Zucchini

 So, I've never been a huge fan of zucchini, but it's so prolific, that I figured I'd better try some new recipes with it. 

This baked zucchini wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't terrible either.

The zucchini smoothie with chocolate and banana was not exactly my cup of tea either.

Now these zucchini egg patties with a basic dipping sauce were amazing! I've made them twice now, and I'd totally make them again! They almost make the zucchini taste like hash browns.

And while I thought zucchini soup sounded kind of gross . . . it was actually really good! Especially with all the fresh basil leaves and thyme for flavor. This recipe joined my list of ones to make more than once.

And that's my garden update of the year. :) 

July in Review

 July is always a crazy month! Here are a few pictures I had on my phone to review the month.

I had the opportunity to spend a week volunteering at Northland Camp! I've had some great summers there, and jumping back in was a blast. The summer staff was probably the most welcoming staff I've ever worked with.

Having been on the 'other-side' where you're there all summer and dozens of volunteers come and go, I know that it's easy to not spend a lot of time getting to know them, since they're only going to be leaving at the end of the week. This staff didn't care that I was only there for a week, they let me jump in, got to know me, helped me out, and made sure I was at home. I loved my cabin, and being back counseling made me miss it! If you ever get the chance to counsel at a camp for a summer, do it.

(Can you tell I'm a die-hard Red Team fan?)

Back home, life is busy getting ready for the corn maze season. Upkeeping the trails is always a job, and it's that time of year where we have to leaf-wack. In other words, we go along with big knifes and cut all the leaves off that are leaning over the trails.

It's a lot of work, but makes such a difference!

Miriam and I managed to sneak out one evening, do some scouting, and pick a few blueberries.

There's nothing like those fresh picked wild blueberries.

I was invited to Zippel Bay for a birthday party, and had a great time. I hadn't been out there in years, so it was fun to see the place again. I also got to go paddle-boarding for the first time. Although, I never did master standing-up on the thing. :) 

When you go to clean church, you never know what you'll find. One day, I found this bag, and I thought, "What more do you need in life?" Looks like they have it all!

One of my cousins got married, and I enjoyed getting to catch up with a dear friend! Miss you, Jess!

As we were waiting for the fireworks to start on the 4th, the guys started a game of hacky-sack, but it was getting dark, so they had their own field-lights with the help of a few cell-phones and some willing sisters.

I hadn't been out to see the fireworks in several years, so it was fun to hang with family and friends and enjoy the show!

In addition to all the things listed above, I also ran a corn maze/Priscilla's Books booth at the Roseau County Fair, and spent a week out that way. O course, there was also lots of babysitting, gardening, maze-work, my job at the coffee shop, a published book, a finished rough draft to another book, weekly articles to the newspaper, and a whole lot of stuff that I've already forgotten!

I hope your July finished up well, and you're enjoying the fresh garden produce!

A Package!!!

 So, this was NOT the post I've been working on for weeks, but that will have to wait, because I got a package in the mail!!! 

I came home from my cousin's wedding today, and to my surprise, book two in the PK Detective series is published!!

Available Here!

Moving to a new church isn't always easy. Especially when you're the preacher's kid. For thirteen-year-old Titus Rich and his family, the adventure turns into more than they bargained for when a deacon goes missing. Are the strange flowers and the deacon's disappearance connected? Although the redheaded neighbor kid wasn't in the plans, could he help Titus and the PK Detectives find the missing deacon?

And if you missed book one, it's on SALE!

Journey to the Heart

 It had been eight years since I'd been on a Journey to the Heart, so when the opportunity came up, I was super excited! https://lifesrealjourney.com/events/

If you're not familiar with Journey to the Heart, it's a week long retreat filled with preaching, Bible study, alone time with God, and spiritual evaluation. Everyone needs to take time to really seek God, and Journey to the Heart is an AWESOME way to do that.

The facilities are so gorgeous at the Northwoods Conference Center!

Thank you, to everyone who made this trip possible! We had a great time! Thank you also to the photographers that contributed to this post. :) 

SD Convention Photos

Well, another vendor show is in the books. It's hard to believe I've been doing conventions for five years now, but I love it even more now than I did when I started.

I'm not great about getting pictures of me actually working, but another author stopped by and offered to take some for me!

On I-29 through ND, we had water in one lane, and I was super thankful we didn't have any problems. I'm not used to seeing white-caps on the fields. It was raining on the way home too, and for a little while I was worried they'd close down the interstate, but we made it without any trouble. At least, not that kind of trouble. We did have some excitement. . . more of that below.

When I travel to conventions with someone, I like to do one 'special' stop that isn't just a gas stop. This trip, we hit a CherryBerry. I'd only every been to one once before, but wow, they're amazing!

I love book conventions, but one of the best parts, is getting to hang out with great friends!

I'd met Given Hoffman a few times, and read one of her books, so I was excited to get to chat with her again and do a book swap! I haven't read her newest series yet, but now that I have book one, I'll have to see about changing that . . .

The trip was way too short to catch up with friends after not seeing them in a year!

Thanks for hanging out, Jess!

And what's a road trip without some excitement? For all the miles I've put on, this was my first flat tire. 

When I got down under there, I got a good look at the new muffler Dad installed. The muffler looks great but . . . do you recognize the exhaust pipe? Let's just say it's a farmer's fix. Fencing wire, milking pipe and all. It really is way quieter than it was before!

I'm so thankful for the people who stopped to help out! Changing a tire is way faster with an impact wrench. 

There's nothing quite like small communities, and the way a flat tire can turn into a roadside neighborhood chat.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and I'm so thankful for friends and family who come along side and help make it memorable.