The Search for Miss Direction: Back to Normal

First and foremost - a VERY happy birthday to my dear friend, Tess. I hope that you had a wonderful day!

After so much has been going on lately, today felt like the first 'normal' day we've had in a long time. No where we HAD to be, nothing we HAD to do and all of us ready for whatever. Thank goodness! I think tomorrow and Friday look pretty similar and I know the kids and I are appreciating a few days of a breather. (Because we shake things up again on Saturday with Noah's Mud Hens camp adventure and then VBS is all next week)

Anyway, we started the day with a few errands and then the kiddos helped me with a Nebraska kid kitchen to make tonight's treat of Nebraska Raisin Bars. Pretty easy, super moist and very tasty these were a hit here. I think these would be perfect in the Fall (that's what all the flavors made me think of) with hot apple cider. Hmm, note to self :)

Then we headed to Plymouth for the "Music in the Park" series they do on Wednesday's at lunch time. I got a little turned around on the way there and we were running a little late and parking was ridiculous but we did make it! Even better we got to meet up with Amber there! I haven't seen her since she got back from her trip and it was wonderful to catch up for awhile. I am SO looking forward to sharing with everyone in two weeks the absolutely incredible thing she did to help out with the state project. Let's just say she went on an awesome adventure and had two Gatchel stow-aways in her luggage who popped up along her adventure and then she put together the most amazing travel guide for those two stow-aways. I have been wanting to share (and brag her up because what she did totally blew my mind) but I am patiently waiting for New Hampshire week to share it with the kiddos so you all will have to wait, too! Let me just say again, so glad to catch up with the phenomenal Amber today :D

This afternoon amid much play (Noah is going through a phase of getting out toys he hasn't played with in a looonnng time. I'm loving it as he has been happy and perfectly content and occupied entertaining himself with discovering his 'new' toys then.) the kiddos managed to cut out the letters for and then assemble the "We've Been There" state. Wow is our wall growing! The map actually kind of looks like the country - we're more than half way through! Sadly though, no Gatchel stickers for Nebraska. (Though both kids have told me they're going for the kool aid festival)

For dinner tonight, I made a shredded chicken salad that we topped with Dorothy Lynch Dressing. Apparently this is a Nebraska *must*, though I will admit I had never heard of it before. According to the Dorothy Lynch website: Yes, there really and truly was a Dorothy Lynch. In the late 1940s, Dorothy and her husband ran the restaurant at the local Legion Club in St. Paul, Nebraska. This is where the original recipe for Dorothy Lynch Home Style Dressing was born. As the Legion Club members were introduced to this delicious recipe, the legend of Dorothy Lynch began to grow and the dressing fast became a "must-have" favorite. Stories of local people bringing their own bottle or jug to town to have it filled with "that delicious Dorothy Lynch salad dressing" were quite common. Well who knew! If like us, you've never had, think more of a tomato based with a little bit of a kick Catalina French style dressing. It made for an easy little fuss dinner around here, which I'm always on board for. I think it'd be a great marinade for chicken as well and with the leftovers I have (I halved the recipe, but we still have some left) so we may have to try that out.

After dinner we headed downtown for a concert in the park put on by our lovely friends from the library. This week it was Randy Kaplan. Haven't seen him before and the whole crew had fun. As yet another bonus today, my friend Morgan and her family were there, too! I haven't seen them in quite some time (the littlest one is walking! It made me smile to myself as Morgan was pregnant with him when we first met) and it was great to get to catch up for a bit. Oh how I love easy laid back days! Not sure yet what tomorrow looks like though I think kool aid and glue might be involved (yes all of those who truly know me, I did shudder a bit as I typed that sentence) and I have a really fun dinner on the agenda so check in with us then! Until then...

Nebraska Fun Fact of the Day: Kearney, Nebraska is located exactly between Boston and San Francisco.