Eric's Half-Marathon – 1:44:46

Eric ran the Wichita Half-Marathon Sunday morning, with a (correct me if I'm wrong here, Eric) personal-best time of 1:44:46. Which means he ran less-than-8-minute miles. Way to go Eric! The kids and I placed ourselves strategically around the course to cheer him on and take photos. Gus kept saying "look mom, I can run as fast as dad!" and Bea, well.....she just kept herself fully hydrated. We're so proud of our Dad!

Phase 2 complete.

Eric and I went back to Colby this weekend and stained my mom's new front deck that Eric and his brother had built in July. The temperatures were much more agreeable this time - 73 instead of 98! The house is really looking great. Now we just need to find a time to go back and complete Phase 3 - the landscaping.

Whoooo wants a cookie?

I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (oh yes, pun totally intended) and bake some Owl cookies for a friend's belated birthday as well as treats for Gus' 1st grade class. It was basically just an excuse to try out my new owl cookie cutter. 

Why did I choose to make them blue? Good question. I guess I was just inspired by my new apron and it's fun & funky colors. Thanks to my good friend, Carrie, for the new kitchen baking attire. I feel like my Aunt Maryellen when I wear it. (Who, by the way, was the Queen of all Baked Goods when I was growing up!)

The easiest cake I've ever made.

We celebrated another birthday at my office today. Andy, the birthday boy, is a true health nut. So rather than shorten his life with my usual butter and sugar concoctions, I opted to make him a healthy cake - watermelon.

A BEAutiful flower girl.

Little Miss Bea was a flower girl on Sunday at her cousin's wedding in Lawrence. She's not quite two years old yet, so I told Ashley (the bride) weeks ago that there was a 20% chance she might actually do what you want her to do during the ceremony. Especially since the ring bearers accompanying her included a one-year old boy name Kelan, and the couple's dog, Baxter. (Scenarios of a Funniest Home Video episode have haunted me for weeks.)

But luckily, the trio was escorted up the aisle in a little red wagon, pulled by Kelan's mom. And miracle of miracles, no one jumped out. Bea forgot to sprinkle her flower petals along the way — even after she'd practiced throwing & dumping them numerous times before the ceremony. But that's OK. She didn't cry and she didn't hurt the dog or Kelan. And most importantly, she looked cute.

It was a beautiful wedding and a fun day. 

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!