From trash to treasures.

School started.
I cleaned out the drawers, closets, and rooms of my children.
My FIVE children.
Some kids are born pack rats.
As in, teething gel!?! Really?  You have lost most, if not all of your baby teeth, and you have teething gel hiding in your room? Really?  You're "baby" sister is three.  Almost four.  Seriously.
And this one, mind you, was the one that has been able to fool me into thinking her room is always the cleanest.  Lies.
Needless to say, we are minus countless bags of garbage, clothing, and clutter.  And one tube of teething gel.
And feeling a little lighter because of it.
Success.

It also happens to be day four of the new school year,
and there has only been one day so far that nobody forgot their lunch.
True story.
Three lunches sitting on the island.
All on different days.
They should coordinate this $###.
Plus, we only almost missed the bus one day.
As in, three kids running frantically,
one bawling her fool head off and another with one shoe on and one shoe off.
Success? Uhhhhh...

Plus, one day that a lunch was forgotten, I had a great parenting moment.
(The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
In other words, I don't want weirdos tracking down my kids because of this story.)
Me: "Hi, Lynn! I have a lunch here."
Lynn: "Hello.  Which teacher?"
Me: "Uhhh, ummmmm. Heh.  Missssssssssssss... Simpson?"
Lynn: "Mrs Simonson?"
Me: "Yes.  That's it.  Mrs. Simonson."
Lynn: "Okay.  I will get it to her."
Me: "Thanks so much!"
And then I walk out into the hallway and the bulletin board with all of the teachers names catches my eye.  Whoops.  Mrs. Simonson isn't a fifth grade teacher, even. And guess what? She teaches fourth grade.  And my fourth grader doesn't even have her!  I just named a teacher.  Actually, it wasn't even a real teacher.  I have no idea where I pulled that made up name from. Whatever.  I'm cool and a really good parent.
The secretary just assumed that I got the girls teachers mixed up.  I agreed.  I just hope she doesn't remember that Haley supposedly has Mrs. Simonson.  Eeek.
FAIL.

Also.
I got a new neighbor.
Her name is Mindi.  Or Mindy.
Or something equally awesome.
AND.
She has five kids.
True story.
I love her.
And her five kids.
True story.
Her kids are super loveable.
It's going to be a really good thing.
Lucky me.
I always end up with neighbor kids I love to the moon and back.
It all started back in Rozzy, with Laren's kids.
Success!

summer lovin', had me a blast!

Of all the summers in recent years, this one has been the busiest, funnest (is that a word?), and most memorable.  We've taken advantage of our proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.  And embraced our inner surfers.  Well, technically, it was body boarding.  Close enough.  Potato, tator tot.  Whatev.  I learned something, though.  Don't go to the ocean the same week as shark week on the Discovery Channel, though.  It'll just keep you always glancing around nervously and running out of the water at the slightest possibility of skin breaking.  Sharks can smell one drop of blood for quite a ways.  Does the distance really matter when a crab or some mean little sea creature bites your toe and draws blood?  Uh, nope.  Speaking from experience.  Either way, it's probably wise to park your rump in the rented beach chair, until it looks like the bleeding has stopped mostly.  Says the scaredy chicken.  

And with summer rapidly winding down and the color of the leaves muting, I am thankful for the chance to get back to business.  I'm excited to live life on a schedule again.  To have a clean(er) house.  To shampoo these carpets that scream "nastyville!" Seriously.  If you ever want to know what kind of carpet not to get, come visit me.  Within in the next ten months.  Ten months!  YAY!  Ten months until I have my house back.  Oh, I miss my house.  I love my house.  I shall never utter one bad word about my beloved house in Michigan, ever in my life.  I miss it.  I miss my appliances, I miss my kitchen.  I miss the location of my bedroom.  I miss my en suite.  Oh, do I miss my en suite.  Have you seen it?  Oh, you should see it.  In eleven months.

With a summer full of memories, we are ready for a change in scenery and pace.  One with books and routine, in place of lazy days and sunshine.  It's so close I can taste it.  And it's delicious.

Summer lovin, I wish it was past.

Barely There.

I'm still here! Well, sort of. 

 If anybody thinks to read this, I'll be amazed. 

It's just, well, summer.  And you think it will be all relaxing

and stuff.  And then, well, it isn't.  Life is busy.  

 Really awesome people visit you and motivate you to see lots of sights.  

And, sometimes, you decide to just splurge on that one thing that you have wanted for sooooooo long.  

And it's totally worth it.  

 I'll post a picture of us using our sauna tomorrow.  

Kidding.  

First of all, does anybody even believe that I'll be posting tomorrow? 

Ha! 

 Life is a little wild around here.  

We enjoyed the gorgeous, non-humid (finally!) weather this past weekend and took the kids to putt-putt. 

 That girl, with the blue headband, sunk the first hole in one.  Yes, I said first.  Zane also sunk one. ME? I'm not going to start bragging about my skills quite yet.  It would be like buying CD's before you own a CD player.

 This girl, she's a natural.  Just like me.  

Enjoy the rest of the summer!  And call off the search crews.  I'm still here.  Barely.

Keeping it at bay.

No, I don't just spend my whole life lonesome.  Sometimes, I do fun stuff like spend a week in Chesapeake Bay crabbing, fishing, relaxing, beaching, and whatnot.

 Chicken necking for crab,

 No electronics,

 Just old fashioned fun.  

 The part behind the cabin that looks like it drops off into nothingness?

It drops into the Chesapeake Bay.  

 And the other side of the cabin was the Honga River. 

 Me and the travel agent that planned the whole vacation.  

 Dat's Nice.  Reminded me of all the Finnglish people I know. 

 This picture was taken from the bridge that carries you to Hooper Island. 

That is a bald eagle that has made it's nest on the chimney.  

What a gorgeous cabin this must have been in it's prime. 

 I think this was Ocean City.  We did Ocean City and Assateague Island in one day.  

Ocean City is gorgeous.  A swimmable oceanside beach.  Assateague Island is gorgeous, too.

Not exactly kid friendly.  Especially when the wild horses show up on the beach.  

 The kids enjoyed jumping off of the pontoon in the bay.  

Well, until Logan cut himself on the ladder and I freaked out about sharks smelling the blood.  

The kids didn't know about the sharks in the bay until then.  

I, of course, googled that long before. 

(No known shark attacks have occurred in The Bay.) 

 Our crabs we caught.  Two meals total.  You are welcome for the picture.  

But, isn't the blue pretty?  

And we even survived a storm with winds up to 78 miles an hour.  

This tree was massive.  It was completely uprooted- and level with this house.  

There was quite a bit of damage.  We were safe.  

It was a really fabulous week.  Just what the Dr. ordered.  We also did a charter fishing trip for Rockfish.  If and when we get the pictures off of Zane's phone, I'll post them.  For the benefit of my Dad, mostly.  And, the wild horses on the island.

I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are enjoying ours!
Nine more days until I see some awesome TEXANS! (Formerly New Mexicans) WOOT, WOOT!
I'm not excited or anything.  *big grin* Life is good.

I know how you feel, Blake.

Happy Memorial Day!

May we never forget the sacrifices that have been made for our us.  

Thank you and God bless those who have lost their lives, or a loved one, in the name of freedom. 

Mere words will never be enough to show the depth of my gratitude. 

At The Park

A penny for your thoughts.

Which appliance do I need more: a Bosch mixer? Or a Vitamix blender?
I'm saving up for both of them and it occurred to me that I may be able to do either/or.
On the one hand, I've been told that a Bosch can make an unbelievable amount of bread at a time. Currently, I make it twice a week.  I need a bigger mixer.  Actually, I need a mixer, period.  Mine fizzled out for the second time and it is currently in our storage locker.
On the other hand, I need a bigger blender.  And I heard you can put crazy things in the Vitamix and it blends it up to nothing.  Like, a whole orange- peel and everything.  Hmmm.
So, your thoughts? Bosch mixer, Vitamix blender, or both?

Happy Birthday, friend.

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite friends of all time.  

And the past year has been an extremely difficult year for her.  

She's been dealt more than should be fair for anyone.  

And still, she doesn't realize house amazingly strong she is.  

I'm thankful that God has blessed her with her husband, Paul. 

Together, they have made an incredible team.  

My wish for her is that she is blessed with peace and happiness in her life.  

More than she ever believed possible.  

May all your dreams come true, my friend.  

Happy birthday, Peggy.  

You really are one of my favorite friends of all time. 

MUAH.  

Lots of love.  

(Please join me in wishing her the happiest of birthdays.) 

It's my diet and I'll bake if I want to.

As I type, the smell of Monster Cookies is tickling my nose.  Well.  That, and the black beans in my crock pot.  Which might seem like a strange combination, but I actually made a healthy treat for Zane and I to partake of the other day.  And it was basically a cookie made with chickpeas.  And it was delicious.  Who knew? On the other hand, the chocolate avocado pudding needs some tweaking.  Anyway.  This whole healthy eating thing is a bit of a double edged sword for me.  I have a seemingly endless supply of energy.  Which always, without fail, sends me into the kitchen.  And then you know what happens after that.  

The inspiration for this latest batch of temptation? (I can come up with many reasons when I have boundless energy) Well, duh.  Take your kids to work day.  Obviously, I cannot send my kids to work with Z and not have them bring treats.  DUH.  I just hope they can make it out the door before I devour them.  I have to wait for Saturday for that.  

My favorite homemade cookie is pictured above.  Mrs. Kivisto, my kindergarten teacher, was the best teacher in the whole wide world.  She wore this long skirt with booties.  You know, the short boots that  are so popular these days?  We'd be all gathered around her, sitting indian-style on the floor.  She would be on a chair, with her leg crossed and her boot would peek out from her skirt, as she read to us.  I'd dream about the day that I looked just like that.  (Come to think of it, I have that outfit.  I should wear it.)  For our birthdays, she would make monster cookies.  Not just your run of the mill monster cookies.  No.  The cookies she gave us were huge.  About the size of a plate.  I waited all year for mine, making it that much sweeter when I got it.  It was the most amazing thing ever.  To this day, I think of her every time I make or eat those delectable treats.  I miss her.  She was a really amazing lady.  

And here I am again, waiting for my monster cookie.  I get it on Saturday, which is my birthday.  This year, I've been waiting and counting down the days like my kids do for their special day.  We've been trying to eat healthy, so this is going to be a splurge day.  I can't wait.  I'm eating pizza from the best little pizza joint.  And in place of cake?  Hot fudge brownie sundaes.  And my cookie.  My delectable birthday cookie.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.  Is it Saturday yet? 

I'm getting hungry.  I better go eat a carrot. ;)  

Objects in this blog are not as they appear.

I hope you know I was kidding in the last post.  I won't send you out with my GPS if you come to visit.  My GPS blows chunks.  It needs to be updated.  Plus, I'll probably want to spend time with you.  

Anyway.  What I was really wondering was this: all you bloggers, why do my pictures come out so pixelated when I upload them to blogger?  Some of my best pictures totally stink when I put them out there.  I hate that.  Help! 

To whom the weather may concern,

It's not snowing here.  Unless the blossoms being carried in the breeze counts.
My house is big.  And I'd love to have you.  Well.  If I know you somehow.  No random strangers, please. When we hit the heart of summer and the humidity is unbearable here, I might need you to return the favor.  Not to mention, this is the best time for sightseeing in this area.  From what I hear.
And I believe it.  We did DC mid-summer a couple years ago and it was far from ideal.
Even the shade offered no relief.  That being said, if you want to come mid-summer, my AC is up and running.  I'll welcome you.  I just might send you off alone on your sightseeing adventures.  You can use my GPS, though.

The gift of flying

These people (my neighbors) are like State Farm.  Get it?  State Farm? Good neighbor?  Oh, whatever.  I know I'm a geek.  You can pretend like I'm hilarious for once.

 For real, though. Those people up there, pictured with my kids?  The best thing about Virginia.  Hands down.  Well, 'cept for the girl in the middle with the striped shirt.  We don't know her.  She just joined us on the swing.  No biggie.  We hit it off with these neighbors.  Seriously.  I feel like I've known Lisa for years. She knows more about me than most (new) people will eek out of me in a few years.  I'm so thankful that we seized this opportunity, because I think I've made a lifelong friend with her.  We're very similar.  Although, I think she is my personality on speed.  So, I totally understand her.  And we married the same man.  Basically.  And she doesn't judge me for the number of kids I have.  Ever.  She gets it.  She came from a big family and is surrounded (relative-ly speaking) by big families.  It's an easy friendship.

That's not even what I was going to tell you about.  Sheesh.  I was going to tell you about this park and how it warmed my heart up, the way a cup of soup warms you from the inside out.  This guy donated money to build a park that all children could enjoy.  Children of all needs and abilities.   Remember the feeling of being a child, swinging on a swing?  Complete freedom.  Like you are flying.  And you are so sure that you will touch the sky.  Something so simple, yet so magical.  And a tickle belly?  Oooh, when you can get a tickle belly... I'm madly in love with swings.  Even to this day.  Anyway, my point is: they have swings here that every child can enjoy.  Even those that are wheelchair bound.  The whole chair attaches.  Isn't that amazing?  Imagine what a blessing for that child to be able to feel that for the first time in their life! And to be the parent and watch that?  It's something that most of us take for granted.  I was able to see a child in a wheelchair, swinging.  The sheer joy on her face was a sight so beautiful, I could never explain it in words.

What an amazing man to think of such a park.  I hope that all of us could have a little of that inside of us.

Showing Off.

When someone in Virginia recommends something, you best listen.  

They haven't let us down yet.  

One might even say they are connoisseurs of just about everything.

Sheesh.  

 Especially food.  It's amazing that I have been able to shed some of those 

ell-bee-ess things, while living here.  You need to come out and devour it. 

 The Cherry Blossoms are no different.  They smell as good as they look. 

It's a gorgeous sight to see.  And if there weren't any people around, it would

be a photographers dream.  

 Picnicking with this view is not horrible.  Ever.  

 I'm sorry you missed it. 

Mother Nature is such a show off.    

(Stole that line from Mother Peterson on FB. What? It was a good one. )

 I hope she has painted beautiful scenes around you.
Mother Nature.  Not Mother Peterson. 

 And that you are savoring it.  If not, then I guess it's time for a trip out east.  

I'm just sayin'.