Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

Goodbye August!   August is an interesting month.  Half summer activities and half getting back to school and schedule.  A transition month to be sure!  Then you are thinking the weather will cool down but nope.   Transition is hard but good.  Necessary.  Needed. I hope your transition month is going smoothly!  See ya, August!

 Have extra bread and don't want it to go to waste?  Try making homemade croutons!  It's super easy. :) Homemade Croutons 1 loaf of bread (about 12 oz.), cut into 3/4 inch cubes 1/4 cup  olive oil 2 teaspoons  Italian seasoning,  homemade  or store-bought 1 teaspoon  garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon  fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon  black pepper Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, evenly drizzle the olive oil over the bread chunks.  Then evenly sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the bread.  Toss gently until well-combined. Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, turning once halfway through cooking to brown all sides of the croutons.  Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cubes, so watch to be sure that they do not burn. (Mine generally take between 15-20 minutes.) ...

What a week!  August has sure been busy.  We recently went on a three-day camping trip...starting back to our new school year...teen camp...our oldest going back for her sophomore year of college.  Hopefully, things will settle down in routine as August ends and September begins. :) Here is a view of the sunset on the Pacific Ocean that I took this month.  There is nothing that quite beats a sunset...anywhere you are. :)

Happy birthday to my niece, Melanie!   Hope you have a fun birthday weekend!

My niece, Kylee, had her 16th birthday party on July 30th.  Part of it was held outside. It was an Anne of Green Gables theme.  It was a beautiful party and Rachel, Kylee and Autumn put a lot of time and effort into it! All over, they put little signs from the book and the movie.  This was the Haunted Wood . Lake of Shining Water Everywhere you would find books from the author, L.M.Montgomery. Autumn made this K with beautiful little flowers. Old-fashioned pens and candles The gift table. What a cute idea!  Bouquet of flowers with an old-fashioned hat and tea pot surrounded by pages of Anne of Green Gables. :)  So fun! Beautiful table setting! Each place setting had a plate, tea cup, real handkerchief, fan, name card and napkin with a beautiful flower spray. One of my favorite parts of the movie - a rake and 20 lbs. of brown sugar.  Ha!! The food table. Loved the old-fashioned sewing machine and table! And the old books, slate, pen...Hey Carrots! The craft...