Happy September!

Goodness - where do the days go?!  September is here, already!  I'm not complaining, though - I LOVE fall!


I have a couple kiddo stories to share:


One of my little girl students was playing "Away in a Manger" by ear, because she wanted to show me that she could.  She got through "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head." and couldn't figure out where to go from there.  In her frustration, she said, "I just want to get to the cattle are lowing!"  In other words, she wanted to be able to finish the song and get to the second verse.  haha!


The same little girl mentioned that they have an "open and shut" piano bench at home - a.k.a. a bench with a lid.  : )


The now-2-yr.-old girl I nanny for is starting to speak in complete sentences, and it's so fun to watch her grow and develop in this department!  Granted, only her family and I are able to understand what she's trying to say, sometimes, but she's speaking more clearly every day!  When she woke up from her nap the other day, she asked me for "two braids" in her hair.  I was more than happy to grant her request!


In other news, as you may know, I've had basil coming out of my ears lately.  Here's evidence of my out-of-control plants:

So, I've been making lots of pesto, but wanted to try something new!  On a coworker's recommendation, I made this for a staff party (which was such a fun night of chatting and games!):


Italian (Basil) Lemonade:

• 2 cups lemon juice, about 12 to 15 lemons
• 2 cups Basil Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2 cups cold or sparkling water
• Ice
• Lemon twists, for garnish

Mix lemon juice, Basil Simple Syrup, and water together in a pitcher.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Pour over ice filled glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.

Basil Simple Syrup:

1 bunch fresh basil, washed and stemmed

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

In a saucepan, combine basil, sugar, ans water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes.  Cool, strain the simple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.

Then, I made this with some of my pesto for a staff meeting/welcome party (I kind-of combined two different recipes...and trial/error-ed to taste):

Pesto Dip:
2 c. sour cream
1/3-1/2 c. prepared pesto
1/2 c. mayo
2-3 tsp. lime juice


I served it with pita chips, but it would be good on veggies, too!


I think that's all for now.  Hope you all have a great rest of the week and a happy Labor Day weekend!


TTFN,
Kensy


P.S. Anyone have any fundraiser ideas for an international trip I'm probably taking...?  More on that later, but ideas are welcome!

Favorites of the day:

the fact that today's high is 100-degrees...NOT!

getting to know new people

brownies