Hot and crispy... yet foggy

The above photos were on my walk yesterday. While fall isn't my favorite season, I'm learning to appreciate the russets and golds. 

Below, some of our mornings. I dunno how we get any fog when things have been as dry as they've been. Doesn't seem like there's enough moisture to MAKE fog, but I guess that's why I'm not in charge of such things.

 

Happy first day of fall, y'all

 

It has been hot enough that I still haven't wanted to bake, and that's saying something because I LOVE cookies. I owe some to some friends, so no, you guys, they're not lost in the mail; they're still ingredients.

Anyway, here's hoping we get slightly cooler temps, but more importantly, RAIN. It's been dry for... months? Things are sounding quite crispy and today is only the first day of fall. Could have fooled our yard!

A bit premature… and a muffin

Let's start with the muffin. This quiet, unassuming, wrapped a little bit fancily, muffin. Looks chocolate, right? Yummy? 

Looks like a staring contest or the beginnings of a shakedown against my handsome hubby...

Anyway, this quiet little muffin was full of hazelnut! That's right, someone stuffed it full of Nutella and it was melty on the inside of the moist, fluffy cake with an almost crispy outside and ... I think I fell in love a little bit.

I like that it even looks like a swamp thing puppet of some kind if you use your imagination. 

 The premature part in the title of this post was I thought I had plenty of stickers and markings before? HAHAAAA, apparently I know nothing of how many is plenty because I got another round!

I even have markings in my armpit though the girls reassured me that no stickers would stay on in there so they wouldn't even try to stick any. 

The photo below has additional arrows edited on so that you can maybe see the line on my skin from the previous radiation. During photon radiation, they lay a bolus over your skin that is to be receiving treatment and its edges would have lined up with the line on my side there. My doctor explained it's the difference between the skin on the back of your finger versus the skin on the side of your fingers that you feel everything with. It looks like a faint sunburn. I wanted a pre-treatment photo so I could keep track of how crispy I get and how quickly. Morbid, perhaps, but if it helps give someone else an idea of what to expect down the road, then it'll have been worth it. 

All things considered, lookin' pretty good going in!

Wet your whistle

 

Hello, Atlantic Ocean. It's been awhile. We missed you! Thanks for providing so much wet, sandy fun, new friends, and plenty of summertime photo ops!

 

How I wish I was there right now as the dishwasher is chugging away and the boys are bickering in the basement. *sigh*

 

Anyway, here are Care Bear and her Hinrew doin' their thing:

 

She eventually abandoned him and was doing her own thing, which is jumping waves. We liked this one because it looks like she's kneeling on a wave. To a kid who is obsessed with all things Percy Jackson and Poseidon, that's pretty cool.

 

There were tons of adorable crabs popping in and out of the sand. I had a great time just sitting in the sun and admiring the puffs of sand and how they scuttle. Dada got pretty crispy early on in the trip, unfortunately, so he tried to stay out of the rays as much as he could. He did have a good time in the water later on in the week, and I'll get to those pictures later.

 

These are especially for Aunt Sherri, who requested them specially. Which do you like better- fronts or backs?

 

And then, where else would Liam be but in a sandy hole? He found them or made them on every single beach we visited. Carrie dug a lot, and he snuck in, just like a crab!