Christmasy Stuff...

But first a product plug!! My bloggy pal Autumn posted about a lip balm challenge over at Great Cakes Soapworks and I was chosen to test out one of her lip butters!! We opted for the Coconut Mango flavor and it is fantastic! It stays on forever, doesn't melt and slide off, it tastes great, doesn't make your throat dry(I can't be the only one to experience this with lip balm can I?), it smells SCRUMPTIOUS, and feels like silk! I plan to order an assortment of the yummy flavors she's got available(Vanilla Latte, Orange Creamsicle, Cinnamon Bun, Limeade,...) for stocking stuffers.
I think I'll even get one of the Lava Lip Gloss rollers because I would LOVE to be 13 again!

Now, onto the weekend...

Mark told me to wear shoes I could clomp around the woods in so I put on my Vasque hiking boots for the first time. They are a bit stiff but otherwise very warm and sturdy, LOVE them!



We drove over the river and through the woods to Danville Farms. We've been getting our trees from them for several years now and are never disappointed.



As luck would have it, I forgot to take the camera on our tree search but here is the shaking and binding station.



While Mark and Ryan were doing this...



Sarah and I warmed up by the fire.



Then it was time to go.






I managed to get the lights on and the girls put a few ornaments on late last night.


(its about 10 feet tall)



Before I forget, I got crafty last week and made some cone trees!! I don't know why I decided to do these, can't recall where I'd seen them. I figured out a pattern, found some online to look at and went for it! They turned out pretty cute, in my opinion! Hopefully the craft bug will continue to bite me, I have some ideas...






In other news....

Sarah rudely interrupted my "meeting Lisa Whelchel" dream with her barfing this morning. Mark and I have the queasies so it looks like the stomach bug is paying us a visit. Hopefully it will be short-lived and mild. I'd much rather have the crafty bug than the oogie bug. Sigh.

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.

I should be in bed...

After what I did today. I promise I'll head that way after I publish this.

First, I took Ryan to work at 8:30 because his boss said that's what time I needed to have him there. She didn't show til 9 so we had to wait there for her. Then I came home and got the girls so we could drive an hour one-way to get raw milk for our co-op. For some reason I had the order down as 10 gallons but added mine to it and ended up paying for 13 gallons(and came home with 10), it still confuses me! Stopped by our house to drop off my milk(that wasn't really mine but I didn't know it yet), took the rest of the milk to the distributor's home. Stayed and visited waiting on the egg lady to bring our eggs. Visited more and realized I needed to pick Ryan up from work. I called, he said they were ready, so Sarah and I took off for the rink. When we got there he found out that they'd be there at least another hour or more. Sarah and I rushed home so we could eat and put the eggs up and I grabbed the milk that wasn't mine before going to get Ryan "for real". We then dropped off the milk, and ran by walmart to return a night gown, get my medicine(for high blood pressure, imagine that!), dog food, and ice. Then home for a bite of chicken, a shower, and a short(very short) nap. Off to drop Ryan at his youth group's place and then the girls to their Wednesday church thing before going to PetCo to see about the kitties(they are fine but I haven't got to see them yet). Met Mark at Mugshots, drank iced tea before running out to get the girls. Brought Mark back to his car and came home. He had to go back out to fetch Ryan and we ate our dinner at 10 minutes til 10 tonight. Whew.

I promise to have frog pictures, piggie pictures and more in the coming days! Things have been a bit strained as Mark was forced to resign from his job last Friday. He is doing some consulting for a friend and thinking it will be permanent in a few months but the pay is considerably less than what he was getting. Still, we consider ourselves very lucky and blessed that he has the connections and friendships that lend themselves to this type of situation.

Finally, a name!

We have been through site after site and a pet name book I bought when my mom rescued a pregnant Llaso Apso from the side of the road when I was about 8 or so. Nothing seemed to fit although there were some fun, interesting names.
****edited****
Finally for whatever reason, it came to me this afternoon. His official name is Buster Tom(not Alexander) Sonier, and it was unanimously agreed upon. YAHOOOOO!! I'm so glad to have something to call him!





I am going to try and get some of him awake but he's a fast little thing! Maybe this weekend I can. Also, my other animals are quite left out lately so I may snap some of them as well.


In other news...

I am sick, sick, sick, with whatever Amy had. Now Sarah and I are coughing this deep, wet, cough. My chest itches just under my collarbone, weird. I'm feverish, dizzy, and tired, and headed to the couch for a nap. Mark will have the pleasure of running the kids around to their Wednesday night church activities tonight.

We have postponed our trip to the Ft. Worth Zoo and Botanical Gardens which would have included the Spring Festival at the Japanese Gardens. I hate that we'll miss it but with the zoo it might have been too much in two days.

We sold the Suburban. I keep telling myself that I'm glad but I miss it terribly! It was a 1990 model and there was more wrong with it than right(seat belts weren't reliable, power windows didn't work, a/c didn't blow at all, needed brakes, tires, struts, shocks, and other new stuff). Our neighbors across the street bought it from us for $500 and were driving it within hours so apparently it wasn't a fuel pump problem as we suspected. Oh well. It would have drained us to make it safe and comfortable for our family. I'm hoping to get used to the Jeep one of these days. It is easy to drive but getting in proves difficult. The door handles are touchy and sometimes the locks don't unlock(automatic sliding ones) and because of the contoured seats its hard to get in to and out of but its easy for me to see out of and the seats go in nine kinds of directions, and it isn't white(big plus).

I managed to get all my blogroll moved over from the old blog. I'll be adding more of my favorite blogs later. Does everyone else have 2000 blogs saved to a favorites folder or is it just me??? Sheesh!! There isn't enough time in the day!

Now, I'm off to the couch, iCarly be hanged.