As American as apple pie!

Happy 4th of July! I hope somebody got to see fireworks today because all we got was thunder and lightning. Oh well! There's always the possibility we can make the rain date. :)

Fortunately, we were able to do everything else we had planned today. Admittedly, it wasn't much, but at least things went as planned.

Since we have no immediate or extended family nearby, and our parishioners were all with their families today, it was just us. In some ways it feels like a non-event when you're so used to big gatherings, but in other ways it can be refreshing if we look at it the right way.

We grilled Italian marinated chicken breast and hot dogs and ate our meal outside (in the shade) for the first time as a family. Usually the bugs are too bothersome or it's too boiling hot, but my husband was able to put the table in the shade of our shed and it was bearable. The kids have been asking for a "picnic" for a long time, and they really enjoyed it.

I made this Upside-Down Caramel Apple Pie from Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations cookbook for dessert, which we ended up eating later in the day.


At first glance, it looks like any other apple pie. But the instructions say to invert it onto a serving plate, and then you can see how it's different - it has caramel and pecans on the bottom, which ends up being the top!




It's quite good, although I guess I was expecting more gooey caramel. It's more like a candy apple without a lot of caramel. You get the candy apple taste without pull-out-your-fillings stickiness.

It was hot here today! I hung out three loads of clothes, and most of them dried within a half hour. (This is the first time I've hung clothes in the three years we've been here, but I'm trying to save the church some money on the electric bill.)

When I inflated our kids' jumping "castle," I was so hot I couldn't keep my glasses on my face. Even my husband commented on how hot I looked. He didn't know the half of it - I was drenched from head to toe, and I hadn't even exerted any effort.

Thankfully, it cooled off near the end of the day and we were able to do some active things outside with the kids. I even got my half-hour walk in, although the last five minutes or so were spent walking in the rain. I wouldn't usually stay out in the rain, but it felt quite good after such a hot day. And besides, I needed my exercise!