Groundhog Day

“That's right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's...
GROUNDHOG DAY!” Groundhog Day

Okay so not quite, but Saturday is. I love Groundhog Day. Seriously, it’s one of my most favorite unofficial holidays EVER. Why? Because that means the cold winter is half way over and the warm weather is on its way.

Frost - The only redeeming factor of cold mornings.

We celebrate the day with fun and games and of course watching the movie Groundhog Day. A few years ago we completed a Groundhog lapbook. Every year we make guesses about if the groundhog will see his shadow and we watch the proclamation made by Punxsutawney Phil.

Are we a bit crazy? Maybe but it is totally because winter is seriously my least favorite season. I hate being cold and winter is well by definition, cold.

If the day is nice, we also go out and begin prepping our garden for spring planting and will even start planting some peas and lettuce and other veggies that do well in the early spring.

So Friday we are doing fun groundhog themed school activities and then Saturday we’ll be enjoying the day that marks the midpoint of winter.

I am so excited for warmer days and getting to enjoy the outdoors digging in the dirt in the garden.

Summer Time Goodness

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Am I still here? Are you wondering? If you aren’t I won’t be hurt. I know you are probably just as busy as I am trying to fit every ounce fun, responsibility, rest, more fun, and craziness into the very short 24 hour days as I am. I have been so incredibly busy that I can’t remember all that I have done.

We led our church junior high camp a few weekends ago. To say that the weekend was amazing would not come close to describing it. We spent each night in a different location and found ways to bless those around us everywhere we went. God’s glory and power was evident every step of the way.

P52 Week 30 - Sunshine

Cotton Candy Ice-Cream

The first night before hitting our camping destination we stopped for ice-cream. Little G ordered cotton candy flavor and showed everyone how to savor every last lick as she became one with the cone. I think adults can take a lesson from littles. We often forget to savor every moment as we get so caught up in doing what needs to get done and moving on to the next thing.








Little G got to go camping for her first time that weekend. She absolutely loved the whole experience of staying up too late, sleeping on the hard ground, waking up at the crack of dawn and getting dirty without having to take a bath right after. And the older kids got to go tubing on the lake for the first time. They all had a blast and loved every minute of their time on the lake. That weekend is our favorite part of the summer so far.

P52 Week 32 Summer Favorites

Another first for Little G this weekend was her overcoming her fear of dogs. She has been afraid of dogs since she was tiny. Looking over and spying this moment made me smile big. She fell in love with this dog and as G petted and played with her, so did I.

P52 Week 31 - Dog Days of Summer

PB&J with Love

One afternoon we gave sandwiches to homeless people in town. Little G insisted that she had to make a sandwich to give away also. I have never seen her make a sandwich so carefully before, and she has made her share of sandwiches. She clung tightly to the baggie while we walked around and she intently looked for that special person she made the sandwich for. She rejected all my suggestions of whom to give that sandwich telling me each time that the sandwich she made was for someone special. And she was right, that sandwich made its way into the hands of someone who was hungry. All of the students we had with us and even my little ones who tagged along got to see God move like that everywhere we went.

Never underestimate what God can do through even the youngest of kids. And never underestimate what a young person can do when they are walking in their gifting.

I got to see my kids grow in every way imaginable while we were camping and I was stretched in ways I didn’t expect. A long time ago I learned to stay teachable and over the summer I have been learning to hold my plans loosely (Thanks Kendra for that bit of wisdom.) and allow God to direct my steps. That weekend was like taking a final exam in that lesson, as almost nothing went as we had planned it. God had much bigger plans than we did and His plans are always better. Always, even when we don’t think so, they are.

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. 

Life is still going full speed ahead and I have been learning so much about who God is and how He works recently, I wish I had time to write it all down so I don’t forget any of it. I will leave it at that for now as this post is longer than planned, but know, there is so much more to come.

This post is linked up at Project 52 with Kent Weakley.

Our 4th

After thinking that we weren't going to do pretty much anything at all for the 4th but stay home and relax, we realized that Little G had never seen real fireworks ever in her whole 5 years of life. She really wanted to see some so we decided to hit a parking lot not too far from the only place in town that was having fireworks. We wanted to make sure we were far enough that they weren't too loud for her as she does not like it when something is too loud. We did our best to keep the day low key but still fun.

P52 - KaBoom!

After dinner we had s'mores which is tradition for us on the 4th. I made a mini mallow kabob that went up in flames faster than the inside was able to get a melty. And then I hollowed out the inside of a perfectly roasted mallow which totally impressed the kids. Watching the kids is so funny as they all have different ideas of what is a perfect mallow. They range from just slightly melted with no color on the outside to almost ready to go up in flames. My favorite is when it just starts to catch on fire on one side while the rest has reached golden brown. I love roasted mallows.

Mmmmm... S'mores!

And then we headed out to enjoy the show. We set up at a parking lot that has several other spectators. Mr. V (aka Little Man) decided that even though we were so far away he still didn't want to hear them so he stayed in the back of the van. I set up my tripod and hubby texted a friend who was at the actual show. She was giving us updates as to how long before the fireworks were going to start. Little G was so exctied she couldn't stay still for more than a couple seconds at a time.

Ready and Waiting

We ended up in an okay location with a few trees in the way but it was perfect. The sound was not too loud and Little G was loving every second.

A few of the fun shots I was able to get while playing around with my camera.

She kept cheering the fireworks on yelling, "Go Fireworks! Go!" and "GaBomb! GaBomb!" while jumping up and down like crazy. It was quite hilarious and she had a total blast.
Sometimes, low key and relaxed is so much better than all out and over planned.

Linking up this post with the

Firework Challenge at Photography with Kent Weakley

and Project 52 Week 27 - KaBoom.

Our Own Waterslide

This past week's Photo Challenge P52 theme is School's Out. It's week 26, the halfway mark of this fun challenge. I have really enjoyed the first half and totally look forward to the second half of the challenge.

We don't normally take a true summer break from school. Normally we do half days most the week and take whatever days off we want. This year, everyone agreed that we just really needed a long break from formal school time. I can't believe how fast the month of June just flew past us like lightning. And just to state the obvious, it's already July! Such craziness I tell you.

Our first official day of the new school year is the last week of this month. We are going to start school with the Olympics doing a lapbook and unit study to go alnog with the games. I have so much planning a prepping to get done it's quite crazy.

The kids however are having fun playing all day and creating some very cool stuff. Like their own water slide.

They did this last year but someone was always holding the hose or they would water it down in between each pass. This year, duct tape is holding the hose quite nicely. And this is what a homemade water slide looks like. I love how creative my kids are. And the ingenuity my kids have. It has been a lot of fun watching them learn when they think they are on break.
 

Christmas Decorating

Christmas decorating has taken longer than usual this year to the point that there are a few things I still have to put out this week. Normally I pull out the decorations and deck the house out the week after Thanksgiving, but this year it has taken a bit longer than usual. That’s okay though; the kids have been having lots of fun helping me get everything looking all Christmassy. I love pulling out the decorations each year and finding those forgotten treasures. It is kind of like meeting up with long lost friends.

The first thing out every year is Jingle. He is our little Christmas bear. He hides around the house waiting for the kids to find him. The kids love this bear.












We started the tradition a long time ago and it is one of the things the kids look forward to. Every year it gets harder and harder to find spots that the kids won’t find him right away which makes a fun challenge for mommy too.

I love this snowman. Isn’t he so cute? I won him at a Christmas party several years ago and he quickly became one of my favorite decorations to pull out every year. I actually even put him away last since he is a snowman and snowmen fit in very well with the winter season not just Christmas.








Christmas is the one time during the year that I have candy everywhere in the house. There are so many yummy treats to eat during the holidays. One of my favorite is spice gum drops. When I turned three, my mom made me a snowman birthday cake decorated with gum drops. I remember that cake and now gum drops are something that make me smile.

There are still a few finishing touches here and there and the kids are each making a nativity scene for display. We have lots of crafts and baking to do, presents to make and wrap. And our Advent activities to help us keep our perspective and focus on Jesus, the reason we celebrate at all. It is always fun to spend the last month of the year celebrating all that God has done and all that God will do in the coming year.



Linking up with My 3 Boybarians for the Holiday Bokeh Party Click on over and check out all the photo fun.

All About The Food

We celebrated the Independence of our country yesterday like every other American. BBQ, food, swimming, family, food, friends, food, traditions, food, fireworks and (did I mention?) food. I don't know about you but every holiday I realize just how much Americans love food.

I was in charge of dessert at the family BBQ so I made two yummy desserts. I made lemon sugar cookies decorated like citrus slices. I got the idea and technique from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle. I made my own lemon cookie recipe because all of the recipes I had were for drop cookies but not for rolled. I really wanted rolled lemon sugar cookies so that I could make them totally cute. I'm making these again and I'll share the recipe with y'all so you can enjoy these yummy little bites too.

Then I also made a star studded Blackberry Cherry Cobbler also with my own recipe for the topping. I couldn't find just what I wanted so I modified two different recipes to make the dough just right for what I was going for. I know I'm kinda nuts and a total control freak. I wanted to make sure the stars maintained their shape while baking. I think it turned out pretty cool but the stars started soaking up the juice from the berries so they were purple. I love purple but it wasn't quite what I was going for. Next time I will make sure they stay more on top of the fruit. I'll be making this again soon too. The girls asked me to make it again almost immediately after eating it.

Then after dinner we had our traditional s'mores. For anyone who lives under a rock and doesn't know what a s'more is, let me educate you. Well, actually Ham Porter from the Sandlot explains it so eloquently so I'll let him educate you.

Alrite now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham.

Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate.

Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

I love celebrating my country's birthday. I am so thankful for those men and women and even children who risked everything to establish this country. And what Jefferson said 235 years ago is still true today.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ~ Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday

Ring Around the Sun

The other day my daughter called me from the dining room saying there was an upside down rainbow in the sky. This of course was something I just had to see. When I got to the window and looked out sure enough it looked like an upside down rainbow from our angle, but I quickly realized it was actually a ring around the sun. I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity so I promptly grabbed my camera and ran outside. Then I had to figure out how to take a picture of the sun without blowing out the image or burning my retinas.

I think it came out pretty cool. I love sun flares and am trying to get better at capturing them correctly. I've never tried taking a picture of the actual sun before so this was a challenge for me. I think I got it figured out though.

In other very cool news... Darcy, who blogs at Life With My 3 Boybarians announced the winners of last week's Sweet Shot Tuesday link up for Artistic Photo Canvas. I was one of the winners! I am in shock really. I never win giveaways. Thank you so much Darcy for hosting such a fun link up every week and having so many fun giveaways. And thank you APC for doing a giveaway on Darcy's blog. Now to figure out just what photo I want on a 16x20 gallery wrap.

If you haven't checked out Sweet Shot Tuesday, you should. It is a fun link up where anyone who takes pictures can link up their Sweet Shot for the week. You don't need a fancy camera or any real skill; you just need to take pictures with what you have. The best camera is the one you have at the moment you want to capture something, whether it is a DSLR, a point and shoot, a cell phone or even a lomography camera.

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Hot Cocoa Fun

Last Thursday our heater quit working. Luckily it wasn't freezing but it was that damp cold that makes you feel colder than you really are. The HVAC guy is awesome and was on it right away but the part the heater needed was not a part he could just run down to the store for. We had to wait until Tuesday for him to fix it because that is how long it took for the part to arrive. Sooo... we made the best of it.

We had slumber parties in the living room and in the school room (depending on the night) every night. We watched movies, read stories and had lots and lots of hot cocoa. We used our fun special Christmas mugs to make the cocoa taste even better.

We melted these fun Caramel Apple Hershey's Kisses in the cocoa.

We floated scoops of yummy Vanilla Bean ice-cream in our cocoa.

We stirred our hot cocoas with candy canes. One of my most favorite things to use as a stirrer in my hot cocoa.

Of course no hot cocoa is complete
- without toppings - 

Like the classic, marshmallows.

Or marshmallows topped with sprinkles.

Or you could be like us and just go all out by adding whip cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry on top.

Next time you make hot cocoa, think of something fun you can put in it. There really are no rules for hot cocoa, you can even put chili powder in it if you like a kick in your chocolate. It's entirely up to you.

The Faces of Summer

This weekend we broke out Mt. Tiki Soki, the coolest play sprinkler ever created. This ingenious volcano erupts water that reaches some serious heights. The kids love this little guy and could play with him all day if I let them. They had been asking for several weeks to play with him but it just hadn't been getting hot enough. (Not that I am complaining at all. We had an enjoyably mild June that I wouldn't trade in for anything.)

Mt. Tiki was so happy to be woken up from his volcanic slumber.
Just look at that giant grin.

The munchkins are eagerly anticipating the next eruption. 

They know he is going to blow his top and are watching his eyes waiting for him to "wake up" indicating the eruption is coming.

Looks of sheer joy as the water rains down from the sky.

Dancing in the down pour of lava water.

Catching the falling rain.

Splashing in the puddles with cute wrinkly feet.

This post linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Tonight's Dessert

Once the kids are in bed this mommy sometimes enjoys a yummy treat while watching a movie. Tonight, a root beer float and Pride and Prejudice.

Of course one has to dress it up by putting it in a wine glass.