at home. What better way to finish it off than with a week at the cabin??

I won't be blogging next week, as I will be away from my desktop, but I'll be back on the 11th with more recipes and fun cabin pictures. Enjoy your first week of August!!

Braised Short Rib Tacos - Improved!!

Whoops, I'm behind!! Sorry about that folks, I came down with a mysterious stomach bug and have been best friends with my couch and TV for the past few days. All better now! Who knows where I pick those things up... 

Well, my rainy October week has failed miserably. We did get that one glorious, cool rainy day, but since then there have been sprinkles and lots of sun. *pout* Can't help myself. I'll admit it is a little cooler, at least we're in the 80's instead of the 90's! Definitely a silver lining! I just can't escape this Western summer, so might as well make tacos again! They're summery, right??