August 16, 2010

“they’re so flufffffyyyyyyy!”

Martha Stewart I am not.  But when Pickles was asked to participate in the 4H Cake Auction, she pulled out the Martha Stewart Cupcake Cookbook and got to designing.  She thought these little sheep cupcakes would be perfect!

DSC_3777

And of course they needed a pasture to graze in…

DSC_3776

Getting the lamb cake to the sale was interesting.  I kept telling her that her Grandmom transports cakes all over the place with no trouble and ours was just a little thing… but she sat in the back seat and kept her eye on the cake and the driver.  I promised to go slow, take the turns easy, and avoid potholes.  And we made it to the show just in time to beat a very windy rainstorm!  Crisis averted…

DSC_3546

August 10, 2010

home tweet home

Earlier this summer we planted a tree.  (When I say “we” I mean Hubby and a very big post hole digger.) 

Jun 05 2010_5764

And a cute little helper.

Jun 05 2010_5763 

And a family promptly moved in…  Now that there are “children” in the family there is a lot of chattering going on in our front yard. 

DSC_3739

The momma bird is never far away.  She either sits on a different branch of the tree (far right of the picture, top branch) or on the electrical wires above the tree.  She keeps a very close eye on our Twix!

DSC_3738

August 09, 2010

christmas in august?

While getting ready for our garage sale SuperGirl found this gingerbread house kit in our pantry.  It had been there… for quite some time.  Like maybe a couple of years.

DSC_3728

She had the sense to not ask about putting it together until Sunday.  But she asked, and asked, and asked, and asked… until it was too late to do it.

DSC_3729

Monday morning she woke up, did her chores, and came to me about 8:00 asking to put it together.  I figured it would be a good little project that she could do to keep her out of my hair while I got some work done.  Besides, it cleared out a nice little spot on the top shelf of my pantry.  So we unloaded the box, gathered supplies, and prepared the foundation for construction. 

DSC_3730

Oh, but little did I know… my job was to do the concrete mixing and mortaring.  It was messy… and sticky… and hard to do!  (Of course Hubby came home in the middle of construction and a wall fell.  I tried to pass the buck but that contractor would have nothing to do with our mistakes.)

DSC_3731

Once we got the walls up, SuperGirl started the “real work” of placing the roofing “tiles”, doors, and windows. 

DSC_3732

I was all too happy to pass the mortaring job on to my apprentice once the foundational pieces were placed.  She was messier than I was but her methods proved effective.

DSC_3733

Construction complete!  She even made a snowman for the “scene.”

DSC_3746

I guess I can’t ever be accused of not being spontaneous… I mean, how many people do you know who make gingerbread houses in the summertime?

August 08, 2010

SuperGirl at camp showoffs…

The past week or so has found SuperGirl to be extra talkative, extra needy, and extra on my nerves.  Don’t get me wrong… I love how she talks to me about every little thing that runs through her mind.  And I do mean every little thing.  The trip to Houston to see the RangeRettes dance at the end of camp wasn’t too bad.  She read her new library book to us.  She took a nap.  And she sang Taylor Swift.  LOTS of Taylor Swift.  But when we got to the gym, we had to wait a bit.  We were early and they were running late.   SuperGirl doesn’t wait well.  AT ALL.  She followed me around like a shadow.  The stream of questions and comments was constant and yet entertaining…

How much longer?

When will they start?

What time does it start?

What time is it now?

Why are they late?

Why can’t we sit on the bleachers?

There’s Summer!

Summer!  Summer!  Summer!!!!!

Mom, Summer’s not in this one. 

Mom, Summer’s in this one.

Mom, KM is in this one.

Mom, KM and Summer aren’t in this one. 

There’s Summer!

How much longer?

Mom, I’m hungry.

Do you have any candy?

Gum?

Mints?

Can I do the video? 

I’m really good at the video. 

I really want to do the video.

Summer’s not in this dance.

KM is in this one.

Mom, Summer and KM are BOTH in this one!

{and at the final part, where they chose a camp top dancer}

MOM! There are 12 girls in the top 12!!!

August 07, 2010

crazy day…

I guess it’s been a long time coming…  Our dog, Pebbles, has a tendency to play with fire.  Or in traffic.  Most of the time she minds and comes when called.  But when she sees this…

 DSC_3743

and this… DSC_3741

Well… one look at the horses and donkeys and she can’t control herself. All restraint goes out the window.  It’s the only time she bolts across the “big road” like that.  And you know what I learned today?  The neighbor’s dog, a Yorkie, does the same thing.  What is it about little dogs wanting to take on horses and donkeys???

Here’s how it went down…  today was the day I knew was bound to come but the outcome was much, much better than I expected.  We were setting up for our garage sale this morning, about 7:00am.  Pebbles was out among all of the stuff, doing her best to keep us safe from strangers (i.e. barking, chasing, sniffing).  I’d lost track of her when all of a sudden I heard screeching tires, people yelling, “Pebbles!” and hearing yelps from the road. 

I looked up to see two trucks in the road and Pebbles limping/running across the ditch and into the yard.  I called her to come to me but she just kept running.  I figured that was a good sign and got her to follow me into the house.  She would not drink water but did lay down on the floor.  I rubbed her whole body, feeling her legs and ribs, looking at her belly, and trying to see where she was hurt. 

The only injuries we could find were a bloody lip and some scrapes on her back.  After talking to our friends who witnessed the whole thing, we figured out that she hit the truck with her face and managed to roll under the truck and escape.  I don’t know how the two trucks in the road didn’t hit each other.  I’m just so thankful no one was hurt! 

Pebbles spent the day outside with us.  She was a little calmer than normal, especially with people coming in and out of our driveway.  This evening, Pebbles seems fine.  She’s tired.  I think the whole thing scared her, too! 

I wonder if she learned her lesson…

Rettes at Camp Show Offs

 

It’s been a busy summer for Summer.  She had one camp/trip after another for the whole summer.  This week’s camp, RangeRette Jazz Camp was the last camp.  Whew!  I’m glad to have her home even though life most certainly won’t be slowing down any time soon.

DSC_3670

At camp they took all kinds of classes like jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and even salsa!  We showed up on the last day to see the dances and cheer our dancers on.  What a fun, energetic  performance it was!  Summer really seemed to enjoy her dances and smiled and bounced on and off the court.  It was nice to see.  She deepened some of her friendships with the Rettes girls during this time, too.  Her roommates couldn’t have been better if I’d handpicked them for her.  When they weren’t dancing or eating they were dancing some more. 

DSC_3718

Camp really brought the team together.  I can’t wait to see them dance this football season. 

DSC_3715

The camp gave out ribbons to girls who showed a great attitude and those who worked really hard in their classes.  It was called the Star Dancer award… My sweet Summer girl got one… and she said they tried to give her two!  I’m proud of this girl.  And it’s a joy to see her so excited about this new adventure we call drill team!

DSC_3720

August 05, 2010

Confucius have sense of humor…

This is what was going on in my house today…

DSC_3653

Getting ready for a garage sale… DSC_3654

Yes, in the middle of August… DSC_3655

With temps in the 100’s… DSC_3656

There are clothes, books, teacher supplies, games, movies, and household items… DSC_3657

There was even a fortune!  Gotta love it… DSC_3660