Did you pack your summer full of outdoor activities and family time? Did you enjoy the seasonal produce and take time to relax with a good book? Here are some of the highlights from my August.

Books

I read three fascinating memoirs in August, but I’m considering writing about them in a future post, so you’ll have to wait and see!

Picture Books

Hop Up! Wriggle Over! by Elizabeth Honey has sparse text and playful pictures of marsupials from kangaroos and koalas to quolls and quokkas.

I love Mama Seeton’s Whistle with its old-fashioned vibe, family-oriented story, and touch of magic (not to mention the perfect illustrations).

I am biased toward this fun easy reader because my four year old read the whole thing to me!

Food

We made four batches of applesauce from our one apple tree this month (my husband helped; we watched America’s Got Talent while chopping huge bowls of apples). I didn’t add any sugar or cinnamon, but my kids eat it anyway and I like to use it in baking. I plan to use the remaining apples to make a big apple cake from this cookbook.

I canned six pints of peach salsa (using grocery store peaches) and made a peach pizza pie from this cookbook.

I made two quick trips to a nearby farmer’s market. The building suffered a fire last winter, but a temporary market has been going strong in the parking lot all summer. I especially enjoyed the rainbow carrots and golden beets from the Hutterite farmers.

Activities

I had a 19-week ultrasound this month (yes, baby number four is due in January!). Afterwards Andrew and I went out to lunch at the pub next door, then I got to browse a used book store, stop in at the post office and office supply store, grab a drink at a cafe, and buy my weekly groceries — all thanks to a friend who babysat for the day.

Due to Andrew’s research and planning we packed picnics and took the kids to several different playgrounds in Calgary this month. The one on St. Patrick’s Island is the most unique, if a little remote. (Find more pictures and a review here.)

Every Wednesday afternoon a friend and I “met” over Gmail chat to work on our blogs and/or novels. It was fun to chat and I was surprisingly productive, too.

Movie

Last week I really enjoyed watching A United Kingdom, which is based on a true story and set in the 1940s and 1950s. “The story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana and how his loving but controversial marriage to a British white woman, Ruth Williams, put his kingdom into political and diplomatic turmoil.” (Unimportant side note: I was trying to remember where I’d seen the actress who played Ruth; turns out she was Jane Bennett in the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice.)

Music

Every day I do POP Pilates exercise videos on YouTube. Usually the ads are annoying, but I really love this one from Home Hardware; the song is so catchy!

Bible Verses

“[The righteous] is not afraid of bad news; 
     his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
– Psalm 112:7

“For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”
– 2 Corinthians 2:4

Please share your August favourites in the comments. I’d love to hear recommendations for books, movies, podcasts, recipes, or anything you’re digging these days!