What I learned May

That i can paint: my friend Kelly invited me to a paint party. I have only ever been to one other of these. it was strange going but overall i think we both did pretty good and now we can say we are painters.

here is the before. the instructor sketched a bit of a layout so we knew where and when we were painting

here are the two of us in different stages of our painting

here is another stage of my picture

trees added

i didn't like my swirls. they looked weird to me

the finished product

and both of us with our finished paintings

WE ARE ARTISTS!

that i could be a farm girl: I went on a field trip with my daughters class to a local farm. fully functioning farm and I love every single but of it. I even got to milk a cow.

that we can have chickens (we will see if that happens): In keeping with the above farm theme I found out that we can indeed have chickens. I am hoping that works out.

that camping continues to be my favorite: this was the second year that we went camping with my parents and had a lot of fun. we added another day to the trip so that made it nice too. we ate some great food and went on a nice hike. and of course when Bear and Golden boy are together there is going to be fishing.

I am still in love with steel city pops: last year when i found our we were getting a steel city pops i wrote this post about all of the flavors that I wanted to try. (really i just want to try them all) but this month i had my first Popsicle of the summer, Avocado. it was amazing and reminded me oh how i love Steel City Pops. my other post lists some that i still have not tried but to add to the list here are a few more:

Cherry Sour Cream

Blood Orange

Champagne White Tea

Lavender Lemonade

Mango

Raspberry Lemon

Strawberry Balsamic

this is the last month that I will have a five year old: how did we get to this point. I mean wasn't is just yesterday that she was born.

Adventure 51

adventures is food

lots of food

delicious food

a food experience that i am so happy to have had and shared with such great friends

i wish that i had taken more pictures of the food that we had

it was all so wonderful and delicious

these sweet friends brought gifts (which they totally didn't have too) and wonderful conversation and laughs. they make life good and fun and full. 

thankful that they were all willing to celebrate my birthday dinner here. it was such a great time. adventures are everywhere and i am learning that and seeing that through out this year of adventures that i participated in with my cousin Lily

it has been a fun adventure just blogging about all of my adventures.

Adventure #5

let me start off by saying that I usually do not re-read a book. with the exceptions of a handful and of course children's books that I read to my kiddo's. those I have read and re-read in the 100s I am sure. Smelly socks (thank you aunt Traci for that one) and Swimmy (I believe that one if from your family too trac, love them both)

This adventure is taking me on a re-read through a book that I originally read in the beginning to middle part of 2013. (not that long ago.) books alone are a huge adventure for me. I could probably write about one every month (or week the way this one is going) I thought I would be skimming the book with is being the second time around but I'm not. I am soaking in every single word. sometimes re-read a paragraph to understand it all. so many stories, so much detail, so many new places to visit. I love reading (in case you did not know that about me)

last year some ladies in our Sunday school class started a book club. the 1 year birthday of the club is coming up (tomorrow, actually) I was able to attend one of the book club meetings last year and I read another one of the books but missed the meeting. in December I was suppose to host but asked if it could be postponed. my month to host is march and that will be another adventure for another time. (next month)

i never imagined when I first read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern that I would re-read it, (even though it was more than fabulous, dreamy, as if I could have walked right from this world on to the pages of the story.) the characters are wonderful and mysterious, likeable, endearing, entertaining, captivating. A friend who I recommended the book to two years ago and who started the book clubs said....."I can't wait to see if it is as magical as I remember."

I am here to say that "yes!" it truly has been. i just got my copy in the mail on Monday and i am already on page 240 (about halfway through the book) I have enjoyed knowing how the story goes and focusing this time around on some of the details. the moves the characters make and the way they are connected. I have been paying attention to the food being eaten and some of the details of the tents. I think I would do these things regardless but my hope is to create somewhat of a magical experience at book club next month. I have been pinning things on pinterest like crazy and am so completely excited to be able to attempt to make this book come alive. stay tunes for that adventure.

for now I am navigating my way through this intriguing book and enjoying the adventure very, very much.
                                                  The Circus is coming...........

if you want to participate in 52 weeks of adventuring and hop on over to Lily's Blog to link up or just go to her blog and read some of her great posts. she writes beautifully and she is quite funny.  my most recent favorite of hers is this post, because there is so much of it that I can totally relate too.

Giveaway

checek out Lesley's Giveaway on her blog at recipe for crazy.

i love reading her blog and checking out all the fun things she posts about.

i started following her blog when she did CrazyJoy and it was a lot of fun.

Friend

I have this sweet friend, I'm not going to mention her name here. It wouldn't matter though, you wouldn't be able to find her. She kind of avoids social media, like the plague. (Which it kind of can be, right?!?) It sucks you in and takes over (sounds more like a black hole.) Either way I find myself easily falling into that black hole/plagueish pit. Don't get me wrong I am not bashing social media. My introverted self actually loves it. But her.....she doesn't easily fall into that pit. I admire her and am blessed that our paths crossed when they did. She is brave and strong.

I came across this post by one of my favorite bloggers Ashley Ann at Under the Sycamore. (you don't read her blog? well you should!)  She talked about a friend of hers and her struggle with her daily pain with Lyme disease and her beautiful company that bloomed from that pain. Bottle of Tears.

I loved everything about her company. I wish I could say that I was quicker to order a bottle but I procrastinated. I contacted Lindsey through Bottle of Tears on Facebook and she was so gracious and thoughtful to put the bottle I wanted, quickly in the mail.

Now it is in the hands of my sweet friend and I pray she knows God sees her and feels His presence in this next week.

Check out the beautiful bottles and words at Bottle of Tears  you will not be disappointed. Share hope with someone you know.

3rd Annual Lake House Trip

Year One 2012

Year two was a little all over the place. The Jenson's went for only Friday. We went for Friday night and all day Saturday, and the Edwards came for only Saturday. I don't think a group picture was taken that year.

 



Year Three 2014
We have multiplied.......alot

 we love our time each summer where we get to spend the weekend at our friends lake house

we went swimming in the lake, off of the dock

 

did some tubing

little girl even went (and fast)

I didn't have my  camera then

 

played some cards

 

watched the sunset (twice)

even the kids joined in on the sunset watching

 

Golden boy woke up on Saturday morning and came and cuddled up in this chair

He had the right idea

 

Mr. Robert had a kid pile up when they were deciding which movie would be watched while breakfast was being made.

 

a tiny fish was caught and all the kids were amazed. Little J.Crew even reached out and touched it.

Some coloring while dinner was being prepared

All made for an exhausting but extremely fun Lake house weekend

Thank you McInnis Family for a fantastic time and lot of fun and memories

Friends lake house trip

watch a sunset

The List Keeps Dwindeling

we have been making our way through our 2014 summer list and it has been lots of fun. with only like three or four weeks left of summer it seems like there is no way that we will every make it through it all. in fact I am pretty sure that we won't get to everything before school starts but school starts early this year so some of our summer activities take place once school has stated. I am ok with that.

last week was VBS

do you see it VBS.

anyway, I got these pictures of the kids at home before VBS one morning. I didn't take my camera with me to VBS. it was just too busy but lots of fun. Workshop of wonders was such a fun theme and we had a great time transforming the church into a workshop for painters, carpenters/builders, and scientist.

 

nothing says cute like a couple of goofy faced kids. it was my way to get them to post and do what I wanted them to do for the pictures above. you do what you can to get results, right?

here is another one of the things on the list that we did.
Watercolor
I found two picture that I thought the kids would like and printed them and used our water color paints. Golden boy wasn't all that crazy about painting and ended up coloring. he wants things to be in the lines and the exact color they are suppose to be. note to self: next time give him something more abstract that he can color whatever. not peter pan where he wants him to look a certain way and can't get it that way......or a minion.  it just wasn't working for him. little girl on the other hand loved it. the flower that she is painting is actually the second picture that she painted. the first was a castle.

 

 our sweet neighbor saw the kids playing outside with the hose and came over with an extra sprinkler that she had for us to use. they kids had a great time running through it.

 

last was a fourth of July craft. this wasn't on our summer list but something that I pinned and thought would be fun. the only thing that I needed to purchase for this craft was the blue beads. I hadn't the bakers twine (but really you could use yard or ribbon) and I had the red striped paper straws as well. I think I cut two of them. this was the pin that I found and it links to this site that gives you the tutorial on doing it. great idea and lots of fun.

 I didn't think that my almost seven year old would want to make a necklace. when we were in home depot the day before he saw an American flag that he wanted. I told him that we could go home and make one. when he saw my version of making one he wasn't thrilled with it but he was a trooper and finished it and later on he got a real one.

 

and finally nothing says summer like a little ice cream treat at the new old mc donalds (that would just be Mc Donalds to everyone else but Golden boy has always called it old mc donalds) that the kids have been watching being built. who knew they would be so tired though. this is how I found them when I went to sit down. they did hope up to gobble up their ice cream.

My Men

 I am one pretty lucky girl. I have two pretty awesome men that live right here in my very house. My husband and father of my children, who is my compete opposite in almost every way, except the ways that are important and I am grateful for that. he is wonderful dad and loves our kids fiercely. and my sweet little man (golden boy). he isn't a dad but I pray that one day he will be. I occasionally pray for his future wife. that wile she may be his complete opposite that she is the same where it matters. that she is a God fearing lady who loves family and embraces our family and molds well into a life with him and us as in laws.

  aside from the two that live in my house there are three others in my life that are a huge blessing and love like no other. my dad......he loves big, the supports strong, he provided and provides like no other. he only wanted girls when it was time to have children (no snot nose little boys, he said.) but he ended up with three grandsons that are, I am pretty sure, quite precious to him. they call him "Bear" then there is my grandfather......he is strong but can be gentle, he and my grandmother have been married for 60 year, (that says a lot) he loves like you can't imagine, even though sometimes he can be rough around the edges. he loves Jesus and has shown me that the verse "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" is possible. and finally my father in law.......he was half of who raised my husband, he made him into the man he is today (which sometimes can be frustrating, but ultimately I am grateful for) he can fix just about anything. he has a big heart and an even bigger sweet tooth than me. he loves adventure but equally loves to curl up at home and rest (we are alike that way) he loves my family and I love him for it. my kids call him "Papa"

this is the card that golden boy made for his daddy for fathers day. we found the idea on pinterest of course. here is the link to the site.

 this one I found a clip art for and printed for my daughter to give him. we added this recipe for homemade bbq sauce
once the crafting starts my son usually can't stop. he wanted to make another minion card for his daddy. he asked me to draw a purple minion and then he colored it in and added words to it.

bear has a lake house. we visit often. my son made the foot and my daughter the hand. it is just prefect. got the idea from pinerest! where else? here is the pin.

papa has a goat farm so we made this card for him for fathers day. the tractor is golden boys foot and the goat is little girls hand. I found quite a few pins for the tractor and goat. here are some of the links
tractor
tractor and cow
tractor
sheep

we added a cute little disc photo album to his bbq sauce and I took a picture of the kids that I found here and made it our desktop wall paper and email it to him so that he could make it his desk top wall paper at work.