my brain is full...

...so is my camera.

...Old Navy had a $1 flip-flop sale so we went to get the girls some new ones. Believe it or not, I didn't get any for myself...self-control :o) Okay, so all they had left, by the time we got there, were black ones. No pink, no purple, no periwinkle, just black. But black goes with everything, so this is perfect. Oh, no it's not...they're not fancy, princess-y, or cute. No problem...we can make them cute. So we did! Here's a before and after.

...Do you love limes? Do you love lemonade? Oh man! You're gonna love this drink then. Over at Once Upon a Time there is a great recipe for Brazilian Lemonade. As soon as I saw that recipe I wanted to try it. So when I went grocery shopping and the limes were 4/$1.00 I knew I had to try it out right away! Yippee! I made the drink and it was sooooo good! We all loved it. It's a great summer-y drink. We had some left over so I poured into an ice cube tray to freeze it. Today I threw it in the blender and made a nice Brazilian Lemonade slushie! Yummy! I'll be making it again soon. You've gotta try it...if you love limes, that is.

....We went down to the river yesterday to go for a nice walk. A long cool summer shower passed over while we were there. Thankfully, the trees formed a nice canopy for us so we didn't get soaked. I got some great pictures though. We found a plant with some great big leaves, huge, gigantic, enormous leaves. It was like being in Jurassic Park...minus the dinosaurs. We also saw a deer cross the path not too far in front of us...I got a picture...of it's butt! Sorry, it was on it's way escaping the sounds of my not-so-quiet girls. At least I have a picture to prove we saw it. I also got a cool shot of a raindrop hitting a puddle. The blackberry bushes were lining the path...so tempting...so yummy looking...but not ripe yet. Oh, I'll be back for those....if the deer doesn't eat them all first. There was a beautiful mimosa tree on the trail that I really wanted to get some good pictures of , but it was raining too hard for me to get a decent shot.




...one more thing...I went to Once Upon a Child the other day and found two dresses, one for each of my girls in the perfect size, matching, and only $1 each. Oh yeah, I'm a bargain bird...Cheap!Cheap! Worth every penny...all 200 of 'em :o)

am i that lady?

Ya know, the one that doesn't want the neighborhood kids playing in her yard...the one who loves dogs but doesn't want them to poop in her yard...the one who takes care of her yard and doesn't like it when the neighbors decide to pile all of their brush in front of her house and on her lawn, then not pile it neatly or cut it down to size so the city will pick it up. Oh shoot! I am that lady! Let me explain...okay, first of all , I don't ever recall playing in, cutting through, or riding my bike across anyone elses yard when I was growing up. Even now, as an adult, I would never do that...but, I digress. So, look, I have children, I love children, even other people's children, but when the neighbors have the biggest yards on the block, big, beautifully fenced in yards of their very own, why do they insist on throwing the ball, riding the bike, playing tag, in my yard? Watch out for my flowers! Oooh, did he just dig a hole in my yard? Okay, and the dog poop...I'm a dog person, but with small children, small yard, city living, it's not ideal for a dog...so I appreciate that I have a nice yard on a corner lot with nice grass and no dog poop so the girls and I can play outside with no shoes...but wait, what's that smell? Eeeewww! All of our neighbors have dogs, most of which also have fenced yards, but let them out with no leash...so we get the stinky piles in our yard. Look where you're going, and for Pete's sake, make sure you're wearing some shoes! Oh, and the brush pile. First our passive aggressive neighbor does some yard grooming and piles the brush in front of our house. Then says, hey, if you want to, you can add whatever brush you may have to my pile so the city can make just one pick-up. Oh, and while you're at it, why don't you call the city so they can come get it. What?! Breathe..Breathe...Breathe...I'm not a confrontational person so my tongue I do bite. He said he called the city already. But wait, he evidently invites other neighbors to add to the pile as well. So now the pile is taller than me, at least 15 feet in length, and not only in the street in front of my house but also on my lawn. So I catch see the hired hand of the neighbor across the street adding to the mountain that is in my yard and I actually confront him, in a kind and gentle voice, of course. He said he's just doing what he's told, but that the city had been called to pick it up. Okay, but seriously, those are like small trees in the pile, not branches. No, I didn't say that out loud. So, 0f course, I called Tim at work to vent. I have to get it out of my system....aaahhhh, that's better. Now, thinking back, me venting to him probably didn't help with his stress level. But, he always knows exactly what to say :o) So I call the city and they say it'll be picked up the next day. That'll be the day! So Saturday morning I hear the big truck coming down our street. It had driven by the pile several times in the past week but never stopped because the trees branches were too long. But, this time they stopped! They came when they said they would and they removed the mountain of brush! Yippeee! So, am I wrong? I mean, since I stay at home with my girls I try to keep the yard looking nice. It's hard work, especially in this heat. Am I wrong for wanting people to respect my property?

well-rounded daughters

I knew from the beginning that I didn't want my girls to be too girly. Don't get me wrong, I love the dress-up clothes, the layers of jewelry, the want for fabulous shoes, but I still want them to enjoy some other stuff, too. Ya know, splashing in the creek, playing in the dirt, riding bikes, playing with cars, kicking a soccer ball...typical boy stuff. I want them to not be afraid to get dirty, hurt, or hot & sweaty. Okay, I don't like to get hot & sweaty, but since when do kids notice that feeling of discomfort? Having fun doing "boy stuff" is a great thing. I want them to have fun and not worry about their clothes/hair/shoes/fingernails. I want them to love doing things that Daddy did when he was little. Sure, I enjoyed some typical boy stuff when I was little, having spent many summers at the farm, but what a great way for the girls to bond with Daddy by doing the things that he enjoyed so much. Oh, he'll join in even if they are playing with girly stuff, but come on, what dad wouldn't love for his girls to learn how to throw a football or catch a baseball? All of that to say, my girls are becoming well-rounded. They have chosen, as previously stated, to embrace all things Star Wars. This is great! A classic sci-fi that Daddy loved as a kid and still enjoys now. So after breakfast this is what I saw....

Yep, that's Miss O in her Tinkerbell nightgown reading a Star Wars book to her baby doll. But oh, that's no ordinary baby doll...that's Super Baby! She's a super hero baby that rescues people. She can fly and she's really strong...her super powers, of course!

And yes, that's Miss E in her Tinkerbell nightgown playing with her beloved dolls, dressing them in their prettiest clothes with the fanciest shoes...all the while wearing the Darth Vader mask...with the "dark side" breathing sounds :o)

Why yes, I think this is the beginning of two very well-rounded daughters!

thankful thursday

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater.
II Thessalonians 1:3

one - reaching new milestones - Yeah baby, it's time for a two-wheeler (with training wheels of course)! It seems like only yesterday that my babies were learning to walk....look at them now!!! Oh, and yes, that's Miss O's $1 yardsale bike...with an $8 investment for training wheels. Nice ride for nine bucks, right? Now we just need a super cute basket and some streamers for the handle bars. Oh, come on, you know I'm right. :o)

two - external motivation - I enjoy reading but often don't take the time to enjoy a good book(for myself...I read to the girls all the time, but grown-up books are different). Well, thanks to Rebekah of Sunnybrook Farm Designs and her Summer Reading Groupies, I have checked out a book for myself this week. I am a fan of John Grisham and I've read all of his books except his non-fiction book entitled The Innocent Man. I'm pretty excited about it. Here's what it says on the inside cover..."If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you." Oooohhhh. I can't wait to dive in! I'll read something lighter for my next book:o)

three - my husband - the mate God chose for me, the best friend I could have ever hoped for, our faithful provider, the most wonderful Daddy in the whole wide world, the funniest person I have ever met or will meet, the smartest person I know, a genius really, but humble about it...how blessed I am...how blessed the girls are to have such a wonderful Daddy!

I'd love to hear what you're thankful for...wanna share? Just leave a comment, you know I love comments, right? I'm thankful for those, too! :o)

dreamcicles and daydreams

Have you ever smelled something or heard a song that made you remember something that you hadn't thought about in years? Oh man, it's the craziest thing, because then you get caught in a daydream and you want to remember every detail of that moment. So today my girls were wearing these adorable orange and white sundresses from Aunt Mel, my sister, and it

made me think of dreamcicles. Then,BOOM, I love dreamcicles. I know this, it's not a surprise, but I always forget about them. weather is hot.perfect for dreamcicles.need to go to store...then *poof*! Gas is over $4.00 a gallon...I'm not going to the store just for dreamcicles. Okay, so then while we're in the garden picking radishes..really hot radishes that the girls won't eat...BOOM I have a flashback to a beach trip where some relatives, which shall remain nameless, were eating little radishes...cough-sniff..cough-sniff...cough-sniff...Okay, they're hot and make you cough and make your nose run...so stop eating them already!..I screamed to myself inside my head. Oh, my sister could see it in my eyes that I was about to lose my cotton-pickin' mind, so to push me over the edge help me out, she starts the coughing/sniffing/coughing/sniffing to make me forget about the sound...because now I have to concentrate on not laughing out loud. If I laughed I would then have to explain why I was laughing since no one said anything funny...I mean, come on Ang, after all, we're all just sitting around having a little snack, what's so funny? *poof* That one's gone because now I am picking those sneaky little suckers off my tomato plants and BOOM, I am on my grandparent's farm. We spent a lot of summers there, and my grandma always smelled like the tomato plants. Mmmmm it does smell good, now my hands smell like hers and I hope my girls will love that smell, too. *poof* Oh, and one more today. First, our backyard is like a field of clover, really smart clover, that grows really close to the ground so even if I cut the grass the flowers stay intact. All of that to say, I hate bees. It's genetic I think because while watching them swarm around me in the yard as I hung the laundry on the clothesline, BOOM, I remembered countless times at the farm during the summer stopping halfway down the long driveway, screaming because of bees in our baby blue Pinto, jumping out of the car, shooing them, trying to get them out so we could get back in. Now, you know we weren't getting back in until the bees were out! *poof*Now that I am a mature, brave, adult I should have no fear of bees, right? Sorry, I still tend to move away quickly while stifling my tendency to scream like a little girl. I am trying to overcome the fear of stinging creatures by getting some cool close-up photos. So, say hello to my little friend. Yes, I have a zoom lens so I wasn't really that close :o) but isn't he cool...from a distance?!

Now here are some other random flashbacks caused by smells and sounds that hit me every once in a while. When I burn something when I'm cooking, that doesn't happen very often...a-hem, anymore, but it always reminds me of my mom singing "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul" Oh, the burnt toast! Our apartment kitchen would fill with it, probably because I messed with the settings or something, but I blocked all of that out, but every time the kitchen was filled with burnt toast smoke she would sing that song! Also, every time I rake leaves or hear Purple Rain I think of raking the leaves with my sister when we were young. She would put her Prince tape in the boom box and play it really loud while we raked. I can see my sister dancing around the front yard using the rake as a guitar while we sang and acted crazy. Okay, it was in the 80's and we were trying to make the never-ending chore of raking mountains of leaves a little more fun.
Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for joining me in my daydreams...now, I think I need a dreamcicle :o)

flowers, family, fun

Since I have been taking so many pictures lately...ya know, because of the new camera, I have discovered that I really love taking pictures of things that don't move flowers. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy capturing the beauty that is my children and that is obvious by most posts...but the little suckers just won't be still. Even when I'm trying to catch them just being natural, it's like they have a sensor that says move..move quickly...oh man. I'm working on figuring out all the cool features that might help me with that...but right now I have some new pictures to share.
These are from the neighborhood elementary school playground...and their fabulous flower garden.

These pictures are some flowers in my yard. I was trying different times of day to see how the light would change the look.

We had a nice weekend. There were a few thunderstorms, new playground fun, nice evening walks, good progress on the to-do list, and just plain ol' quality family time. Hope your weekend was just as nice.

fun with friends

I can't believe I totally forgot to post pictures about the fun we had on our playdate Thursday. The girls are still talking about it and always want to look at the pictures over and over and over and over...you get the idea. So anyway, we met our friends at the park to play one more time before they go away for a few weeks this summer. Every time the subject comes up (our friends leaving for a while) I have to quickly explain that they will be back, they're not moving away, they're just visiting family, they'll be back soon...please don't cry...again! I am so thankful for modern technology that will help us communicate while they're gone. Hey, maybe we'll work on parts of a friendly letter and addressing envelopes so we can send mail the old-fashioned way. Oh, I digress...this is supposed to be about the playdate, not homeschool stuff. So they had loads of fun playing and climbing, swinging, chasing, hiding, eating lunch. Did I mention the weather was so perfect? Seriously, it was like 78 degrees with no humidity...does it get any better than that? Okay, here's some pictures.


We'll miss you, dear friends. We can't wait for you to come back!

is that how she sees of me?

After breakfast Miss E told me she would be ironing her baby's clothes. She then proceeded to go from her room to the living room, from her room to the living room, bringing out the essential items and setting up her work area. All the while warning me to not come near her because the iron was hot. Now she's all ready. Oh wait, she forgot something... back to her room for a few minutes, *click-click-click* then emerged like this! Do I look that fabulous when I'm ironing?(maybe on the inside:O) Seriously, people...a tiara, a gown, and high heeled shoes? Maybe ironing would be more fun if a tiara was included!

bloggy fun

I found a great blog that is having a makeover carnival of sorts. Between now and July 25 we are supposed to complete some projects around the house/yard that need finishing. It sounds fun, plus, the accountability of people checking for the before and after photos will help motivate me to actually finish a project. No pictures yet, though. You'll have to wait until July 25 for the results. So here's my list:

1) purchase make new curtain for the bathroom window(that means buying new fabric!!!)

2)put new flooring in bathroom (okay, that one is really for Tim, but it still counts, right?)

3)move monkey (mondo) grass, that is in the way, from back yard to front yard where nothing else will grow.

4)get cute area rug for girls' room & paint focus wall pink, yes pink...miss O would like it to be "cosmic" (according to her that means sparkly) but I've never seen cosmic pink paint.

I think I'll stop my list there. That seems like an achievable goal. Feel free to join in. Got any projects hanging over your head? Come on, let's finish them together...don't forget to take a before picture.

Okay, so I also found another great blog that is having a summer reading challenge. I do love to read, but rarely make time for it (at least not grown-up books). There are some books I'd like to read this summer so that I can form the habit (again) of reading more. And if all goes well, the habit will be formed and I'll continue to search for and devour great books throughout the year. My goal is to read 3 whole grown-up books by the end of August. I already finished The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, so I won't count that one. Want to read with me? Got any good book suggestions? Come on, it'll be fun!

thankful thursday

Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever, Amen. Revelation 7:12

one - my mom came for a visit - She doesn't live too far away so it's nice to have her come and hang out with us. She joined us when we went to the library and had a picnic with us...but we didn't quite make it to the fabric store. Sorry Mama...we'll have to catch the next sale!
two - fun with play-doh - The weather was incredibly nice yesterday, upper 70's and NO humidity ( hair is thankful for that). The girls wanted to play with play-doh, I enjoy that myself, but everything is always more fun outside...so that's what we did!
three - playing dress-up - What little girl doesn't love to dress-up? Mine would sleep in dress-up clothes if I'd let them...since I don't let them they put on dress-up clothes right after breakfast while still in their nightgowns. How fun!

I have so much more to be thankful for, but I don't want to overwhelm you with my words. There are so many things that get taken for granted. We are blessed. We are loved. We are alive by the grace of God. Enjoy your day...take time to give thanks.

keepin' busy

Yesterday was gone before I knew it. We spent the morning together as a family then we spent the evening at a friends house for a playdate dinner. I didn't take my camera with me :-O I know, shocking. So there is an event now that is completely undocumented. Oh, we had such a great time. The food was great...thanks again Theresa, and the company was great, too. The kids had fun playing nicely together and the grown-ups had some nice relaxing conversation. Note to self: have dinner with friends more often. I do have some pictures of our very first garden harvest. Tim picked these, but there are so many more that the girls will get to pick some, too. Then maybe they'll give them a try... cherry belle radishes...hot and crunchy!

Oohhh..I almost forgot, I also have more lilies blooming. This time it's Canna Lilies. They are beautiful and so tropical looking...makes me think of Moloka'i every time they bloom.

So far today we I have washed the laundry and hung it all on the line, changed the sheets, cleared out the clutter in my room, straightened the toy shelf in the girls' room, and blew up the pool (with a pump of course) so the girls could go for a little dip. The water was cold still when they got in so they kept getting out to warm themselves in the sun. I tried out my zoom while they were lying still. Niiiiice.

new picture fun

As I said before, lilies are my favorite type of flower and orange is one of my favorite colors. Well, my asiatic lily started blooming and I wanted to share some pictures.

Did you have a great father's day? Celebrate your dad? Your husband? We did!

happy father's day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...

to the BEST Daddy in the world!

saturday....oh, what a saturday

This morning began with the plan for me to take the girls out so Dad could have a few hours of peace and quiet. Ya know, a little Father's Day gift of sorts. So off on our weekly trip to the great indoor playground. Ooohhh, but there were lots and lots of yard sales on the way. We stopped at a couple of them. I know, I don't like buying other peoples junk, but we found some great stuff! Look what I bought for $1.50...

$1.00




25 cents each

Okay, so then we went to the indoor playground. An hour of fun was enough for me them. Then we were off to find something great for Tim for Father's Day. As expected, they didn't enjoy the shopping very much, but we did find some great things that he will really enjoy. I do love buying him presents...even if it is with his money :o) It's the thought that counts, right? So we get home in time for lunch. Daddy enjoyed the peace and quiet and then decided to go out for a little while. I thought it was so he could do a little shopping for his Dad, but when he got home he had a present for me! For me?! But it's Father's Day weekend. The presents are supposed to be for him. He even got a pretty gift bag and tissue paper. Wanna know what the present is? Do ya? Do ya? Huh? Okay...here it is....

Gotta go.Manuel to read.Pictures to take.Oh, and dinner to fix.