Who: Moi.

What: A month-ish of photos sans words.

Where: On the blog, of course.

Why: I want to be a better housekeeper (seriously!) and I want to see if blogging less will equal more focus on organization and general cleanliness. I have some projects—you could call them “trouble areas”—that I’d like to get cleaned up soon. So I’m going to flex my photography muscles, let the writing ones atrophy a bit, and build my true biceps by throwing away lots of crap. Wish me luck!

Our recipe blog, Needs More Butter, is a terrific resource for new ideas:

I tasted Renae’s Blueberry Crumb Bars last week at a neighborhood grill. Mmm-mmm, summer perfection!

This recipe for Basil Chicken is a perfect way to use up the herbs from your garden. It has an amazing flavor.

Bok Choy Salad makes a great addition to any potluck. (Just don’t forget to add soy sauce like I did last year.)

And while I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad is super yummy. The texture of chickpeas typically grosses me out, but this salad is delicious. It earned some rave reviews at a church gathering last year.

Finally, in the interest of consuming more fruits and veggies, I’d like to go back to making Green Smoothies. They’re sweet and refreshing on a hot summer’s day—and they’re a filling treat the whole family can enjoy. Drink up!

We were part of an extra special surprise last Monday night. Chelsea and her boyfriend decided to just, oh, pop in on the family during a Memorial Day barbecue. Pop in all the way from Phoenix. It was awesome.

The photo above, from left to right, shows Grandma and her twin (Karen & Carol, who bring me endless delight with their twin-ness), Great-Grandma Lucille, Grandpa Bill, Roots and Auntie Bean, and Jeremy and Liv. And while I could name all those people from my own perspective, it seemed more natural to name them from Livia’s. Geez, give her a blog already!

Chelsea snapped a nice family photo for us—thanks, Bean!

And the dog walked into the sunset after a lovely evening of playing with the fam. Really, he’s walking the other direction, but that just doesn’t sound very interesting. After running around the acreage for five hours, Shiloh slept hard that night. Actually, we all did. Eat, play outside, play inside. It was a good night with a great family.

…and an iris.