A Few of My Favorite Things

Changing blogging locations!!!

2010-10-17T17:45:00.002-04:00

OK everyone.....JUMP on over to my new blog location!!!! (just click here!!! )

Still having trouble...

2010-10-16T14:28:00.001-04:00

Apparently Google is quick to charge your credit card but slow to update your account. So I have paid for a year but haven't been given access yet....grrrrr. And you can't call anyone with the problem. I had to email them. Betcha I won't hear anything for some time....double grrrrrrrr.

Whoops! You're out of space. Purchase more storage.

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage you purchase is shared between Gmail, Picasa Web Albums, and Google Docs, and is in addition to your free quota. Learn more

I just checked again, signed out and in and still nothing...... here's what I get for my $5. I may be canceling my credit card charge and switching over to Tumblr. I will keep you all posted!!!

2010-10-14T16:40:00.001-04:00

A new blog update is coming soon!!!

I was actually doing an update the other day when I was informed that I ran out of room for pics and would have to buy more space. Can you believe it? Me...post a lot of pics????? noooooooooo......lol!

So, it takes 24 hours to go through so hopefully I will be back on this weekend to catch up!!! In the mean time, stay dry!!!

2010-09-25T16:20:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!

You are never going to guess what this is in Edmund's hand....... I'll give you three guesses!

First Clue....five

Second Clue....screaming

Third Clue....drive fast to the hospital

Did you figure it out??? Poor Edmund had yet another kidney stone...ouch...apparently it's labor for men. I drove the poor guy up to hospital as fast as I could to obtain drugs for excruciating pain! This is about the 5th time this has happened and its been about 2 years since the last one. He drinks lots of water and watches what he eats but to no avail....apparently there isn't too much you can do to alleviate the problem. Fortunately he was fine later in the day, though tired. So that was Monday morning! I attended Brooklyn's Back-To-School night alone that night while Edmund recovered. What a day!

*****************************************************************************

Tuesday was school and dance class day with another back-to-school night thrown in for good measure!!!

The timing is such that Sarah and Devon get home in time to change for dance and prepare water and snacks. I do their hair. Then I go get Brook off the bus and we rush in to help her get ready. We are out the door about 10 minutes after that!

Brooklyn and Devon are taking two combo classes each which cover acro, ballet, tap and jazz. Sarah is taking two classes... jazz and tap. She stays between her classes and has dinner and does homework. Poor girl doesn't get home till close to 8:30 pm. I bring the two littles home at 6:30 and my friend Tammy brings home Sarah and her daughter. ( I take them usually). Gotta love carpooling and schedule making! But they really love it and it is only one night!

On this particular night, I picked the girls up a little early and we grabbed drive thru McDonald's so we could make it in time for Devon's back to school night. She loves her teacher...it's her first official year of teaching though she did teach half of last year as well. She is super excited and had all kinds of goodies laid out on Devon's desk for me. She even had cookies! Devon made a cute paper clip too!

Here is a look around the room!

Here is Devon's All About Me Poster!!!!

While I was in the classroom for the presentation, the girls were in the cafeteria eating dinner (on the run) and coloring and hanging out for the 30 minutes! They had just come from dance class obviously! It was a busy day but I loved meeting her teacher.

I hope both girls really enjoy school this year....if these first two weeks are any indication, I am sure they will! Sarah is also loving middle school though she does get lots of homework I am afraid. I pray for each of them and for their school and teachers. Have a wonderful year!!!!

***************************************************************************

On the sewing front, I finished Brooklyn's Cowgirl outfit for halloween. We actually don't celebrate halloween but we do love to dress up and the candy, of course, so we celebrate fall's arrival instead!! I made a Scientific Seamstress Festive Vest and Patchwork Twirl skirt. I had to add a row to the skirt and its super full and twirly. I used an applique from swak to do the tee. I ordered her hat and boots from ebay and I made her little bow with a polymer pony! She will also have a stick horse and goody bag and maybe a scarf for her neck.

That reminds me of another tradition. We are going to rent a hayride/pumpkin patch wagon at Rea's farm so if you are local, let me know if you want to go!!!! It will be one weekend day at the end of Oct I imagine...details to follow!
***************************************************************************
We have also been going to yard sales and look what I came home with last weekend. Its a dress form and it was only $7!!!! I've always wanted one and hopefully "Rosalie" (I named her) can help model some of my things I make.

Devon, however, in true Project Runway form, decided she needed to dress Rosalie up. She made lots of different outfits for her!!!!

To add to the crazy week, Brooklyn developed croup and was still recovering over the weekend....it took her like 5 or 6 days to get back to normal. I brought her to the doctor right away but besides some prednisone, there wasn't much to do for her. Poor girl. She napped every day. I can say she eventually made a full recovery! I noticed a lot of students out sick at school too...guess its that time of year.

So, Edmund and I were invited to a surprise 50th birthday party and Aunt Mary agreed to come watch the girls for us. They all had a great time together. They played and had dinner and made brownies and went for a walk too! Thanks so much Aunt Mary!!! We had a fun night out too!

***************************************************************************
More sewing news.....I finished three tees for my friend's son....they are going to Disney in Dec. I am making a few more sets for them too so I will keep you posted as I finish them.

***************************************************************************
One of the things that the girls have been doing (in school) is working on doing kind caring things for others...so here is Devon working on a pretty card for her sisters! Isn't that so sweet? She gave everyone a card one morning that she made...awwwwww!

***************************************************************************
As the month draws to a close, we have a very special celebration coming up ......Devon's 7th Birthday! To begin the weekend, all of us were invited to dinner at Paul's house (a friend I work with) on Friday. We brought a cake from the Ravioli House Bakery to begin the festivities with. It has been so hot this week (high 80's and lots of humidity) so the girls got to go swimming too. It will probably be the last time as cooler weather is expected. Then Paul made a yummy dinner for all of us!!! It was so fun to relax and visit! Thanks for having us over Paul!!!!!

****************************************************************************
Today, the girls helped me get ready for Devon's birthday party. Her theme is "tie-dyed"...and so I figured we had better include some tie dyed shirts too! Instead of the traditional method, we decided to use Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol. You make little dots of ink on the shirt and squirt OH on it. The OH dissolves the ink and spreads it out, giving it a tie dye effect. Here are the girls working on the shirts. They will be perfect for sleep shirts or something.

Shirts drying!

Next, the girls helped make "goodie" bags for the guests. They put stickers and names on them and we filled them with favors and treats!

Our last task, was filling the pinata with candy and toys! I got the kind with the strings/ribbons that you pull....hopefully it will work!

All finished!

*********************************************************

After the girls left, I wrapped this huge present for Devon....I wonder what is in there??????? Any guesses?

So her party is tomorrow. She wanted a "gymnastics" party and its about an hour and a half of structured gymnastics with an instructor! I went to a party there last year and was really impressed. Hope all goes well with it! The most shocking thing of all is the fact that Devon is going to be 7 years old. That's boggling my mind actually.

So that's it for now! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

A camping we will go......

2010-09-12T20:17:00.000-04:00

We went camping again!!! We had a coupon from our last camping trip and decided to try Jellystone in NJ (if you recall we went to Jellystone in Quaryville PA in August). This time we had a beautiful cabin in a prime location and gorgeous weather to boot!!! I packed late Thursday and we set off as soon as everyone came home from school on Friday!

We arrived about 5:30 and "moved in". No sooner did we unpack than Yogi Bear himself arrived to welcome the new campers!!!! He even brought a bowl of special treats! Thanks Yogi!

So here is a tour of our cabin! It had a living room with fireplace, flatscreen tv and futon sofa. It had a "dining room" with a table and chairs. And queen bed. It had a full kitchen and bath. Up the ladder was just enough room for two mattresses and children!

Meanwhile, Edmund prepared a yummy dinner on the grill and we enjoyed eating outside! The girls played on the adjacent playground and made fast friends with some other kids!

We came inside to relax and watch some tv. I started a book I brought until it was time for s'mores! We walked up to the camp office and they had a nice fire going. They had a flashlight scavenger hunt going too but the girls opted out.

Later the girls got in their jammies and we all tried to sleep. That didn't happen. Anyone else have trouble sleeping in a strange bed in a new location??? The girls were up and down and up and down and talking. By 2 am, and a few bathroom trips, they all finally fell asleep. My allergies were so bad at this point that I took some benadryl too. I think I finally fell asleep after that.

The next day dawned fast!!! But it was such a bright morning, we had to get up and enjoy it! I made breakfast after a quick shower and the girls went across to the playground for a while.

At 9 am, we headed up to the office for the flag raising and Yogi Bear Says! I should say that the little friends that Devon and Brook made, joined us again. I am not sure if they "live" at the campground or just visit every weekend or what. But I do know they were allowed to roam without their dad. The little boy was adorable and about 4 years old and the sister was about 5 or 6 years old. They "adopted" our family and hung out with us all morning!

Waiting for Yogi Bear to arrive....

Flagraising and Pledge of Alliegence

Playing Yogi Says!

And here was my little buddy! Boy, did I want to cut his hair!!! LOL!

After a little free time, it was time for a train ride with Yogi around the campground. We waited at the "train station"....

What a fun ride! Then the kids played on the playground for a while! Next up was a craft....painting...at the craft table! Sarah opted out and Edmund and I relaxed and read a book! It was a great day!

After all of this activity, the kids were hungry for lunch! We made sandwiches and brought them over to Yogi's Lodge. It was a character lunch!!!

Then it was back to playing! Edmund took the little girls fishing while Sarah and I had some time alone! She is such a sweetie! We talked about school and stuff. Then everyone came back and played until bingo at 4:30!! I stayed behind and everyone else played Candybar Bingo.....unfortunately they didn't win candy bars but Brooklyn did win a stick horse...perfect for her Cowgirl costume...lol!

Around the time we were cooking and eating dinner, we noticed a bunch of golf carts gathering by the lodge and they were facing each other. We wondered what was going on. When we headed over there, we realized they were having match box car races. And not just any races...the winner won $80!!!!! Here's the race ramp...

We did have another purpose for venturing over....it was make your own sundae night!!! YUMMO! Here's Brooklyn finishing up her's!

Silly face girl!!! We hung out for a while watching tv and I had to take a picture of Devon and Brooklyn's feet...they were filthy!!!! But we weren't done for the day yet!

We still had a Glow Stick Parade. Too funny....Brooklyn kept calling it a Glue Stick Parade....hahahaha! We headed back up to the office at 8 pm and we met our little friends again who were dropped off by their dad, who then proceeded to leave. It was 8:15 pm by this time. I was irate. Who leaves their kids unsupervised all day and night??? (and shoeless besides!!!!???) I guess the campground is considered safe and so were we. Whatever...I tried not to get too upset about it. Here are some glow stick kiddos waiting to start!!! And this time it was Yogi's friend Boo Boo Bear who participated!!!!

And finally the dad came back (after 20 min) and went along with the parade...thank goodness. (Can you tell I was upset??? Am I justified to be or is this standard practice at a campground????)

And off everyone went!!! Boo Boo sat in the golf cart and the kids ran behind until we reached the playing field! There was a movie and snack stand even! The kids got some popcorn and the dad took the two kids home.

Sorry it was dark out and my camera isn't good in the dark....

You can't see it but they were playing a movie (Night at the Museum) in the distance. Families were gathered on blankets. It was an absolutely gorgeous night after a beautiful 70 clear day! The stars were out and we really enjoyed walking around! But, it was getting late....9 pm....and we still had baths to do so we headed "home" to the cabin for just that. After such a busy day of play, I hoped sleep wouldn't be as allusive.

Needless to say, everyone slept soundly only to wake up to the sound of rain, rain, rain. We went to have breakfast at the Lodge (yaaaa no dishes or clean up for me!!!) and then we dodged raindrops back to our cabin to pack up and check out. What a great family weekend!!! We headed home and watched the traffic back up in the opposite direction as we past by. I hope everyone made it home safely!!!

So its back to work tomorrow! Have a great week everyone!!!!!

Week 1!

2010-09-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

The girls and I made it through the first week! I am sitting here Thursday tired but happy! We're all adjusting to the new situations we find ourselves in. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new classes this year so far....don't want to jinx it by celebrating just yet....but so far so good.

Devon came off of the bus the first day and said she didn't like school? Why, I ask. She says she didn't get enough homework!!! hahahaha!! But she did say she loves her teacher and friends!!! Sarah is really enjoying the "freedom" of middle school. She loves going to her locker and switching classes. She likes all of her teachers so far. Brooklyn's response to the first few days of school were that she was in school a long time. Poor baby...no naps anymore. But she loves her new teacher as well!

Hope all is going well in your households....and I can feel fall is just around the corner. Today was just gorgeous! Happy Weekend! I will leave you all with promised pictures of the week!

Morning pictures at 6:55 am: (can you see Brooklyn is a little nervous?)

Devon getting off of the bus in the afternoon:

Next, was Sarah. Her bus stop is two blocks from home. The bus then proceeds to drive in front of my house and stop at the next corner in our block. ???????? I asked Sarah to ask her bus driver if she could just get off at that stop..which was our block, rather than having to walk home two blocks...which isn't a big deal unless its raining. Bus driver said NO. ????????? Go figure.

And finally, Brooklyn gets off of her bus. She loved it!!!

So that's a total of three different bus stops, three different times during the course of an hour! Fun fun!

By day two..... this is Brooklyn after being home for 20 minutes.....

And here is Devon this morning...ready to rock out first grade!!!!

Next week...dance starts and then there are four back-to-school nights!!!! I am tired thinking about it! LOL!

Back to School

2010-09-06T20:43:00.000-04:00

I think I may still be in a bit of denial about it but here I sit on the eve of everyone's return to school! Myself included! I hope we are all ready! We have our folders and back packs ready....check. Lunch money...check. Clothes and shoes....check. Name tags for the littles....check! Haircuts...check. And awful terrible back-to-school shots...and flu shots.....check. So hopefully we can all wake up tomorrow and be out the door by 7 am. Goodness that's early...and dark still.

After Hurricane Earl came by ( 100 miles out to sea), the weather has been incredible!

So, we decided to enjoy our last day of summer at the waterpark. We arrived early and it was actually a bit chilly but soon enough the warm sun rose a little higher! The girls really enjoyed all of the slides! Brooklyn amazed me by going on several huge slides with Sarah and a group slide with all of us!

Here is Sarah coming out of the blue-green tube on the left.

Devon and Sarah under the bucket of water!

Sarah and Brooklyn coming down the pink slide!

Soon enough it was time for lunch so we walked down the boardwalk to get pizza and ice cream.

See how Devon and Brook's ice cream cup is near the edge of the bench??? I told them to move it away from the edge and hold tight to it. You can only guess what happened not five minutes after this pic. Yep....landed upside down on the ground. Such a sad lesson. Luckily the girls cheered up as we walked back and they got some more swim time before we headed home.

Happy Labor Day indeed!!!

********************************************************

So in preparation for back to school, we went school shopping for some clothes. And shoe shopping for some shoes. And supply shopping for some school supplies. And we topped it off with haircuts for all! Here is Sarah after her summer highlights magically disappeared! After haircuts, of course, the little girls played haircut with their dolls for several days...lol! You should hear them talk to their doll clients. Cracks me up!

We also had a busy week last week. I had three days of in-service which is always such fun! The girls also liked it since their friends, Kaylie and Aubry, came over to babysit! Sarah is only 12 and I don't think she is quite old enough to babysit for such a long time. They had a blast playing dress up and fashion show!!! Thanks girls for helping me out!!! Here are some end-of-day pics....

What a cute group of girls. Oh and I forgot. Brooklyn had kindergarten orientation last week as well! The parent(s) attend and meet the teacher, other kids and have a short meeting too. Brooklyn was very excited to go and not very nervous this year at all. She was a nervous wreck last year. What a difference a year makes!! Since we arrived early, we took some pics and Brooklyn got to hold the name sign so parents lined up in the correct spot.

Meeting her new teacher! She is so sweet and I hope they have a great year!

Her new desk.....and some shots around the classroom!

While the parents were at a meeting, the kids stayed behind in the room and sang some songs and danced a bit!

One final good-bye till school really starts!

*******************************************************************

Let's see what else we have been up to???

A water fight with sprinklers and water bottles....

Movie night with popcorn and candy treats!

Playground fun with friends....

Our neighbors came down and we all went out to dinner at the Ravioli House. It was delish and there was a bakery too. I came home with leftovers and cannoli's!!! The next day the girls played tag and water gun fights and whiffle ball and all sorts of fun games outside with Mario! Edmund took the girls and neighbors over to the airport too. (I stayed home to sew in peace and quiet!!! yaaa!!!) At the airport there is a small children's museum with equipment, airplanes, helicopters, jeeps and things like that for the kids to play on. They had fun checking everything out!

**********************************************************

Sewing Update

I did the top of Devon's I Spy quilt...her accent color is blue. I still have two more to make like this and then the backing, quilting and binding of all 4. I am hoping to get them all done for Christmas!!! Devon picked out all of her squares:

And I also began the first of many tees for a friend who is going to Disney World in Dec.

Here is Buzz!

And the big project is getting things together for Brooklyn's costume for Halloween. While we don't celebrate Halloween, we do love to dress-up! Devon has a store-bought Jasmine costume and Brooklyn is wearing mommy-made cowgirl costume! I ordered her hat and boots from Ebay...

I also ordered a bunch of cowgirl fabric from Etsy so I could make a Scientific Seamstress patchwork skirt and festive vest. I also ordered an applique from Swak for her tee. Here's what I have so far....

I still have to make the vest. I did make her hair bow though. I made a pink pony out of polymer clay and attached it to a bunch of curled ribbon. Sorry the lighting was bad for these pics.

The colors are pink, purple, red and brown! Quite a collection! Once everything is done I will have Brooklyn try it all on together and see if I can get some better pics! Also, Devon needs to try her's on too! I bought Devon a Jasmine necklace too! It's a surprise! So, we love dress up around here!!! I am hoping this outfit will be wearable for Disney one day!

*******************************************************************

And that wraps up our summer!!! Hope you all had a nice Labor Day! Be back soon with more school pics!

Closet Clean Out!

2010-08-28T15:41:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Just really quickly, I am having a closet-cleanout on my Facebook Page for a few things...sizes 5-7 mostly! Its first come, first serve! See my profile page....here's a link:

Closet-Cleanout

Have a great weekend!!! :)

~Cathy

End of August Already?????

2010-08-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that summer is winding down. I know many of my friends in other states have already returned to school!!! If this is you....I know how hard it is to send our sweet little ones out into the big world. I wish all the best to you and hope each child has an excellent school year....including the homeschoolers!!! Happy School Year!!!!!!

Of course, we're still in a bit of denial here! So we have taken to the beach for reassurance that summer is still here!!!! The girls finished up swim lessons and both can swim alone. Devon really progressed well...she can swim over and through the waves now and really enjoyed the ocean!!!

Here's Sarah and her friend...they loved hanging out together!

Brooklyn likes staying close to shore for a while...but I did convince her later to come out beyond the waves on a boggie board...which she loved!!!

We really enjoyed our beach day!!!

*************************************************************

The girls worked on some art projects for back-to-school....they made a kid banner and colored it!

They decided to hang it up in their room!

And they have been playing Bella Dancerella Cheerleader and High School Musical lots lately!

They are getting pretty good now and sing along with it!!! LOL!

I guess with this pic...I can segway right into some back-to-school sewing, huh???!!!

**************************************************************

I made a back-pack bag for Brooklyn.....Tailored Tote by Scientific Seamstress. She'll be bringing folders and a few books and things back and forth to school so it works perfectly. I also made her a skirt to match her bag....a simple tiered skirt...no pattern...though I can give you directions for it if you want. Then I appliqued a tee with an applique from Stitch On Time. It was so cute and stitched out well!!! Here are close-ups of everything:

Devon opted for an appliqued tee only so again, I found one at Stitch On Time! I just LOVE this one! Due to the gathers near the top of the tee I had to lower the app a little...so hopefully this will be ok on! Close-ups:

I was also inspired by Jennifer Paganelli's line of fabric called Poodle. My friend, Carla, had given me some when we met up so I was dying to create something cute for school with it! I decided to make a double layer twirl skirt with wedges of different fabrics. Then, due to the name of the fabric, I got another Stich On Time applique of a cute poodle and appliqued it on some more fabric. I put this on a tee and whalaaa .... a whole outfit perfect for September!

***********************************************************

Some very exciting news......both Carla and Jennifer have some new things out!

Did you know that Jennifer's latest line, Queen Street, is available????? Fabulous colors and patterns.....feast your eyes:

And both Carla and Jennifer have jointly released two more patterns!!!!!Yaaa!!!! There is an adult version and a kid version and within the pattern are several variations! They are available on ymct for now and may be coming soon to other locals in a few weeks! I know I have worn my tester version all through July and August!!!! It is fun to sew and very comfy to wear!!!

******************************************************************

The whole family (except Sarah who was away this week ) attended a pool party this past weekend. It was a bit rainy but no lightening in sight...so we told the girls if they go out in the rain and go swimming they might get wet!!!!! LOL!

So they jumped right in! Here's the birthday girl:

Yummy cupcakes to go along with the make-your-own-sundae! Oh and there was a cookout cause you can't have a pool party without burgers and dogs!!!!!

The kids really had a great time. They also made bracelets and picture frames and had yummy punch!!!! Thanks for inviting us and happy birthday Paige!!!! We had a great time!!!

***************************************************************

So while I got the tires rotated the other day, we waited...but not in the waiting room...we went next door to a golf and ice cream store! The girls had a great time golfing around the water falls and ponds (and fetching the ball out with the net!). Then they had water ice! Quite a fun way to wait for the car!

I can't imagine many people win a free game....you had to make it into the clowns mouth!

****************************************************************

Daddy took us all out fishing at Cape May Point and showed the girls how to fish!!! It was a bit of a stormy night and the sky was so neat looking! There was even a faint rainbow!

It was a bit rainy and windy for a while but we all persevered and finally they girls met with success...Devon actually reeled in and landed her first fish!!!!

I loved taking pics of the sky!

Brooklyn and Edmund caught some fish too!!!!

LOL....there was no way she was touching that slimy flailing fish!!!! hahahaha!

None of the fish were large enough to keep, so Edmund tagged them and returned them to the sea!!!

You probably can't see the rainbow in this pic huh?? Well, it was there! We all had a fun time fishing and we headed home wind and rained upon but happy!

**********************************************************

So today was another cloudy cool day...the girls and I hung out at home! They decided to have some sprinkler "wars".....

And as a special treat tonight while I am blogging, the girls are having movie night, complete with popcorn and candy!!! Wow!!!! Don't worry, they normally only get candy in small doses...but I figured once in a while its ok!

I am on a diet so this all looks fabulous to me...but don't worry, I didn't even try a piece of anything! I've decided to try a low-carb diet for a while since my eating was crazy out-of-control. So far so good! I'll keep you posted.

******************************************************************

Well, I guess that's it for now! We have a few weeks remaining until school starts and then the grind begins anew! Hugs and kisses and thanks for reading!

God Bless,

Cathy

My sincere prayers and sympathy go out to my aunt and her daughter-in-law and their families as they deal with the sudden and tragic loss of my cousin, Carl. He was a wonderful and God-fearing young man. I know he is with Jesus now and I pray for comfort and healing to the family he left behind.

312

2010-08-16T00:19:00.001-04:00

YEP........312.......that's how many pics I just uploaded to complete this installment. I think it'll be more like a book. I really should blog more often so I don't have to do these huge posts...sorry about that. Well, anyways....HELLO!!! I last left you all at the end of July...lots of company and heat and a few things sewn like my quilt....remember? OK so off we go for the end of July and first half of August!!! Get your snacks and drinks ready and get comfy!!!

**************************************************************************
First off, daddy and Devon made a nice trip with friends up to see a Phillies game! I took pics before we left! And my friend took some from her house. And off went the boys and the girls!!!! They had a lotta fun and the Phils even won!!!

***********************************************

Edmund's cousin, wife and cute little boy came by for a short visit after dinner one night....the kids played blocks and logs on the floor while we chatted!

He's so cute!!! And so well-behaved!!!!

**************************************************************

Friends of Edmund's from Florida also came up for a visit! We went to the Wildwood Boardwalk (again) and had lots of snacks, rides and pizza!!!! Here are a bunch of pics from that fun night. You may recognize this family from our Hollywood Studios Day in Disney last November...the girls really had a great time together again!!!

************************************************************

The last week in July the girls started up bi-weekly swim lessons for the next 5 weeks!!! At this point Devon swims rather than sinks and Brooklyn is pretty close to being able to float unasisted as well!!! Here they are practicing their kicks at the beginning of the lesson!!!

**********************************************

Later that week, was the annual Captain Kidd Treasure Hunt on the beach in Cape May!!! We made it a whole family outing including a stop at Hot Dog Tommy's (yummo), some mini-golf, some shopping ( I needed a dress for a workshop I was giving on August 2nd) and of course the treasure hunt itself. This year the girls were in the next division up...the 5-8 yr olds!!!

Devon wore her girl-pirate shirt and Brook wore Tink!!!

Off we went in search of lunch.... Tommy is quite a character!!!

I love all of the colors!!! Next we made our way to the arcade for a little bit.... I took pics of the pretty Cape May beach expanse!

Finally it was time to get ready for the treasure hunt. You can line up and parade down the boardwalk but we cut to the chase and just headed to the beach!!!! We met up with lots of friends and other people doing the same thing!!!

We lined up and awaited the "GO" signal from Captain Kidd himself!

And everyone was off!!!! See all of those kids??? I think they only buried about 20 to 30 (at most) treasure chests...and they were buried too...not on top showing a little bit like in the little kid division! So....the girls dug and dug and dug......

They dug for at least 1/2 hour to no avail....our friends didn't find a box either....

The parents chatted and just kept saying dig and look but alas.... finally everyone gave up!!! Oh well!

Hmmmm some sad but sandy faces but at least Brooklyn got a hat! LOL! So that was our pirate day!

******************************************************************

Next up was my workshop! I spent several days preparing for it and making a huge powerpoint and handouts and I brought food and wore my new dress. I was VERY nervous! Fortunately my colleagues are awesome and they really liked the workshop! We even will do a follow-up in the fall. The topic was motivating students! Quite a tough job! :) After that I joined my girls at their friend's house and we all went swimming. It was such a nice afternoon!!! Thanks Tammy for watching the girls and having us over!!!!

*******************************************************

The next big event was the Queen Maysea Coronation and the Baby Parade. The Coronation practice took a few hours two different mornings!

Here they are finding their places and where to walk and when and what to say!!! Lots to remember for a 5 and 6 year old!!! I thought this was such a good experience for them to get up on stage and speak in front of an audience on a microphone. I joked that it was as close to Toddlers and Tiaras that they were going to get!!! LOL I also loved that it was part of a long-standing Cape May tradition! Here are some more practice shots....

Sarah and her friend Haley helped all of the girls up and down the steps...each girl had to come down the steps and around the audience and up the other side!

After two days of practice...everyone was ready!!! I think I showed you the dresses earlier in the summer but I didn't tell you who was wearing what....I also found I needed to complete the look with some homemade jewelry and hair bows! I trekked over to Michaels Crafts and picked up supplies...

...while I crafted the girls made more polymer clay things!

Can you believe you bake the ribbon set on dowels??? But I finished the project! In between all of this crafting we also went to National Night Out. Do you have that where you live??? There were lots of free food and venders, a band and even pony rides! Here are a few shots...

*************************************************

Finally the night of the Coronation arrived! The girls got all dressed up!!! Here they are!

Brooklyn wore blue and Devon wore purple!!!

My friend's son was the page boy and carried a pillow with the crown!! So cute!! Once back inside I got a picture of the girls with the outgoing Queen....

And this year's new Queen....

After a few more pics and a bit of a wait....

It was finally time to start. All of the girls went back stage to line up and were introduced one by one. They came across stage and introduced themselves: name, age and town. It was so cute. Then they walked around the audience while the MC read a card about their interests. They came back on stage and sat in their seats!

The Queens then exchanged crowns and curtseys and there was a little speech and walk about!

The entire court! The ceremony ended with the major of Cape May giving each girl a trophy. The girls also had received a flower basket!

************************************************

And there you go!!! We had a day of rest in between and Friday, Aug. 6th was the Cape May Baby Parade. The girls have been in it since they were born but this year, they got to ride on the Queen Maysea float! They also got to meet Miss New Jersey, Ashleigh Udalovas. She was absolutely lovely and I got to talk to her briefly!

The girls boarded the float and soon enough they were off down Beach Ave!

The parade route ended and everyone went up to the boardwalk. We waited with one of Edmund's friend who had brought her girls. They were so cute in their zebra pillowcase dresses!!!!

It was pretty hot!!! But Edmund's friends won 4th place!! Yaa!!! We headed back to the car to change and relax a bit before heading home....Edmund talked to the arcade owner! We got frozen cokes and tried a few rides!

************************************************

And there you have it!!! Are you still hanging in here?????? I tell you what, if it weren't for all of these pics I take I wouldn't remember half of this stuff!

So the day after the parade it was Edmund's 29th birthday...again!!!! LOL! He has been running this summer so he decided he wanted to run in a local race, Douglass/Coombs 2-mile run! It wouldn't have been my birthday choice I can tell you that!!! LOL~ So we got up nice and early and somehow I still almost missed the start of the race! I took a few pics and off they went. The last to go were a company of Coast Guard recruits. I love how they yell out to each other!!! I could hear them long after they went out of sight!

Here's daddy's big finish.....

There was also a simultaneous 5-mile run and I waited around for my vice-principal, who I knew was running, to finish! Great job Pete!!!

We rested during the afternoon and later that night we went out to dinner in Cape May. Then we had cake! The next day, Edmund's friend came over with a cookie cake! Isn't that too sweet??!!! It was all very yummy!!! Happy Birthday to my dear sweet hubby!!!

**************************************

After all of this celebrating, it was time to pack for our big camping trip! Well, it was actually only two days of camping and 2 days of Hershey, PA!! We tried to get a nice cabin (read fully equiped) at Jellystone Campground in Quarryville PA but none were available. We ended up with a new two room rustic cabin...sans bathroom! If you know me, bathroom and kitchen are a requirement but we decided to go ahead and try it out since it had lots of activities for the kids! So, we packed the kids and the car and off we went on our little PA adventure!!!

Here are pics of our cabin upon arrival!!!

After settling in we drove around the campground and also played on the air mattress! It was this cool air filled jumping mattress and it didn't have an annoying air pump...I have no idea how they got it filled each day but it was super fun! Adults could go on it too!!!

Of course the first thing kids want to do when they get anywhere with a pool is go in it!!! So the kids got in their suits and we all went to the waterpark/pool for a few hours before dinner! It was so fun and splashy!!!

I ran over to the gift shop ( by the way it was an awesome gift shop but I don't think I remembered to take any pics inside) to get the swimmies for Brook and the ring to play with in the pool! They had fun! We stayed till around 7 pm or so and then headed back to the cabin for dinner and relaxation. The cabin had lights, AC, a small fridge and a flat screen tv. Outside it had a table, grill and faucet! It was so cute!

The next morning we got up and headed to the main lodge to meet Boo Boo bear! Course Devon would have nothing to do with him...though she did like Yogi!

There was a koi pond and a playground and a nice patio to relax on! My friend Carla called, who was on her way to meet up with us here at the campground. I was so excited to finally see her again! She was bringing her adorable son Louie to have fun and hang out with us for the day!

They arrived and we all headed over to the mattress and petal track for some fun!!!

The petal track was pretty big and it was located on an incline. F=ma.....know what I mean??? I am surprised no one got hurt! LOL!

No bones broken, we went to jump for a bit before it got too hot!

Finally it was time to head over to the pool! We actually had to wait until the gates opened at 11 am. It was hot waiting but finally we got in and Edmund located a great spot between the pool and waterpark areas. Carla and I visited for hours! The kids played and swam and splashed! So much fun!

Midday we headed back to the cabin for lunch and then returned to the waterpark. Carla and Louie left late afternoon and we headed out soon there after. We tried out the showers and had a nice cook-out for dinner too! (I forgot to mention that the bathrooms were clean however they were at the top of a huge hill. Edmund and I joked it was uphill both ways!)

After dinner we went to the pavillion to join everyone for Candy Bar Bingo! It was a popular event! For each game of bingo, they increased the number of bars won! Somehow we won three times and took home quite a bounty of yummy bars and candy!!!

(I totally forgot to tell you that the first night in the cabin, I woke up with vertigo! Oh and Devon kept waking up and wondering. Edmund was up taking care of us! I finally settled propped up in the car, and he took Devon to the bathrooms. When she was younger and just potty trained at night, she would wake up around 2 or 3 am and start wondering around the house. You would have to guide her into the bathroom and then she would go and go back to bed. Well, we totally forgot about this until finally Edmund figured out why she was wondering around the cabin! lol! I barely slept and the neighbors woke up early, 6:30 am and let their very loud children out of the cabin. They proceeded to yell and talk until the entire circle of cabins was awake including ours! Ack! I really had to work hard to fight the vertigo/hangover the next day. The second night I made sure to take some exedrine pm and I slept much better. I think it was the new wood smell in the cabin that set off the vertigo....apparently strong odors can do that. Its the only thing I could think of.)

*************************************************

OK onto the check-out day!! We got up and packed the car and headed to the gift shop. The kids played on the petal track, mattress and playground one last time. We perused the gift shop too! They had a wonderful deck and rocking chairs too. I tried to imagine I was at Ft. Wilderness rocking on their deck!

With the purchase of some ice for the ice chests we checked out and loaded up.....there was no room for any stowaways!

We headed out through beautiful Lancaster county. This is where I should live! It has gorgeous green rolling hills and farms. We stopped off at a local grocery just to check it out! We had plenty of time to kill before checking into our hotel in Hershey PA.

This is the sign to get off the main highway and head out to Hershey. Along the way, we stopped for go-cart rides and a little stretch for everyone! Due to ages, Daddy got to take each little girl once and Sarah got to go by herself! My vertigo had me enjoying the view only!!!

They also had water boat rides, batting cages, laser tag course and an arcade and ice cream place! We were really hot....it was super humid this day so we walked around a little bit and headed out!

Next we made our way into the town of Hershey and drove around a little bit! Its such a cute town. The lamposts in the center of town are huge Hershey Kisses!

Then we headed to Fudruckers! We love their burgers! It was so nice to be in the AC. I was hoping it would cool off some!

Even though it was a few hours before check -in, we headed over to our hotel to see if our room was ready! Thank the Good Lord it was!!! We all really wanted to take showers, relax and get ready for Hershey Park Twilight Admission!!!! It was a good sign when Edmund went in and didn't come back out right away! Yaaaaaa....our room was ready!!!!

Feeling refreshed, we got back in the car around 3 pm and drove the 5 minutes to Hershey Park. The plan was to tour Chocolate World first and then arrive at the gates at 4 :30 pm for the 5 pm twilight admission. We've done the chocolate tour several times now. Its corny but fun! It kinda reminds me of Living with the Land....must be those cows or something....lol!

The ride ends and you get off and go up steps to a ramp overlooking a humongous candy store! Oh and they give you a free sample. I took a pic of the ride pic(we're #498)....the lady put her hand up to stop me and I just kept going....hey, in Disney everyone does that!

Then we meandered towards the gates. They have height requirements for rides (of course) that are creatively shown by different candies. Both littles were Reeces and Sarah was a Jolly Rancher. I think Disney should do something like this....it saves so much trouble! Just look for your sign at the ride and if its there....you can go on it!!!

After our wait, we made it in!!!! They had a pretty fountain with a Milton Hershey stature...again it reminded me of the statues at Disney! OK ... no more comparisons!!! LOL

Notice Devon has the map! We decided to start at the top of the park and work our way down. Sarah's first ride was a roller coaster so I took the girls on a trio of rides nearby. They LOVED this froggy ride and rode it multiple times during the night!

They have lots of coasters and Sarah rode many...until she was coastered out! (no thats not a word)

Feeding the ducks from the bridge!

We came across some YUMMY CANDY and even Devon made it into the picture!

Swinging Ship...for Sarah and Devon. I chatted with the Line CM...he picked out Sarah as being mine! LOL!

This next ride was a blast! It swings really fast and you can control the direction of the sail! You just laugh the whole time! I watched from the safety of the bench!

We waited on another bench while Sarah coasted again!

Then the girls went on an old-fashion whip and the musical express!!! How do they do it???

Next up was the railroad! Toot toot! I made it aboard too!

Then we took the monorail ride. Darn...I was so appalled that I didn't get a pic of this family ahead of us in line...ugggg. They were quite a treat. The one youngster about 16 or 17 had a dull expression....think duhhhhhh? and was wearing a hat with pot leaves all over it. We sat far away from them on the ride!!!

I love this ride...its so cool and relaxing...reminds me of the People Mover...not that I am comparing! You go over the entire park and swing around near the Hershey factory!

We headed over to the Classic Cars. By the way, you could bring your empty water bottle to any vender and they would fill it for free. At this point of the night we had done that about 10 times..a few pit stops occurred whenever we were near a bathroom! It was starting to get dark and we decided to eat after this ride!

I sat with Sarah who drove...yikes...this is reality in about 4 more years!

Devon was bugging me to take a pic of us. So here is Devon's pic under the sign...Hershey's Kisses...course she cut off the sign so this makes no sense. No really...ask her! LOL!

Here's our restaurant...with outrageous prices...the girls all had pasta...Edmund and I were too hot to eat so we shared a gatoraid. Three kids pastas and a gatoraid came to like $25. How do they sleep at night????

Devon, Sarah and I went up the Kissing Tower and I tried to get some pics but it was dark and the kiss window was plastic. You could see everything from up there....it was beautiful with all of the lights and stuff!

At this point it was getting late and all of us were really tired and hot! We headed to the beginning of the park for a last ride...the caroussel of course...

and we also found a Hershey Bar meet and greet... to end our park evening!

We certainly were able to get to all of the rides we wanted...it wasn't very crowded at all. There is a whole section we skipped....the waterpark area...which is really nice. Had we done an all day pass, we probably would have spent lots of time there during the heat of the day!

We went back to the hotel and slept great on the soft beds! In the morning there was a complimentary breakfast...all the crowds and waffles you want! No matter..we survived! We checked out and packed up yet again and headed east to Indian Echo Caverns.

There was so much to do here! They had a mining area and cute gift shop and playground! We signed up for a tour and we were ready to go within about 20 minutes!

Our tour guide in blue. He was nice and kinda funny! He led us down the path...see that house...soon we would be 100 feet below it!!

Our group! Ready to go in....here are the doors to the cave....hahahahaha!

It has come to my attention that not everyone likes caves. Now I am not of the spelunking variety ( like my older sister) but these caves are well pathed and lit! I tried to reassure Brooklyn of this!!!

Seeee....I'm not scared!!!!

We were all thoroughly enjoying the tour..the girls kept asking to take pics too! A nice guy from NY took our family pic!

I think you've seen enough cave shots! We made it out alive, only to be faced with 71 steps back up to the top!!!

Next, the girls tried mining for gems! The nice guy had Brooklyn help count the money and then we got our bags of "dirt" and the girls were ready to try it! They divided the bags among their three sifters and let the water run over them. It took away the dirt and left the gems!!!

Lots of pretty stones!!! Here is a display of possible ones to find! Next the girls played for a while on the playground. Edmund and I prepared a quick picnic lunch! We found a nice table to relax and eat at!

And then it was finally time to pack up and head home!

LOL...poor Sarah! We took some highway (and I was the person in charge of the map) back to Philly and it seemed to take forever to get there!

Here's the Walt Whitman over to NJ!

And there you have it folks...our little 4 day trip! It was great fun! My hubby even helped with the unpacking and laundry. Luckily I had cleaned the house before we left!

**************************************************

So the only other thing to catch you up on is a little bit of sewing I did in the last few weeks! First I decided to try some "I Spy" quilts. These are quilts which use all kinds of novelty fabrics and you combine them. The kids can play the game I Spy with it. Or try to match blocks etc. I ordered some novelty squares from ebay and used some of my stash too. My good friend Marlo was so sweet and sent me some of her leftover disney fabric scraps....and I think I already mentioned before how much fun the girls had picking out their fabrics!

So...here is what I've done so far. This is Brooklyn's and she picked pink as her accent color.... I still have to layer, quilt and bind.

The other new project I have going on are cute in-the-hoop Mini-Kimmy dolls from swak embroidery. Click Here. I made my first doll for my friend Marlo's daughter Nicole! So here is the process and result:

First you make the doll...

Then the hair...there are lots of choices...

Then the clothes...I picked the Sisboom Carla dot!

And here she is all completed!!!

******************************************************

OK, so you actually made it to the end of this blog. There is really too much to even comment about I am sure! Just know that I had to get it all out there. This is kinda like my journal of my family!! So I think we are finishing out the summer with some workshops (for me), a middle school orientation (for Sarah) and a few more fun things I can think of....lol! We've signed up for dance for the fall and will do a little school shopping I am sure. I am going to keep working on the quilts and dolls and some Halloween things too!!!

Hope all is well and thanks for reading along! Be back soon!!!

God Bless,

Cathy

Trying to Catch Up!!!

2010-07-24T22:45:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!

July is speeding by! And it has been HOT!!! and HUMID!!!!

The first week in July we spent celebrating Independence Day...Happy July 4th!!! I think I left off on my last post talking about getting ready for our Fireworks Festival.

The second week in July we spent cleaning and organizing.

The third week we have been visiting with company.

Next week I need to get ready for a workshop I am giving and brace myself that the summer is 2/3 over already. Ack.

In between all of this stuff, we have been trying to: get to the pool or beach, visit with friends and try out some new crafts and activities!!

I've also been sewing!

Most of all we've been trying to stay cool!!!

So here are the pictures....you know how I post way too many pictures! LOL!

Lets begin with the Fireworks Festival...we had a BBQ with the neighbors then went to the festival! I made a cake!!! We watched the beautiful sunset and visited with friends. The fireworks were awesome and lasted at least 20 minutes!!!

It was a fun night!!!!!!
Hey check out these amazing fireworks at Disney Land Paris recently.....click here!

Next up was cleaning and organizing week! Sarah totally cleaned out her room...like 5 leaf bags FULL of stuff...out! We are looking for new furniture for her room and the little girls will get her old dresser, mirror and desk. We are looking into some IKEA furniture and also keeping our eye out for a 2nd hand set. I also bought and hung new curtains in my room! Here they are:

During the third week we tried some new activities and crafts. Devon tried roller skating, we all rode bikes, and we tried polymer clay crafts. The little girls made a scrapbook and Devon has been tying a summer journal. Brooklyn learned how to stamp and color with a cute little set from big sister. She has also been doing lots of cheerleading with Bella Cheerleader! We went to the library for new books and have been reading them. I've really had a lot of time to read more than a chapter a day in my bible...such a treat! I also listened to a few books on tape while sewing or driving. The girls also tried sewing and we are planning out "I Spy" quilts for all of us. I ordered a bunch of squares of different novelty/disney fabric from Ebay. My friend Marlo sent me some of her disney fabric and I used some of my own stash. The girls sat down and traded and selected squares. It took hours...very fun!!! So here are some pics from all of these events:

Picking out fabric for the I Spy Quilts.....

I had the girls pull out their stamps, journal and scrapbook to show you!!! Meanwhile Sarah was working on her Peace Sign Collage....in her now semi-neat room...hahahahaha!

I think I deserve an A+ for trying to keep the girls busy, entertained and educated!!! hahahaha!

Interspersed between these creative outlets, we have totally been enjoying the beach and pool near our house. Sometimes dad will come home early from work and take the girls over to the pool for a couple of hours. I also have been hanging out at the Cape May Point beach with my friend Alice and her cute kids! The girls are FINALLY old enough (and brave enough) to ride the waves in on boogie boards and go out with me beyond the breaking waves and float up and down!!!! That is sooooo much fun!!!!!

That's Sarah...waving me away!!!!

We definitely NEEDED one of those showers when we got home!!!!

Before leaving for the pool, I brought the trashcans in which the trashmen very creatively stacked......lol!

Snacks and a rest!!!

Besides swimming, I took the girls to a local garden called Leamings Run. It's a mile stroll through the woods and clearings with beautiful flowers, a rustic home and farm, and also a gift shop. It was pretty hot in the sun but the shade was comfy enough for us to really enjoy this little outing!! I couldn't stop taking pictures of the pretty gardens and flowers!!!

After our big adventure we stopped and got ice cream with whipped cream on top!!! Yummy goodness!!!! That was a fun outing!!!

Brooklyn is a wiz on the computer....she can check weather, get to different websites, watch disney videos on u-tube! She navigates between my desktop and hubby's....its hilarious to watch her zipping around. Poor girl fell asleep at the computer one day....with all of the heat and activities...she's been taking naps almost every day!

What else have we been up to? Well, a friend of Edmund's from high school came to visit! He brought his beautiful daughters and grand son! The baby was only 6 months old and was the cutest thing...I had a lot of fun holding him!!!

We all went to the Wildwood Boardwalk that night...had pizza and rode some rides! It was pretty crowded though.

The next day we went to my favorite restaurant! And today we went over to say goodbye as they headed onto the next leg of their journey.

And I got to hold the baby one last time!!!!

***************************************************************

OK so I think I have you up-to-date on everything but my sewing adventures for the month!

I finished this cute set for my friend's son. They are going to Disney and we were trying to estimate what size to make everything for it. Hopefully it will fit!!!

This was a quilt block for a group gift for the most wonderful and talented gal...my awesome friend Carla! I am new at quilting and I followed a wonderful block pattern. It called for plain white (everywhere where I put black and white should just be plain white!) and I shoulda stuck to the directions!!! Oh well, I really enjoyed piecing it together. Our friend, Tom, who is such a talented guy and super sweet besides, pieced our blocks together and quilted and binded the whole project. He mailed it off and we surprised Carla on her birthday! I think she was very pleased. I know we are all very blessed and happy to be friends!!! Here is the finished quilt:

Speaking of Carla, Jennifer Paganelli and the Scientific Seamtress have been busy collaborating on a new pattern. There is an adult and child version....and here is a tiny sneak peek...sorry I am NOT much of a model....but here goes...more to come on this!!!!

And finally I get to my quilt! Its actually finished! I needed a lot of help from friends and the internet to get 'er done. But she is completed and on my bed finally! It took forever to stipple the whole thing. Then I used a simple embroidery pattern and a hoop to work on the border quilting. Then I finally cut and binded the edges. A few quick pictures and it was done!!!

Look, hubby's Father's Day pillow matches perfectly!!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped me on this quilt!!! And a special thanks to Jennifer for providing the most beautiful fabrics ever.......they are a dream to work with and so happy and inspirational!!! Love you!!!!

***********************************************************************

And there we go everyone! I finally finished this overdue blog update!!! We are looking forward to the restart of swim lessons, a pool visit and tie-dying event at a friends, the Queen Maysea crowning and Cape May Baby Parade. I think my hubby is even running in a race soon! I believe there is a fun vacation coming up as well!!! So I will be back soon with more updates and too many pictures!

I hope you are enjoying your summer too! I love and miss you all who I don't get to see everyday!

God Bless!!!

A busy and fun July Week!

2010-07-05T00:59:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!! Happy Independence Day!!!

I hope everyone had a blessed and relaxing 4th of July. See any fireworks? Ours are actually tomorrow so I will post about that next time. I would just like to say how much I appreciate the freedoms we enjoy here in the USA!

****************************************************************************

The record heat wave we experienced at the end of June finally ended after a storm or two. I captured it's arrival....

Brooklyn hid under a blanket during the thunder and lightening part of it all....lol!

Bless her heart...she made it through just fine! So we had some gorgeous days but not much rain despite that quick storm. Our grass pretty much dried up and we've only been watering the garden daily to keep it going!

Let's see what else we did this week? Oh yes...our 6 month dentist visits were this week. I try to schedule us simultaneously so we don't have to make a bunch of individual trips. Good news....no cavities!!!!

Sarah and Devon wait their turns....

...while Brooklyn gets hers counted and tickled with the spinning brush! They love to push the button to refill the cup! Then a few minutes later...all done! They get to pick prizes and stickers and get a new toothbrush!

The smartest thing I did was bring them from the time they were babies and sit them on my lap/legs while I got my teeth cleaned. They would ask questions the whole time and were able to see the instruments up close without having the actual exam. Now they think its totally fun to go to the dentist.

**************************************************************************

The following day was the interview for Queen Maysea which is an annual event in Cape May for forever! This is the first year we actually participated and Devon was old enough to do it. We went with our friend, Tammy, and her daughter, Paige. I was so proud of Devon for trying out. They actually leave mom out in the hallway while they go in by themselves to a room with three judges. They ask a few simple questions. From all of the interviews, they pick a queen, several princesses and everyone else is in the queen's court. Later in the summer there will be a crowning ceremony and also a trip on a float in the Cape May Baby Parade. Brooklyn signed up to be a flowergirl and Sarah and her friend will both help out during the ceremony!

Devon all set to go...

And waiting to go in...they talked and worked on puzzles in the hallway!

Yaaaa, job well done girls! My friend's daughter was picked to be a princess....yaaa! Thank you Tammy for driving and bringing us along!!!

***************************************************************************

Later that day, my friend Alice called and we decided to head up to the zoo with everyone! It was a beautiful sunny warm but not humid type of summer day. Definitely wanted to be outside in it! Brook took a quick snooze on the ride up to the zoo...

We arrived and took a few pics by the entrance! My friend arrived before us and was already inside. We met up with them....thank goodness for cell phones!

We saw some tigers..... can you see him laying down by the fence?

And we saw some wallaby...kinda like small kangaroos....

We saw lots of reptiles and turtles and lizards and stuff .....

Here's a camel laying down....rough life huh?

What is this thing? I think its a bisen? He was rolling around in the sand here...their heads are huge! We were on a walkway just above him. Fascinating!

Then we made our way out of the zoo. We decided to take a little train ride....we had to wait for a bit....probably 20 minutes??? But it was a cute ride through the woods....

Here comes the train!!!!

And finally, the girls played on the swings and playground for a little while before calling it quits! What a fun day! Thanks for suggesting it Alice!!!!

*************************************************************************

In between all this fun, I managed to sew up a few things. I made pillowcase dresses for the girls. They are not thrilled with the darker fabric but its all I had. I am almost done a pillowcase top for Sarah or myself to wear too. These are for our fireworks celebration on the 5th.

***************************************************************************

We were also invited to my friend Leanne's pool and her sister Kim came too with her kids..so there were lots of children and fun on yet another gorgeous sunny day! We grabbed a quick lunch that day and we brought snacks and stuff for the kids for later.

What fun...we had all ages present and accounted for...isn't it nice when everyone can enjoy one activity!

Here we are! It was so relaxing to sit and chat and watch the kiddos!

Later on the ice pops came out and the kids sat poolside to enjoy...the older girls were still in the pool!

Back to swimming!

Sarah was so excited to actually be old enough to go in the hot tub! It wasn't actually super duper hot or else she wouldn't have liked it...I love hot tubs too!!!!

I believe we broke out the snacks at this point! Who loves cheese curls???? Well, my girls do...and you can't just eat one...which is why we never usually buy them. They are such a treat! Eventually we had to cut Brooklyn off.....a cheese-curl intervention was required!!!! LOL!!!

Notice the water balloon....I think Brooklyn was guarding it! hahahahaha. Hey go jump in the pool and wash off girlfriend!

No trip to my friend's house would be complete without a GC ride (golf cart). And with Kaylie driving....it was a wild ride indeed!

Good luck girls....hold on!!!! (notice the pink water balloon!!!! hahahahahaha).

Thanks again Le for such a great swimming day!!! We love you guys!!!

*************************************************************************

We have some great neighbors next to us that come down (they live in PA). Their son brought a friend with them and all of the kids have been enjoying playing whiffle ball and running around chasing each other. What a blast!. Well, I decided that we should finally see Toy Story 3 and invited the "boys" along. What sweet well-behaved young men. They must have thanked me a hundred times. So, Brooklyn put on her TS3 outfit and off we went. We loved it! I tried not to cry at the end but did anyways. It was pretty intense but I loved it and what a great ending! Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

Here's more pics of the tag game they had going after the movie....and then the water guns were broken out...hahahahaha....they all got drenched! It looks like our lawn needs some drenching too!

***********************************************************************

We were invited to my friend Karen's son's first birthday pool party! She went all out! What a great party! Winnie the Pooh themed and the little boy is just adorable! Here he is during the cake and birthday singing.....so smiley!

We enjoyed some yummy food and the girls....................wait for it..............................went swimming again!!!

Fun on the rafts!

There was also a baby pool and Brooklyn climbed in to play with my other friend's cute daughter!!!

Thanks Karen for the awesome party!!! And Happy 1st Birthday to MJ!

Oh yeah I almost forgot. I didn't quite finish one of MJ's presents....I needed some size advice first...but here's a sneak peak at part of the outfit. I am making a coordinating top to go with it! We all love Disney around here!!!!

Woody the cowboy is an applique from Bow's and Cloth's! Buzz and the Toystory are actually cut-outs from fabric. Hope he likes it! It will be perfect for their next trip to Disney!

**************************************************************************

We finished up the week with a trip to the beach....along with every other human in the vicinity. We actually went to the Bay...not even the real ocean and it was still packed! And hot! We took shelter under the umbrella!

We packed a picnic lunch and sat with friends! They brought their wave runner too and Sarah and Devon got to go out for a ride!

Off they go.... hold on tight!!!

...and back in one piece!!! Thanks Bob!!!

Did I mention it was hot and crowded? The girls didn't even want to build castles or swim much!

So finally around 3 pm we packed up and headed home. I think they liked the outdoor shower the most!! We all took naps after that! LOL!

We ate a late dinner. While it was cooking, the ice cream man came ringing through the neighborhood, so the girls ran out to pick out what they wanted for dessert! We all enjoyed the yumminess outside! A nice way to end the day!

I was there too...but behind the camera!!! I had a chipwich.....delish! Then the girls ran around shooting each other again!

************************************************************************

Oh and I found one more thing to show you! I ordered a very inexpensive dress for Brooklyn to wear for Queen Maysea. My friend Tammy also lent us a beautiful blue dress. Well, the dress already arrived...it only took like 3 days to get here. I was shocked! So they each tried on both dresses....

A sweet sisterly kiss!

And then they switched....

Stay tuned to see who gets which dress!!! The event isn't till August actually.

*******************************************************************

Since we got out of schools so late, we are taking each day as it comes and living summer life fully. I am really enjoying the warm weather and the girls and friends and family!!! Very Very Very blessed! I have actually gotten to read a few books...right now I am reading CS Lewis "Mere Christianity"....amazing! And about that quilt...ya....I've really got to get to gettin on that! And that's about it for the week.

Happy 4th of July.....hope you have off for Monday! Enjoy the week...be back for more soon!!!

~Cathy

Drying up here in the heat!

2010-06-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! We are surviving through the heat...how about you? Today we were supposed to see Toy Story 3....have you seen it yet? Unfortunately, Devon has a fever so we opted to play inside today until the rain came later to cool things off a bit.

Poor little Devon...hopefully she will be better tomorrow or its off to the doctor. Brooklyn had a sore throat last week but was fine after a day. Sarah played computer games and I sewed!

My friend Marlo is involved with a rehab center and they are having a fundraiser. I really wanted to make something for it and so I decided on Scientific Seamstress/SisBoom "Tailored Tote". So I picked out a pretty quad of fabric in blues and yellows.... Here is everything cut out:

Assembling the inside layer. Standing are the inserts and outer layer.

All done! It was such a fun project!!! I will be filling it with crayons and coloring books and mailing it off for the Center! I hope they like it!!!

The striped outer pockets (see above) are for the crayons. The back is plain (see below).

Here is a shot of the inside....there is a small pocket and a magnetic clasp! The bag stands by itself and is both light and strong!

OK, going back a little in time, the girls finished school (finally) last week and we celebrated with a cake for dessert~ Yaaaaaaa summer time!!!! We must have really celebrated because it has really heated up since then!

************************************************************************

The other "graduation" celebration was a camping trip. Last year was such fun and I really enjoyed hanging out with our friends recently so my awesome hubby found a nice campground that had a trailer (RV) for rent for the weekend. It was hard finding a reasonable place that didn't have a 3 or 4 day minimum but we finally found a great place. We invited Sarah's friend along too!

So the morning of the trip, we packed and loaded the car....I say "we"...it was my hubby who loaded and I packed! hahahaha! We make a pretty good team! It was going to be a tight fit with all of your stuff and 6 passengers but we made it!!!

Before we left.....Mickey watered the tomato plants one last time....isn't he adorable....he's Fireman Mickey !!!

And we were on our way...10 minutes early believe it or not! Here's everyone in the car. I do have to mention that Brooklyn wasn't her usual worried self and actually relaxed a lot more on this trip compared to last year. I guess she is growing up!

We were pleasantly surprised by the trailer. It had a slide out which really opened up the middle. There was a double bed in front. A couch (futon) and kitchen in the middle.

Then a bathroom and a room with two twin beds.

We were excited to start our weekend in such nice "luxury"! It also had a built in radio and AC!

So we started to unload all of our stuff!

The "big" girls set up their bedroom!

And we set up our and the kitchen. I brought a book to read too....this year it was "Diana" by Sarah Bradford. I hardly ever have a chance to read so I was really looking forward to starting a good book. We headed to the front of the campground to check it out. The little girls went for a short swim.....

And the "big girls" checked out the playground and store/arcade...

After a little down time, we headed back to make and eat dinner! There was candy bar bingo at 7 pm and we didn't want to be late!

I didn't actually bring the camera to the bingo games. We sat out on the picnic tables and had fun playing. We won bags which had candy and stuff inside...fun fun. Devon was a little upset since she didn't win but we shared the winnings all around! Then we headed back to camp for my favorite part of the day....s'mores!!!!!!

Then we got everyone ready for bed....by the time it got dark it was actually quite late.

Edmund, Sarah and Haley played UNO and I read my book! So relaxing!!!!

The next morning we had breakfast and took showers and got ready for a hot humid day outside. Here we are ready to go! We were heading for the Mays Landing town festival.

This stand sold marshmallow shooters! Darn I should have gotten one. Edmund ask to see how they worked and got "shot" with one....we cracked up!

This is such a pretty fountain.

We found an obstacle course and Devon and Brook climbed through it! It was about 10:30 by now and already the humidity was unbearable! We decided to head back the other way and finish up on the other side of the park/street.

The girls picked up all kinds of cool free stuff on the tables!

We stopped to relax for a few minutes and had a snack at this bakery.

We made it to the other end and rested in the shade.......

....while Devon and Brook somehow had the energy to bounce around in the jumpy jump for a good 10 minutes!

After this we got back in the car and headed back to the cool trailer.

We had sandwiches for lunch. But the pool was calling to us and we headed out to swim for the afternoon. Later there were some pool games and all the girls had fun!

Oh yeah...I was on the trip too!

There was supposed to be a hayride but the truck to pull it broke down. Everyone was tired by this point so we headed back to start dinner.

Dinner is served!!!

We hung around until it was time for the root beer float and animal petting zoo.

The girls filled up on a huge cup of vanilla ice cream and root beer! Yummy goodness!

In the game room was a great petting zoo/animal show. I figured they would bring 3 or 4 animals and everyone would pet them and that would be it. Well, she brought at least 30 animals, explaining a little about each one and passed them all around! I was really impressed!

Guess what this is???? A replay of the movie "Ratatouille"....you know when the Ratatouille Rat is on the chef's head and helps him with the recipes....so yes, that IS a rat on that boy's head!!!!!

There was Sonic the hedgehog...and there was a chinchilla too!

Then everyone stood up and did the chicken dance with the chicken. Devon got to hold him.

Then we hung out at the playground till dusk!

After a fun-filled day, we walked back to camp!

Our trailer as we walked up to it!

The kids tried playing UNO again and apparently everyone was too tired to carry on long!

The next morning, we were so full we only had a light breakfast. I had eggs and bacon planned but we opted out. Instead we relaxed a bit and then packed up in only 45 minutes! Record time! Then we checked out and loaded up and drove home! It was such a fun and relaxing weekend. I didn't finish my book but I did get a good way through it! I think the girls enjoyed their time together. Sarah's friend is such a sweet girl and nice to bring along and have over! We love her!!!

Edmund would like it to go on record that he was the Early Morning Uno Champion...and Haley was the Late Morning Uno Champion. Obviously we need to do another trip so we can break the tie!!!!

************************************************

I hope you all have a nice rest of the week. I can't believe its almost the 4th of July! We have a busy week planned. I will be back with updates!!! God Bless!!!!