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. ;)