Now that summer is upon us, I wanted to share a few of my favorite warm-weather recipes.  This one comes from the Lion House Lite cookbook and is one of my favorites.

Tropical Chicken Salad

1 1/2 T lime juice

1 1/2 T honey

2/3 c. nonfat mayo

1 container (4 oz.) low-fat peach yogurt (I use Yoplait lite yogurt)

1/2 t. lemon pepper

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & diced

1 lb. seedless green or red grapes

1 can (15 oz.) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained

1/4 c. chopped celery

1/3 c. diced green bell pepper (I substituted cucumber, because that’s what was in the fridge)

Lettuce leaves

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted (I omit these to save on calories/fat grams)

Mix lime juice & honey together in a small bowl.  Add mayo, yogurt and lemon pepper; mix well and set in fridge to blend flavors.  In a large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, pineapple, celery & green pappers.  Refrigerate.  Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss gently to mix.  Place a lettuce leave on a salad plate, spoon salad on top of lettuce, and garnish with mandarin oranges and sliced almonds.  Serve immediately.  Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): (assumes that you included the almonds)

Calories: 303

Fat: 7 g

Protein: 30 g

Carbs: 30 g

Cholesterol: 66 mg

Sodium: 368 mg

Shopping for a bathing suit is a humiliating experience, even under the best of circumstances.

Shopping for a bathing suit while pregnant is definitely worse.

Shopping for a bathing suit while pregnant with two kids with you in the dressing room, one of them screaming that she wants her binkie that she left in the car parked nearly a day’s hike away, is even worse.

Shopping for a bathing suit while pregnant with two kids with you in the dressing room, one of them screaming for her binkie and the other exclaiming, “No, Vivi!  Don’t hold the curtain open!” as you blindly struggle to extricate yourself from the swim suit top stuck around your head is definitely the WORST!  And it doesn’t help matters that I was in the FIRST dressing room, closest to the front of the store, and there were LOTS of women AND their husbands milling around.

Yeah.  That’s the kind of day I had.

The past month has been both wonderful and exhausting.  As I dropped my dad off at the airport yesterday, Ariana and I both BAWLED because we’re going to miss him so much.  Despite the moments of utter exhaustion and frustration that accompany any big project, the month that he was here flew by far too quickly.

And as if finishing and installing 24 feet of 11-foot high bookcases and base cabinets, plus 4 desks, 2 window seats and 1 craftroom workstation wasn’t enough work, during the last month . . .

Our AC went out.  Thankfully it did so HOURS before our home warranty expired.

Bryan’s truck window slipped down into the door panel (evidently a very common Ford problem for which the dealer wants $500 to fix).  Seeing my dad and I try to drape plastic over the opening as torrential rain pelted us must have been quite a sight for the neighbors.  Piecing together information from the WWW, we found that we can order a $45 replacement part and install it ourselves.

Ariana neglected to close the door of the deep-freeze, causing us to lose untold amounts of food (I’m particularly saddened by the demise of my precious ice cream treats).  After the episode, the freezer wouldn’t cool properly, so again using the wonders of the WWW, I diagnosed and fixed the problem (frozen circulation lines???)

Ariana took it upon herself to “trim” Vivi’s bangs.  Unfortunately, the haircut makes Vivi look like Moe from the Three Stooges.

Of course, there’s lots of great stuff that has happened along the way, too.  Our baby continues to grow and develop properly.  We’ve all enjoyed good health.  Bryan’s job seems to have stabilized a bit.  We got to spend wonderful time with my dad in the hours that he wasn’t working himself (and us) to exhaustion. 🙂

So, that’s been my month in a nutshell . . . in case you’re thinking that I’ve dropped off the face of the earth.  Once we get the house pulled back together, I’ll take and post some pictures of our new bookcases.

QUESTION:  1903 is significant because it is . . .

A)  the year the first coast-to-coast automobile trip was completed

B)   the # of square feet in our “finishing project”

C)  the # of drops of stinky sweat per minute I produce during the hottest hours of our “finishing project”

D)  All of the above

ANSWER: D)  All of the above

As I stepped into the garage a bit ago, my dad was singing some stanzas from “Come, Come Ye Saints” (a church hymn).  The double meaning of the words did not escape our notice:

And should we die before our [project]’s through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!

917 square feet of staining down, 986 to go.  We then will apply a layer of topcoat, followed by some light “spot” glazing, and then two more layers of topcoat.

“All is well, all is well . . . “

Tender mercies have been showered down upon us once again.

Do you remember my post about our garage full of unfinished furniture?

Be honest.  Did you ever think that Bryan and I would finish that project in our lifetimes?  Well, apparently, the heavens knew that we wouldn’t, because my dad called a few weeks ago and said that he had a strong impression that he needed to come and help us with our project.  His sacrifice is an act of pure love and a demonstration of his willingness to obey spiritual promptings.  He doesn’t like to leave home.  He will be away from his own bed and his dear wife for a month!  But he’s a godsend, an angel in a dust mask, and is the only reason why our project will actually be finished in this decade.

We love you, Dad/Grandpa!

p.s.  In case you’re wondering what the heck this contraption in the corner of our driveway is . . . .  It’s a “spraying booth,” not a playhouse for the girls.

p.p.s  Speaking of angels–Ariana wheeled out this refreshment cart to help nourish our fatiqued, sweaty bodies.  You’re a sweetheart, Ariana!

Yes.  We’ve been to Disney World.  We’ve been to the zoo.  We’ve been to the movies, bowling, miniature golf, and to museums.  And all of these things are super entertaining, but I’m frequently amazed at how much fun kids can have without us having to spend a dime.

One of our new “free fun” favorites is this city park with a water playground.  The only downside is that Vivi begs to go there 24×7, rain or shine.

It’s crazy what kids will get into when you’re otherwise occupied.  (And, no.  In case you’re wondering, my negligence (this time) wasn’t because I was blogging or quilting or anything like that.  I was actually trying to finish up some painting in the girls’ room).

I’m surprised (and VERY relieved) that most of the fingernail polish ended up on Vivi’s toes and not on the tile or carpet.

MAGIC IS . . .

. . . pushing a button and instantly seeing the results.

. . . producing crystal clear images with a gadget that only professionals or the wealthy could own just a few short years ago.

. . . staring through a lens directly into the face of an angel fresh from heaven.

. . . Photoshop.

. . . this favorite hobby of mine.

Thanks to my friends for entrusting their beautiful infants to me and my trusty camera.

p.s.  Just to clarify–this is a picture of my BELLY, not my BUM.  Of all people, I would have thought that Bryan would know the difference.  Apparently not. 🙂

As I was stripping on my driveway the other day, my neighbor stopped to chat while on her morning walk. She offered up some helpful tips; it turns out that she has a lot of experience in stripping but has given it up after 40 years–too much work!

OF COURSE I am talking about stripping furniture!

Although I really try to keep my kids away during the process so they don’t inhale anything toxic, I did let Vivi come out as I was cleaning up yesterday. Here’s a picture of Vivi demonstrating how NOT to wear the mask, and you can even see a bit of the antique bed I’ve been refinishing in the background.

I’m so excited to get these darling garage sale gems completed and another item checked off my to-do list.