Week of July 12, 2009

Sunday: We seem to love lazy weekend afternoons. With all the going we've done lately, they are definitely a great time for resting with a movie. Here is Allen catching some Zs while Jon cuddles him. Tonight we had homemade honeydew salsa to with grilled chicken. We follow that with homemade lemon sherbet with blueberries. This is the first of four meals this week from the last edition of Bon Appetite. 7/12 Monday: I finally had some time to scrap, but I can't feel creative when my 5-year old keeps competing for my attention. The scrapping will have to wait. Will and I are working on summer bridge worksheets while I've been washing and freezing blueberries all day. 7/13 Tuesday: Will played "PSU HUT" -- he wrote on the sign and pronounced it "Pizza Hut." That's what we get when I constantly say "sound it out." He has colored lots of roundish pizzas with lots of toppings. The "blueberry chocolate chip breakfast dessert pizza" wass calling to me. Will and I are really enjoying reading the Magic Treehouse series. Today's photo: another ordinary day. Ben is having a tantrum while I try to make dinner. Yes, he is climbing the fridge in frustration. No. He is not allowed to do that. 7/14 Wednesday: "Mary Poppins" makes even the rough days sweeter. I was weary today with day-2 of a headache, and the kids were grumpy and whiney. I gave up on the “good mama” show and put in a movie to get some rest. I ended up watching the entire movie, but it is my favorite movie. I am so glad the kids like it, too ". . . when the day is gray and ordinary, Mary makes the sun shine bright." 7/15 Thursday: Will got his new box of crayons out today. They were a reward for keeping up with the summer learning worksheets. Two adventures the rest of the day: Adventure #1 - Jon running upstairs to get a box of wipes. "Why?" I asked. "For Will. Ben blubrry butt stinky." I rushed to the other boys to find Will, in his words, "Just trying to help you out, Mama. Ben stinks and its disgusting!" At least they were on the tile floor in the bathroom, and the stink was mostly contained. At least half a roll of TP got used and flushed before Jon got wipes. Adventure #2 – I’m so very, VERY glad Allen was with us when the car's battery quit. I’m so very, VERY glad we were eating out within walking distance of WalMart. I’m so very, VERY glad he took the hike with the heavy battery so he could make things all better. I’m so very, VERY glad the kids were mostly behaving while we waited and waited and waited so very, VERY patiently (well, I pretended anyway.) 7/16 Friday: I love cooking from my garden. So far this month, I've used green onion, basil, mint, thai basil, and oregano. Sadly, the tarragon didn't make it, and the carrots are mutants, the arugula cooked a little to long, and the dill wilted. Still no tomato fruits or peppers, just lots of leaves. I have one pregnant butternut squash, and the watermelon babies will soon overwhelm us. Here is a picture of a "blue" balloon flower -- I was thrilled to find some blue blooms since the rest have all been white. I think they are supposed to be short (6-8"), but this stem is about 3 feet tall. 7/17 Saturday: The Visa damage is done: seven polo shirts and one pair of jeans for Will for school, memory cards for vacation, groceries, books, one pair of black mary jane heels that aren't sexy but are otherwise awesome. After Will and I got home, we all spent the afternoon and evening playing in the backyard. 7/18