Summer Fun!

Last night, Shawn and Deetra invited us to go out on their boat, and with the temps around here lately, we were all too happy to oblige! I had worked the Gaming convention downtown all afternoon, so everyone was just waiting for me to get home. But when I did finally get home, I was STARVING...and since no one else had eaten yet either, we made the executive decision to order pizza and eat at their house before hitting the lake. Boy, I don't know if pizza ever tasted so good!

Anyway, we finally got out on the lake, cruised around a bit, and then headed to the swimming cove so the kids could swim. They had a great time, let me tell you! They swam round and round the boat, jumped off the deck, and had Barry throwing them from the back. You'd think they'd be worn out, but nooooooo. So we decided to head out and let the kiddos tube and hopefully ski. Much to our surprise, Kendall said she'd try the skiis. And she didn't back out either...not even for one little second. And on her second try, she popped right up! We were so proud of her!After she tried a few more times, it was time to let Shea and Noah do some tubing. This was Noah's first time in the tube, and while he was eager as soon as Shea said she'd go with him (he didn't want to go by himself), he didn't last too long. He decided he'd rather ride in the boat and watch everyone else. Kendall rode the tube for a little while, and then the big boys got in the water for some knee-boarding and wake-boarding. The kids were totally mesmerized by Shawn's tricks! And all the while, I got to hold the adorable Will...We had so much fun...and the kids did great! Many thanks to the Huntingtons for a fun evening!!

Cool in the Pool

On Wednesday, Deetra and the kids invited us over to swim in Shea & Will's new pool...and as hot as it was, we were happy to oblige!!! The kids wasted no time jumping in and getting down to the business of pool play. This squirter was a huge hit...and I hear Grandma Godsey got this for Shea...way to go, Paula!!

There was definitely no shortage of splashing!!!There were lots of smiles to go around...and it was a great way to cool off on such a sweltering summer day. Deetra made us a yummy lunch, and we brought ice cream sandwiches for dessert. What could be better, I ask you??

New ...to us, anyway!

On Sunday, Barry's dad and Luanne came our way to deliver our new tractor. Well, it's new to us, anyway! It's a Massey 165, and Barry's Grandpa Wally bought it brand new in 1967. Barry's dad, Gary, has been restoring it basically from the ground up for us...he even painted it and put new decals on it. This is very exciting, because it has a hydraulic bucket, more horsepower, it's a diesel , and it has power steering....none of which our old Massey 50 has. Plus, it's just plain cool that Barry will be using the same tractor his grandpa bought for the farm in 1967...and now it will be part of our farm, thus part of our history here as well. I know this fact is very special to Barry. He's sentimental like that. :)

So, just for reference, here is our old Massey 50, soon to be sold!
*Handsome hubby not included!!*

And here are a few shots of our new Massey 165...didn't Gary do a great job?Noah thinks this tractor is his, by the way. Can't you tell? He spent a good hour out there checking it out and pretending to drive it before Barry finally came out and took him for a ride around the property.Boys and their tractors...sigh....

Congrats Amy

My sister-in-law is getting married in August! This in itself is good news, but even better is the fact that we think Joe is the cat's pajamas! The kids have already taken to calling him Uncle Joe, and that is a good thing. They are getting married on the beach in Nags Head in August, and we will definitely be heading down for the festivities and enjoy a week's long beach vacation while we're there! Wahoo!!

So, anyway, two weekends ago, I attended Amy's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Sorry for the late pictures, but you know how it goes!

It was a totally fun day and evening! I can't believe the big day is almost here!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there...the world is a better place with you in it!

And to my sweetie...thank you so much for being the husband and father that you are. We are so lucky to have you!

My New Toy

Last week, I bought myself a little gift!

Sheri got this handy-dandy 2 quart ice cream maker a few months ago, and after tasting her many concoctions, I decided that one would be sitting in my kitchen in the very near future. Now, don't think for one minute that I don't already HAVE an ice cream maker...c'mon, you know me better than that!!! But the ice cream maker I have is a whopping 6 QUART size, and it is kind of a pain in the a@# to use. First of all, it's incredibly messy, with the rock salt and ice and everything, so we have to use it outside. Plus, it's really loud. So when I saw this baby in action, I was sold.

Now I did balk a bit at the price tag, of course. I was going to have to save my pennies. But then I was walking through Sam's Club one day and there it was...for under $60!!! I was so excited, I think I might have peed a little! I went back that very week and snatched one up for myself...vowing to immediately post mine on Craig's List when I got home.

Oh me, oh my, were we ever excited!! The kids and I started planning what flavor we would make first. It ended up being Strawberry Chip, inspired by my favorite flavor at Graeters. And lordy, lordy, was it GOOD!!! Loads of fresh strawberries, real cream, whole milk, sugar, and of course, Dove dark chocolate!! It was fantastic! And you know what else? It only takes 25 minutes!!
Sorry, I forgot to take pics of the end result...it was so good, we ate it immediately! Then, that next weekend, I made Cookies and Cream for my friend Amy. I only had a little taste, but it was very tasty too. This week, I think I'm going to try for chocolate with a peanut butter swirl. We'll see how that turns out! Of course, my analytical hubby has already decided that even with the price tag on this baby, we'll be better off making our ice cream at home. Pretty cheap, really! So, stay tuned for more ice cream this summer! Sheri told me that her brother and his wife put Mike's Hard Lemonade in there and make slushes. I see those in my very near future!! YUM!

Playing catch-up...

Ok, let's see...what's been going on around here that I haven't filled you in on? Well, school is out for the summer...that's the big one! Kendall only had to go for a half day on her last day of school, since it was a make-up day. Arnett Howard came for his annual "last day of school concert", which is always a treat, and then the kids had an early release at 1:15.

Noah and I showed up early, at 11:00, for the little luncheon the teachers put on for the volunteers. It was so nice, and we even got a sweet little gift from the principal...a nice calculator (which I can always use, since I misplace mine so often!). After the luncheon, we met Kendall and her class out on the lawn to have lunch with them. Here she is with her peeps...notice they are all boys. Hmmmmm...should I start to worry?Then we went into the cafeteria for the concert. Noah had a ball, and Arnett always puts on a great show for the kids AND the parents. SO. MUCH. FUN.!!!Now I had promised the kiddos that after Kendall was released from school that we would play on the playground for a while. The school has such a nice playground...it's all shaded and there's plenty of room to run. There was no way they were leaving without the chance to have the playground all to themselves. We really had a great time!I can't believe school is out and Kendall will be starting 3rd grade in just 9 weeks. Unbelievable! I think it's time to start stacking bricks on her head to slow the growing process, don't you?

Setting the record straight

Lest you start to think that we live an idyllic life out here and that my kids are wonderful, creative, and kind little beings who are never ill-behaved, I'd like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. Of course, no one likes to dwell upon those moments of parenting that make you want to rip your hair out and run to your room, cowering in a corner and sucking your thumb...and I'm no different than any other mother in that respect. My kids can be mean to each other, rude to guests on occasion, throw fits, refuse to eat their dinner, and just be challenging to say the least, but I just choose (for the most part) not to give attention to that behavior and not to subject all of you to it either. I mean, do you REALLY want to check in and hear about that?

I didn't think so.

However, I thought that maybe a reality check was in order, lest you get the idea that I live in a house with 2 little angels. Follow me through the anatomy of a meltdown.

Noah loves throwing Scout's ring down the hill, watching it roll on it's side...How fun is this?Uh oh...there's trouble brewing. "What's wrong, Noah?""SCOUTY took it!! He won't give it baaaack! I want it, I want it, I want it!!!""Aw, buddy, it's his toy. He thinks you're playing with him!""NOOOOOO! I don't want him to have it! I want it! I waaant it!!""Give it baaaaaack, Scoutyyyyy!!!"Oh my. This will not end well.

Meanwhile, Scout was just as happy as a clam, playing with his ring, and trying to goad Noah into playing tug of war with him. Noah was in no mood to play along. Don't you just love days like this?

How does your garden grow?

I'm so excited!!

You'd think that for as many years as I've tended this garden, that it wouldn't be so exciting when the little sprouts pop up through the dirt, and yet it is!! This week, after a good amount of rain and lots of heat, my garden started showing signs of my impending harvest. Check it out, peeps...
And check out my poor, sad, strawberry patch. It did not get the attention it so needed and deserved last fall due to us focusing on builiding the wetlands...and now we are paying the price. Oh, the weeds!!!
But rest assured, those precious little berries are in there...we just have to hunt a little more for them!