Flowers From A Friend

I have a dear friend whom I have known for 13 years now.  She is a few years older than my mom, with children of her own right around my age.  Her kids and her grandkids, however, live in other states than where we reside.  Although she and her husband travel a lot, WI is their home base.

I feel very fortunate to have her in my life.  She is thoughtful, kind, fun, reliable, classy and just a neat lady to know.  And one more perk ~ she provides us with much appreciated produce from her garden, including bushels upon bushels of apples from her trees in the fall.

Last night she brought a lovely basket of Swiss chard, lettuce, raspberries and this bouquet of flowers.  Little did she know that a few days before I refrained from buying a bunch of flowers at a farmer's market because I didn't want to spend the money, even though I knew how pretty they'd look on our kitchen table and how much the girls seem to like them.

I hope you all have a friend, a 2nd Mom, a Grandmother figure or other kind soul in your lives to bring you flowers unexpectedly like I do.  If not, consider these yours. Thank you for reading along. I appreciate having you!

And thank you, Barb!

Mother Nature's After Party

We've been having a lot of rain lately, coupled with a number of thunderstorms.  I've always liked storms.  No one wants a tornado, so I'm not talking about anything that's potentially life threatening.  I just mean a good summer rain with an incredible lightening show and the rumbling thunder to boot.  As long as everyone's inside and safe and cozy, I think the storms are pretty neat.

Not only could I see a full rainbow (good luck), but there was a double rainbow (extra good luck!) as well. Can you spy it?

Beau-ti-ful

Thoughtful Thursday - Toast Preference

How do you like your toast cut? Oh come on now. Don't look at me like that. You know you prefer it cut in a certain way or shape.

How about eating it? Do you eat the soft part first or are you a crust biter?

Me? I like it cut at an angle so there are 2 triangles. And if I really want to hearken back to the days of my childhood, I cut it in 4 triangles. That's how my mom did it for me, and that's how I do it for my girls.  Oh, and I eat the pointy part first.  Hey, we all go some time.  It's either now or later.

How about you? Do tell.

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What Did You Do? Wednesdays - Camp Momma

Last summer I cut myself a massive break.  I had fun.  Really.  It was quite a let-down when the summer ended.  The unassuming beginnings of Camp Momma began accidentally two years ago when my husband went to Sydney, Australia for work.  One really great day at the zoo lead to a surprise stop for ice cream another day, which lead to an extended afternoon out and then dinner at a restaurant.  During the weeks he was gone, I simply let a few things go that I wouldn't typically allow to be out of my control.  And you know what?  The law enforcement never came to charge me with endangerment and reckless abandon.  The decorating police never came.  The cleaning police never came.  Neither did the ironing task force or the organizing crime squad.

At the beginning of last summer, I'm sure I had forgotten the few carefree moments I allowed myself to have with the girls, but I started out with a bang anyway.  A "Hey, let's go to the......" turned into a memory flood of how much fun a beautiful summer season can be when the pressure is turned off.  I live for our summers, and now I live for the days of Camp Momma with which to fill them.

It's hard when my husband travels, and it's dually hard for me with the utter exhaustion I experience all the time.  Even on days when I think I can simply not function one more second, I have kind of learned to almost remove myself from my body and just focus on the girls and what I want for them.  What I want for them is to remember Mom giving special pushes on the swings....oh no, no ~ not your standard under ducks, but "under kitties" and "under cows", complete with sound effects.  I want them to remember the awesome mess we made making a craft, or baking muffins.  And I want to remember squeals of "This is FUN!!!" as they roll down hill together and land in a dizzy pile at the bottom.

Summer is just such an awesome opportunity to cram all kinds of great stuff into three short months.  I know I don't have forever with the girls when they are little like this, so I want to make the most of it.  Now if only I could get a little relief on the fibro front.  I'd feel like we could fly to the moon.

What Did You Do? Wednesdays - Garage Sale Glory

You know, once I actually got started with my garage sale prep, I've kind of been in my glory.  I have truly enjoyed the organizing, the pricing, the sorting, the straightening, the WhereAreWeGoingToPutAllThisStuff decisions.  The colors make me happy too.  All the bright colors of the toys, the little girl pinks and purples, the sea of book covers....I feel pleased when I look around.

I'm content with the memories I have with each item as well.  Most of the items were more well used by our oldest daughter.  It's different with the second, isn't it?  They go right into whatever the older ones like/have.  So, maybe I remember what my oldest and I played in the time she fit into a certain outfit, or where we went, and what we did.  I recall the vast amounts of time spent doting on her in a tiny, little house far away from any family or friends, while we played with many of the toys we're now selling.  It's bittersweet, you know?

It's like Where's Waldo....could you find me in any of these pictures? No? Of course not.  I'm buried under all the other stuff I didn't post shots of. Oh,trust me. There's A LOT.  I've overflowed from the garage significantly.  If it rains, we're in big trouble.

S'more Gifts & S'more Gifts

This is the time of the year when all of us Moms are wondering where another school year has gone.  On Friday, I'll be getting my new 2nd grader off the bus as she finishes her 1st grade year.  Someone once told me that as soon as children enter kindergarten, it seems like the next time you turn around, they're graduating from high school.

We'll be attending a new school and a new school district next year, so as a good-bye gift to A's teachers and instructors, principal and office staff, we packaged the makings for s'mores.

Even if summer break has already started for you, these are fun gifts for camp counselors, babysitters, daycare providers as your child moves into preschool in the fall, swim instructors, etc.  They also make a nifty favor for your summer get togethers or parties.

The clear, plastic bags can be found in the cake decorating or wedding supply section of any craft store.

We included 4 full graham crackers, 8 large marshmallows, and the equivalent of 1 full size candy bar in each one. No need for a campfire; they work just fine in the microwave!

Mmmmm! Gimme "S'more"!

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Linked here:

Making The World Cuter Mondays @ Making The World Cuter
Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

Thoughtful Thursday - Dogs

Have you ever noticed that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Photo: http://www.motors.co.uk

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I had the nerve to show my face here:

What Did You Do? Wednesdays - Garage Sale Prep

Who:   My mom (that dear, dear woman), the 6.5 year old (who, surprisingly enough, ended up being an excellent box hauler) and me

What:   The Godzilla Garage Sale

Where:   My overflowing garage

Why:  Because we should have had one about a year ago  2 years ago  5 years ago before we moved back to WI

When:  Officially June 11-12. Unofficially, until it's mostly gone (every weekend until July???)

How:  You mean like "How did we end up with so much stuff for 2 small humans?"  I can only respond with the following:

There ought to be a law.

I should have my head examined.

Money should be withheld from me.

How did all that fit in our basement?

What was I thinking?

It's ok to say "no thank you" if someone wants to give you something.

They'll make more.  (i.e.  You don't need to buy every good deal you come across.)

Girl stuff is sooooo cute.

Unfortunately, there's more where that came from.  We're prepared for Christmases, birthdays, Easters, St. Nicholas Days, and pretty much any Sunday-Saturday "I'm bored" days for the next, oh, let's just say 3 years.

Surely there's a support group for that, but I'd probably skip out on the meetings like Lindsay Lohan.

You know what's sick?  I'm still going to "T H E" garage sale to end all garage sales that I look forward to each June.  This year I won't let my husband take off of work, though, so I can spent 4.5 hours digging through other people's junk stuff.  I'm planning on hurrying through like the devil was on my tail.....or at least a block or so behind me.  Look at it this way, it's a good test of my restraint.

Alright, alright.  Just strap the ankle bracelet on me now.