August already!?!?!?

I forgot to post this photo of our drive back to St. Louis...there was this white space amid the rain clouds that looked pretty cool - can you see it on the left hand side? 

Monday evening, we had Elise, Emily and Joe and kids, and Beckie over for turkey dinner. I had one in the freezer that I wanted to use and I borrowed a roaster so I could cook it down in the basement and not heat up the kitchen. Beckie made amazing mashed potatoes. Emily brought roaster broccoli and an apple crisp and I also made homemade raspberry ice cream. It was so great to get so many of our kids together. And, see how snugly we fit in the kitchen!?!?

Steve and Elise went to the temple together Tuesday morning while I stayed home and caught up on stuff.  It has been quite hot all week so we have hunkered down in the air conditioning much of the time. I still got up early each morning to pull weeds and pick green beans and squash and cucumbers and I am happy to report that I am FINALLY finished weeding the pumpkin patch and here it is...

You can see the bottle gourds climbing on the fence and here is a closeup... I only have three so far

It was still hot Friday evening but not QUITE as hot so Steve rolled the last coat of paint on the deck (HOORAY) while I mowed the back lawn. On Thursday, we bought some additional 2 x 2 eight-foot boards to increase the lights to all four sides of the deck, They still need to be cut, primed and painted and then installed and I think that can happen this coming week. By the time evenings cool off a bit, we should have a deck to sit out on and enjoy the pleasant temperatures.

We worked in the baptistry Saturday morning and, in the afternoon, I attended a music festival held at a Marriot Hotel by the airport where my cello student, Ethan, played two piano pieces for adjudication. He is going to be a senior this year and I have taught him cello since he was in 3rd grade!  That evening, we were supposed to have a marshmallow roast with a family in the ward but the temperatures were just still to yucky so we postponed and I was honestly so grateful. I was just wiped out! 

Throughout the week, I didn't do much movie watching and Steve and I have only caught snippets of the Olympics. I did watch a three-part documentary on PBS called Hope In The Water that talked about our oceans and how people are making them healthier all the while using them for a sustainable food source. It was very good.  Below is me, Ethan, and his piano teacher whose name I cannot remember.