Objects in rear view mirror may appear closer than they are...errhhh...I mean...objects are closer than they appear...errhhh...does anybody know the difference between those two phrases? Extra points if you can name that song. Well, anyways, what I really meant to say was...bubbles shown in pictures are life size and so much fun! Even for some big kids!
An afternoon of summer fun with big kids and big bubbles!
Did the article"Pearls Before Breakfast" that was written last year by Gene Weingarten (Washington Post) about world renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, playing in the subways, ever circulate your inbox? If not, first read "Pearls Before Breakfast". You'll actually get to watch the video of him playing in the subway too.
Then, you've got to go read Weingarten's recent article, "Fiddling Around With History" about the Pulitzer Prize he won for writing "Pearls Before Breakfast". Take a minute; they're both definitely worth reading! ~Enjoy
Now try saying that ten times fast...come on, I dare ya!! Do these ingredients look yummy and fresh and like they'd make a super summer supper? Yes? Well, I thought so too! I've been on a fresh fruits and veggies kick lately. There's a Farmer's Market that is on my way home, and it's open every day of the week. I've been stopping by there every few days and picking up what looks enticing. It feels nice to be eating so fresh and to be supporting the local farmers. Today, I got some good broccoli, tomatoes and yummy peaches. I have a recipe in mind for the peaches in a day or two; once they're super juicy and ripe. I'll share that then. But today, I made a super yummy Chicken Fresca for dinner (what Craig calls supper) with:
plus some chicken, Italian dressing, butter, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper --and a couple other things. I paired it with a simple side salad and it turned out like this...
My boys loved it and I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!
And on another "health food" note...if you haven't tried, or are unsure about whole wheat pasta, you've got to try Muellers Whole Wheat Penne! I will eat whole wheat, although, some of it can be kind of heavy. But this was SOO delic!! It smelled so good while it was boiling that the kids walked in and asked, "yum, mom, what are you making?"...all over smelling whole wheat pasta!
If that sounds good and you'd like to try it, here's the recipe:
Chicken Fresca
Ingredients:
1 12 ounce box whole wheat penne pasta
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 heads (approximately 2 cups) of fresh broccoli (rinsed)
1 cup grape tomatoes (rinsed)
32 ounce box low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 cup Italian salad dressing
5 ounce block fresh Parmesan cheese
Steps:
Fill large saucepan with water; cook pasta until al dente, drain, and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet to med-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter and let heat up. Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Add the chicken and season it with sea salt and pepper. Let simmer until fully cooked.
While chicken is cooking, cut broccoli into bite-size pieces, cut grape tomatoes into quarters; set both aside.
Once chicken is fully cooked, return the pasta to the large saucepan and add the entire box of Chicken Broth. Add to this the cut broccoli and tomatoes and the cooked chicken. Cover and turn on high. Boil for 10 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
While this is cooking, dice your sun-dried tomatoes, grate your Parmesan cheese and make a simple side salad to eat along with your pasta dish.
When the broccoli is tender in your pasta, drain the mixture and return to pan. Stir in diced sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, last 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of Italian dressing, and grated cheese. Let stand for 3 minutes while cheese melts.
Toss and serve with a simple side salad.
Click here for a printable version: Download chicken_fresca.doc
.
Enjoy!
Allyssa and Colby spent pretty much all day outside hanging out with some of our back yard neighbors.
My friend and neighbor, Kristi, was great today! I had such a sinus headache and she had my kids over to hang out and play with her kiddos on her big blow up slide for a good portion of the day She's got four; and all of our kids get along fabulously! And today, Allyssa and Kristi's two youngest daughters decided they needed to make some money. So...they set up a Lemonade stand and "went to work"...
chanting "lemonade for sale, only 50 cents, lemonade for sale, only 50 cents, lemonade..." all afternoon. So much that it drew me out of my house enough to get a little fresh air and a glass for myself.
I must say, Kristi is a great neighbor to have! She was such a life saver today. Because my kids would have been so bored and bummed since I was really not feeling that great. We have been spending alot of time with her and her family because her husband is deployed right now too. Another good thing about living on base, we have each other to lean on.
Meet Leah, she is sweet, and adorable and such a princess girly-girl.
And here's Tony. She's the rock star -- all attitude and sass!
They're both great kids and Allyssa really enjoys playing with them. I think because they adore her so much and let her boss decide what they're gong to do.
And of course, you already know my Adorable Allyssa.
So today... the girls decided the lemonade stand would be fun. They were so cute!!
And when a big Suburban pulled up filled with tons of big kids getting back from an afternoon at the pool (Kristi with a load of neighborhood kids which included my Daz man, her older two, and most of the other older kids in the neighborhood), the girls had a line of enthusiastic customers. (What good big kids to come home chanting "lemonade, lemonade, lemonade") and making the girls feel so special!
So they went through their line of customers, and made quite a bit of money.
What Adorable Entrepreneurs!!!
I mentioned that Daziel went to Boy Scout Camp for a week, right? And boy oh boy did that boy have a blast! He's been talking bout the stuff he got to do and the things he earned while he was there since he's been home. And maybe I'd be inclined to tell you about all those achievements that I'm so proud of, if something else that made me proud (proud?) hadn't caught my attention first.
I must admit... I was really missing my boy and was completely ready for him to come home after being gone for an entire week! But I was dreading the laundry I'd have to do when he got home. You know -- boys, wilderness, dirt, sweat, boys, stinky, yuck! I think you get the picture.
So to my utter surprise, when I opened up his footlocker and started helping him unpack...
I saw that the 2 gallon zip lock bags that I had so neatly packed a pair of shorts, socks, underwear and t-shirt into for each day of the week (and labeled accordingly, of course) so he wouldn't be scrambling to get his stuff on the way to the shower (shower? yeah! right!) looked pretty much the same as they did when they went into that box. I was thinking, "Good Boy, Daz. Way to keep your stuff together." Then, when I started taking everything out of bags, sniffed it a bit (only a crazy good mother would do that, right?) and thought, "Wait a minute, this stuff is clean." So I asked,
"Daz, hey man, where are your dirty clothes?"
To which Daziel replied, "te he, he he, te he he he, um, I'm wearing them".
ONE WHOLE WEEK and he came home with CLEAN CLOTHES. Ok, maybe you're not following me. He was at camp for an entire week and he DIDN'T CHANGE WHAT HE WAS WEARING!! Oh, wait, let me give the boy a little credit. He had a dirty swim suit. And a Dirty Boy Scout Shirt because he had to wear every night for dinner.
So, considering that he didn't change his clothes for the entire week; I'd say he doesn't look so shabby. And that definitely explains why their troop t-shirt is dirt brown. And...why he had flies swarming over him until I insisted that he peel his clothes off and put them in a hazardous waste bag while he took an hour long shower. And yes, he did smell. A lot! (I can't imagine what his bunk mate thought -- oh wait, yes I can. He was another 11-year-old boy so he probably didn't change his clothes, either.) And the cute thing was, when I asked him why he didn't want to change,
"Hey Daz, now that you're showered and don't smell and I can actually stand to be within two feet of you, please tell me, why didn't you change your clothes at camp? I mean, I made it pretty simple for you to change. All you had to do was grab a bag and go. Were you embarrassed to change in front of other guys?"
And Daziel answered, "No, I wasn't embarrassed. I just wanted to be in Scout Uniform the whole time. I wanted to show I am a proud scout."
To which I smiled and hugged him. And told him that he'd have to weed my flower bed to earn six more pairs of scout socks. And that we'd have to think of something so he could do to earn a few more pairs of green scout shorts and troop t-shirts. Oh, what a boy!
What is WWAT? Well, first -- there are a few blogs out here in blog land that are doing themed postings, and inviting other blogs to join in. WWAT was started over on The Adventures of an American Mum. WWAT is -- Worless Wednesday With A Twist... a way to post some pictures without feeling the need to write alot about them -- the twist? A theme. And then we vote and the winner gets to pick the next theme. Sounds pretty fun to me, so I thought it would be kind of cool to join in, plus, it'd give me a little bit more ambition to post more frequently. If you want to see more from other blogs, click here and scroll down; there's a long list of bloggers who are participating. And of course, because my summer is filled with kids, kids, and more kids -- my summertime pictures will be of -- my kidlets! Go figure! Enjoy the pictures of our SUMMERTIME!
And oh yeah; if from now on you see WWAT in the post title -- you'll know that I'm in rare form and won't be talking much, but instead, will be telling a picture story.
SUMMERTIME
Did I ever mention that before Amy got here on the 5th of July, we had a really good 4th of July?
Have I yet to mention that I still need to figure out how to take pictures of sparklers? I'll work on it, my friends. Next year I'm sure they'll look SO much better! So...for the fourth... my friend Diana (and her great neighbor and adorable children and pyromaniac -ish husband :-) invited us over for a BBQ. Good food. Good friends. Squeezably cute and cuddly baby...
...a friend that is one year and one day older than me and can still morf back into a beautiful baby bearing momma that looks like she never laid eyes on a kid in her life. Ok, Diana, I love you. I do. You just gotta know I'm a bit jealous! Just a bit. But how can you be jealous when you look at that little piece of squeezable goodness? I loved hugging on your new little man!
I watched my kids playing with sparklers and realized -- we don't do this as a tradition. I don't love fireworks. Not sure exactly why. Maybe it has to do with all the homemade arsenal from my childhood. I don't know. They've just never "done it" for me. But they sure did for my kiddos!
So on that day; the day we -- as a nation -- celebrated our independence, I got to watch this...
and miss my husband who would have loved being there, seeing this, eating banana pudding and enjoying a beer with friends. And then I realized that for us... Independence Day is every day my husband is away from home, fighting for for freedom, standing up for liberty, missing out on sparklers and banana pudding and the lives of those he loves. For our family -- the 4th of July isn't about one day a year where we celebrate our country; it is a way of life. We stand proud, stay strong, and are aware that every day is Independence Day. Every every day is a 4th of July. Every day we live in a great nation.
Last week while Amy was here visiting, we went to a Biscuits game. You know, our local AA Southern League ball team.
The game was great!! We had a ton of fun. We sat right behind third base and a foul ball (line drive that was super duper fast) almost hit me and Amy. It was about an inch low and got lodged in the seats in front of us. Crazy scary. But Colby was so excited about it and got to keep the ball. He was SOOO darn cute!
After that, he went and sat down right behind the dugout and watched the rest of the game. He was cute and cheering and so into it!!! And because he was…one of the guys from the dugout went and got a broken bat and gave it to him. Oh my, did that make his night!
Amy and I really enjoyed it!! We used to play ball together, way back in the day. We sat there talking and reminiscing all while enjoying the game and watching my kiddos enjoy the game. And there's something to be said for AA Southern League ball games! Lots of down home, good southern spirit! And as the sun set and the sticky air settled into a slight breeze, we sat back and enjoyed the game, some old memories, and making some new ones!
Again, we are thrilled and excited to have another summer visitor!!! Amy and I have been friends for (how long Amy?) 15-16 years. We were trying to figure it out, and to our best recollections (which is hard to do...recollect... because we are getting kind of old you know) we met right before our 8th grade year. Amy and I went to high school together and have kept in touch ever since. And in high school, let me tell you, we got into, well... really what I mean is...stayed out of alot of trouble. I mean, we did alot of stuff that could have ended up resulting in a heap of a mess, but really, considering all that we did...we actually stayed out of trouble were good kids. Kind of. Right Mom? Right Maggie? Come on, some support here...please?!!? Just saying... that through all of the sneaking out and boys and break ups... through loves and losses and loves and weddings and babies and moves...through it all, we've kept in touch.
So, Amy, you know...the Amy I went to visit two spring breaks ago, got here on Saturday and is staying until Thursday and we are having so much fun staying up late and talking and having a few drinks and reminiscing and going to dinner and enjoying each other and my kiddos (minus the Daz man who is at Scout Camp -- more on that later). I love it when you have a friend that you can reconnect. With Amy, I can go years without seeing her, or months without talking to her, but when we do, it feels like yesterday. Because it does, it feels like just yesterday we were hanging out in my bedroom, sprawled on my bed, talking on the phone to this boy or that...being teenagers. Thanks for taking a vacation from mommy life and leaving your darling little girls with your parents so you could come and make my summer a happier one. Thank you Maggie and John for watching the girls so she could come visit!!! I really, really needed this visit!
And then you have moments like tonight that make you love having kids so much!!!
When: tonight -- around 8:30pm
Where: in the living room, watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and chillin' out, family style.
What: gut wrenching, eye watering, belly laughter that lasted for minutes.
Why: (*note* Colby has been on a joke telling kick lately.)
Colby -- "Allyssa, why does your butt say sweet?"
The rest of us -- confused, wondering where on earth he got this joke from and
what on earth the punch line would be. We look at each other with question marks in our eyes.
Allyssa -- looking unsure "Huh?"
Colby -- "Turn Around!"
All of us -- gut wrenching, eye watering, belly laughter that lasted for minutes
Colby -- proud of himself for telling such a funny "joke". "Now that was really, really funny!"
All of us -- gut wrenching, eye watering, belly laughter that had us rolling on the floor.
Do you have fun loving kids who are goofy and make you laugh? I do! Do you have good kids that, for the most part, are really well behaved and make you very, very proud? I do too!
Do those same kids ever do anything that annoys you, but that you feel cannot be warranted with a true punishment? Well, mine do! Like...all the time!! And, I know that many of you already know that I'm pretty strict and try to run a "tight ship" with routines and chores. But I also know that about myself and try my hardest to have patience, acceptance, and try not to let the little things ride under my skin too bad. And I think that for the most part, for our family, it has worked. I think our kids are great kids!! But every once in a while, my kids will do something that is just SO darn annoying that I can't stand it any more, so I have to do something about it. This has happened several times as of lately.
Example 1: A certain child of mine decided that they would change their clothes six times a day, four days in a row. What happened? I didn't yell, I didn't scream, I didn't withhold dinner or even ground them. I assigned "laundry duty" for a week where this child was responsible (with my help) for washing, drying, and folding all of our laundry for an entire week!. True story, folks. It just happened. This said child is now much more aware of when to change out of filthy clothes, and when to let that little water spot dry and just go on with life.
Example 2: Another one of my children had an issue with belching at the dinner table. Now, I know that kids will be kids, and those types of things just slip out and happen every once in a while. That I get. But every single night for weeks? Something is either going on with this child's stomach, or this said child has mastered the art of intentional burping. So, what do I do? At first, I thought that sending said child to his room and making him wait to eat dinner would work. Kinda, maybe...not really. The belching continued. I had to get creative. So, one night I made this lovely and spirited child of mine belch twenty-five times before he could eat his dinner. I told him, "Lovely and spirited child of mine, since you so love to burp right as we're eating dinner, I have decided to let you do it. And even better. I have decided that you have to burp 25 times tonight before you can take one bite of your supper." Now, mind you, this same child had been chomping at my heels for the past ten minutes as I was cooking. So I knew he was hungry, and I knew he would not like burping tonight. Not 25 times. Not before he could eat. Not while he sat and looked at his food, and smelled it, and watched the rest of us eating. And...granted, I knew that this tactic was either going to work -- or really, really backfire because I was reinforcing that the burping was ok. And really, I don't have that huge of a problem with it. I'm a country girl at heart. But at the dinner table? Every night? So I took the risk and went for it. And, I was right. And he hasn't belched at the dinner table since.
Example 3: Another one of my children had been growing his hair out. He wanted to let it grow out into a long, shaggy style -- as is the style for preteen and teen boys nowadays. And, being the very cool Mom that I am, I said "ok". No fight, no fuss, no issue at all. I thought he'd actually look pretty cute! But then, this same child took issues with washing his longer hair. I had patience, knowing that learning to wash your hair correctly when you're not used to having much hair at all was probably going to be a process. But then, he not only didn't want to wash it (which, yes, it got kind of stinky), he didn't want to do anything with it. So, it just sat like a mop on top of his head. But then again, who am I to judge ones hairstyle? But the stink, I just couldn't get past the smell of his head when I'd walk by his sweaty, summer, not really washed, hairstyle! I threatened and promised him that if he didn't take more time washing his hair that he'd have a nice "Colby Cut". You know...a "one on the side, two on top" military cut. He didn't want that. But, I also don't think he thought I'd actually follow through with making him shave his head. But here's the thing, even though I threatened, the problem persisted. And since this said child is about to go to Boy Scout camp for a whole week (and I've already been forewarned by other parents that I'll be lucky if he changes his clothes and brushes his teeth once during that week), I thought, there is NO way he's going to camp with long hair. He'd end up coming home looking like this!
(p.s. Please do not mistake that just because I have posted a picture of Jason Castro on my blog that I am Jason Castro fan. I am a David Cook fan all the way!!)
So, to prevent an eleven-year-old from coming home from Boy Scout camp with a head full of dreadlocks...we went and did this today.
Long hair, short hair, no hair, I don't care -- he's still so darn cute!!!
Ok, so I've been told a few times that I'm a tease. And I know I definitely was with this salad recipe. I told you all the way back in March about this salad, and then said I'd post the recipe for it. Then, I got a little sidetracked. ("Excuses, excuses" yells come from the gallery). Hey, it happens with me every once in a while. But even if I'm not the most timeliest of people, I at least get it done. (All of you who got your Christmas presents in May can attest to that.) I think that is the Middle Child in me.
So, without further ado...wait, wait, before I really start, I want to remind you that I cook for a hungry, swimmin', food deprived group of hoodlums here. And as I've said before, I LOVE lots of leftovers. And this salad is the best that way!! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at least three days in a row. So, if you're not like me, and need a little more variety in your diet -- OR -- if you don't have frothing, hungry, crazed kids drooling at your feet saying "Feed Me! Feed Me!", you may need to halve this recipe.
And for me, the beauty of this recipe is that it's a combination of leftovers and fresh yummy goodness. But sometimes I have to spice my leftovers up a little. Figuratively, and literally. Who said leftovers had to be boring?! This recipe will turn your Southwest Chicken soup leftovers into a culinary delight that’s a crowd pleaser. Of course, you’re always welcome to make the chicken and the corn mix that I made for my soup from scratch for this recipe, but it goes so much faster if you just pull those two ingredients out of the freezer. As an added bonus, the flavors will have had time to marry to make an enticing taste.
Ok, so really, here it goes...
2lbs. seasoned, cooked chicken (leftover from the Southwest Chicken Soup)
1lb bag of frozen corn, cooked in butter, onions, etc. (leftover from the Southwest
Chicken Soup)
1 package of lettuce (I use an Organic Spring Mixture, but you can use whatever makes your toes curl)
2 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 or 3 Avocados
4 Tomatoes
8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
2 limes (Peruvian if available)
Black bean chips
Southwest Caesar or Ranch salad dressing
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Now, because I'm good at getting off track, let me divert for a moment to tell you how and why I choose these ingredients, and how (if you're a little unsure of using so many fresh ingredients) to choose really fresh, mouth watering produce for this salad.
-- Tomatoes: Bold red. Choose ones whose color shouts ripeness and flavor!
-- Avocaodos: Deep green. Too much green means they're almost black and entirely too mushy...good for guacomle, not so good for this salad.
-- Limes: For this salad, I prefer Peruvian limes, if you can find them. They have a much better, stronger, sweeter, more summery flavor, in my humble opinion. The other flavors in this salad work together to magnify the whole entire flavor of this variety of lime.
(* Peruvian limes are on the left, regular limes on the right. Can you see the difference?) Now, if you can't find the Peruvian ones, or they're too expensive, by all means any lime will do. I wil not judge you. And really, I wouldn't even judge you if you wanted to squirt that lime juice out of the bottle on your salad. I wouldn't do it, but if you do, I promise, I will harbor no judgment. But, I will forewarn you, that you'd probably be better off with no lime juice, than that "stuff" out of the bottle. And really, if you're not going to use lime juice, you may just want to make another salad altogether because the lime juice is key in this salad. But really, I won't judge. Just please don't write me and say "Charity, I made your salad, and well, ugghh!" if you don't use the real limes, ok? Alright, just saying!
-- Cheese: I use half a block, but use as much, or as little, as you like. I always grate the whole block, and keep the rest of it around for my Wisconsin cheese lovin' family to eat by the handful, or pile more onto their salads. But, again, I know we're not typical. You may want to save your cheese to make some Chile Con Queso, or some homemade Mac and Cheese or something.
-- Lettuce: You'll want a lettuce that adds lots of green, as well as plenty of vitamins to the meal. Oh...and one that tastes good too! I think anything you like will work. I would just caution against iceberg simply because it has no flavor, no nutrional value, and it isn't very pretty. But again, that's just my humble opinion.
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Now, (finally) lets begin...
Dice the tomatoes. Peel and slice the avocados. Reheat both the chicken and the frozen corn mixture in the microwave, about 5 minutes for each.
In a large bowl, or on a fancy platter, layer the ingredients as follows:
Lettuce, Corn, Black Beans, Chicken.
I must say, that when layering your salad, it's important to layer cold/warm/cold/warm so the lettuce won't wilt.
Then add grated chese, diced tomatoes, and avocado slices liberally across the top.
Slice the limes into wedges, then set aside on a plate with remaining diced tomatoes, avocado slices, and grated cheese.
Serve the salad on top of crushed black bean chips. Squeeze the juice from one or two lime slices on top of the salad to taste. Timing is everything! Squeeze the lime juice on top of the salad before you put the dressing. It gives it such a fresh taste and adds SO much to the salad.
Top with ranch or sothwestern Caesar salad dressing. Add remaining tomatoes, avocado slices and cheese if desired. Lastly, devour!
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Download southwest_chicken_salad.doc
I woke this morning to this. Luckily, Daziel and I both woke up feeling much better today. So we got up and headed to swim practice (we leave the house at 6am). On the drive there, we saw so many trees down, basketball hoops and garbage cans blown over-- lots more destruction than what my little patio got. Thankfully for me, but somebody's gonna have to clean that all up too. Although, I guess, I get my fair share. Daz and I are on our first day of feeling well, but Allyssa crawled out of the pool this morning limping. She hurt her knee. She was actually complaining a little this weekend that it hurt, so we've got an appointment today to get it looked at. I want to make sure that, if it's injured, she doesn't do more damage.
It's kind of funny. Me and a few other military wives were just joking about that's how it works when your husband is deployed. Your car breaks down right before you're planning a road trip. Or, all of your kids get sick at once. You brave a storm and then wake up to see that life is still rolling along, just as if it hadn't happened, and no one says to you, "Slow down, take it easy, I know you were up all night with scared kids and don't have help. Go get some sleep." And luckily for me, this deployment, we don't have much of an agenda. Accept swimming every morning at 6am. But other than that, we're coming and going and sleeping (well, napping) and reading to our hearts content. So I'm not complaining. Just saying, this is how it all works. But I guess the same can be said for a single mom, or a mom dealing with an ailment, or a terminally ill child. So I'll gladly play my deck and not ask for another hand, please God.
Ok, gotta go get that patio cleaned off. Have a great day!
I just wanted to let you all know that we're having bad storms down here today. I've been trying to ward off (somewhat unsuccessfully) a migraine for the past week or so, and now Daz seems to have a stomach thing going on. Please forgive my absence from the blog, but it may take a day or two (or ten, who knows) to regroup. I'll post more when I'm feeling better, am not running to a bed side with a towel and a bowl, and feel that it's safer to stay on the computer without threat of being electrocuted. Happy Happy Joy Joy in the Zaleski Abode!!
And just so we're not that big of a summer bummer, I had to share a swimming picture.
(Colby and Allyssa at their first swim meet -- both getting ready to tag off on their relay. They don't compete against each other, but there were enough lanes in the pool, that they were swimming at the same time. There will be more swim pictures soon, because my kids have totally gotten into it. The boys both asked for "jammers", which are the boys Speedo swim trunks that look like bike shorts and Allyssa even wears a swim cap now. They are too funny! And so into it. I love it!)
And something we are all excited about...
Olympic Trials Television Schedule
Airdate
Time
Network
Sunday, June 29
7:00-8:00 pm CT
NBC
Monday, June 30
7:00-8:00 pm CT
USA
Tuesday, July 1
7:00-8:00 pm CT
USA
Wednesday, July 2
7:00-8:00 pm CT
USA
Thursday, July 3
7:00-8:00 pm CT
USA
Friday, July 4
7:00-8:00 pm CT
NBC
Saturday, July 5
7:00-8:00 pm CT
NBC
Sunday, July 6
7:00-8:00 pm CT
NBC
1. We were really only at Pensacola Beach in Florida for two days -- but then -- you know, life. I wish, as some of you thought, that we were really at the beach for a whole week! Oh, how I misled you. But, oh, how that sounds like such a good idea!
2. Colby is either a hit or a miss with organized, group photos. He's either for it, or really, really against it. I'm sure you can tell which one he was here.
3. Sometimes, when the kids say "Mom, wanna help us..." it really means, "Mom, wanna do this for us", which was the case for this sandcastle. They loved watching Kelly and I do all the work. The funny thing, I think Kelly and I enjoyed it too. I haven't built a sandcastle in soo long!
4. My kids learned how to do the Jelly Fish Shuffle. And then, got kind of weirded out and scared to go in the water when we actually started seeing a few.
5. Colby told me the other day, "Mom, you should take a picture of my stomach. Because it looks like Daddy's. It has those six thingies." I had to laugh, and tell him I wasn't taking a picture of his six pack abs. But then, I found this...and can you believe him? Only five! Yikers! I know, I know, I'll have a tough time in about ten years!
6. All of the kiddos are getting so fit this summer. I signed them up for the swim team on base. They are having a blast! We actually had our second swim meet tonight and they are all enjoying it SO very much! And so am I! I love the water, I love to swim, and I love to take pictures of them doing what they love. So, it's a good combination. Be forewarned, I'm sure you'll hear more about this in the upcoming weeks! Here's a picture of Daziel doing his freestyle -- can't you tell? (Swim Meet Pictures are a little tricky, and I haven't mastered them...yet.)
7. While Kelly was here, she was interested in doing all kinds of touristy type things. Which was right down our alley, because in the three years we've lived in Montgomery, we have yet to do many of the fantastic, historic things this city has to offer. So, we used the two weeks Miss Kelly was here to check off many of the things we wanted to do and see this summer. Like the Rosa Parks Museum, The Capital Building, and Old Alabama Town, just to name a few. We'll definitely have a cool little scrapbook to show for these last two weeks! Can you believe these are the same steps that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech on? I asked my kids that, and there were fascinated.
8. We are nerds, and we are proud! Not many kids would spend a good two weeks sprinkled with lots of sight seeing, museum hopping, and be excited about it. By my kids were, and for that I'm thankful! And very proud. They learned alot in the last two weeks about the South and the history of this fantastic city that we call home - - for now. We enjoyed it, are glad to have done it, and are happy to have shared it with Miss Kelly while she was here!
9. I miss Craig! I have spent the last two nights going through all the letters and cards and emails that we exchanged during the first six months we "knew" each other...before we actually met. I think it started when Allyssa asked me how we met. It's actually a pretty neat story. I think I need to write it down so it'll be preserved. And I'm so happy that Craig and I both saved those precious, first letters and notes and emails for times like now, when I need to hold onto those memories dearly and keep them close to my heart.
10. I'm going to bed to finish another one of my summer reads. Because its 10:45 and my summer wake-up time is 5:30. The kids swim from 6:30-8:00 every morning. I know, can you believe it? Me, Charity, choosing to get up so early all summer long? And I have been working on my summer book list and will share it with you, as well as my opinions on the ones I've devoured so far.
So from my quiet little house on a lovely, Tuesday summer's night...Good Night y'all!
Yeah, yipee, hurray, on the spur of the moment we're packing up the kids and heading to the beach for two nights. I hope you're all planning on having a fabulous few days, because we will be! See you on the flip side with some more fabulous beach pictures.
First, I have to say that I am so thrilled and excited to have so many people who we love and care about want to come visit us this summer. I know, in part, alot of them are coming because they wanted to be here for my graduation, but the summer works better for them. I also know that many of them are making the time to visit because they know Craig is gone this summer, and are trying to help make this summer a good one for me and the kids. And guess what? It's working!
Yesterday, the kids and I went to pick up a good friend of mine from the Atlanta Airport -- Miss Kelly! We are all so excited she's here!! Kelly and I used to "work together" back when we both had our own home daycares when we were stationed at Fairchild. Kelly and I went through the same daycare training classes and became very good friends. We worked so well together that we decided to be "partners in crime"...I was always at her house or she was at mine with all of our daycare kids. And it was amazing, because you'd think with twelve little ones packed into a base house there would be chaos. Not with Kelly and I. We are two peas in a pod and we had those kids on a schedule, organized, and it was smooth sailing! Play, create, laugh, sing, make lunch...OR, we were off on some grand field trip together. We both always had a full load of kids (meaning, we were at max occupancy) and were always planning something wonderful and fun to do together. A backyard circus for the parents, a trip to the lake to swim and go on a nature walk, a trek downtown to the children's museum, or a day of carnival games and bike rides. One of my most favorite moments when Kelly and I did daycare together was, after September 11th, we got our kids to do a mini-concert for all of their parents. We did it after work on a Friday: we did patriotic songs, had them dress in red, white and blue, and even had a flag cake for dessert. It was so precious! Kelly and I loved to do the same things with the kids, we loved to keep them busy, and we loved to do it together.
So, even though Kelly and I didn't technically "work together", we did work together...we had this kind of synergy, we both loved what we did, and doing it together made it that much better.. Have you ever had the kind of relationship where things seemed seamless, like a well oiled machine? Well, that was me and Kelly, and we basically spent almost every working day together for...almost three years. Wow! Now that I think about it, that was alot of time together! And in that time, we did many circle times, family style lunches, craft times, and our favorite (of course) nap times...because then Kelly and I could sit and plan menus and talk and giggle. And working with Kelly while doing one of the hardest and most taxing of jobs (daycare is definitely that, especially doing it by the military standards...and I'll tell you stories of that another day), was such an amazing gift!
I am so thankful that Kelly and I have kept in touch! Our families now live miles apart, we are both very busy with kids and military spouses, but we still have made time to stay close. And even if we don't get to talk but a few times a year, we can pick up and keep going like it was just yesterday that we used to spend every day together. We've had two very fun and jammed packed days so far, with Miss Kelly here to visit, and are looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store! The kids and I are all so excited to be spending more fun-filled days with our dear friend! Thanks for coming to visit us, Miss Kelly!!!
**Before I get started, please keep posting your favorite reads, shows and books on yesterday's post. I love all the inspiration I've gotten so far, and in a few days I'll compile a list to share with you all so you too can make this the best "Ya-Ya Summer" you can imagine!**
"Who's that?" In case you can't tell either... it's me. This, friends, is my senior picture -- I was 17, three months pregnant (hence the overalls), and no, this wasn't a glamour shot! I am really outside standing against a brick wall. That's not a facade. And I did my own hair...AND...my own makeup. I even kindly told the makeup chick that wanted to put MORE makeup on me, "No Thank You" with a polite smile on my face. Although, I did let her put this concealer stuff on a huge pimple I had on my neck. Then, I chalked that pimple up to pregnancy hormones. Ha! That now makes me laugh! It could have just been teen hormones. I was so young then, and I didn't even know it. I thought I was grown and mature enough to have a baby. Good thing I had enough confidence in myself then, because the thought of being a young senior, and a pregnant senior at that, now gives me chills! Wow!
So, I'm showing you this picture now because -- my lovely, and thoughtful Mom brought it to me a few weeks ago and gave it to me as a graduation gift. I thought that was sweet and very fitting. My high school graduation picture that I've coveted and wanted to take home with me for years as my college graduation gift.
You see... for years now, every time I have visited my Mom, I have reminded her that when she decides to take that picture off of her wall, I'd like to have it. And even the last time I was there, and I had seen that she had taken it down to make room for more photos of the grandkids, I asked for it. And her response was, "Not now, sweetie, when the time is right." You see, I wanted that photo because, for whatever reason, I never ended up owning a big one of my own. And since I've been married to Craig, he has, on several occassions let me know that THAT was the first picture that he saw of me (at my sisters house) that made him turn his head, and say "Who's that?" So, I've wanted this picture for a while because I wanted to hang it on our wall to remind my husband of what he saw 10 years ago. Because believe you me, I don't look like that any more!
And since I've hung it in our living room, I've gazed at it a time or two (when the kids are watching Disney and I'm trying to read) and it has really brought back alot of emotions. And it has also brought back memories of how Craig and I first met. And I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm a bit emotional lately, but...who knew...my senior picture would really make me sit and wonder "Who's that?". Who is that young, pregnant, teenage girl?
So Craig wasn't the only person who asked that question, I am now asking it of myself too. And, the funny thing is, when I first hung it up while my Mom was here, Colby turned around with that cute little dimpled grin, and his glowing blue-green eyes and asked, "Mommy, who's that?" My response, "Colby, darlin', that's me." And no matter how many times I look at that picture and wonder about that girl, about what her life was like, what she went through, how she ended up pregnant at seventeen, how she had the strength to go through with it all, how she was so...so, pretty and so strong, how her life has changed so much, I still can't believe it either. That's me.
I NEED YOUR HELP -- read on and see why and how you can make my day!
So, in order to make this summer feel like (as my Mom calls it) a "Ya Ya Summer" -- which is basically a laid back summer that is filled with lots of time at the pool or beach or lake (whichever fits your particular geographics) and lots of books, movies, television, good food, friends, and all that good stuff -- I have been trying to read, write, watch and swim to my hearts content. And let me tell you, it feels ooohhhh so very, very good! But, I need to enlist your help to make this the best "Ya Ya Summer" I can imagine!
I am actually sitting here awaiting the Season Premier of "Army Wives" on Lifetime and have been loving "So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox! I've also been reading like a woman who hasn't been able to read for pleasure in years -- ummm -- because I haven't. I stumbled upon Jodi Picoult and am loving her books. I even went to Blockbuster the other day and was so daggone amazed as I walked through the New Release section because I hadn't seen MOST of the movies! Now that's weird, and so not normal for me! So, I went ahead and bought Movie Pass for the kids and I so we can watch as many movies as we want this month. And I'll probably keep it going all summer long.
So, as my sister, Ange, suggested -- we are going to try and stay busy this summer to try and ward of those "blue days" that happen because Craig isn't here. The difference is, I am not going to do the running around crazy busy, like we are during the school year. I am going to be a laid back pool going, book reading, movie watching, board game playing busy. And... I need your help!!!
Apparently, in the last year or so, I have been living in a crazy volunteering, ball game going, paper writing haze and have no idea what is good and terrific in the land of movies, books, and tv. I take that back, I have still fit in my favorite tv shows. But those out of the ordinary shows...nope, no time. I've only had time for Grey's, Idol, and 30 Minute Meals. So, friends, I need your help, PLEASE!!! Give me suggestions. I need a good list of summer reads, good movies, tv shows, and your favorite ways to relax in the summer (please don't include anything that requires a husband, because, lest you forgot, mine is not here...and really, I don't think I want to know about those type of relaxing things). Really friends, don't be shy. This is the time I really, really need you to post a comment. I'd love a nice little list of ideas... tv shows with the network channels I can find them on, book titles or artists new and old, great movies (and it doesn't matter if they're new or not), and your favorite things to do when it's hot outside. If that includes recipes, suggestions on how to cool off, whatever, I'd love to hear about it! Really, my dear, dear friends, thanks for playing -- it'd make my day!