I love Barilla Plus Elbow multigrain pasta which is a whole grain (not a whole wheat) pasta and has different ingredients to give it a bit more protein, fiber and ALA Omega 3. The portions are for 1 cup *uncooked* pasta but every little bit helps make it healthier. It has a much better taste than other pasta while helping us eating healthier.

The main ingredients are:

1 Semolina - a high protein, hard wheat
2 grain and legume flour blend of lentils, chick peas, egg whites, spelt, barley, flax seed (ground), oat fiber oat
3 durum flour which is a by-product of semolina wheat

I made this simple, nutritous summer dish for our dinner tonight: prepare the elbow pasta as directed on the box, then toss with petite diced tomatoes, fresh cooked green beans, butter, and grated Parmesan.

We ate it along with a fresh veggie tray of carrots, broccoli, green peppers and a ranch dip, cheese stuffed bread sticks, leftover turkey bacon, and fresh strawberries.

My mother gave me some Resurrection Lilies about three years ago and this is the first year they have bloomed. The green plant and leaves have always come up but they have never flowered until this year. I just found it today and took this photo.

Out of the seven snowmen I planned on making last year, I was only able to finish three by Christmas. So far this year I have been able to make two more, finishing one this past week for a neighbor friend of my youngest daughter, for her April birthday. Now, I have only two more to make.

One of my most favorite places to read and relax.

In an Washington Post article by Michael Smith of Home School Legal Defense Association, is a reminder to all families that

"when your child enters the public school, you have virtually ceded your parental rights to the public school."

"While parents may have a fundamental right to decide whether to send their child to a public school, they do not have a fundamental right generally to direct how a public school teaches their child."

For some people summer doesn't get started until July 4th but I'm usually ready for summer by June. With all the graduation preparations back in May and June, I didn't have the time or energy to plant a garden this year. The summer season is off to a slow start this year. I only got my flowerpots filled with Petunias and a couple of hanging Geranium pots towards the end of June. My garden is a natural garden this year with a lot of volunteer re-seeding flowers from last year: Borage, Purple Cone Flower, Calendula, Hollyhocks, Sweet Peas, Black-eyed Susan, Balsam, a couple of Tomato plants, and one gourd plant. Not as pretty as I like to have it-- I still need to get the weeds out of it. My youngest daughter and I cleaned and scrubbed the front porch with soap water, then put out the lawn furniture and bug candles. I found two tablecloths from Target that were marked down for a discount price. I think they must have been some of last year's inventory. I used one as a tablecloth and one to cut up for making matching pillows for on my lawn furniture.

We enjoyed the 4th of July with a fireworks display at my brother-in-laws. Yesterday was my mom's 77th birthday and we went to she her.

I've been working on some of my hand made projects and I'm learning something new: how to make hand made books. I've also been working on my fall lessons and schedule. Vacation is coming up a couple of weeks. This year we aren't able to go Lake Michigan which makes me a bit sad but I am going to make a few small trips: one an undecided destination and two trips to a couple of concerts with my youngest daughter.

So even though the summer isn't exactly going the way I planned . . . I'm enjoying my family . . . enjoying the summer . . . enjoying relaxing . . . enjoying getting my front porch set up.