Happy Bastille Day, my dears. Today would have been my maternal Grandad's 81st birthday. He passed away in March 2009, and my Nana passed away five months later in August 2009. Just last night I was scanning in a myriad of family photos, and I came across my Grandad's birth certificate. I'm thrilled I have it in my hands. I can't wait to add it to our Ancestry binder, and upload a scan to my Ancestry page.
Alas, we have been very busy over at our house this summer. We will definitely look back on this summer with some very fond memories. So here's a few highlights that I'd like to remember.
Patriotic Décor
At the end of June, we had our house pressure washed. What a difference it has made. We had 3 men working for 2-3 hours on the house, pathway, driveway, back patio and pool patio. Afterwards hubby put back up our patriotic décor - some red, white and blue buntings. You see the bird feeder there? It's makeshift until we decide what we want to do, but it has an adorable little bird living in there, and he provides a lot of entertainment for our cat Milly, who perches in the upstairs middle window.
Dining Al Fresco
This spring we bought a wrought iron dining set so we could spend time dining outside. This was one of our dinners a few nights before July 4th. We had watermelon for days, a roasted broccoli pasta salad, kebabs, and roasted vegetables. Usually we just have something simple like spinach lasagna, or another vegetarian meal. I'm trying not to buy meat, unless it's a holiday or we're eating out, and honestly we don't really miss it.
Country Drives
Hubby and I both enjoy adventure, or driving around to discover new neighborhoods. One night we went out of our way and found the most adorable farmhouses, ponds and country lanes. Oh, we're so blessed to live in such a beautiful state.
July 4th
This year I made a strawberry jello for July 4th, with whipped cream and lot's of fruit. Earlier that day we drove to Old Salem, to attend the celebrations there. It is the site of the very first ever Independence Day celebrations, and what an idyllic village it is.
The Moravian cemetery was quite moving and beautifully laid out.
We also had lunch at the Moravian Tavern, which was decorated in a period style.
Swimming
Last summer this time we were installing new parts to our pool, so this summer is the first we can enjoy it for a whole summer season. It has been awesome! Almost every evening after work we eat dinner, then change into our swimsuits and go play and swim in the pool. I usually have the fire pit going, and at the weekends we gather sticks to roast marshmallows to make s'mores.
Yes, our dogs join in on the fun too! So how is your summer going? Hope you're building memories with the ones you love.
Many thanks for visiting,
~ Kiki Nakita ~
