take it slow

I took this picture while we were on the lake Saturday night. To me, this image is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the days of summer. The days are speeding by. The warm air, the summer sun, the singing of the locust will be behind us all too soon. My goal for the next several weeks is to find the pleasure in each day. Sit a little longer. Have another glass of limeade. Walk barefoot. Get on the water again. Lounge by the pool. Read another book. Enjoy a glass of wine. Watch the sunset. Sit under the stars.

If I'm not here for a while, it's because I've slowed down. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

a perfect evening

We have good friends. We have good friends who have a boat. Same good friends invited us for an evening boat ride with two other couples. Potluck dinner included.

It turned out to be a picture perfect evening. Early in the day the forecast was a 50/50 chance of rain. Debate ensued about whether or not to try to get on the water. So glad we did. We found a little cove which provided for privacy while we had our potluck dinner -- pasta with salmon, olive cheese bread, fruit and salami/cheese on a baguette. Not bad for potluck.

After dinner we ventured out on the water again. Found another quiet cove to watch the sun set. Beautiful. I even ventured into the water. It felt refreshing. Once the sun was beyond the horizon, it felt almost cool.

I find something so peaceful about water. The sound of it lapping at the side of the boat. The gentle rocking motion. The combination of the two could lull me to sleep. And speaking of sleep, we saw a houseboat pass by several times. I'd love to sleep on the water. In a boat. We're thinking it would be fun to rent one for the weekend -- 2 families to a boat -- living on the water. I want to try that.

a-dime-a-lime

The local market had limes for a dime again today. I stopped and bought enough for another batch of homemade limeades. This is habit forming. There's nothing better than cold, fresh squeezed limeade on a hot summer day. (and it's hot here, heat index at 100+ today and tomorrow)

in the pool

in the pool

life is cool

swimmers rule

i know summer is here

I know summer is here by the number of hours we've spent at the pool this week.

 I'm not the swim team member. Just a parent volunteer and I've been at the pool 8 1/2 hours in 4 days.

I know summer is here by the number of wet beach towels and suits found in the bathroom.

They're always there. Always.

I know summer is here by the additional loads of towels I wash every week.

This is my least favorite part of summer. I hate it. And before you ask, yes, they are used more than once.

I know summer is here by the increase in appetite.

It is to be expected. She did 42 laps in an hour on the first day of practice. Wouldn't you be hungry?

I know summer is here by the additional time spent with friends we don't see in the winter.

Catching up with all the friends that we only see on the pool deck in the summer. Such a nice change.

I love summer. Even with the wet, dirty towels.

We're Baaack from Vacation

Hello again. I've missed you all this week. I can't tell you how nice it has been to disconnect from reality. Honestly, it made me consider if I want to continue my blog. I enjoy sharing bits and pieces of life here with you all but sometimes it feels like "one more thing to do." Eliminating it from my to do list the past week was so freeing. I've got ideas for new posts so I know I'll continue. Besides, I couldn't eliminate my connection with you, my blog world friends!

Much to share.

First, no pictures. I've got issues. Computer issues. (Other issues too but I don't need to tell everything, right?) Our memory is nearly at full capacity which means I need to save our last year of photos to CD ~ I don't have any blank CD's and I don't want to go buy any so that means until I get this taken care of, I can't download any new photos to share. Sorry. Stay with me though and I'll have more up soon I hope. This week will be a busy one with enrollment and the first day of school.

Vacation started out a bit rough. Alison and I both had sinus infections so we were home for a couple of days while Lawman and Madison went camping/boating with friends. All I can say is thank heavens for antibiotics and the day that they kicked in!


We packed our bags and headed out of town as planned. Had a great time with our friends at Lake of the Ozarks. Lots of boating, floating, reading, sunning. Eat, sleep and repeat again and again. I managed to read one book in its entirety ~ The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover. I read her Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last year on vacation but hadn't read any of her fiction. I really enjoyed it.


The lake was gorgeous. And BIG. And the houses? Oh my word! I can't imagine what some people must do for a living in order to have a multi-million dollar vacation home. I personally found the older homes built in the late 60's and 70's to be the most charming. They looked like what a lake cabin should be. We did notice that there were alot of homes for sale. More than the last time we were there 4 years ago. I'm sure the economic downturn is the reason why.


On our last day there we visited Ha Ha Tonka. A beautiful place. We docked the boat and hiked up the 1/2 mile trail to see the remains of the castle, stables and water tower. There's another route to take besides the trail -- 216 steps. We did that route last time. We were hot after the hike so we found a place to anchor near the spring. We swam over to the side of the lake where you can exit and then enter into the spring and let the current carry you out to the lake (it isn't very far). The spring water is C.O.L.D. A constant 55 degrees. I sure felt cool after that little dip! It made the lake water feel like a hot tub. As I was being carried out to the lake I thought to myself, "This is what it must feel like to be packed in a bathtub full of ice."


Since returning home we've managed to pack in a couple more fun vacation activities ~ G.I. Joe and a water park. Lawman loved the movie; he's the reason we went. As for the water park? I had more fun than anyone else. I took the girls there 2 years ago and they loved it. Today it was "too little kid." I guess I'm of the age where I don't mind acting like a kid. Note to self: It's not cool when you're a teenager.

Scenes from the Country

We got the girl home from the country yesterday. Here are a few scenes from her week. I'm so thankful for the lifestyle she was exposed to. It was good for her to be "unplugged" and working. There was some playtime too though as you will see but different than what she is used to. Her highlights for the week: learning to drive the 4-wheeler and driving a pick-up truck with a trailer (yes, you can do those things in the country well before you are of legal driving age).

Warning: Weekend Behavior Could Be Addicting

Two weeks in a row. Does that constitute an addiction? Our last 2 weekends have been spent on the water. I'm not kidding when I tell you that it could be addicting. A boat. Good friends. Fun in the sun. Incredible weather. Making memories. What more could you ask for?

If I'm absent this week, it's due to Vacation Bible School. I'll be teaching in the crafts room each night this week.

Veggie Delivery

I had every intention of planting a garden this year. Really, I did. A teeny, tiny garden. I planned on putting tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers in the ground. I love the thrill of finding a vine ripened veggie just ready for picking.

Despite my good intentions, the tiny garden didn't materialize. I don't have a good excuse either.

What I do have is a fabulous friend who has a fabulous garden and best of all is the fact that she is sharing her bounty. See those beautiful veggies up there? Yep. Sarah, bless her pea pickin' heart, brought those by yesterday. My girl, Madison, answered the door and then she called me to tell me what Sarah left. She knew I would be thrilled. Oh, that girl knows me well.

Weekend at a Glance

If a picture is worth a thousand words, these photos speak volumes about the kind of weekend we had. The kind I'd like to repeat on a regular basis.

t-shirts happen

I spent my evening with this little fishy. And 307 others just like him!

Sometimes I wonder how I find myself in these situations. I sure didn't raise my hand and volunteer. Someone else volunteered me. Volunteered me to design, order, sort and box 308 t-shirts for our swim league. Why would someone volunteer me for this? Let me just say that I think it's an example of one's organizational skills working against them.

They arrived today. I came home to find 4 large boxes in my living room. And how fortunate for my entire family to be unavailable this evening for sorting, organizing and re-boxing them! Lawman's going to have to load them for me tomorrow night because I don't think I can lug those boxes down to the garage and into the truck.

I made short work of it though. Sometimes it is easier and quicker to do things by yourself.

I'll get to see lots of happy little faces on Friday when I hand these out at our league swim meet. After 10 years, one more season is almost behind me.

Summer Fare | Homemade Ice Cream

I know, I know. This is starting to sound old....the whole 'summer fare' routine. Sorry, but I've been hooked on food the last few days. I'll try to add some variety this week but first, let me explain the reason for my fascination with food.

Our calendar was so jam-packed between June 24 - July 2 that I didn't really cook an entire meal that entire time. By the time the holiday weekend got here I was feeling terrible and I knew why. Too much fast food, frozen food. Just junk.

So, I was on a mission to get our family back on track. And, I think I can say that I have succeeded.

Homemade ice cream is a given on a holiday weekend, isn't it? Well, we don't own an old hand crank ice cream maker but I do have a recipe for an incredible easy and delicious ice cream that is done in minutes. Literally. Unless you count the freezer time it needs to set up.

It requires a blender and 3 ingredients ~ 24 oz. frozen strawberries, 1/2 c. + 1 T sugar and 1 1/2 c. heavy cream. That's it. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

To prepare it, place the berries in the blender. Whisk the sugar into the cream. With the blender going, slowly add cream through the opening in the lid, stopping to stir the mixture 3 or 4 times so the ice cream is smooth, with small bits of berries. Transfer to a shallow pan and freeze to a scoopable texture, about 2 hours. Garnish with fresh berries or whipped cream if you like.

It's delish! Lawman has already placed requests for other flavors.....raspberry, peach, blueberry....the possibilities are endless.

Summer Fare | Garden Fresh Green Beans

Last week my friend, Sarah, gave me some green beans. Garden fresh green beans. From her garden. I was thrilled. Nothing tastes better than garden fresh produce.

Now I have to make a confession. I had never cooked fresh green beans before. So I turned to a reliable source of know how in my kitchen. This book.

Did you know that fresh green beans need to be boiled and not steamed? I didn't, until now.

I followed the basic recipe for prepping the beans and then selected the recipe for Green Beans with Bacon & Onion. Dee-lish! They were a perfect addition to our July 4th barbeque. They were so good that our oldest made a meal out of the leftovers all by themselves.

Summer Fare | Potato Salad

Potato salad. It's standard summer fare in my opinion. I made my first batch of the season last night.

My mother always had potato salad in our fridge in the summer. It was my dad's favorite. Still is. She used russet potatoes, chopped onion, dill pickle, chopped hard-boiled eggs and a dressing of mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

I've tried many variations of potato salad since I left home. Add yet another one to the list.

This recipe has great flavor (of course, I tasted it). The dijon mustard adds a bit of zip. And I'll just go ahead and say it, bacon makes everything better. I did deviate from the recipe just a bit as I added some chopped onion. I've also discovered that I like to mash the potatoes a bit. Doing that helps add some creaminess to the consistency.

I had a 3# bag of new red potatoes that needed to be used before they went bad so I decided to double the recipe. It will go great with the grilled chicken kabobs we'll be making over the holiday weekend.

See that jar with the lid in the photo? It's a salsa jar that I've saved. I have about 3 or 4 of them in my cabinet along with a variety of others in different shapes and sizes. I have this thing about jars. I don't know that I'd say I collect them but I sure do seem to hang on to quite a few of them. They're great for mixing marinades, dressings, sauces, etc. Just dump the ingredients in and shake away.

She Makes Me Smile

Seeing this girl reading makes me smile. I'm easy to please.

Since summer began, she's been of the mind set that it isn't necessary to do anything related to school in any way, shape, or form. In her mind that includes reading. She and I have differing opinions when it comes to this.

I've told her that she needs to read throughout the summer. "I don't care what book it is, but find one." Hearing your mom say that for the first 4 weeks of summer gets old.

She found a book last week. I thought it would be something light hearted, an easy summer read. No. She's reading Rachel's Tears. Not only am I happy that she's reading but this book has also provided material for discussion.

Do your kids read during summer vacation? If they'd rather not, how do you encourage it?

Brownie Points

This photo doesn't even begin to do justice to what I am about to share.

120,000 + people

4 days

country music

Each year in late June, Country Stampede comes to town. It's been this way for 13 years.

It's loud, it's hot, it's something I have avoided for 11 of those 13 years.

For the last 3 or 4 years, I've had multiple requests (read begging) from my girls to take them. Not because they are big country music fans but just because it's 'the thing to do.'

I've avoided it for several reasons. 1) Lawman and I went on a Saturday night about 4 years ago with VIP tickets. I couldn't believe the things I saw and we were in the "nice" section. 2) Lawman's been working it now for the past 3 years and let me just say that from the stories he tells, it's no place to have your sweet teenage daughters. Stay out of the camp grounds and avoid the Friday and Saturday night unless you want a real eye-opening experience.

This weekend Lawman and I caved. He could get free tickets to the Sunday afternoon performance so I told the girls I'd take them. You should have seen their smiles. Score one for Mom & Dad!

It turns out that Sunday afternoon was better than I thought. The music was good. The crowd was on their best behavior. I was pleased. The girls were disappointed. They were expecting it to be rowdy. I'm sure that's based on what they've heard from their dad. They were ready to go home after the 3rd act performed. Fine with me. I had already scored loads of brownie points.

On our way home they asked if this would be considered country music's version of Woodstock. I laughed and said, "Yes, I suppose you could say that except that Woodstock was all about free love. That's not the case here given what we hear from Dad."

Do You Know the Changes I've Seen?

We're 5 weeks into summer here at our place. As much as I love summer and the change of pace, with it comes a few things I could do without.

Extra Laundry ~ specifically beach towels. Between swim team practice, afternoons at the pool and swim meets, it's easy to do at least 3 loads of towels in a week. And yes, they use them more than once.

Food ~ where does it go? My grocery expense goes up but I swear it doesn't last. It seems that the food disappears faster than I can buy it.

Leisure Time ~ it's hard for me to sit down and relax in the evening until late. When it's light outside I feel like I need to be busy. It's a different story in the winter; when it's dark at 5:30, I'm ready to put my pj's on and call it a day.

Menu Planning ~ typically, I love menu planning. It saves me money and headaches. In the summer, I find it hard to do. It's too hot to cook or eat.

I sound like a Negative Nancy, don't I?

The Game of Life

Unexpected storm.

Cancelled swim meet.

Opportunity for family game night.

Only in the 'game of life' can one live a full life in 20 minutes and end up with lots of money in the bank.

And we crossed another item off of the Summer Bucket List.

Simple Summer Dining

After of full day, it's nice to come home and do a simple meal. That's what I did today. Grilled bratwurst, fries and fresh strawberries. Even better was what I served them in.

My handy-dandy Ikea baskets. I love them. I purchased four of them several years ago when we were visiting friends near Minneapolis. I think I paid a dollar each. They've been one of my favorite things as long as I've had them. I line them with wax paper and then serve the food in them. Kind of like the old-fashioned burger joints that used to use. Clean up is beyond easy. They get a work-out around here in the summer time. Simple and oh, so functional.

Simple Pleasures

I find pleasure in simple things. For the past week my mornings have begun with this beauty.

I wouldn't say that I have a green thumb but I do have pots on our front porch and back deck each spring and summer. Seeing them each day just makes me feel better. This is a plant I've not grown before.

A Ballerina White. It caught my eye at the nursery because it was such a large seedling. I've found pleasure in watching the first blossom. That first blossom became a bloom. It lasted only a short time but there are at least 5 more blossoms waiting in the wing.

I'll keep watching and enjoying these simple pleasures all summer long.