back to school

I can't believe how long it's been since I've been in this space. We fully immersed ourselves in the lazy days of summer, and suddenly, it was almost time for school to start.  We've squeezed every last ounce of fun out of our summer days, and now we're back to the land of predictable routines. Finn and Elizabeth started first and seventh grades today, respectively. 

They were both immediately absorbed into the task at hand so I didn't linger. Well, not too long anyway. They truly love their school which makes the separation much more palatable.

Without the noise, commotion, and busyness of children in the house, I began working on a little gift for the kids' teachers and school staff for this afternoon.  I canned more jars full of food this summer than I could possibly hope to store on my canning shelf or in my pantry, and there were still tomatoes sitting in my kitchen begging for a turn in the canner.

I decided those tomatoes might make nice beginning-of-the-school-year gifts in the form of bruschetta. This morning after drop off, I swung by Whole Foods for a dozen demi-baguettes to pair with the the half-pints of bruschetta.

When Elizabeth heard my plan, she said, "Are you bribing our teachers?!" I replied, "I prefer to call it a 'thank you in advance'." She wrinkled her nose, "sounds like bribery to me!" (A little bribery never hurt, anyway, right?)