Flop & Props

Friendship is...
-when a friend sends you an instant message at work that says- "Come see me....I need fashion advice"
AND she has every expectation that I will drop everything to come and provide said advice.

Friendship is...
-knowing that telling the truth is the only real option regardless of how much it may hurt!
"Yup- I'm getting an MC Hammer type vibe from those pants too."




True friendship is...
when that friend agrees to be photographed with the knowledge that said MC Hammer pants will be posted on the internet.

But truly....how could I resist?? It was clearly hammer-time!




We laughed so hard....and she agreed, it was time to part ways with the 80's.


Friendship is
-sharing your most creative ideas and being ok with someone else imitating your hard work!

Check out the handiwork here- she created their name with photos taken on family vacation. Genius I tell you.




Thanks Diana- for letting me share your flop, for being most deserving of some props but best of all, for being such a good friend!

Don't Be Crabby!

Our friends Will & Patti stopped by on their way home from the beach. We hadn't seen them since last year and it was great to catch up.

Crabs seemed like the logical choice for dinner. Jon made some calls and found a guy with some to sell that were caught that morning. Perfect!

They came with one restriction- we had to pick them up by 5 because that's when he had to leave to report to jail. Yup, true story. Seems that he had some struggles with driving on a restricted license and was sentenced to a year of weekends in jail. There are times when I shake my head about our weekend life, and sometimes when I wouldn't change it a bit. It's salty and makes for lots of laughs!



The first crabs of the season always taste so good and these didn't disappoint- they were amazing!!

Blackberry Picking

Blackberry picking, eating fried chicken. Never knew a thing about pain....life is just a tire swing.....

There are a ton of blackberries near the dock- they are sweet and so delicious.




but a bit dangerous with those dreaded prickers


I love summer in the country!!


If only Jimmy Buffett was there to sing along....

Yee-haw!!

We had so much fun on vacation! We spent time with Jon's family in TX- it was truly wonderful and we made incredible memories.

I took lots of pictures and am having a great time playing with them and pretending to be a real photographer. I love the look of the mosaics.....



There were smiles everywhere and clearly, lots of longhorns!

Almost Friday!

Introducing Gypsy!!

We picked her up on Friday morning.
This was the face that we saw as we walked up the path.



I think we all melted instantly.


She was so spunky


And such a good traveler


And she's completely in love with her boy.


Almost as much as he's in love with her!!!

A boy & his dog....true happiness!

40

I'm 40. I don't really feel different than I did when I turned 39 (at least not yet!)

Jon has been making me a cake for my birthday since we got engaged. I adore the tradition and the labor of love that it is.
He missed one year- the year that Cooper was born.
I cried.
It could have been the postpartum hormones- whatever the reason, he's never missed a year since.

My cake this year was fabulous! They've all tasted wonderful (my favorite is white cake), but the decorations are always a gamble. This year he made a smiley face with the shape of 40 and embellished with candles- lots of them.
He's creative that one!



Cooper helped me to blow out the candles.



Jon took me out for tapas on the 18th and so my celebration with cake was at the river- complete with my parents and our river family. It was a special night!

7 Years & 7 Things I Love

Happy Birthday Cooper!!

I cannot believe that you are 7 years old- the time has flown by and it's been such a wonderful journey seeing you grow into you!!


Cooper's Birthday


Cooper's 7th Birthday

I love your compassion, your sense of humor & your laugh, your little mind and how inquisitive you are about EVERYTHING, your heart and how full of love you are, how important family is to you, your big brown eyes and how you drink in everything that they see, your intensity about everything from loving milk to legos to your dog.

Here's to being 7 and all that it brings with it!!

Thankful Thursday

I have been counting the days until tomorrow. It has finally arrived and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am on VACATION!!!

I continue to be so thankful for my job- but there is really nothing more satisfying than walking out of the building and knowing that I do not have to return for an extended period of time. I think I bounced out this afternoon. WOO-HOOOOOO!!!!

I am thankful for my friends- we had impromptu domino's here tonight and ate, drank and laughed. The belly kind of laugh that makes you feel like you worked out because your stomach muscles constrict.

I am thankful for summer camp- specifically the one that Cooper is attending this week. He is having the time of his life.....it's global village camp. Never heard of it? Me neither- his school sent home a flyer and the timing was perfect. I needed a filler for this week and camp is from 9-5 each day- I wasn't picky about the activities but they sounded interesting so I signed him up. It is nothing short of amazing.

They are learning about other countries and cultures and the economies around the world. He comes home each night after visiting a different place and can't tell us enough about his day. I adore seeing him drink in the learnings and be so proud of what he knows. Today they were in Europe, tomorrow they head to Thailand....on Tuesday they went to Africa and learned about water conservation.

Did you know that every 15 seconds a child dies from a disease caused by lack of clean water? It's true. And terrible. I am thankful for clean water, and for living in a place where I can turn on a faucet rather than walking 5 km with a jug on my head. I wouldn't last 2 days. I'm starting to take water conservation much more seriously and so we're installing a rain barrel. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I am thankful for speedy shipping. I ordered a new camera....of course 3 days before we leave for vacation. It arrived today!! Now I need to learn how to use it. I am thankful for directions!

I am thankful for the roof over my head, friends who send hand me-downs, my parents safe return from a trip, being healthy, sunny skies, losing 12 lbs, perennials, support from my husband and flip flops.

Enjoy your Friday!!

Weekend Fun-

Busy weekend...but lots of fun!

Jon had graduation on Saturday. He escapes having to wear his own cap and gown by volunteering to work security instead. Security means patting down the students (no females) to ensure that they don't have any prohibited contraband (streamers, beach balls and cell phones). Remember when we used to have so much fun with silly kid pranks like that? Now, they are all business.

He got a tear in his eye as he relayed a story from the day. Evidently, prior to the graduates lining up to walk to their seats, they file by the teachers. Jon said that as they went by him, every single one of his kids got out of line and either shook his hand, or gave him a hug. Every single one. He was incredibly touched and so proud of them.

His kids are amazing- and the club that he sponsors does a million things that make my jaw drop open....they are kind, compassionate, resourceful and talented. They give me faith in the future.

After graduation, we headed to the river and the girls took me for my 1st pedicure. Yes, it's true. My 1st one. I'm sort of a freak about feet....but I'm almost 40 and decided that it was about time. I cannot say that I am a fan, but I will say that they look very nice. I think there is something creepy about someone being that close to my feet. Oh well- it was an experience and I did indeed feel pampered.

Sunday morning took us on a hunt for turtles. It's become a bit of a family ritual- we drive around looking for turtles.....and the weather on Sunday was perfect for hunting. After only 5 minutes of hunting- we hit pay dirt!



The rest of the day was spent at the dock....

on the water.....



and exploring!





I do live for the weekends!!

Scurvy??

I'm not sure how I happened on this stroke of genius, but it couldn't have been more brilliant if I had planned it myself.

Cooper had a friend come to play on Friday and I had a quick errand to run so I threw the boys in the car and off we went. Cooper grabbed a book about pirates.....Peter grabbed Star Wars figures.

As we're driving, Cooper is reading and Peter is having a battle and this is the conversation.

Cooper: Momma? It says here that the pirates got this terrible disease called scurvy. Do you know what that is?

Me: Hmm, scurvy- yes, it's when you don't have enough vitamin C.
Cooper: Where does vitamin C come from? Milk?

Peter: Nope, it comes from fruit and stuff. I have a ton of it every day. I'll never get scurvy.
Cooper: Momma, is Peter right?
Me: Yup, he sure is (at this point, my spidey sense kicks in and I realize that we may have a winner)
Cooper: Well scurvy is really bad. It'll kill you.
Me: You're right. Scurvy is terrible- we certainly don't want you to get scurvy.
Silence.

Ding, ding, ding. We do have a winner!! More fruits have been consumed by my child since learning about scurvy than perhaps in the entire month (yes, I get that I'm admitting that I'm not the mother of the year....and I'm ok with it.....it's for the greater good!).

Strawberries, oranges and apples have certainly moved up on his list of 'favorite' foods.
I'm riding the scurvy wave as long as it can- GENIUS!!

Do You Want Fantastic Flips?

Cooper informed me that I could have fantastic flips this morning as I was using a flat iron to "smooth" my hair. He watches me almost every morning, but today was evidently different.

This is our conversation-

Him- Momma, did you know that your flat iron isn't good for your hair?
Me- Well, it's not the best thing....but I like how it makes my hair look.
Him- Have you ever heard of the in styler?
Me- The what??
Him- The in-styler. You can have elegant curls and fantastic flips.
Me (fighting back laughter)- What in the world are you talking about?
Him- Momma, you should really try it. It will definitely make your hair look way better than it does now.

Thanks buddy- I'm incredibly touched that you're concerned about my hair. A little paranoid now maybe, but touched none the less.

My kid is a sucker for an info-mercial. Just like his dad. We've got the bullet, snuggies, the sham wow and the ped-i-cure....and those knives that never need to be sharpened. Evidently, there has been a little too much tv viewing in our house as of late!

I was interested though....so I clicked here and learned all about it. I'm interested, and more than a little tempted.

Anyone have it?? If you do, please leave me a comment with a review!!

So Long 1st Grade!!

Cooper's last day of 1st grade was on Tuesday.

Wednesday were Closing Ceremonies for K-2. It's a church service where each class sings a song, the children recite Bible verses and the Pastor blesses the teachers and children. Very sweet, simple and in line with the values of his school. My favorite part is seeing the children sign their school song- I get teary eyed every time I hear their little voices.

Afterwards, they go to the classroom to get their report cards and to give their teacher the class gift. Since I was the room mother this year- it was my responsibility (as a side note- I do not recommend this job to anyone with a full time job outside of the home. It about killed me and I don't even think I was very good at it- adequate, but not great).

While I do pride myself on being a super gift giver, I am not completely skilled at coordinating 21 children and coming up with something creative yet simple at a relatively low cost. Thankfully, the other room mother is an artist (click here to see her wonderful photography) and she had a great idea. She shaped the kids into letters and photographed them on the art room floor (which is white). Then she lifted their images and arranged them to say Mrs. B! for my class and Mrs. W ! for hers. When the whole thing was done, it was an amazing black and white photo on a black background that was framed and ready for presentation. Am I lucky or what?

Here are the kids gathered around her as she opened it (Coopers head is front and center).


She loved it- whew, mission accomplished. Thanks Jackie for saving the day on this one!

Cooper had a fantastic year. Mrs. B is soft spoken and strict, but the children adore her. She's a former reading specialist and her passion is teaching kids to read. Cooper couldn't have had a more perfect match for 1st grade. Here they are, goofy face & all!


We'll miss you Mrs. B!

Another room mom duty is planning the End of Year Party. Hmmm- Jackie and I went with simple and low stress. We headed to a nearby park for playtime and a picnic. I bought balloons and a cake, Jackie brought a cooler of water and we called it done! It was exactly what we needed. The kids played, moms talked and the sun blazed across a playground without an ounce of shade. Mrs. B had given the kids books as an end of year treat and Cooper found a shady spot under the slide and read for 30 minutes. Yup, that's my kid! He does make me laugh- but he knows what he likes and how can I complain about him reading?

At the end of the day he said to me, Momma- you're sure I'm going to 2nd grade??
Yes, sweet thing- you are most definitely going to 2nd grade!!!

I love that little kid-

Alternative Route

Typically, the drive to take Cooper to school is peaceful and relatively mindless. We meander through the neighborhoods so we don't have to take main roads and chat about whatever subject is pressing that day.

This was not the case today. We passed 4 (yes, 4) dead things in the middle of the road. Things that I had to steer the car around so as not to inflict more kill into the "road kill".

2 squirrels (which I'm not that undone by- but one prompted this reaction from Cooper- Momma- look at him!! He's frozen with his arms straight up!" "Ahhh, yes- I believe you are correct."
1 cat (so, so sad)
1 bird

I said a little prayer that this is not an indication of how the rest of my day/week will go (and also for the owner of the cat). To compensate and lift my spirits, I'm wearing a new outfit & shoes.

I also took an alternative route on the way home!

Hoping your day/week go well and that you don't encounter anything dead in your path!!