random stuff...

It has been seriously hard to blog without my own computer! Hopefully it will be fixed soon and I can get on with sharing pictures and so forth. Right now I'm sharing with Amy so I only have access to her pictures(and her camera broke so she's down to her cell phone). Here are some recent ones...


sunset over our back fence



the triplets


what really goes on in the girls' room


running with tiger at Long Park

In other news...

We were finally able to take a load of stuff to the local thrift store! Of course it barely made a dent; I'm still in the process of clearing out dresser drawers and closets! Maybe after another 3-4 loads we'll be to a manageable state. It would be nice to be able to get the last of the carpeting out of everyone's closet floors soon.

We've chosen one of the three paints for our kitchen/dining area so far; a nice super saturated olivey green for the dining area. I want to put orange in the kitchen area and a peacock blue or plum on the soffits to connect the two. Last week the kids helped peel wall paper but we still have a few small sections to go. Maybe today...(to see the paint sample go to http://www.valspar.com/explore-colors/choose-a-color.html; scroll down a bit and click on Creative Ideas for Color. Then click on Kids & Fun. Our oolor is the second green right above the word Kids; called Gecko). This is the color I've had in my mind's eye forever but for some reason I never came across the paint card(I think they just added the Kids & Fun line to our Lowe's store). It looks SO good with our warm wood stained cabinets and wainscoting.

I made a new dish last night and everyone scarfed it up! Its from Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook(1977 edition) and is called Dutch Kale with Sausage and Potatoes(or something like that). I simmered 4 medium sized potatoes(cubed) with a large bunch of curly kale(torn into small pieces) until both were tender. Meanwhile I fried a pkg of beef smoked sausage and an onion in a bit of butter then added a cup of milk. The kale and potatoes were drained and added to the sausage mixture along with a shake of cayenne pepper; some garlic powder; and black pepper. Simmer for a few minutes stirring to break up the potatoes a bit. This was YUMMY and all the kids ate it. We had no leftovers!! Tonight we're having chicken leg quarters; green salad; and parsnip patties(from the same cookbook).

We are planning an early spring camping trip out west to celebrate Mark's 44th birthday. Our destination is the Caprock Canyon State Park (you'll have to copy and paste this because Amy's comma button doesn't work so I can't make it a clickable link) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/videos/state_park/panhandle_plains/caprock_canyon.phtml (video of the canyon worth watching!!).

And some sad news...

Our beloved guinea pig; Basil Ferdinand; died last night. He was old for a piggie and we noticed he'd been slowing down/losing weight over the last month. We'll miss his sweetness.

Now I must get busy doing something; I hear the girls stirring.

What a Weekend!!!....

(click to biggify any pictures you want to see better)



What a wonderful way to celebrate the Summer Solstice(aka First Day of Summer)* and Father's Day!! We had a wild and crazy time of it which included laughing to the point of nearly being sick numerous times, including when Mark jumped overboard to rescue his favorite lure! The depth finder said the water was 2-feet deep. He hopped out, never felt the bottom and came up sputtering! Amy had just put her feet over the front of the boat and we saw the ripples in the sandy bottom. Apparently there was a huge abrupt drop-off just a few feet out. At least he got cooled off.

It was a terrific 30 hours!! Everything worked, we didn't forget anything, our meals were simple and delicious, and everyone got to go in the boat at least twice. Nobody got hurt, well not anything major. I jammed a toe at the swimming area and Sarah scraped her foot on a rock but the pain was soon forgotten. Other than still feeling like I'm on the boat and being exhausted from lack of sleep(it was 93 freaking degrees at 10pm!!!) we are recovered. Mark even unloaded the gear and started laundry within an hour of being home.



We almost didn't go. Friday I had to go buy some camping groceries and when I got in the Jeep the a/c wasn't working. At all. Neither was the radio. Or the power locks and windows. We were sure we'd put the Jeep in the shop Saturday morning. Thankfully, something clicked in it and everything worked Saturday morning so we hurriedly loaded all the gear and headed out. I'm oh so glad we did, and so are these folks...











Luck was on our side and we managed to get the same exact campsite as we had last year. It is important that we settle near the bathrooms. The girls walk to them alone(together) and I would rather be within earshot. This site is one of the bigger and flatter sites they have. Some of the others we checked out on our loop walks were configured in such a way that the tents were in a weird location or the concrete table pad was a foot step-off all the way around. Everyone can't wait to go again, though we'll likely find a different state park.





Creature comforts in the form of air mattresses, lots of ice, junk foods, craft supplies and electronic devices(ipods and cell phones) kept us sane in the heat. I had big plans to locate driftwood and lake stones for an art project but remembered too late that those things weren't easily found at Lake Bob Sandlin but at Atlanta State Park so I had to crochet instead. I made two babushkas(kerchiefs) making up the pattern as I went. The yarn is I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby and its true, I LOVE it!





Dinner Saturday night was super easy. I had boiled a box of elbow noodles(the kind with extra fiber-yum), grilled 9 bone/skinless chicken breasts on Friday afternoon, chopped them, and put it all in the fridge. When we got ready to eat, I warmed up some bottled alfredo sauce on the camp stove with a can of drained diced tomatoes, spices and some of the chicken. I added the noodles and about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and we had a feast!! Mark mistakenly grabbed a container of greens leftover from our Wednesday night's meal when he filled the coolers so we had salad as a bonus! I brought two packages of sandwich buns so I split them and toasted over the flame. Camp cooking is SO fun if you prepare well. Because the menfolk wanted to fish early Sunday morning I didn't bring breakfast stuff. Instead we had chocolate covered donuts, Doritos, and Zone bars.





We had glow stick bracelets for our Solstice Celebration. The kids hung them from cracks in the bark on the trees all around our campsite, even made a face. I thought they were pretty creative. We left them up all night.











*Now, before anyone has a freak out about the Solstice. Every person in the world experiences the the Solstices even if they don't know it. We all experience the lengthening days of Spring and the short days of Winter and the shortest and longest days of the year because that is the science of our world which I happen to believe was put into place by our Creator. Celebrating is not the same as Worship and reveling in the summer is not the same as revering my Lord God. Not that I have to defend myself but I'd rather not go through another round of rumors about my religious beliefs.

That time of year again!!!

We're headed out for some quickie R&R. Happy Summer Everyone!!!

Happy June Everyone!!!

I'm not a summer person, typically I hate hot weather, the humidity of east Texas, the searing seatbelt buckles, and feeling like I've melted after a few minutes outside. This year I'm SO ready for summer I could scream!! For ice cream even!

Usually we've got our pool up and going by the end of April or first week of May. Our weather this spring has been so cool that it was just this past weekend that we even started the clean-out process. Never in a million years would I have expected it to be June before we swam. Crazy. And, after last year's fiasco with the liner replacement that began on April 1st and went til the filled it with water on July 12th, I am more than ready to be in the water!

We are very much looking forward to this...







And would like to do some of this...







Not sure when we'll get to the camping because there are things we need. Our tent is very old and the walls are breaking down, making it sticky and gritty. Being the princess that I am, gritty and sleeping don't work for me. Also, the boat motor is giving Mark fits. It will start and run just fine on the driveway but once its in water it doesn't stay on when he puts it in gear. It is fine for the boys to go up the road to fish for a few hours, they can use the trolling motor to get them around the stumpy fish habitats but I'd rather not have us all on the lake and have to row back in.

We sold our Suburban(with its huge roomy cargo area and removable back seat), and now have a small, very small, Jeep with a lot less room. I'm thinking we'll have to get something for the top to haul our gear. Or take less stuff. If we don't take the boat then we don't have to take tackle boxes or 5 life jackets, or fishing poles, etc, so that will help. There is a place that I'd love to visit but its several hours away. Check out The Woodland School for some great pics.

Amy asked me this morning when we could go. I don't know, I really don't, but soon... I hope.