Summer is winding down! (Brain Dump Edition)

I cannot believe that Mister J returns to school in two weeks and Miss M in just 9 days!  This is the part of summer that usually has me getting excited, but I can't start the back-to-school countdown just yet.  You see, M is away at her first spend-the-night - and she got to stay for two nights!  She's been having a ball, which makes me so happy!  Also, I've had some one-on-one time with J.  I think we should make time to do this more often, but somehow we manage to let our "free" weekends get away from us.  They are few and far between, and we often spend time enjoying the simple fact that they are unplanned.  But even a few hours one-on-one would be something to celebrate.  Hmmm...  Food for thought.

I've managed to continue running throughout the summer, and even improve my pace!  I cannot wait for cooler weather - I love to run in the fall and winter.  Actually, I just love to run - which is how I've managed to keep up the routine over the summer (though I did take a bit of a break early on).  I am thankful for the cooler-than-normal summer, and think that's a big reason I've been able to continue running.  I have also reached the point that I don't ditch a run just because my running buddy can't make it.  I'm tackling those mental roadblocks and learning to enjoy being out there even if it's just me.  However, I do have a bit of a physical roadblock - so I'll be taking at least a few days off.  I've managed to deal with (and treat) pain from a tight quad and I've conquered plantar fasciitis, but I've been sidelined because I took a spill on (or rather, off of) a bike yesterday.  Ouch.  Most of the impact was to my elbow and shoulder, but I also have a bruised hip.  I'd love to say I'll be back out there Wednesday morning, but that may be a bit too ambitious.  Darn.

And - surprise! - I've taken a part-time job at our church.  It's 4 mornings a week, and when school is in session it will be during the kids' school day - perfect!  I'll do drop-offs and pick-ups just like always, and I'll be home for homework in the afternoons.  I started about 3 weeks ago, so we've had to do a bit of juggling with camps, transportation, and child care - but thankfully Big J has some flexibility with work and the kids are able to entertain themselves if he is working from home.  I think the transition to the school year may be a bit challenging - I'm used to grocery shopping on Monday mornings, going for a run in the late morning, and spending a day doing laundry.  I know that part of my schedule will necessarily change - and I'll still need to fit in volunteer hours at school on my day off - but I'm certain we'll figure it out.  I have to admit, these first few weeks have left me worn out in the afternoon.  It seems odd to me - because it's an administrative position - that I should be so tired in the afternoons.  Again, another adjustment and I know it'll just take a little time. 

For now, I'm looking forward to getting the last of the school supply shopping complete, meeting the kids' new teachers, and getting back into a routine.  Summer is fun, and I love that we can send our kids to camps that feed their interests, but some of us around here seem to operate better with a routine.  (Um, that would be me and Mister J!)  Also, I love fall.  Jeans weather!  Camping weather!  Running capris weather! 

So, how've you been doing?  What do you love about this time of year?  Or do you prefer summer?

Already?!?

How is it already July?  The kids have been out of school for close to a month now, and it seems we've barely had a moment to just ... be. 

Don't get me wrong - we have certainly planned for a lot of our busy-ness.  Camps for the kids, home study visits with our social worker as we make progress with our plans to adopt, and some to-dos around the house (due to slacking off during a very busy May and June) were all in our plans.  (And somebody had a birthday!)  Don't think I'm complaining when I say this, but things are just different when the kids are not in school all day.  The hours seem to be more full and to fly by even faster than the days during the school year.  Busy-ness has a way of speeding up the clock, doesn't it?

But along with the, "Whoa, where's the summer going?" feeling, I realize that we really are taking it a little easy on our days "off."  The kids are playing with friends in the neighborhood, they have quiet/reading time in the afternoons (Mister J is making great progress on a book series), and although there are plenty of free/inexpensive opportunities we could take advantage of, I have not rushed us out to any of them.  Not even to sign up for the free summer reading program at one of my favorite local bookstores.  But I have been taking advantage of the library, and may even let the kiddos try out some e-books that they can read via my kindle app. 

I've been participating in an informal book study on A Lineage of Grace, I've had some fun with Flappy Mail, and I'm trying to make some progress on a master bedroom restyle.  (I'm pretty inspired to do some switcheroos in the kitchen/dining/living room, too, but the MBR is first!)  Oh, and then there's the normal "just being an adult" stuff like getting along without a microwave while you ponder the repair/replace dilemma.  *sigh*

Today, for our 'relaxed' day, we have cooked breakfast, emptied/reloaded/run the dishwasher, I let the kids wash the items that could not go/fit into the dishwasher (I was not prepared for the amount of water that found its way out of the sink...), prepared and cleaned up lunch, had some playtime with the neighbors' kids, reading time, and now they are having a bit of screen time before ... before I figure out what's next. 

There's plenty on my to-do list - always is! - but mostly I need to work on a meal plan for this evening (not to mention the rest of the week) and probably do some grocery shopping to round things out (I wish I could find all of my needs and favorites in one store).  I may get the kids in on the meal planning - especially our snack supply for a drive-in movie we'll see later in the week.  (So excited about that - and hoping the weather cooperates!)

How's your first month of summer?  Have you had a moment to catch your breath?

First Day of Summer Break - 2013

Technically, it's not M's first day of break - last Thursday was her last day - but today was J's first day of break.  To me, it's the first day of summer because the lunch-packing and taxiing about is over for just a little while. 

Today has been such a fun, cool, special day that I wanted to post a quick rundown. 

Here's my Facebook status from mid-afternoon:

Today's Top 5 (and it's not even 5pm):
1) Getting my run in first thing this morning
2) Getting the boy off to camp (big smile from him and no tears from me!)
3) Making orange-mango creamsicles with the girl
4) Chocolate cayenne protein bites in the fridge (recipe from A Foodie Stays Fit)
5) Fun things in the mail from new friends
That's a pretty good start to summer vacation, I think!

I met my best running friend at 6:15am.  It was already warm then, and I've had a short break from running, so today seemed especially hard.  But I was out there and I got the miles in.  And going for a run just makes me feel good!

(I didn't even include the yummy breakfast I made in the top 5.  I did that as soon as I got home - I was hungry!  Bacon, roasted lemon thyme asparagus, and baked eggs.  A one dish meal, and I put some sliced tomatoes on the side.  My husband ate it, but I don't think he's convinced that meal is really 'breakfast.')

(Nor did I mention the three paintings M worked on this morning.  She was so happy to get paints and canvases out!) 

The end of the school year for J meant saying goodbye to J's teacher of the past two years.  I thought I would be a wreck - she is such a treasure, and she loves not just J, but all of us!  I made it through yesterday okay, but figured sending him off to camp this morning would really be hard on my mama heart.  After breakfast and a shower, I dropped him off for his ride to camp (he rode with a couple other boys and their dads/leaders).

M and I spent some time in the kitchen today.  I haven't been in the kitchen for anything besides just regular meals lately, so making some special treats was wonderful!  We took a basic recipe and made our own variation with what we had on hand - that became the creamsicles.  We had fun tasting as we went, deciding how much vanilla we needed and realizing we didn't need all the honey the recipe called for (glad we only added a little at a time!).

A friend of mine from college organizes a fun little "swap" between her Instagram friends called #flappymail.  I'm trying it for the first time, and my goodies came today.  They are just perfect!  I will send my package off pretty soon, and I'm excited for my 'person' to get her package.

And the rest of the day kept on in the same vein.  M and I went to the local running store.  I picked up my new running shoes, a belated Mother's Day gift, and also found a new pair of shoes for M, too (on sale!).

Mizuno Wave Inspire 9

Maggie had a little bummer of a situation to deal with, the result of a misunderstanding, and she was very calm and mature in working through her disappointment and finding the silver lining.  I was so proud of her, and I'm not sure that I can even express to her just how proud.  But I did take my big girl - whose love language is gifts - out for a sweet treat at her favorite local ice cream shop.  As we were headed in for ice cream, we happened to see J's teacher coming out of another store in the shopping center.  We had a brief visit (Maggie had actually called out to her to day hello) before heading into the ice cream shop.  

After that, we headed home to try out our new shoes with a quick dash up the street and back.  Of course, with those speedy new shoes on, M was the fastest!  Our plan is to really break them in at the Popsicle Fun Run tomorrow evening.  

Shortly afterwards, M's fourth tooth fell out!  We knew it wouldn't make it to the weekend :)

And then - then! - we worked together on dinner.  Spaghetti and meatballs (M helped mix and shape the meatballs), a salad (M helped prepare nearly every item), and popsicles for dessert (ones we made earlier in the day; and yes, she had dessert before and after dinner!).  I adjusted the meatball recipe a bit, but started with the basic recipe from The Mom 100 Cookbook.  This cookbook is fantastic!  It was a gift last Christmas, and it's the one I pull out most often right now. The vinaigrette recipes - yum!  The marinated flank steak - tasty!  The chicken tenders - oh, my!  I have even given this one as a gift - I love it that much!

Big J and I enjoyed every bit of dinnertime conversation with our girl this evening.  She is just a riot - and she really has some time to shine while her brother's at camp.  

Then she watched a bit of a hockey game - to the extent of cheering for a particular team - before declaring hockey "violent"!  So then we switched to a show about building tree houses and snuggled a bit on the sofa.  Love her....

Switching gears to the boy at camp - wow, it's different with him gone.  I had the opportunity to go with him, but I am so glad we decided that he should attend solo if possible (we had to find another parent going who would be J's "adult" for the week, which we were able to do).  But this is a time for him to shine, too.  He really needs this chance to just be himself, be responsible, and make his own choices.  Of course, I spent time with him packing, talking about some of the non-negotiable things (like brushing teeth, sunscreen, etc.), and telling him that I know he can do it.  And I tucked a note into his bag when we wasn't looking.  He should find it tomorrow night :)  And we have seen a picture of him with a smile on his face waiting in line for dinner - so that did a mama heart good.

This is an all-over-the-place post, so here's the summary:

What an awesome first day of summer break - for all of us!

Home Sweet Home

Has it seemed a little quiet around here lately?  There's a good reason for that.  We've been on vacation!  Well, not all of us - Daddy stayed home while the kids, my mom, and I flew to Texas to visit my cousin and his family.  We missed Daddy an awful lot, but he wasn't alone for long!  While we were gone, his parents arrived to help out with a BIG project around here (which they are still working on).  I'll recap the project in a later post, but for now - vacation photos!  (And these are the ones from my mom's camera - thanks, Mom!!!)

Let me start by saying that it was HOT here before we left, and Texas had a break in the heat there just as we arrived - which made the temp the same as what we'd just left.  Thankful for that little break in their weather!  And, thankful for plenty of opportunities to go swimming!

We picked up a set of 'floaties' for Miss M before we left, knowing they would help her feel a bit more at ease in the water.  No worries, there were still plenty of adults keeping an eye on the kiddos!  She was soon swimming from one end of the pool to the other!

And this guy, who has made great strides in his swimming lessons at school, also showed off a new talent.  He's floating on his back!  That's Lily checking him out.  She's a funny dog - loves to catch a ball, but she can't quite make herself drop it back off in your hand or lap.  Instead, she enlists the help of Minnie.  Lily will drop it a few feet away, then Minnie will pick it up and bring it back for you to throw again.

We took a trip to the local Hong Kong Market (So cool!  Lots of interesting fruits and veggies!) to pick up some veggies and these guys for dinner (two crab and one lobster).  Miss M was not quite convinced that these could possibly be tasty.

My cousin's home is totally kid-friendly.  You already know about the pool and the dogs, but there were also plenty of TOYS!  Miss M got to play with the doll house and Polly Pockets that you see below, and also some teeny-tiny Polly Pockets (which the three kids eventually turned into a Polly-meets-Monopoly kind of game).

 And they had a few Legos, too....

We also did some touristy stuff while we were there.

The Beer Can House

My sweet kiddos

My favorite feature of the Beer Can House

 The Children's Museum

Also (no photos yet, but hopefully soon)...

NASA (Johnson Space Center) - it rained while we were there, for the first time in several months.

Kemah Boardwalk - dinner outdoors at The Flying Dutchman, which would not have been quite so nice without the rain earlier in the day to cool things off

Whole Foods - this might seem an odd stop, but it was a new store (and I loooove grocery stores!) so it even had some draw for the "locals."  Also, we got to see an electric car out front - plugged in for a charge!  Mister J was fascinated!

As if all of this wasn't exciting enough, guess who lost a tooth while we were there?  He was quite confident that the tooth fairy could find him all the way out in Texas.  Sure enough, there was a dollar under his pillow the next morning!

Please excuse that piece of gum in his mouth.  Gum has become quite the favorite around here lately.

As for me, I had time for some reading, some swimming, lots of visiting and laughing, lots of talk about food/cooking/the amazing grocery prices (noticeably less than here), and way too much eating!  My mom cooked some of her favorite recipes, we enjoyed my cousin's grilling and juicing (a-ma-zing), and had some fantastic meals out, too.  (Pappasita's is on my must-do list for our next visit!)

I'm sure I've left some things out, and I know I have more cute photos to post (which I may get around to - or not), but I have to say that I came home so relaxed!  We had a pretty much non-schedule kind of vacation (not the kind where you come home and need a vacation to get over your vacation) and it was wonderful!  The kids really missed Daddy early on - and I was really anxious to get home to him towards the end of our trip!  But I have to say, he looked really well-rested when we got home!

Fresh from Our Garden (at least some of it!!)

In the past few weeks, our Super Sweet 100 plants have been producing like crazy.  I just put two more baking sheets full of slow-roasted cherry tomatoes in the oven.  In 6-8 hours, they will be even more delicious!  (Yes, that's possible!)  These are SO easy, you just have to be prepared to give up your oven for the rest of the day!  Also, my kids enjoyed helping me get these ready to go into the oven - making sure the tomatoes are cut side up, peeling the garlic, and snipping rosemary from the garden.

I tweaked the recipe by adding the rosemary.  It smelled SO good!  Now that we have quite a healthy bush, I am thinking of thinning it a bit and drying some rosemary for use in the winter.  

I also used some of our larger tomatoes (not sure of the variety) to make gazpacho late last night so that it would be ready to eat today.  I used this recipe from the latest Real Simple magazine.  I've already sampled it - yum!  It's the first time I've ever eaten a cold soup, much less made one.  It was SO easy, and I'm looking forward to serving it alongside some of my fresh-baked parmesan pepper bread (another first-time-I've-made-it recipe) for an early dinner.

So, now that you know a bit about what's growing in our garden, I'd like to know if you have a garden.  If so, what do you grow?

In addition to what I mentioned above, we have zucchini, green bell pepper (just got the first one this week), banana peppers, okra, lima beans and bush beans, watermelon, parsley, basil, and cilantro that has already gone to seed.  We have had varying success with these, tomatoes and rosemary being our most successful.  I would like to try growing garlic, blueberries (for these muffins!), and give cucumbers another shot (ours are always bitter).  I'd also like to try lettuce, and maybe even potatoes!  So, friends, spill the beans on your gardening successes - and failures!  What have you learned along the way?

Summer favorites

(see full image)

A BLT made with tomatoes fresh from the garden...

Sweet tea in Mason jars...

Boiled peanuts...

Watermelon with a sprinkle of salt...


What foods (or drinks) mean summer to you?

I'm linking to Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays, even though it's Saturday!

Back to School - Lunch Box Practice

School starts next week, and I'm gearing up to pack two lunches a day, five days per week.  I'm not new to the routine, but I've done a little practicing and preparation over the last couple of weeks.  For starters, I've packed lunches for some of our trips to the pool.  Although the meals are basically the same, we do have slightly different tastes.  Miss M has a smaller appetite, and Mister J's is growing.  This was a good way for me to visualize how much the kids would need in their boxes since it's been a while since I've packed them.

My lunch - with an extra sandwich wedge made with a sage-y bean spread, no carrot sticks (can't eat them with braces), add bell peppers

Miss M's lunch with tomatoes

Mister J's lunch with no tomatoes

They usually eat pretty well at the pool, but get hungry again quite quickly.  I supplement a normal-sized lunch with extra snacks and drinks.  It's pretty easy to do that since there's a break the last 10 minutes of every hour. 

I've gone to several sites with free printables to print out lunch box messages.  Sure, my kids love a few stickers and a note from mom, but the printables are quick and easy for days that I don't have time to track down the sharpies and stickers!  I keep them right in the cabinet with our lunch supplies so I don't have to go very far.

Another way I've started to prepare for the year is by trying out a few new things.  My kids don't mind my school-lunch experiments, but I also like to try new things when I can see their reactions.

New pasta dish based on an idea I'd seen somewhere else.  Verdict:  Mister J loved it, Miss M was not a fan.

You can see these in use in the lunches above.  I wanted to be sure they would a) not poke each other with them and b) put these back into their boxes rather than throw them in the trash (they can be washed and reused).  Thankfully, my kids are used to keeping everything that they find in the boxes.

I also experimented in one other way, though I'm not sure the folks at Laptop Lunches would endorse what I tried.  I've hand-washed the insulated carriers that my kids use, but after an unfortunate yogurt spill I was never able to get the zippers completely clean.  After several loads in our new front-load washer, I noticed that our clothes don't take nearly the beating that they did in our old top-loader, so I thought about tossing in the kids' insulated lunch carriers.  I figured that if it all went wrong, the kids could use our insulated lunch sleeves until I could order new carriers.  I decided to play it as safe as possible, and I put each carrier - closed but unzipped - into a zippered lingerie bag.  I put a couple of towels into the washer to cushion the bags a bit, washed them on cold, and set the spin cycle to a slower speed.  I'm pleased to say that they came out looking new.

Along with the two lunches I pack each day, I also pack a snack for Mister J.  Last year, I either packed a non-perishable snack (like a granola bar), or he would finish up any lunch leftovers.  Finishing up the leftovers was fine, except that he had to get his whole lunch out again.  I'm not sure if the teacher was a fan of that idea or not, but at least she never complained.  However I struggled with that idea a bit.  Lunch time is short, and snack time is even shorter so I didn't want Mister J to feel rushed.  I also wanted the flexibility to pack something like fruit or veggies, but the bento was already full.  As I was shopping earlier in the summer, I came across these insulated containers:

From packaging: aladdin Chill Snack Pack - 14 oz., includes ice pod

The ice pod is attached to the lid, but removable, so the capacity would be a little greater for a non-perishable snack.  Oh, and they come in at least two colors from T@rget.  They also had other sizes, but I didn't give those much attention since I have a pretty specific need.

I'm pretty sure these would get condensation either on the food or the outside of the container, and I'm guessing they would need to be inside of another insulated bag to remain cold.  I'm not sure how leak-proof they would be.  And, you'd need to wash the ice pod and the container after each use, and do it with enough time to spare that you could re-chill the ice pod.  So, as you can guess, I pretty much talked myself out of one.  But, I wonder if any of you have other ideas to share? 

Do you pack lunches for your kids?  Are you getting ready to send you oldest off to school and still trying to decide?  Questions, comments, and suggestions welcomed - and have a happy school year!

It's Been Quiet Around Here...

Hey there!  So glad you popped in!  I haven't been around much lately, either.  I'm trying to make the most of the last couple of weeks of summer, my mom came for a long weekend (in addition to visiting, shopping, and cooking, we also straightened up my pantry), and Big J took on a yard-improvement project (the rest of us pitched in a bit, but he did most of the work - it looks great!).

I've got a few posts in mind, but I hope you'll be patient with me as we enjoy the end of summer and get into our new school routine.  So, for now, I'll leave you with this little bit of excitement - I got a little link love over at Mama's Laundry Talk today, where "Mama" is highlighting laundry room makeovers!  Ours isn't complete, but it's sure nice to have the virtual pat-on-the-back to inspire me to wrap it up with the finishing touches.

There's nothing like a few small projects to make your space (indoor or outdoor) a more enjoyable place to spend your time - even if it's just laundry time!  As much as I want to tackle some more projects around here - small and not-so-small - I think I owe it to the little ones to set aside my grand plans for a few days.  "Fun" is the order of the next several days - I'll do a bit of mobile blogging as time allows.  Thanks for sticking it out with me during the quiet times!

10 Days Away (well, 9 1/2) - Part Two

(You can read Part One here!)

Much of our free time at Grandma RL's was spend doing this...

To gain her trust...

And pretty soon, they were rewarded with this...

... which they were able to do pretty early in the week!

On Wednesday, we took it easy again.  We went to the local farmer's market - which boasts a drive through shed.  Personally, I think "shed" doesn't quite hit the mark as far as describing this place, but that's what the website called it, so I'll go with it.

The kids wanted to take a (huge!) watermelon back to Grandma's house.  We settled for browsing, talking about all of the fruits and vegetables for sale, and then buying some (hot!) boiled peanuts.  I also tried to drive the wrong direction on the one-way driveway, but we don't have to dwell on that.  This was the first time either of the kids had eaten boiled peanuts due to Miss M's previous food allergies.  It was only a little disappointing that she didn't like them, but Mister J made up for it with his enthusiasm about this bit of southern cuisine.

We are up to Thursday - the last day of VBS, the day of our semi-return home, and laundry day!  No, I'm not kidding.  We were set to drive home after the VBS wrapped up that evening, and leave for another state and another family reunion on Friday morning.  So on Thursday, we did laundry and packed.  Sorry, no riveting photos....

But then the final night of VBS began!  With a Western theme!  And horses!

And a campfire!  And an awesome dinner!  And all of the desserts you could ask for!

This was the second cone if ice cream.  The first was rainbow - see the blue on Miss M's face?  My kids will never choose vegetables over sweets again....


So, as I mentioned, we had a quick turnaround at home to sleep, get a bit of work done (me), and make room for Daddy in the mommy-van before we hit the road on Friday afternoon.  We had a few errands to run on the way out of town (like buying tap shoes), but we made it to our destination in time for a late dinner with Grandma and Grandpa R to keep us company.

Then it was Saturday again, which must mean it's time for a family reunion!  There was a thunderstorm in the morning, but the clouds moved on in time for our gathering.  The kids had a great time on the playground nearby - I have never, ever seen my children play that hard for that long!  I have also never had to scrub my child's legs and feet twice to get all of the dirt off - but that's not a bad thing. 

One of the highlights of this trip for Mister J was his first ride on Grandpa's motorcycle.

We told him to hold on....  Boys....!

The clouds were building up again towards the end of the reunion, and our motorcycle riders got a bit of a sprinkle on the way back to the hotel.  Still didn't dampen Mister J's excitement!

The next morning, we were back on the road toward home.  We stopped at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch followed by a game of checkers on the porch.  

It was a quick visit with the Grands, but we did follow them most of the way home.  The kids got such a kick out of watching them on their motorcycle!

These nine photos to wrap up our ten-day adventure!  This was the longest I've been away from home since before we had kids - in fact, I can't remember the last time I lived out of a suitcase for this long.  It was great fun, we have lots of great memories, and - believe it or not - I'm already thinking about when we can travel again!

10 Days Away (well, 9 1/2) - Part One

EIghteen days ago, the kids and I left home for a 10-day adventure. The bookends of our trip were two family reunions, and in between we hung out with Grandma RL and went to VBS at her church.  Big J was able to join us for part of our travel - and we sure missed him when he was back at home working!

We hit the road to Grandma's on a Friday afternoon, with Big J following us in his car.  After meeting for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants for some yummy shrimp and grits and a chicken salad and fruit plate, we waited out two thunderstorms and navigated around flooded roads to get home and get some sleep before the family reunion on Saturday.

Sunday was another busy day - we said our goodbyes to Daddy, went to a baby shower for my cousin, and then headed off to the first night of VBS!  At Grandma's church!

With a Western theme!  

And saddles!

And wagon rides!

(And waiting in line!)

And popsicles!

And then it was Monday - and we rested.  Just kidding!  We tried out the new ice cream maker!  Miss M was a great help preparing the ingredients for churning.

And then we waited...

(You can find the rest of the story in my post from that day!)

On Tuesday, we visited friends in the town where we used to live.  We spent the morning at the local children's museum, which opened around the time we moved away - so it was a first for us!

Fire truck/man/safety exhibit.  And an itchy nose.

Both kids loved the farm exhibit - 'driving' a tractor, harvesting crops, picking peaches, milking a cow, and collecting eggs.  I think that about covers it.

The grocery exhibit is a hit no matter where we are!  (We've been to three museums with similar exhibits.)  Kudos to this museum for having adult museum-workers to help keep order.  

A couple of exhibits about air power that day.  This one had several styles of 'parachutes' to test - and again, adult museum-workers to supervise (or maybe summer interns - still, my kids listen well when it's someone other than Mom giving instructions). 

Awesome 'put the teeth where they belong' model in the background.  Weirdest-looking mannequin mouth ever on the 'patient.'  Kids didn't seem to mind. 

And on to the outdoor exhibits!  It was a warm day, but thankfully there was a bit of shade out here.  Oh, and some water.  

Fantastic pulleys and cranks and more for the kids to play with.  Oddly, there were no smocks available.  Thankfully, I had a change of clothes for Miss M.

Mister J was able to light the CFL bulb with his own crank-power.  The incandescent bulb was out of the question - so he asked me to give it a try.  I got a little bit of a glow - out of the bulb, and on my forehead (whew!).  If I wasn't a fan of CFLs before,  this was enough to change my mind (though I still prefer the color of an incandescent bulb, I'll sacrifice for the power savings).

Cool art in front of the museum - mom's token 'landmark' photo.

After lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, it was back to VBS for more cowboys! and singing! and Bible stories! and colored punch with dinner!

You know that my kids skipped the lemonade and went straight for the mom-would-never-let-us-have-this-at-home blue drink, right?

Sixteen photos to document the first six days of a ten day trip that began eighteen days ago.  I'll wrap up the trip in another post - coming soon!  (I promise!  I've already written and scheduled it!  But I'm going to make you wait.  Sorry.  But patience is a virtue!)