Where does a month go?  When last I blogged the locale was in sunny Southwestern France, sitting on the top of the world in the village of Beynac, gazing at pie-plate-sized raspberry flowers and watching a matching colored hot air balloon floating past my cafe table.  Ahhh, the memories linger and don't worry, I have more journals to post about France in future days!
But today, I am sitting on the edge of the Zumwalt Prairie looking on the Wallowa Mountains, with not a cloud in the blue, blue sky.  The day promises to be extra fine, hitting 80+ temperatures.  I must say, it's a glorious time of year here on the Shire, with some of the finest weather of the year.  

Jason and Aileen's Country Weddin'


 So, what's been keeping me busy these last thirty days?  Well, sounds mundane, but mostly catching up with my family and life on Full Circle Ranch.  In that space of time we have had two major weddings to attend (Katie Boyd Moss and Aileen Rice Helsel) and every other weekend full. 


Katie G. Moss, ain't she gorgeous?

 I've made two trips to Moscow, Idaho to be with Henry and Anna, as her baby-time draws near. (I intend to be up there a lot more in the days and months to come! In honor of that, check out the cute, new little widget I've added to my blog!)  Yep, my life is settling into a pleasant hum centered around my loved ones, and I cherish it. 
On Tuesdays I help Christi with her two youngest, Isabella and Alden, while she is at our local homeschool co-op teaching high school history.  We have a ritual on that day of going to the library, picking out books and then on to Heavenly's, a favorite little Enterprise restaurant, for an ice cream cone--in that order!  On Wednesdays I pray with three other lovely ladies during the lunch. 


One of the cabins on Joseph Creek

  This weekend, our entire Wallowa County family is packing up and heading for the bottom of Joseph Creek Canyon to stay at Dub Darneille's Nine Bark Outfitter's lodge.  We are celebrating Isabella and Nana's birthdays down there.  Here's a sneak peak of some of the main dishes for the weekend:

Panko Burgers on the Grill (Check it out on the back of the Panko Box-DEEE lish!)
Black Bottom Birthday Cupcakes-an old fav!

Brazilian Chicken Curry Slow-cooker (Woman's Day issue June 2010)

Nine Bark Lodge Kitchen

Spaghetti w/ the ultimate quick & easy pasta sauce (Cooking Light Issue September 1998)

In the meantime...life calls!