This Is Summer...in a cup!

Teddy had a taste test of this the other day with Uncle Kenny and ordered one for his drink on Tuesday night's date to Taco Bell with Mommy. Of course, I had to try it...not many males like frozen strawberry drinks in our family...yumm-o! I couldn't stop thinking about it...and since the girls were still with Grammy, we ran a little errand to get a treat...rather, another sample for Mommy to try and figure out how to make something similar at home...I think I might be able to do it! I can't afford $1.89 times 4 very often...because I know the girls are going to like it! Granted...it is much cheaper than the moo-lattes...maybe not as fattening...? but the sugar content has got to be out of this world! My mouth is watering as I describe it...it is worth a try!

A memory from yesteryear...

We found this book that Mom has been looking for on amazon.com the other day and ordered a few! How exciting to sit and read a good book with good illustrations!

"Count the rainbows...not the thunderstorms."

I saw this little saying on a rubberstamp today while browsing "Addicted to Stamps" website...and it is very fitting for today! Since we cannot see any rainbows...there is no sun peeking out through the clouds...we can count snacks we have eaten and movies that we have watched! Many activities have been visited...but the one that keeps drawing us back...the constant desire for snacks...smores in the microwave (note to self to clean it...yikes!), apples, animal crackers...
...and the TV and VCR/DVD and a variety of movies! The girls went to Grammy's house for the night and this is how I found Teddy after they left...poor guy...missed his race car DVD. sigh What did I expect...after Little House on the Prairie, Monsters Inc. (found on TV by accident!), Alice In Wonderland (girl's choice), Toy Story, and the drone of race cars!? Lest you think we are TV junkies...this does not happen all the time!!! And for the record...I think the only one that was watched entirely in the same room was Toy Story...because we just picked that up last week at Salvation Army for $.49! Cheap fun for a rainy day!
Now it is time to recycle some of ours!

4th of July Fun!

4th of July

She sent the pic...I had to share!!!

After umpteen years together...they are still in love...and still happy!

Look what happened at our house on July 4th!

Thank you, Uncle Kenny, for two more yellow swings! No more fighting over the "lower swing"!

The new swingset was built and the kids are enjoying it! But not today...it is humid and nasty

and I can't get them to go out and play. It just isn't a nice play-outside-kind-of-day...and they are whining about it. They come by that naturally...their momma doesn't like the humidity either! Water would be fun, but the threat of rain/storms off and on has this momma thinking it is too much work for a Monday...so we will play inside...only for today!

One woman's trash is another's treasure!

I saw this in a garbage pile on Friday night...Ted wasn't convinced that "I needed this" for the yard. When Mom came on Saturday morning, I asked her if she noticed if it was still there...she had noticed and was going to let me know (great minds think alike!)...so "Hi, Grammy...everyone pile into the car..." and we went to pick it up! It was so exciting!
Rather than spending $200-$300 on a new wicker loveseat...God provided one for free! And He allowed it to be there long enough for me to go pick it up! I bought 4 cans of spray paint for $1.79 each and I am watching the "end of summer season sales" for a cushion...the ones I have my eye on are 30% off right now...light blue with floral print...a perfect place to sit and watch the kids ride bikes and read...and like Ash says "drink your coffee"! Come and visit!

Tomorrow...is a new day with no mistakes in it!

Happy Fourth of July!

What a beautiful...for spacious skies...kind of day!
It was red, white, and blue all over our house today!
We even added original artwork to decorate the gate!
Chevy helped himself to ice cubes from the tub of pop and water...available for our hard working swingset builders...
three swings and a climbing rope make our backyard a fun place to be! Thanks to all our builders...I think "there were more engineers than grunt" was the way Uncle Kenny stated it! Thanks to our wonderful neighbors for setting off a huge round of firecrackers at 11 p.m.! I am wide awake now and thus had time to post a quick over-view of our day...more pics tomorrow!

Back from a day at the lakehouse pool...

and a drive through the park to survey the damage. All I can say is...oh my! There is alot of clean-up that needs to be done...but the water is still standing and many cannot get to their places still. The water is going down in the lake/river...but the standing water...well, the term evaporation is the only one that describes what needs to take place...and quickly! The green scum is developing nicely into a ripe bacteria due to flood waters...warning signs are posted. I talked to the gal in the general store...not many vacationers are in and out as usual...as of now, there are 118 places that are considered a loss...due to the invasion of water at many depths in them. We are blessed as the only casualty for us was two railroad ties, our house number (which fell down last year during a storm mishap and was leaning against the post), and Rubbermaid trunk with outside toys all seem to have floated away. The kids are upset because "our chairs from Grammy are in that black box". I am sure a walk around at a later date may reveal many "finds", but not until the green goo dries up! Our lakehouse, shed, and boat remain intact...and for that we are grateful...as for the dock parts...that remains to be seen! Did I mention it stinks? Oh...and...bugs...what a start to summer!
**I forgot my camera...but Mom had hers...hopefully, I can post some pics from her tomorrow!

It's a new month...

and I spent it working on some yard projects. Some of my friends have a "Tackle It Tuesday" on their blog...since I never know when "the mood will strike", I dare not put it on a certain day! However, this week, it fell on Tuesday...and I feel like I "earned" my phrase of the evening..."I'm tired!"

First, I stained the deck.

Next, we added brick around the trees.

Then, I moved a couple plants and weeded.

After which, I watered and mowed.

Finally, I got the chair painted red and spread the mulch. Oh...and the kids...well, they were up to their usual shenanigans of their age-unappropriate-behavior. I just can't seem to understand why they are most unhelpful when I need them the most!? These are what I am now referring to as those "maddening moments"! We cleared the stress in the air by watching the new summer show "Wiped Out"...it was just what I needed...a good, hard, long laugh...not at the people but with them...knowing there is no way that I could ever come close to making it down the first incline gracefully!