First Day Of School

I'm torn today because I'm excited the boys are going back to school. But I'm sad because summer just flew by too fast. The saddest part about today is it is Alex's last "First Day Of School" since he is going to be a senior this year.

It's hard to believe this day is here! It seems like a year ago I was taking him to kindergarten and we were both crying and he was saying, "Why do I have to leave you and go to school?" I told him he had twelve more years of the first day of school, so he just had to be brave.

Last week, Brayden got his learners permit. Help us all - he is legal! That night we took him out for a little drive and we had a line of cars with someone honking behind us because he was driving so slow. He has driven around the farm and cabin for years so I was really surprised, but glad to see he was cautious. He drove us up to the bus stop this morning and proudly showed his friends his learners permit. That is a great first day of school thing to talk about!

Alex and his friends were driving an old Pontiac Vibe his Grandpa Bud had given him this weekend during a bad rain storm and some how ended up in the canal. Thank goodness no one got hurt and they spent an hour in the rain pulling it out with the backhoe. They had a great bonding experience and now a great story to tell their other friends on the first day of school.

I forgot how much I can get done when no one is home. By 9:00 AM, I had the final four dead pine trees (out of thirty) pulled, the holes filled and the drip system to them plugged.
Then I ventured out into the garden and found lots of tomatoes (which was no surprise considering how many plants we put in this year!) and zucchini. I want to make my sister, Pam's zucchini casserole. This recipe has won several blue ribbons at the state fair. She makes it for her family all the time - to the point where they are sick of it! Her middle daughter was admitted into graduate school because of an essay she wrote about not wanting to eat her mom's zucchini casserole anymore.
I love it though!

Pam's Zucchini Casserole

Open one package of Pillsbury crescent rolls and spread in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/4C. Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 350*.
Cook one package of sausage (or you can leave it out if you prefer).
In a bowl, combine 1C. sour cream, 2tsp. flour, salt and pepper. Then mix this with the meat.
In a separate bowl, combine 1/2C. chopped onions, 1C. sliced mushrooms and one can of marinated artichoke hearts. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes to soften them up. Add one medium zucchini that has been shredded or sliced to this mixture.
Then add to the meat combination.
Spread all of this over the baked crust and sprinkle with shredded Monterrey jack cheese.
Cover this with another package of crescent rolls and then sprinkle with 1/4C. Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350* or until the crust is light brown.