here it is...friday again. i hope no one suffered too bad from the back to school blues.

or maybe you were popping champagne and waving goodbye to your kids on the bus?

me...no school for kaye. i have found a delightful little school for my best gal, but we're on the wait list. i'm really hoping an air force family moves soon. was that terrible to say?

regardless...this school is only 30 minutes from our house - as opposed to having to drive kaye into boise. i'm super jazzed about it and so is kaye.

best part? it isn't going to cost a trillion dollars to take her there two days a week. (praise jesus hands.)

anyway, while i'm doing that, you should...

1 | grab this here snazzy summer-themed button and link back to Sept. Farm.
2 | link up your post at the bottom of this post.
3 | tell all your friends + have a fantastic friday.

my five - 
1 | little mango
so...i chatted briefly about little mango last week...and then in two posts this week...but since i actually had my camera out i thought...why not talk about them a little more! 
if you missed it, my two best gals got to tap into their inner model and rock some clothes from little mango...and friends. i'm in love. their clothes are the absolute cutest! go. look. now.
you can also see kaye's modeling session here.
and sawyer's session here.
and by modeling - i mean i took them out into a dirt patch and made them stand there.
2 | in the kitchen

friends - i think i can officially say that i can cook. i mean...sure. i've been keeping my family alive with my delicious concoctions for a few years now...but the other night i made up a recipe completely from my own brain and i can't even believe it happened.

i was inspired by baked spaghetti. even though i've never eaten baked spaghetti. i was kind of walking around the kitchen trying to talk myself out of making anything mexican food related...probably enchiladas. we had already had tacos...so i didn't want to double duty it.

i chopped some onion and got out some shredded chicken...and before i knew it i was layering that mixture with quinoa, chopped spinach, and parmesan...oh. and spaghetti sauce. i popped it right into the oven for a super healthy spin on baked spaghetti and it was a total win with the whole family.

i'll be making it again soon to share as a recipe post for sure.

3 | hand lettering

hand lettering - also known as - you're 32. don't try new things...you're probably going to suck at it.

kidding, kidding. i'm all about trying new things. but here's the thing - i thought i was going to be good at this hand lettering thing. that's a lie. i didn't think i was going to be good...but i thought i'd be able to do it...with some ease...and come out on the other end mildly appreciative of what i had created.

amy and i went to a class at a local paper goods store on tuesday evening. it was super fun. we learned some basic lettering skills and how to draft ideas and blah blah blah...you would think something halfway decent would have come out of all that practice.

ummm...nope. hand lettering is hard. hand lettering requires a ton of practice and some artistic skill. as it turns out...people learn this in college.

lesson learned - a three hour crash course, while fun, will not magically turn you into an artist. noted.

4 | our little garden
we have the sweetest little garden this year. actually, our first garden ever. 

and by sweet i mean it's absoulutely grown wild. as in...tomato plants are completely tangled and overgrown. they've taken over. but...they are producing! 

we have cherry tomatoes, regular? tomatoes, the cutest "snack" peppers, zucchini, and pumpkins. six pumpkins to be exact. they are about as big as canteloup right now and i'd be happy if they stayed that size. they are so cute. 

the girls and i have been going down to the garden each day and plucking the fruits of our labor. actually...i weed and kaye eats the tomatoes.

it's been super fun and i'll know to not plant six tomato plants right next to each other next year.

5 | kaye
my gal. she's been the absolute cutest as of late. 
i took her to check out a preschool yesterday. and while we were put on a wait list, i can't imagine they wouldn't want my sweet gal as a part of their classroom as soon as possible. 

she used her very best manners. held sawyer's hand as we walked from classroom to classroom. 

even at home she's been responding with - "yes mom." and "okay mom." no arguing. and she's been a huge helper. 

if this is what four is going to look like...count me in. 

random side note - if you have a tent...set it up for your children. maybe they'll decide it's a great place to take a nap.
okay! happiest of weekends. i'll be plotting out this last weekend in august what i'm going to be doing my entire birthday month!