Hi friends! How's your summer going so far? It's supposed to be HOT here later in the week....mid 90's. I can't complain too much though because we have had some milder days this year (actually had a spring), especially for June in this area!
Our days have been a buzz of activities ever since we finished Algebra! :)
Joy and I got to get dressed up......and wear our sundresses and cowgirl boots for the first time......to a wedding! :)
Saturday (a week ago), we attended the wedding of a long-time friend of our family. I thought the vows were beautiful!
Samantha and Michael
Joy with Sam
I didn't get a picture of Sam in her wedding gown, but it was a beautiful mermaid style gown.....she changed into another dress for the dancing at the reception, which was when I brought out my phone camera.
Joy was right there dancing with all the young girls. Luke didn't like sharing her. :)
This is Joy and long time friend, Katie Beth. I have pics of these two from the age of two on up! It doesn't seem possible they are this old....they're growing up too fast.
Instead of throwing rice or bird seed, the guests released balloons as the bride and groom left. I thought that was really pretty!
This wedding must have got Luke to thinking......he told Joy that when she gets married, he's going with her! :)
Knowing the dad of the bride and the cut-up that he is, we knew the father/bride dance wouldn't be an ordinary sentimental one of the sorts.....so Jason had his phone video camera ready. And we were right! :) I thought I'd share this for a smile today. And yes, that is my husband laughing in the background! :) His laugh has been known to stop a show before (and make his kids want to hide under their seat)! Lol! It takes it a few seconds to begin the song that they dance to...and then make sure you keep watching past the 2 minute and 30 second or so mark....that's when the fun begins! :)
Then last Sunday evening we took the kids to a local carnival. The carnival usually comes in the spring (around Easter) and then again in the fall.....so this one was a little surprise. The kids spotted it right away and asked Dad if they could go. And so we did. :)
Joy has always been a little daredevil when it comes to riding rides, even as a little thing.
And you know how Luke loves to be with Joy......well he hung with her on every ride that he was tall enough to ride.
He wasn't that excited over the carpet slide because he slipped off the carpet and did a little tail spin coming down on his belly. After that, he was done with that. He was content to watch Joy slide down it.
And then this past Thursday, I took the kids to the Pink Palace Museum. We had a great time there as well.
Creepy, huh? Some Indian tribe did this!
For me, the highlight was this vintage cupboard and stove though. That would be what got my attention! :)
These days, we've been hanging around the house doing a little more of this.......
Life is good.....enjoying these summer days of family fun! :)
It seems like all we've done this summer besides staying on the go........is eat and then eat some more....and we've been in a "sweets" mood! :)
We love these lemon cookies around here. Besides tasting great (almost like gourmet cookies), they're super easy to make! All it takes is a lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup of oil mixed. Roll into quarter size balls and dip into powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes (they will begin to crack a little). It usually takes a bit longer in my oven. Everybody loves these!
Next up was Grandmama Love Day I guess. She made these for us last week while Trey and Shauna were visiting with us.......brownies and fudge all in one day! Even though it looks like alot, believe it or not, they didn't last long with this bunch!
And then after a fun evening at the carnival Sunday and seeing folks enjoying funnel cakes, I came home and made the next closest thing for us......homemade donuts! I had forgotten how much I loved these. I grew up with my mom making them. These are also super easy.....canned biscuits pulled apart to make the whole in the middle....deep fried, dipped in a mixture of powdered sugar and water, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh, and of course, there are no calories in these. :) Yummy!
Not sure what it is about summer, but it sure has put us in a "sweet" mode! :) Now I know you're hungry, so go make your family a sweet treat! :)
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Be sure and stop by tomorrow to join my guest and I on the sunporch for a chat! You'll love her!
While my nephew and his wife were here last week, we were on the go all week! I have several things to share here but it would be picture overload to do them all in one day, so I'm starting with a few highlights from the zoo! :)
Last Thursday we enjoyed a beautiful day at the zoo! It was overcast and breezy.....just THE perfect day for the zoo!
Luke had never been to the zoo before so it was fun watching him. When we were in China, we went to a safari, but he doesn't remember it. He was so excited, but since he walked all the way through (no stroller for him), he was ready to go home towards the end!
There is a special exhibit going on where the kids can pet stingrays (Stingray Bay). That was a highlight!
Joy and Luke enjoyed it....
So did the big kids.....Colt, Amber, Trey & Shauna!
Luke with YaYa, the panda......
Jason and I doing what tuckered out parents do best....sitting on a bench catching a rest....... :)
Joy and Luke rode the camel....Joy says it's so rhythmical that it just about put her to sleep!
At the farm petting zoo.......
Love this one......it totally sums up the relationship of these two!
We caught Luke sitting (resting) "China style". If you've ever been to China, you'll total get this one! You especially see the men sitting this way on the sidewalks in China....even the older ones!
Luke enjoyed dippin' dots compliments of big sister.....
It was a fun day! We headed to CiCis pizza afterwards before calling it a day.
Lovin' these summer days! :) Hope your summer is wonderful so far!
I thought I'd better pop in here and let you know that I haven't abandoned my blog! I'm here!
My nephew and his wife (Trey & Shauna) are here for a week, so we've been busy.
But to catch you up on a few things.......
Our mini vacation turned into a stay-cation, which turned into work around here....imagine that!
What was supposed to be a spray-the-deck-and-be-done-in-a-day didn't work out that way. But does it ever work out like planned? Nope.....we're having to roll it all on....the entire BIG deck! And not just one coat....but two! So needless to say, we're not even close to being done. Why do we start one project before we are finished with another? :)
But the kids are enjoying the pool in spite of the deck painting.
Alot of swimming has been going on around here. We got the pool opened and ready last Friday and the kids swam in 66 degree weather. Not this girl.
We've had friends over.....
School is over for awhile....and we celebrated because Algebra 1 is finished (and we're trying not to think about Geometry and Algebra 2).
Oh and Joy and I got new genuine cowgirl boots......we've wanted some for so long!
And Mr. Luke has been practicing his casting skills getting ready for fishing......which he has been talking about doing for some time now! :)
The next few days will be busy as we have a trip to the zoo planned, a homeschool book sale, and a wedding, but I'll be back as soon as I can!
As I mentioned yesterday, my 2 and 3 year old nieces (Ellie and Sydney) were here with us from Thursday until Sunday evening. It was bustling around here to say the least. Busy, but fun. :)
We played inside.
We played outside.
We went to the park, and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream.
We went to church.
And then it was time to go home. The house is definitely quieter, but I do miss those little bundles of energy. :)
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Next week my (grown) nephew and his wife (Trey and Shauna) are coming to spend the week with us. We're all looking forward to it. We have our week mapped out already!
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On another note, since I got my Galaxy 4 S (smartphone), I'm really enjoying it.......maybe a little too much! I'm really loving Instagram. To me, it's a little like "mini blogging" - pics with a few words. So what about you? Are you on Instagram? I'd love to follow my blogging friends on there but I can't seem to find many! Let me know if you are on there and how to find you, and I'd love to be a follower! (My user name is countrygirlathome).
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Something else that's on my mind........Pinned it, Made it! Monday. It seems like interest in it might be diminishing. So I need your input.....is this something you enjoy? Would you enjoy a more general linky party that would be easier to participate in, say, an "At Home" one that you could link up anything pertaining to home/home life? Or even no linky party at all....and just go back to general posts by me? I value your thoughts, input, and suggestions! And what about the Sunporch Chats?
What kind of posts do you most enjoy here?
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Oh, and Joy and I are counting down the days to being done with Algebra in our homschool.......this Friday! That will be a day to celebrate!
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I know today's post was a rambling bit of this and that but it's what was rolling around in my head today. Thank you for stopping by. Have a beautiful day (and evening). :)
Luckily neither of my boys have ever asked for a pet snake. I have to admit that I've always worried that day might come. Colt would be the one looking for a snake, but only to shoot. And Luke is probably just as scared of them as Joy and me. This is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned :)
This is the sign I found in the yard the other day designed and placed by Luke.
That's my boy! :)
Luckily, we haven't run cross any snakes yet this year in our yard yet. But then, the chances are pretty good that we will........that's just part of country living.
If you give a little girl sidewalk chalk, chances are she'll draw flowers, hearts, rainbows and such.
If you give a little boy sidewalk chalk, he takes a different approach.......he draws things like roads, stop signs, traffic lights, railroad tracks, and neighborhoods. And so my little one did. :) He worked SO diligently.
Then a beautiful afternoon calls for getting dirty, of course. He spent just as long playing with his construction equipment in the sandbox.
And then what do you think he did?
He brought his mama "flowers" fresh from the yard.
And of course, that definitely put a smile on this mama's face. :)
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