Cucumber Pasta Salad

Did you have a wonderful Mother's Day?  I hope you did.  We had a nice quiet weekend here.  I got some Mommy-time on Friday and on Sunday we took the kids to a big park and let them play in the sand with buckets and shovels.  They had a blast digging and dumping sand all over themselves and then running through the park and the splash pad area.  We grilled burgers and ate non-homemade Klondike bars for dessert.  It was lovely.

For Mother's Day, Mr Pears got me a new desk to put in our bedroom.  I'm super excited to be able to get on the computer without worrying about disturbing napping babies in the next room. (our Master is on the first floor, the computer used to be in a guest room next door to the babies' room.) And, by moving the computer into our room the old desk can now become a sort of crafting area for me.  I'm really enjoying more of that kind of thing lately so it will be really nice to have a space to spread out on other than the kitchen table.

My new desk brought some projects along with it though.  I'm making a desk skirt to hide all the ugly cords and I'm  refinishing an oak chair into a dark espresso color to match the new desk and the bedroom.  Last night I started staining only to realize I hadn't sanded nearly enough and then I spilled stain on my foot.  Not fun and goodbye pedicure. My first refinishing project is off to a rocky start but I will prevail!  And probably post pictures at some time in the future. :)

For now I thought I'd leave you with a great little pasta salad that is just perfect for a summer lunch or a picnic side dish.  It is light and refreshing and super simple to make.  It tastes even better the next day and keeps great in the refrigerator for three days or so.

Cucumber Pasta Salad, by 4 Pears
1 lb tri-colored rotini, cooked al-dente
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh dill
salt and pepper

Combine pasta and vegetables in a large bowl.  Bring the vinegar, water and sugar just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and then pour it over the pasta salad.  Stir to combine.  Let the salad sit out at room temperature for an hour and give it a stir every once in a while before moving it into the refrigerator.  Serve chilled.  Enjoy!