Mid Week Happenings

Monday my mom kept the kids for a little while so that I could run some errands in Clarksville. Then, I swam with the kids at mom's and we went down to the pond and caught some baby frogs. Monday night Tony worked late (he said it's going to be a busy week)... I think he got home about 8:00. He played with the kids for awhile, and then helped with baths. When they were all asleep, he worked on church things for a meeting on Tuesday. He was exhausted!!

On Tuesday, mom went with us to the Louisville Zoo. It was a little cooler and less humid so I thought it would be a good day to go. The kids were WONDERFUL!! It was such a good day! We were all exhausted when we got home, too tired to cook -even Rhett took a nap, which is very unusual!! Tony picked up McAllisters on his way home (yum!). We ate and then Tony left to go to church for a meeting. I played outside with the kids and neighbor kids most of the evening.

Today we stayed home all day. Rhett had Jarrod (neighbor and church friend) over all day and Micah and her friends went back and forth between all of the neighbor houses. I worked on the photo albums and cleaned/reorganized my Precious Moments curio cabinet. I fixed summer sausage with red potatoes and sweet onions. Tony worked late again tonight, so he came home just in time for me to go to church.

It's late, everyone else is in bed, and I think I'm heading upstairs myself. I'll try to blog more often although when nothing exciting is happening, I wonder if people think my entries are boring???? Speaking of boring, I've hit a dull spot in my devotions/Bible readings. I just can't find something to study. I was best when our church did the One Year bible readings because it was all laid out and although it was a lot of reading each day, I liked that it told me exactly what to do each day. I think my indecisiveness (and Satan) are getting the best of me. If anyone has suggestions for a good Bible Study (either by subject or by books of the Bible) or a good Devotional book, please let me know. I'm in a slump and I need to get out!!!

Cooking and Photo Albums

Summer is so much fun! I know I keep saying it, but I could go on and on about how much I get accomplished and how nice it is to spend more time with the kids. One thing that we've been doing together is baking! Rhett and Micah love to help me in the kitchen. They love to pour in the ingredients and stir. They are awesome at cracking eggs open!! We made cupcakes and a yummy dessert called Banana Cream Brownie Squares. I also tend to cook more meals in the summer. If anyone has any good, healthy recipes send them my way!! I am so sick of the same old, same old! Summer is a great time for me to try new recipes. Our grill is still on hold because of the bird's nest. We see the momma bird every once in awhile (we think) so we are hesitant about removing the eggs.

One of the last major things from my to-do list was to order pictures. Tony did that the other day. It had been since November since we had pictures developed!! Our order was for 598 pictures!!! Yesterday I put them all in albums in chronological order and today I have been labeling what was going on in each picture, who was in it, etc. I know some people think I'm too organized when it comes to my pictures, but it's so nice to flip through the albums and see how much the kids change!! Plus, I keep telling myself that it's my way of scrapbooking.

Princess Pageant

Wow! I can't believe I've been out of school almost 3 weeks ... the time is flying by! It's so nice staying home, I could get used to this!! Last week Rhett went to a basketball camp at the high school each day from 10-12. Micah, Blair, and I usually did errands during that time. In the afternoons we did something different each day. One day we swam at mom's. One day we stayed home and the kids played with the neighbors. One day we went to school so that I could do a few things and then we went to Clarksville to return some things. One day we went to Tabby's and on Friday, Olivia, Brian Anthony, and John spent the afternoon with us. Friday was also the day that we got Daisy for the week. Daisy is Tabby's dog who frequently stays with us when they go out of town. Blair was so funny when the dog got to our house!! She was super excited and ran all around the house! She cried when Tabby left because I think she thought Daisy was already leaving!! Friday night Rhett had his last Tee-Ball game and then Damon came over to keep the kids so that Tony and I could go out. On Saturday, Rhett went to a friend's birthday party (he was one of only 2 boys among about 10 girls). Tony took Blair with him fishing and Micah and I stayed home. Saturday night, Damon kept the kids again and Tony and I went to the Fusion Fest at Greenway Park. We met up with Karen and some friends from church. I love hearing live music!! Of course, I thought our band, Forgiven (from CIC), was by far the best!! Matt sounds so much like Mac Powell (my favorite).

Sunday after church, mom took Blair and Rhett for the afternoon so that I could focus on primping Micah for the Princess Pageant (Charlestown Founder's Day). She looked so adorable!! I painted her nails and fixed her hair. We even put on a little bit of sparkly glitter, perfume, and lip gloss. She was very confident and was excited until we walked in and she saw the crowd!! There were so many people there. We waited in line to have her picture taken and then I took her up front with the other contestants. By the time it was ready to start, her shyness and anxiety had kicked in and she was starting to cry. I sat with her and when they called her group of contestants (she was #15 of 32) she was too scared to go on stage. The lady whispered for me to go with her. So here I was, on stage, with 5 little girls. She held my hand and walked up the "runway" but tucked her head under when the interviewer asked her a question (What is your favorite color?) I had to answer for her (pink), and then we sat down on the ground in front of the stage. She was so cute, though!! From where we were sitting, she could see the trophies and when I told her that everyone would get a trophy she was thrilled!! I don't think she ever grasped the concept that they were picking a "princess" and there would be winners. I think she thought that if you were in it, you were a princess. I was so proud of her. She did way better than I was expecting her to do!! She's so proud of her trophy and has it displayed on her dresser. Rhett had just received his trophy for the CYBL last week during basketball camp, so she was excited to have a trophy of her own!!

School's Out ... Time to Get Organized!!!

School was officially out for the kids the 23rd of May. We had a Teacher Work Day the Tuesday after Memorial Day and then I went to an In-Service on Wednesday. So for me, summer started on Thursday.

I have done so much around the house!! It's amazing how much I can get done when I am not working full time!! I bought over-the-door shoe racks for all of our closets to organize our shoes. This made a huge difference, especially in Micah's closet! Then, I went through all of the drawers in the kids dressers and picked up paint samples at Home Depot. I have never painted their walls (they are still off-white). I think I've lined up my brother, Lee, to paint for us. Rhett's will be a light khaki, Micah wants pink and green, and I'm trying to decide between chocolate brown and light khaki. In our bedroom, I cleaned out the drawers and cabinets in the dressers and organized our closet, too!!

Next, I tackled the kitchen cabinets and drawers. I re-organized everything and made a list of new utensils and gadgets that I would like to have. I've had the urge to buy new and update my kitchen after shopping for all of these weddings. I teased and said that couples should have a "10 Year Update Anniversary" every ten years to check out the latest gadgets!! I've bought myself a Magic Bullet, a Quesadilla Maker, and four 5-piece place settings of Fiesta dishes in random colors (scarlet, tangerine, sunflower, and turquoise- alll complimentary colors to my "chartruese") when I was shopping for the past 2 Weddings!!

Last, I sent through all of the toys in the basement. I've made sure all the toys have a container and/or spot on the shelf. It helps the kids when it's time to clean up. I've started on the unfinished basement (my part). There's still an area of Tony's stuff that he'll have to do. My laundry is caught up ...even the sheets and blankets!!! It feels so good to check things off my To-Do List!!

I think Tony has even got the organization/clean bug!!! He's cleaned out the garage, put together Rhett's basketball goal (a Christmas present) and right now he is cleaning and waxing the van!

I've even worked out a schedule for my kids and the neighbor kids to alternate playing inside and outside. It's funny because ALL of the neighbor kids know to take off their shoes (or sometimes wipe their feet off with a baby wipe) when they come in. And they all know my toy rule: clean up one set of toys before you get something else out. It makes things so much easier and I can relax and enjoy when I know my house is in order!!

My next goal for summer is to have better (healthier) eating habits. I am going to faithfully make a grocery list of meals and snacks and cook more often!! Grilling is out for now, we've had a bird make her nest with 5 little blue eggs in our grill. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!!

I'm off to check on Tony and my shiny (newly-waxed) van!!!