My walking billboards.

My first project, on my first day at WSU last March, was to design the 2008 Convocation t-shirt. (It's the big, back-to-school party & pep rally they have at Charles Koch Arena.) And today, I got to see my design being handed out and worn by 4,000 students. How cool is that?

In case you're asking yourself "What the heck is that Sandra?": The image is a large, overhead group of silhouetted people, coming together to form a WuShock. I also did banners, posters, flyers and ads that went up all over campus.

More summer, please?

Thank goodness we have family members with lake cabins, or the Dennelers would never go on vacation! We squeezed in one more day of summer fun at the CLAM Shack (Charles, Laura, Alyssa & Mason) on Lake Dabinawa last Saturday. It's a private, serene and quaint little lake, just outside of Lawrence. We enjoyed an outdoor picnic, swimming with the cousins, some kayaking, and even a nap or two in the hammock. What a lovely little exclamation point to end the summer on.

Banana Pancakes in KC

Eric and I joined my brother, Kurt (and 18,000 other Jack Johnson fans) at the Sandstone Amphitheater in Kansas City last Friday night, for a perfect outdoor summer concert. And yes, Jack sang my favorite song: Banana Pancakes.

It had downpoured just moments before we arrived, so the grassy area where the majority of people were sitting, was a soggy, muddy mess. In a rare moment of brilliance though, I had remembered to pack some 97¢ plastic rain ponchos we've had in our closet for 10 years. They were the perfect seating solution: water-resistant, compact & disposable. If we'd only had the foresight to bring a gross of trash bags with us – we could have sold them for $5 each and made thousands. 

One other interesting note from the evening: smoke. This being an outdoor venue, many folks took the opportunity to fill the air and everyone else's lungs with their smoking device of choice - cigarettes, cigars, and weed (surely not at a Jack Johnson concert!) And oddly enough, the smell of marijuana was practically pleasant compared to the world's largest cigar that was lit 5 feet in front of us. Buddy, come on... some of us are trying to breathe here.

Aside from asphyxiation, it was a great concert. Thanks to Kurt for getting the tickets, and thanks to Charles & Laura for watching our kids that night in Lawrence so we could go! 

The 1st day of 1st grade.

Gus started 1st grade this morning at Gammon Elementary School in Ms. Smart's class.

Gus Denneler's Super-Soaker, Slip-N-Slide, Water-Balloon-Blasting 7th Birthday Summer Fun Celebration

It was 100 degrees outside, but that was perfect for our backyard birthday party on Sunday. Gus turns seven on August 6th, and we invited his buddies over for a wet & wild time. Super Soaker water guns, a triple-wave Slip 'N Slide, and 400 water balloons kept them busy for over an hour.

Ever since he was a baby, I've tried to make a "birthday cake" out of whatever Gus is most comfortable eating that year. (Growing up with so many feeding issues, this has proved to be a challenge for a mom that loves to bake!) Anyway, this year's cake was actually Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. 

Let them eat cupcake.

I did some baking this week for a friend at work celebrating her 40th birthday, and only a giant cupcake would do the trick. This cake feeds twelve. Or, one hungry Sandra.

Denneler Custom Decks

2 Denneler brothers

2 days

95 degrees

250 deck screws

5 drills

4 saws

10 rechargeable batteries

2 pint-sized "helpers"

6 cups of coffee

68 glasses of water

10 Beers

1 pan of Rice Krispy cookies

5 pizzas

1 Happy Jeanette Weishaar

#5 AUSTIN COURT – BEFORE

#5 AUSTIN COURT – AFTER

Why do all my hobbies resemble work?

That's what Eric said the other night in the garage, as he painted some porch benches he'd built for my mom. And you know what? He's right. His hobbies include: woodworking, working out, and working on the computer. Work. Work. Work. Poor guy.

Speaking of work — this weekend, Eric and his brother, will be building a new front porch at my mom's house in Colby. (Which means the temperature is guaranteed to soar over 100 degrees.) I'll be sure to post photos of the project when we get home.

Eggplant Cake

Hey, guess what? You CAN make a cake out of eggplant! I did it this weekend. It tastes a lot like carrot cake with all the ginger, cloves, cinnamon & walnuts. Topped with cream cheese frosting, how could it possibly taste bad, right? Yum. And yes, I could have just baked it in a bundt pan, but that would have been no fun at all.

As for our other attempts at eggplant recipes, let's just say we won't be growing any more of this stuff in our garden next year. Yuck. It makes a lousy stirfry.

Twinkle, Twinkle, our Little Star.

Gus had a "Talent Show" at the YMCA Summer Camp this week. I asked him on Monday what he was going to do and he told me he was going to make paper airplanes for his talent. OK. Sure. That sounds like something he might be able to do. Go for it.

So on Friday, all the parents were invited to come watch. I sat there in the audience as Gus got up to perform, and I noticed that he didn't have any paper with him. Hummm... gonna be kind of hard to make a paper airplane without paper, I thought to myself.

Well, he stands there, front & center, smiling like crazy, and the teacher says: "Everyone, this is Gus. And Gus is going to sing for us today."

I nearly fell out of my chair. What?????!!!?? He's going to sing??!!!!??? Gus doesn't sing. He barely even hums. I swear, my heart was beating out of my chest I was so nervous for him.

But he did it. He belted out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, loud & clear, all by himself, in front of everyone. I was so proud I nearly cried. Way to go Gus!

Now, what do we do with this?

We've lived in our house on Winterberry Street for almost 13 years. And for some reason, we've always attempted to grow something in our pathetic backyard garden. (Must be that farmer blood in Eric.) It's usually just tomatoes that we can never remember to harvest. Or bell peppers that won't grow any bigger than a grape. But this year, we got really crazy and ventured into eggplants. And guess what? They grew! Big. And lots of them. I counted six of them tonight.

Now the dilemma....what do we do with these things? They're ready to be picked, but then that means they're ready to be cooked. So send a good recipe if you've got one. Because, unless you can bake these into a cake or frost them, I don't know what to do next.

Tablerock Lake 2008

It was fun in the sun over the 4th of July weekend with the Liudahl family at Tablerock Lake in Shell Knob, Missouri. Our little lake rats had a blast. And we came home relaxed, tan and filled with great summer memories.

Fun on the 4th.

Fireworks. Fireworks. And a few more fireworks. We went to the Liudahls to celebrate the 4th of July and Gus, Abby and Austin had a great time lighting up the sky.  Bea even liked the sparklers. Until they sparked her back. And of course, you can't celebrate Independence Day without a few s'mores.

Snorkel Practice

Gus got new goggles and a snorkel just in time for our 4th of July trip to the Liudahl's Cabin on Tablerock Lake. Of course, that meant he needed to practice a little in the bathtub, just to make sure they worked. Everything tested out OK in 4 inches of  tub water.  Now let's see what happens in 43,000 acres of lake. Have a safe and jubilant holiday everyone!

A Beacycle built for two.

Bea and mom took a Sunday stroll around the neighborhood with the new bike carrier we bought this year. Only a few tears and a moment of panic as Bea got strapped into the harness. But then she noticed her blankie, Barney doll and bag of cookies, and suddenly everything was OK. The weather was perfect, and I would have liked to have gone for a longer ride, but I didn't want to push my luck. I'm sure she'll get more comfortable with her new wheels, the more we go out. And it doesn't hurt to bring along cookies.