The Weekend

Nothing completes a successful first week of school like a trip to the ice cream parlor! Whoever came up with the "flavor" Super Cow was a genius! You see, it's not really a new "flavor," it's simply vanilla ice cream in a rainbow of colors. I do not kid when I say every child in there had chosen this ice cream! And of course my two were no exception!



Saturday night, we met our friends the Penaskovics for some fun in the sun and sand at Fish River Grill. Gotta love these pictures...

Are You Ready???

For fall, that is! With the hot tempatures we are enjoying here in South Alabama, I have to say that I am very ready!

Well, lets get your doors ready too! My very talented sister-in-law has done it again! Created the cutest door hangers you'll find anywhere!

I've just got to have this Aubie...


And what about the fun football in your favorite team's colors...

And my favorite fall treat turned door decor...

And probably the most creative of all, the reversible pumpkin. "Boo" on one side for Halloween and "Happy Fall Y'all" on the other side will carry you all the way through Thanksgiving. Genius!

You can purchase all of these items here or email Makenzi at partyoftew@gmail.com. You'll be glad you did!

Don't Forget Me

Somebody else had their first day of "school" (aka Moms Day Out) today!


She looks a little somber in the picture, but she did great!

Off To A Great Start!

Walker and Kathryn started school today. To say they were excited would be an understatment. Walker was so anxious to leave the house that I finally offered to leave early with the understanding we would have to sit in the parking lot and wait to go in. That sounded just fine to him, so we left more than thirty minutes before we needed to!

It gave us time for a little picture taking! I mean when did Walker turn into all legs???

Little Miss has been coughing and pulling on her ears for several days, so once we dropped off big sister and brother, we headed to the doctor's office for a check up. Thankfully, no ear infection just a little upper respiratory infection, something her brother and sister have been fighting for months now. And finally, we got around to making Dora cupcakes, something I had been promising all summer. They were pretty easy, and turned out super cute! They made the perfect after school snack.

Yea for a new school year!!!

It's Not Too Late

Alice Kathleen & Company Trunk Show

Wednesday, August 17th 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.*
*or by appointment

A few new things....

The world's cutest coats

An adorable cardigan

Comfortable lounge wear

And don't forget their trademark appliques!

It's not too late to join us for this season's show! Email me at laurenbusbee@aim.com for location information or check out Alice Kathleen & Company on Facebook!

It's That Time Again...

Alice Kathleen & Company Trunk Show

Tuesday, August 16th 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17th 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

This week, I'm hosting a trunk show that features some of THE cutest kids' clothes. If you need some precious fall/winter clothes for your little girls and guys, please join us this Tuesday and Wednesday. You can contact me at laurenbusbee@aim.com for location information!

What We've Been Up To & A Recipe

It's hard to believe summer is coming to an end. I can remember back in May, when school was wrapping up, thinking that we would have a quite, relaxed summer! Well, it's been anything but quiet and relaxed, but believe me, that's a good thing!

We've stayed very busy and had LOTS.OF.FUN!

Last week, the kiddos wrapped up four weeks of gymnastics with their good friends Michael and Anna. The parents were allowed to "observe" the last day of class, and they sure put on a show for us!



Matt was out of town last weekend, so the kiddos and I enjoyed a few days at Dauphin Island. Here are Frances and Douggie post-nap...

We also enjoyed a birthday party at the Exploreum. They currently have a space exhibit, so Walker was very excited about all of the "space stuff!"

And in other news, we've got twins! Well, we don't, but the Momma Bird that's been nesting in my front porch fern sure does! She built her nest a while back and then several weeks ago she set up permanent roost there. Needless to say, I haven't been able to water it for fear of killing the baby birds. So, now I have a dead fern hanging on my porch. It's a small price to pay to look out the window and see her tending these two feathery babies (picture is blurry b/c I didn't want to get too close for fear of scaring her)....

And as promised, a recipe....

Zucchini and Onion Frittata

from myrecipes.com

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Garnish: chopped seeded plum tomatoes

Preparation
Melt butter with oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add zucchini and onion, and sauté 12 to 14 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients at least 1 minute or until well blended. Pour over vegetable mixture.

Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until set; increase oven temperature to broil, and broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and basil. Garnish, if desired.

Lauren's Variations

I only use about 2 T of butter and 1 T of olive oil. To use more is really unnecessary. I also like to bake mine in a 9x12 casserole dish. It does require cooking it longer, about 20-25 minutes depending on your oven, but it works out better for serving purposes. For example, we made this recently for a baby shower, and it was easier to cook and serve in a dish than putting a skillet on the food table! I also like to slice roma tomatoes and place on top with some extra parmesean cheese before I broil for the last few minutes!

Be creative--I really think this dish could be made with so many different ingredients. I'm anxious to try asparagus and feta, but the options are truly endless!

It's Just What We Like To Do

The kids love drawing their own game boards. Don't ask me why, it's just what they like to do! I can't tell you how many renditions of Candyland they've drawn this summer. I have to admit, I prefer helping with Candyland rather than Chutes and Ladders. Drawing all 100 squares+chutes+ladders=one crazy momma!

I'm thankful both Kathryn and Walker enjoy drawing/coloring. It takes up tons of time, an it's something I really enjoy too. Because let's face it, I don't really enjoy "playing," if you know what I mean. I few minutes, yes. An entire afternoon, not really. I remind the kiddos that's why God gave them each other--built in playmates!

In other game board news,we also drew and cut out our own Memory cards. In an effort to knock a few more things off of our summer bucket list, we decided to put a twist on "Play Memory," by creating and then playing with our own cards!

Other variations to the list include:

Dance in the rain....replaced with....Swim in the rain (after we were caught in a sudden rain shower at the pool)

Make S'Mores...replaced with.....S'Mores Popcorn

Hopscotch..replaced with......Aqua Blast Hopscotch

Make popsicles....replaced with......Make yogurt pops

Making the list "our own" has really helped us accomplish lots of fun things. But rest assured, we've got a lot more things to do, and in a little time I might add!

At the top of the list, we are still hoping to accomplish baking cupcakes, painting with pudding and family movie night! I'll keep you posted on how those go:)
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