My Honey

It's a good thing he's cute!

School Supplies

Tonight I broke down and decided to get some of Michael's school supplies. I am pretty confident that I didn't buy anything that he doesn't really need, but he did insist he needed a sharpie and when I asked what for he said, "To sign yearbooks". This made me laugh, although I don't think he intended it to. I didn't buy one. The lead in the picture is not for the nonrefillable lead pencils shown, but for their good ones here at home. Michael won't take his good one to school because he always manages to lose it. Somehow he doesn't lose the cheap ones. ??

Steven was making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies when we got home, yum!

A Birthday

Happy 74th birthday to my mom! I am very thankful for another year with her.

High School?

Tonight I had to go to parent orientation at the High School Steven will be attending. I'm finding it very hard to believe that I have a child in High School....gulp! The above picture was taken just a few very short years ago when my mind was far from him being a highschooler. He does act like a highschooler in a lot of ways I guess...he isn't nearly as snuggly as he used to be, wahhhh!

Cameras and Water

For the last 2 days I have not been able to find my camera. I have looked high and low. Last night we had another major downpour, starting at around 10:45pm. It rained well into the middle of the night, and this morning it is a cool 60 degrees and cloudy. Usually I bring the cushions to my outside chairs in so they don't get wet and moldy, but last night I didn't know it was going to rain, and when it did I just didn't think about it. This morning I went out to tip the cushions up so that some the water runs off, and to my surprise there was my camera. I wished that I was seeing things because I know that digital cameras and water don't mix well, but indeed I was not seeing things. I picked it up and turned it on, and it seems to work! I haven't tried to take any pictures, and I won't until it is completely dried out, so we'll see. The camera card was not in it because I had forgotten to take it out of the laptop when I posted the 2 cousin camp pictures, and I don't want to stick it in a wet camera. If it turns out that it doesn't take good pictures, it didn't work that great for outside pictures anyhow...we have actually been looking into getting a new one, but this one was going to be Michael's so that I wouldn't have endless lego and car video pictures on my camera all the time. Hopefully he can still use this camera.

Time to say, "Goodbye"

Steven doesn't really have to go to the bathroom in this picture, he is trying to hold onto all of the candy he got from the candy toss. The other kids look skyward as more candy rains down.

Well, cousin camp has ended and the kids wrote out their goodbyes on the driveway just before they left. I think they had a good time playing and talking into the wee morning hours. Michael is feeling disappointed that all have left, and he doesn't know quite what to do with himself. I guess he'll just have to find something that he and Steven like to do, and hang with his brother. This can be difficult since they are very different!

Puppy Love

Do you think these boys love their puppy?

Koty is never lacking in snuggles.

Keeping it Real

I have never done one of these "keeping it real" posts, but will try since seeing it on Christine's blog.
1. I have to admit that I have not been the best trainer of my children when it comes to teaching them to pick up after themselves. I have often found that it is much easier to just do it myself. I am inconsistent in sticking to a plan. An example is that I at one time got so sick of picking up my children's clothes from behind their bathroom door, that I told them whatever wasn't in their hampers on laundry day wouldn't get washed. I kept to that plan for quite a while, but find myself occasionally giving in just to "get it all done". I know...not good. Their wives will probably hate me for this.
2. I am somewhat obsessive compulsive about things. An example of this is having to turn around occasionally and return home (if I haven't gone very far) to make sure I closed the garage door. I AM NOT obsessive compulsive about keeping my refrigerator neat and organized. (my husband told me to put that)
3. I love for my house to be organized. There are things that I said that I would never do (that my mom did do) when I lived with my parents, but I find myself exactly the same way. Example: My pan cupboard is always getting messed up, and my dryer has a pile on it all too often.
4. I cannot multi task very well, I am way too easily distracted.
5. I make my kids breakfast almost every morning, and I enjoy doing it. But if they ask me to get their drink too, the answer is no, and I am shocked at their laziness. I also feel like I need to see what they put in their lunches to make sure they have everything they should. They are teenagers so I know that I really don't need to do this anymore, but it gives me some peace of mind knowing that they have all that they need.
6. I always sing or hum when I blow dry my hair. Most of the time the songs are made up as I go.

Lightening

My last post was about a major thunderstorm we had. We ended up losing many electronics due to a lightening strike. It's a pain, but we have many blessings to count.

Storm

It is storming here this morning...very loud, booming thunder that keeps making me jump out of my skin. It's pouring so hard that these are the best pictures I could get.

Koty has to go poopy, but no one wants to take him...

Mmmm!

Guess what we had tonight?

Watkins Glen

These are pictures from our camping trip to Watkins Glen this weekend. The millipedes were all over the edges of the gorge in some areas...very strange, so I had to get a picture. The gorge is absolutely beautiful! We also took the kids to the campground pool (which was closed on Friday because someone threw up in it...yuck!) Going out for ice cream is a must when we go camping in the Glen, Mmmmm! The only bad thing about camping at Watkins Glen is that it is daddy long legs central! They are everywhere! I had one crawl across my closed eyes as I was trying to fall asleep last night. I swatted it away and then turned on the flashlight to see one of it's legs detached and twitching on Dave's pillow.
It was lots of fun hanging with our friends! Funny thing is, is that Priscilla was there on Friday too and we had no idea each other was there.

Burning Food

This morning I put some ground beef on the stove to brown for sloppy joes. I wanted to bring the sloppy joe stuff all put together already, camping with us this weekend. As soon as I put the ground beef on the stove to brown, I ran upstairs to pack some stuff, intending to come back down in just a few minutes. Well, I got sidetracked. While I was upstairs packing for camping I heard a sound like someone was running the water in the kitchen sink. I called down from my bedroom after a while, "Hey who's running all that water?" No answer. I walked over to the stairs where it sounded more like a sizzling sound. "Oh no!" I ran downstairs to the smell of burning meat, where the boys were playing as if nothing was wrong. "Guys," I said. "You could've called me or stirred the meat." Niether of them seemed to have a clue what was happening. The meat was burned into one big clump. So much for multitasking. I did go get more meat and made some yummy sloppy joe stuff for tonight, but we're getting a little later start for our camping trip.