Much Cuter (and Nicer) than Chef Ramsey

May I take your order please?

Or in Abby Grace terms, "What you want to eat?"

Another Summer Perk

I have one more fun summer perk to add to my list...grilled jalapenos...no cream cheese or bacon...just jalapenos. They add just the perfect kick to hamburgers, steak, chicken, or just about anything else you can think of to grill this summer.

Also, I blogged about sweet Stellan a few months ago. He has been doing well until the last day or so and has now been back in SVT for "too many hours to count." Please pray for him and his adorable family.

Hopefully, I'll get another real post up soon enough; my current rotation just happens to be zapping my creative juices, all of my juices for that matter. Fortunately, I just have 3 weeks left of this one and then things should improve again.

Swim Bag

Okay, ready for the pink swim bag story? The other day, Jeremy, Abby Grace, and I went swimming. On the way home, Abby asked if I would push her in her swing when we got home. I told her probably not, that I had to move laundry and unpack the swim bag, and then never thought anything else about it. We got home and I started laundry, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Abby was scurrying about like a squirrel trying to hide a nut. Then, the questions started. "Mama, where does the sunscreen go? Where do you want my towel? Put my cup in the sink?" I still never caught on until..."Mama, you push me in my swing now?" Yes, she had unpacked the swim bag all by herself and no, I had no more excuses. We went outside to swing.

Perks of Summer 2009

In general, this summer has been one of my least favorites as I have spent the vast majority of it cooped up indoors on rotation, but I have made a couple of discoveries that have made it a bit more fun.

I have a new favorite Sonic treat: Mango Cool Breeze. Drinking it makes me think I am at a luxurious tropical resort...except that I'm not. Even so, it is still heaven in a cup.

Also, you will notice I have added 2 new songs to my playlist. They are Summer Nights and It Happens. I heard both all the time as I drove to Claude for my rural rotation during the first half of the summer, and they always manage to brighten my day. Even Abby has started singing Summer Nights after hearing me sing it all the time. Her version consists of, "Summer nights, summer nights, summer nights," probably because those are really the only words of the song that I know. :)

So now I am curious. Do any of you (all 10 of my readers) have any Summer 2009 favorites?

Camping in a Tent

I'm finally ready to do a blog update. At the end of June, the Espes, the Watkins, and we all returned to Red River for our 2nd annual camping trip. It was very similar to last year's trip, except for one tiny detail. We slept in a tent this year! I am still far from being a fan of tents, but I am happy to report that I did survive the experience...thanks to the tent being big and a space heater to keep me from freezing to death. Oh, and the scrumptious camping food definitely canceled out the horrendous campfire smell...you know, that smokey smell that stays in your clothes and hair even after they have been washed 3 times.

Did I mention that the food was yummy? We ate potatoes that would give even a marathon runner a heart attack!

The highlight of the trip (at least for me) was the horseback riding. Abby Grace and I rode a huge, as in Budweiser horse huge, horse named Brutus. We were at least 3 stories off the ground! And as we strolled along, nose to tail, along the well worn path, Abby made up a song. "Clip clop clip clop, Riding on a pony," repeat x 20. Not sure where she got it, but it was cute.

All of the kids

Finally, I should not leave out the story of our near death experience. I mean, what would a trip to the mountains be without at least one near death experience? All 3 families had decided to go up to a lake embedded within the mountains one afternoon. So with some on 4-wheelers and the rest of us in my Tahoe, off we went. Some would say that my Tahoe was filled with the chickens, but Jeremy would probably not like being referred to as a chicken...somebody had to drive the chickens! The trip should have been uneventful, and would have been, were it not for the hog trail they called a road, the fact that if we met another car we would have surely fallen off of the mountain (we met at least 3 other cars), and that a tree had fallen in the road that made it unpassable, thus leading us to have to either back up or turn around. 4-wheelers = easy assignment. Tahoe = impossible feat. After multiple attempts at backing up, with the chickens squawking, Jeremy finally insisted that we get out of the car and leave him to drive farther and find a spot to turn around. That was one of those moments that you realize how much you love your husband. I did not want to leave him in the car alone, but neither did I want to send Abby without me. It did not help that as we got out, and I quietly asked Jeremy if he was okay, his answer was, "Yes, I just don't want ya'll in the car if something happens." Thanks! Anyway, he drove on and after a few minutes we heard sounds of more 4-wheelers? No. A chainsaw? No. My car turning around? Yes! I have never gotten the full story of exactly how he did it, but I've gotten enough to know that I'm glad he had previously left us on the side of the mountain. Plus, I have a good story to tell and we all have something to laugh about on next year's camping trip.

Blog Block

I am suffering from a bit of blog block these days so posts about our camping trip, the 4th of July, and unpacking of the swim bag are currently on hold...hopefully to come soon. For now, a simple picture of Abby Grace excitedly waiting for the 4th of July Fireworks will have to suffice.

Don't Eat Her!!!

The other morning Abby, Sassy, and I went outside for a quick photoshoot. I mean, isn't this dress just the sweetest thing ever? We just LOVE Hanna Andersson...cute, soft (mandatory characteristic in Abby's world), and durable (mandatory characteristic in my world).
Our simple outing quickly turned dramatic though. Sassy started sniffing the rose bush and found what she obviously thought was about to be breakfast...a baby bird. Apparently, Abby saw the bird about the same time because she started screaming, "Don't eat her! She's my friend!!"
"It's okay, baby bird. My no let Sassy eat you. Your mama come back to get you." I didn't have the heart to tell her that her new friend would probably be consumed by a cat...