bubbles

Got this idea from this blog. The original idea came from here. This was a lot of fun. I even tried.

The key is to blow out. Chuckles learned this the hard way.

Trying to beat the HEAT!

It is HOT here. I have decided heat makes me grumpy. (Just ask my kids) I need to read and absorb more the wisdom found here. I am a weary Mom. We had a long night last night. It ended up with me arguing with my 10 year old at 1 am. I am sure the neighborhood loved that. We played musical floors and beds last night. I am planning on being more proactive today. I have already cooked dinner. All I have to do is grill the brats that I already boiled. I have pudding already made and potato salad made. Sun tea is already in the refrigerator. I am taking the kids to the air conditioned mall after lunch. Maybe I can convince the Giant Man Child to take us to the beach tonight. It has to be cooler there. I'm Ghana adopt had an interesting post on the heat.

Lego Show and Tell

Chuckles - Attack of the Jungle

This year instead of a Lego Contest the library held a Lego Show and Tell. I am always amazed by the kids creations and I loved hearing their explanations about their creations. I was amazed that #1 Son got up there and used the microphone and had a very concise explanation of his creation. There were 26 entries. I am missing my camera. At least I have the kids digital to use but no zoom. Hopefully the camera will be back by the time we go on our trip. Both kids won a door prize which was nice. Here is the link to last year.

#1 Son - Legend of Zelda Triforce

Slurpee

I paving the road to hell one Slurpee at a time. I broke down yesterday and bought the wrecking crew Slurpee's. It was hot. I am depleting my children's college fund one Slurpee at a time. I believe that was Chuckles first Slurpee. Do you realize Slurpee has it's own website?

Here are a few facts from their website

The American Slurpee is injected with air. The Canadian Slurpee is not.

Half of all Slurpee drinks are purchased between the hours of 4 and 11 pm.

Every day 11.6 million Slurpee drinks are consumed around the world.

The Average Slurpee drinker's age is 29.

It is suppose to be another hot one today. It might be another Slurpee day. At least, the car has air conditioning.

Help! I am melting

Alternative titles to this post could be :

Hotter than Hades

Record Heat

Please people don't get Naked

Send AC

We are having a record heat for our area. We got up to 88 degrees according to the paper. My wireless thermometer said 90. I am not going to quibble over a few degrees. It was hot. It is suppose to be even hotter today. I got the gorgeous sunrise picture above because I have given up on sleep as it is so hot in our 2 story house.

Seattle Torchlight Parade

Police Motorcycle Drill Team

Horizon Float

We went on a grand adventure on Saturday to the Sea Fair Torchlight Parade. That is the mother of all parades. We had an awesome time. We got down there around 4:30 and began to look for a spot to set up. The parade starts near the Space Needle. We decided our best bet was to set up in the crosswalk when they closed the side streets. Talk about a land grab. We managed to secure seating for all 10 of us. They turned out to be great seats as that is where everyone stopped to perform. The parade highlighted the culture diversity of Seattle and I thought how Seattle when it started to rain during the parade.

#1 Son trying to stay dry

I loved all the drill teams, the Chinese dragon, and the pirates at the end. I was worried that the booming from the pirate ship at the end would be too much for #1 son but he said, "I love booms." We managed to make it home by 12:30.

The Princess

Sidewalk Chalk

Chuckles has been having a great time playing with the sidewalk chalk. In the whole scheme of things, this is a pretty frugal activity. This has pretty much been a neighborhood hit with the 2 to 7 year old crowd. We need a good rain to wash away some of it because I am pretty sure they are running out of room to draw on my driveway. It has provided endless hours of entertainment. I hope I'm not raising a tagger.

To my Dearest Friend

To my dearest friend

I know you hate public declarations

BUT

you are appreciated

AND deserved to be celebrated!

Happy Birthday MRS EPI!

(official driver of the Adventure Van, BFF, Quilter Extraordinaire, and FAB Mom)

Squires Lake

The adventure van was on the move yesterday. We went to Squires Lake. It was quite the hike. The notes I found on the Internet said the first 1/4 mile was steep and man, it was. I think the word strenuous applies here. I huff and puffed the way up the side of the mountain. There was no way I was going to be shown up by the 4 year old Princess. The whole gang did great on the hike even the littlest one hung in there. I am really proud of them. We felt like billy goats but it was worth it! We won't speak of me sliding on my rear on the way back.

We also found a letterbox there too. Mrs Smarty pants saw a snake. The lake is really beautiful with lily pads and an abandoned beaver dam. Maybe next time we will make it up to the beaver pond.

I had camera problems and only managed to get a picture of some scat that we (Mrs Epi) thinks might be bear or cougar. I think there is a certain irony here. The pictures for this post will follow in a later post. I don't know what the tech is going to say when he finds the only picture on my camera is of poop. Lucky that I had my phone with that takes pictures. Mrs Smarty Pants if you are reading this I have no idea how to get these off of my phone - Help! I am a lot electronically challenge. Maybe it was a good idea that my hubby got the extended warranty on my camera. I wonder if I have insurance on my phone.

The most precious part (emphasis on PRECIOUS)of the trip was on the way back home. Mrs Epi was telling her son, Bones, that he couldn't play Star Wars in the van and she didn't want to hear anymore Star Wars talk. Without missing a beat, Chuckles, said, " THIS VAN SUCKS." Mrs Epi and I about passed out with laughter. I don't like the word "sucks" and I did tell him that wasn't polite. His timing however was perfect.

Yikes Zucchini!

The JUMBO harvest so far minus a couple of zucchini's

I so blog lifted the title from a thread on 2 Peas in a Bucket. I think the saying is true, all you really need is one zucchini plant. Our plant is definitely a producer. So far, I have made zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini bread, and fried zucchini. My go to recipe for regular zucchini bread is found at all recipes. (here) On a whim, I decided to try making a chocolate zucchini bread recipe found in my MOPS cookbook. It turned out ugly but delicious. I tried the fried zucchini found on the two peas in the bucket link. It turned out pretty good.

It is funny how food triggers certain memories. I still remember my cousin discovering that my Grandma had left out the zucchini of her zucchini bread. Just for the record if you leave out the zucchini it doesn't turn out so great.

Italian Sodas

#1 Son has been bragging about the Italian Soda parties that they had a school. So, we decided to give it a try. Chuckles doesn't drink pop/soda but we discovered that he enjoys these. Basically an Italian Soda is flavored syrup and carbonated water over ice. We added half and half and whipped cream to the top of ours. Here is a link with the recipe. These are much cheaper than the version sold at coffee shops. It is a little summer indulgence.

Hot Tub Enclosure

The Giant Man Child was incredibly busy this weekend. We are so close to finishing this thing. It is missing one crossbeam on the back and some decking. Soon, we can move on to the landscaping. I think it looks incredible and very close to my vision. Here is the first post on turning our ghetto lot to fab spa.

Cama Beach

On Thursday, Mrs Epi's Adventure Van took us to Cama Beach on Camano Island. None of us had ever been there. What a beautiful little gem of a state park. One day, I would love to come back and stay at the little cabins that are right on the beach. These were part of historic fishing camp.l We enjoyed the sun and water.

We even saw eagles swooping down and fishing right there on the beach. It was incredible. At the end of the day, we were one tired crew.

Early Morning Visitors

My dogs were barking this morning. That is really annoying so I go look out the window and I see this.

Time to Scratch out some Projects

Photo by Chuckles

Both #1 Son and Chuckles love taking digital photos. There are a few projects that #1 Son is working on. He plans on entering a call for photographers for a photography exhibition called, "Harvesting Agriculture's Aesthetics,"sponsored by Whatcom Farm Friends. He has the perfect shot of a cow for this contest. #1 Son's fine motor skills are significantly delayed so taking photos has become his ART. Even though drawing is difficult for him, he loves to draw. The city we live in is also having a photo contest. He needs to take some photos for this.

Space Needle Picture- June 2009

#1 Son is also interested in computer programming. I have been looking around for some resources on that for him. He is only 10 so there isn't much out there for that age group. I ran into the free program called "Scratch". It lets you create animations, games, and stories. We have played with it quite a bit. I have to say it is pretty awesome. I pretty sure that even I could create something with this. Here is an article with more resources.

The Room Thrift Built

The nester is having a "Price my Space" party. Check it out! My whole guest bedroom/studio was built by thrift. Doesn't studio sound more interesting than sewing room or guest room. I was telling my sister that this was the only girly space in my house. This is my refuge and probably the least used space in the house. That should say something. I didn't want to invest a whole lot of money in here. Hey, I live with the two man wrecking crew. Here is a little tour of the room:

Dresser was given to me by a neighbor. The mirror was purchased but the frame was found at a garage sale and repainted The rusted sifter was found by my hubby and holds my sewing scissors and whatnot's. I did purchase the rusty scale for $15. The spools of thread are in a ice bucket with the initial "H".

Dresser = free

rusty sifter= free

ice bucket= $5

scale = $15

pictures on sides of dresser= $30 (total)

mirror= $25

frame= $5

Everything with arrows was basically thrifted or re-purposed with the exception of the cutting table. The shutters were repainted with OOPS paint.

valance (repurposed from the nursery)= free

shutters= free

brackets (garage sale)= $10

Oops Paint= $8

glassware= free

cutting table =$90

The wall above the bed needs some work. I would like a headboard and maybe some plates above the bed. The bed was a barter of babysitting services for the bed. The sewing table doubles as a night stand when I have company.

bed = free (bartered with babysitting services)

sewing table= $15

bedding (including bed skirt)= $50

The bookcase was from Pappy's house. The Saint Bernard Planter is one that my hubby had in his boyhood room.

bookcase= free

_________

GRAND TOTAL= $253

Frank the Frog

The neighborhood kids found this frog and named it Frank. Isn't he handsome? They decided on the name "Frank" because "Hopper" was the name of their deceased frog and "Skipper" just didn't sound right. I thought maybe he was the reincarnation of the frog we found last year.

Fairhaven Park to Marine Park

Yesterday, the kids rode their bikes on the interurban trail from Fairhaven to Marine Park. At the beginning of our bike ride, we stopped and found a letterbox. A letterbox is a box you find through using clues and the actual box contains a log book and a stamp. It is similar to geo caching but without the GPS. Bellingham is crisscrossed with a lot of trails. Mrs Epi and I walked(trailed) behind the bikes. Sometimes it was more like a jog. Hey, they were on bikes. We played for a few minutes on the beach.

There definitely was a lot of boy energy. These guys are either Larry, Curly, and Moe or the 3 Musketeers. I'm not sure which.

The View of the Bay

We had never done the bike ride thing together. I think the kids had a good time. On the way back, we made a pit stop for some ice cream.

Getting in the Swing of Things

Now that our company is gone. We are trying to get into our summer routine. I am so lucky to spend the summer with the two man wrecking crew. We keep things flexible during the summer break. Some of the things planned are library, swimming, beach, and of course adventure's in Mrs Epi's Adventure Van. We have the quite the list of possible adventures. LOL The kangaroo farm , Pacific Science Center, and Jetty Island were part of our adventures last year. Oh, we went to a few parades, too. Stay tuned for our upcoming adventures. You never know when will show up in a van full of mayhem. Be Afraid!

Linky Love

It is a rainy overcast day. I baked yesterday and made these delish cherry muffins. Hot out of the oven they reminded me of McDonald's Cherry Pie's. I was gifted with a huge bag of cherries from my neighbor's. Their tree is loaded. These muffins are very addicting.

This summer I have slowed down on my couponing. Having the two man wrecking crew on my shopping adventures is kinda crimping my saving style. Money Saving Mom had a good post on this as well. My whole saving style has been boiled to get in and get out.

I having been doing some easy reading of the lawyer/mystery books by Lisa Scottoline. If you like Janet Evanovich then you will probably like this author too.

Blaze of Glory

Lady Liberty taking a peek at us

We had a pretty low key 4th of July. We went to the Blaine Parade with Mrs Epi and Family. We baked in the sun. DID I SAY IT WAS HOT?!

#1 Son, Chuckles, The Princess, and Bones

We had planned on just watching fireworks this year instead of setting off any. However, the boys were so disappointed. So we made a last minute purchase of some fireworks.

Bones(7) with sparklers

Mrs Epi and Family came over to watch us set our lawn of fire. Seriously, we had a small grass fire in our front yard. I just mentioning at the parade that I worried about someone would set the field behind our house on fire. Oh no, we set our own lawn on fire - good times. Other than that, we watched a lot of fireworks being shot off and it was pretty low key.

OOPS!

My cats aren't right

Our cat, Boots, is trapped between the window and screen. He is desperately trying to escape.

Happy 4th of July

Picture taken on the Lummi Reservation

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July

Dollar Models

Boat by #1 Son

The kids found these $1 models at Micheals. It came with the glue and paints. I thought it was a good deal. There was a fighter plane, car, and sailboat. A word of warning, however, the sailboat model needed some parental help. The sails on the sailboat were tricky. The boat did manage to float in the bathroom sink, though. This made #1 Son's day as he has been begging me to get him a model.

Plane by Chuckles- XO55 Fighter Plane