A Flat Tire & the Last Days of Summer Break

This post contains affiliate links. What a week! It started with a flat tire. Simple enough to deal with, right? Oh man, it turned into a fiasco. We tried to remove the tire so we could put on the spare and drive to the mechanic, but it would.not.budge. For two days, we tried everything, bought a few supplies to lift the SUV better, watched all the tips and tricks on Youtube, but to no avail. We ended up calling a tow truck (to the tune of $100) and having to replace the one tire since it was too big of a hole to patch. Since we were at the mechanic anyway, we decided to get Mark’s car inspected and were told that he needed all new brake pads to pass. Later in the week, I checked our propane levels on a whim, only to discover that it was muuuuch lower than we thought and had to quickly make an appointment to fill the tank. Money’s just flying out the window at this point. Other than that, it was a flurry of final school planning and project finishing as we prepare for our school year to begin on August 17. The kids won’t admit it, but I think we’re all ready for a little more structure in our days. I’m especially praying for a smooth transition as we begin – I’ve got five students, from 8th all the way down to K this year!

I’m always on a mission to prolong the lifespan of our clothing, so I’ve been doing a little mothproofing research. (This article from Martha Stewart was helpful.) I’m still on the lookout for hanging red cedar boards, but I did manage to find an etsy shop that sells lavender sachets to add to my closet. Reasonably priced, cute fabrics and a wonderful seller. Highly recommend.

For this week’s baking day, I made a new batch of granola and two loaves of banana bread. Tried and true, this is our favorite recipe: 1 cup sugar ½ cup oil (sometimes I use coconut oil, sometimes unsweetened applesauce) 2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract

(you could also add in a cup of chopped nuts too)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter the inside of a loaf pan and set aside. Add all of the ingredients one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. I typically bake mine for 45 minutes and then tent with foil for the last 5-10.