Thursday, July 28, 2011

We're Back

We just got home from vacation...Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Sorry I didn't let you know I'd be gone, but, err..it doesn't seem very wise to announce that your house will be empty and it's inhabitors gone for such and such period of time. You could just as well put a sign on your door saying, "Come on in and take whatever you like."

Anyway, we had a wonderful, fun filled trip but we are happy to be home. Home is just..well..so nice. I love my bed. I love my kitchen. I'm working on downloading pictures from vacation to share with you. Stay tuned!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

That Mean Ole' Goat

My kids were at my mom and dad's for a few days this week. We missed them terribly, but we always appreciate the few days of sleep and catching up on chores. Anyway, while the kids were there my mom started telling them "stories" about when Jona and I were kids.

There was one story in particular. When we were small, I was probably about four or five years old, we lived in this house with a big apple tree orchard next to it, we called it the Apple Tree House. One day we were playing out in the orchard when the neighbors big old goat got out of his pen. He chased Jona(then about 2 or 3 years old) and I across the yard. We couldn't make it all the way to the house, but we made it to the car and climbed on top of the car and that goat had us totally stranded on top of our car. Meanwhile, my mom heard us and being quite scared of the goat herself, finally got a broom and chased it away.

My mom was telling my kids this story and they were enraptured. All week long Grace has kept mumbling about that "mean ole' billy goat that tried to eat my mama." I'm not sure how she got the eating part, but she has her own take on things!

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Fourth of July

Shew! We have had a jam packed summer so far and it looks like it's only going to get more busy! I have been attempting to "stay on task" and check those "fun things" off of our summer to do list. And we've done well!

Among all of our fun, we traveled up north to my parent's last weekend. It was such a fun weekend! My sister and her family came too, along with new Baby Jack, who is still in the new baby, no sleep at normal times stage. (It was a good reminder to be thankful that we have no more newborns in the Michael house!) But I did get to spend some quality time with baby Jack Sunday morning, while his exhausted parent's slept for a couple of hours. We took a look walk and cuddled for a while. He wasn't so happy to be away from his momma, but Aunt Danielle was an okay substitute, I think.


To back track a bit, we went to the Wildlife Safari on Saturday. This is a place that was apparently right down the road from us, all the while we were growing up and we never went. We all got $5 tickets from Groupon and it was SOO worth it. We brought about seven pounds of carrots and fed tons of animals from our car windows! Fun..and a lil' scary sometimes. You haven't lived until a large Buffalo, a Texas long horn, or a giraffe sticks his head in your window.






The admission also included free pony rides and camel rides for the kids. I know, totally worth $5, right?


On Sunday afternoon we packed up the kids and went to the beach for a couple of hours. The weather was PER-FECT. Mid 80's with a nice breeze. We dug in the sand and convinced the kids to get into the water. My children, especially, are leery of water they can't see to the bottom of. And Lake Erie, that day, was certainly murky from a recent storm. Not to mention, their father Indians, in general, are like cats when it comes to water, so we have a lot to overcome when it comes to water sports!


And, although everyone was too tuckered out to stay up for fireworks, we did have fun at a cook out at my Aunt Brenda's, followed up with a little lightening bug hunting. All in all a perfect summer weekend!

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

My First Pillow Creation

I have been planning on making this pillow FOREVER. I was actually dreading interacting with my sewing machine. We are not good friends and she gives me a hard time every time I pull her out of her hiding spot. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but every time I sew five or six stitches, the needle jams and I pick up the material only to find hundreds of little strings on the underside of the material?! What am I doing wrong?


Anyway, I did finally finish this pillow. It involved much hand stitching and cutting out of little circles..which my husband defiantly has been mocking me for my crafts that involve circles.

And (call me cheap, in India they say you are so cheap that you kill the fly that lands in your tea and suck the tea out of the fly before discarding it!)but I found a chair on the side of the road in our neighborhood the day after our subdivision garage sale, and picked it up. It sat in our garage for a week while I sprayed it down, cleaned it up, and just in general tried to convince myself there were no critters on or in it. This chair is fab-u-lous. And the wood matched our bedroom furniture perfectly. I just knew this pillow would bring it home.



Unfortunately, it turned out smaller than I thought it would be. (After all I cut and sewed circled on this thing for several nights!) It still looks awesome tho!

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Fathers Day Craft



For Fathers Day the girls made homemade cards for Conrad and helped make waffles for breakfast. As usual, they chased him back into bed so they could serve him breakfast in bed. Which he things is wierd, and they think is so very cool. I mean what's not to love?: Pillows, blankets, syrup, and small children? All in the same place?

Anyway, we made these great little Daddy boxes and made him certificates for things for Fathers Day, which he has YET to use, including a professinal massage!!


We were also surprised that my dad stopped by for Father's Day! So we gave him his gift and took him out to dinner. It was an awesome day surrounded by Dad's!!