GI town...

I am back in GI town for the next couple of days. The girls are finishing up their camps and swim lessons- we will be back Friday afternoon! Then just two more weeks until school starts...its getting close!!! yippeeeeeee! (Can you tell I am just a little excited?!) hehehehehe!


I love my kids- but children need routines and summer is basically routine-free! I start out the summer with a daily schedule... and by June 15th its been abandoned! Summers just get too crazy and hectic. But once school starts, then things will get back to normal and I can get organized again! I can hardly wait!

Too cold to swim?.....I think not!


Saturday night was my niece's 1st bday party. It was a Hawaiian Luau party and they asked the quests to come dressed up. Super cute idea- too bad that it was on the only day Grand Island received rain in the last 4 weeks. It drizzled all day, but was muggy enough to make it warm. The party wasn't until 6pm so we all crossed our fingers that it would clear up...no such luck! And not only was it raining- it also got a tad bit chilly. A north wind picked up and with the rain made it yucky enough to cancel the swimming part of the party. Or did it?



I've come to the realization that kids don't care about the minor discomforts ...they just care about having fun!

Shoe-therapy!

I am not one for shoe shopping. Just find me a comfortable pair of cute shoes and I am good to go! Well- my mission yesterday was to find a comfortable pair of retro tennies. I love the style and will wear them forever...even if and when they aren't in style anymore. Retro tennie are the the low top version of the high top vans that were really popular in the 80's. But I am definitely a low-top girl. ANYWAY... so I was on a mission to find some. And I know Payless usually has some - but they are really pointy at the toe and just look a little funny. So I wanted something else. And since I was going alone and had time - I could find what I wanted no matter how long it took! (it felt a bit strange not having to chase kids around the shoe dept!)

I went to American Eagle at South Point and found these beauties.


They are laceless and have the worn look. They are a dirty denim - its kind of hard to see in the pic.





And these are off white- they look really white in the photo- and also have the worn frayed look going on.






They are super comfy and represent my style perfectly. After I bought these (on clearance) I headed over to Payless just to look... and to my surprise they are now carrying American Eagle shoes. They didn' t have these specific styles but they had some cute shoes and at a good price. I bought a pair of red vans (I have a thing for red shoes- no clue why!). They aren't bright red - more of a maroonish red. But they will do for the upcoming NU football season.

Holy bargains, Batman!


Today was busy! I cleaned, paid bills, went shopping for school clothes and bathroom accessories and the infamous rug ( I will explain later)! I went to Old Navy and stocked up on their bargains- again! I went at the beginning of July and bought a few clearance items- but nothing compared to this time! This is what I came home with:

Corynn: three pairs of jeans, four t-shirts, a skirt and three tank tops
Kwynn: three t-shirts, three pairs of jeans, four tank tops, a skirt and a bag
McKynna: a pair of jeans, a pair of capris, three t-shirts, five tank tops and a bag
Elizabeth (my niece who is having a bday this weekend): a pair of capris, 2 t-shirts and a cardigan

I also found baby hats and socks on sale for 47 cents and couldn't resist!

So how much do you think I spent?????????

My grand total was $71.78!!!! Crazy!!!!

I also found a bunch of t-shirts and tank tops at Target for $1.68- so the girls are pretty much set for school. I am so excited! I love bargain shopping and I love it even more with out three little girls tagging along!!! You get to enjoy it more!

The bathroom accessories were pretty standard and I found those at Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond. All we have to do now is put up our shower curtain.

The RUG ...

I wanted and still want a square tan shag rug. Obviously - you can't just walk into Walmart and pick one up- so I went to Carpet stores trying to find a remnant that could be cut to size. I struck out. After going to the fourth flooring store - I went back to Walmart and bought a 5x7 tan rug that will do the trick until the perfect rug can be found. Two of the flooring places are checking with suppliers and other sources to help me find it. So we will see!

Tomorrow will entail cleaning up the house (vacuuming, dusting and going through closets (ughhh))!

I am also going to stop by a shoe store and find myself a pair of shoes- all I have right now are sandals and Nikes- I need a pair of casual tennis shoes like retro vans or Sketchers.

I am getting alot done with out the kids... I just thought there would be a bit more rest and relaxation this week! hahaha! Like that would ever happen! Whenever I am without kids - I find myself super busy trying to catch up on all the things on the "LIST". You know that list of stuff you 'should' do but never get around to doing! Owell- it just comes with being a mom!

Kid- Free


My three beautiful wonderful daughters are off in GI town visiting grandparents and attending camps. They are taking a Horse Riding class at Stuhr Museum and swim lessons through the city. My mom called in February and asked if the girls could come to GI for a few weeks this summer for riding camp and swim lessons...uh...of course! I didn't hesitate! I love my kids- but it is so much easier to get things done with out them, especially all the before-school-starts stuff!

I have some finishing touches in the bathrooms i.e. towel rods, sealing grout, putting up our custom shower curtain rod. Then I have to find a rug for the family room. I also want to go through the girls' clothes and get rid of things that don't fit, find out what they need for the school year and go school shopping. Normally, it would take me a few weeks to get all this done with all three girls tagging along- adding their two cents along the way. But with them gone - I should be able to get all this done by Thursday. I took it easy today and enjoyed the quiet! I went to the YMCA and worked out and then came home and watched a movie. It was strange... the tv was on at 2pm and it wasn't cartoons! Craziness!

Emma already misses the girls. She just moped around the house until John came home and hasn't let his side since he walked in the door. Poor thing! I will have to take her back with me this weekend. My niece is turning one- I have to go back for the party!

The Farmers Market


We loaded up the kids and headed to the Farmers Market Saturday morning at 8:00- hoping to miss the crowds and heat. HAHA! Miss the heat- it was already humid when I let Emma out at 6am. Owell- it always fun to go once or twice a year with the kids. They get a kick out of seeing all the vendors and being able to take their own money there and buy things. Some of our Farmers Market MUST HAVES are:

Kettle Corn (YUMMY)
Sourdough Bread from a little bakery on 27th and Fletcher
tomatoes
bacon
fresh Nebraska Honey
and sometimes a fresh chicken or two


I love looking at all the cool stuff the vendors are selling too. There is one with turquoise necklaces and other beaded jewelry that has some nice things. And some of the art shops around there put out some neat things too. Its fun- one of those things you should definitely do!

Neighborhood BBQ

We have been thinking of hosting a block party. We have had a few new couples move in the neighborhood in the last year and it would be good to get to know everyone. Plus its another excuse for John to use his super masterful grilling skills.

I am a very closed off person and could live my whole life with out knowing my neighbors- but kids change that! I want to know that if my kids ride their bikes around the block that they will be safe and if something happens they can run to a neighbors house for help. I grew up in the same house on the same block my entire childhood. We knew everyone- its something every kid should have...

So hopefully we can fit it into our busy summer schedule and get it done before school starts. School starts a whole lot earlier than I thought it did - my father in law called and asked me something about school and dates and stuff- when I got out the calendar and saw that it resumes Aug. 20th- I was shocked! Happy, that my kids would soon be at school for 7 hours a day, but sad because the summer has really flown by and we haven't really done anything big and exciting. owell...we still have four weeks to pack in something big and fun! Maybe the block party can fit into that category...haha! Right- I don't think that would fly with the kids...for them... I feel a vacation coming on. We will probably go to South Dakota in the fall over fall break.

Anyway- any ideas for the block party would be greatly appreciated! Food, activities, decorations, must haves - any ideas would be helpful!

Dinner with Director...good stuff!


We were given the super deluxe zoo membership this year for Christmas. And with it comes fun little perks - one of which is dinner with CEO of the Zoo, the Botanical Director and the Animal Director. We went tonight to July's dinner and it was alot of fun!

We were able to go inside the Bactrian Camel (the ones with two humps) exhibit and the girls were able to feed them -
They have these huge hairy lips that were surprisingly soft- we learned alot of interesting things about the camels. We were sad to learn though- that they were getting old and suffering from arthritis. The animal director said it wouldn't be long before they would have to euthanize them. He didn't mention it infront of the kids of course- but let us know when we were leaving. I always thought they looked so sad! So maybe its for the best.

We were also able to plant green beans and the kids brought them home to grow. We learned that there are over 250 species of plants and trees at the zoo and that its actually a botanical garden which is part of Nebraska's state wide arboretum. Interesting! They also have over 100 species of trees- crazy isn't it!

We then went back to the meeting room and learned about 4 different reptiles; the leopard tortoise, the blue tongues skink, gila monster and the dwarf African crocodile. We were sitting at one of the front tables where the speaker was. He first pulls out the tortoises and notice there is no Corynn in the picture- she came by us because the little tortoises frightened her.
He then pulled out the skink and walked around the group with it too. Still no Puka(corynn's nickname)- she was really scared of the skink. A crazy mix between a snake and a lizard. Wierd! Then he showed us the gila monster- which he left in its cage. It has poisonous spit - so he was being cautious. This must have been good enough for Corynn - because she went back up front by her sisters.
Finally - he showed us the dwarf african crocodile- and once again...you guessed it....
no cage - no puka! Back to the safety of mom and dad. It was fun though and we all learned alot!

Hoping for a Purple Ribbon!

Tomorrow is oatmeal cookie baking day! The twins are in 4-H and their club is meeting tomorrow to make their entries for the county fair. The fair isn't actually until August- but everyone is going on vacation so we are making them early and going to freeze them. Its probably not the best way to prepare award winning cookies- but it their first time entering in the fair and everyone gets a ribbon- so I think we are safe.

So we are making a huge batch of plain old oatmeal cookie dough - and then we are going to have a bunch of mix-ins for the kids to pick and choose which to add to the plain dough. We are thinking of having:

chocolate chips
raisins
craisins
white chocolate chips
cinnamon
apple pie filling

Hopefully by mixing and matching these- we can come up with some super yummy cookies!

I was thinking the oatmeal, craisin and white chocolate chip cookie sounded good and I don't even like craisins. Or the oatmeal, cinnamon and apple pie filling sounds good too!

We'll see! If we have alot extra- don't be surprised if I stop by with a plate!

A profound thought...(and I don't have many!)



I was reading a book of quotes today and there was one that really stuck out and made an impact.

"The past is the past; full of things we can not change.
The future is the future; full of things we can not predict.

But the present is a present; a gift we should treasure and live to the fullest."

I keep reflecting on how things could have been or should have been or might have been. And then I start to wonder about the future and what I want and expect and hope for. But why? A wise man (you know who you are) once said "If you can't change it or control it- then don't worry about it! Otherwise, you will waste your life worrying about things." And that is so true - I can't change the past: my actions or experiences. And I can't predict the future- I can only live each day as a gift and hope it someday leads to my future expectations. That's all anyone can do.

Ok- that's enough 'profoundness' for a few months!

West Nile?!

I am going to have to surf the web and see what's up! I have had a horrible massive headache since Friday morning. One of those headaches that almost immobilize you - the noise on the radio and tv- HURTS my head and my kids -ughhhh! Don't even get me started! They have been fighting and arguing alot the past few days and I am just about to give up. The sun hurts my head too- it causes me squint and just makes things worse! I have taken advil and ib profin - but nothing seems to make it go away!

Symptom #2- food...YUCK! I don't seem to have much of an appetite. The pizza we had yesterday at lunch nearly sent me to the "Toto" king. And this has been going on since Thursday. I thought I was getting the flu and then I thought I was getting a cold when the headaches started. No cold symptoms yet, though!

Symptom #3 - exhausted! I am sooooo tired...not sleepy tired but I just don't have any energy.

Symptom #4 - chills...I can't seem to decide if I am hot or cold. I will be looking for a sweatshirt one minute and then sweating the next. Its 98 degrees out- what the heck!

I am still betting on the summer cold that is going around Lincoln - but John casually mentioned it could be West Nile and now I am just freaking out.

Hopefully, things will improve. But you can bet that I will be self diagnosing until they do! Thank goodness for the internet!

PARTY PARTY!!


Sunday, July 15th- the twins turn 9!!! Actually not until 6:52 and 7:09 pm! Today we celebrated their birthday with a little party. We made cupcakes last night- they wanted cupcakes rather than a big cake - and this is what we came up with...

Kwynn is really into little rubber duckies- so when we found these at the party store- IT WAS A SCORE! And I love the cupcake towers- super cute and super easy...and not that expensive either!






At 10 am we met their friends at the miniature golf complex just south of us on Old Cheney. They decided not to invite alot of friends because 'things can get crazy with that many and the heat' as Kwynn explained! Too funny!

Here is a shot of them at one of the holes- Justin was the only boy- but he didn't care! He is completely infatuated with McKynna and it is sooooo cute! He opens the door for her and helped her put her club away and even brought her a plate of pizza later in the day. It was too funny! Who would of thought Kynna would be the heartbreaker! She really pays no attention to the fact that Justin likes her and is still in the 'boys are pretty gross' phase! And all the other kids at the party seemed to know Justin and Kynna were a 'couple'. One of the girls at the party said something about them being together and Kynna finally said- "I am too young to be attached and my mom won't allow it!" Kids are so funny!





We bought these golfing hats at Target in the $ isle--- YEAH for the dollar isle!!!






The kids zipped right through the golf course- so we decided to come back to the house and have pizza and cupcakes and open the gifts. We ate outside on the patio and then somehow a water fight ensued....hmmmmm... I wonder how that happened? Anyone who knows me ... knows the story! They played a little wii and then thank the good lord- their parents came!!! And then John and I took a nap! Seriously! :0)

The girls had fun and that's all that matters!

Camp Davey!

Our family acreage is lovingly called "the farm" or "Camp Davey." It is located near Davey- just north of Lincoln, and all three families usually commune there together. No matter the name- its our little hide away! I love it- the house is beautiful and rustic- but the landscape, scenic views and never ending list of things to do - is also very enticing. I also love the fact that the closest neighbor is two wind breaks and a half mile down the road. And since I have a "bubble" - it makes all the more dear to my heart.

I also love the fact that I can let the girls play outside - unsupervised- and not worry about cars hitting them or strangers taking them. There are tons of hills, meadows and ravines in the pasture to explore- and they LOVE it! They have 'clubs' and 'forts' sprinkled throughout the pasture and hiking to them is half the excitement!

Here are a few pictures from our last few weeks at Davey- which illustrate why we love it so much!


This is a view of the house from out in the pasture.





This is the view from the house...we had a rain storm the first week we were there...rainbows!...it was so beautiful...something you can' t really see in the city.





I seriously hope that someday we build out there. It is truly a different way a living! I don't think I would be able to handle it with little kids though- they require a lot of running around and we went through almost two tanks of gas a week with all the driving. But say in about ten years- when the twins are graduated and Corynn is getting her learners permit- then definitely - I am so there!

Thanksgiving Early? just about!


We have been staying out at the acreage the last two weeks, and last week we had a couple of early morning visitors. It was about 5:30am and I heard this loud tapping/banging. I wasn't sure where it was coming from, and I was getting freaked out. John, the girls and I were the only ones in the house and we were out in the country. The house has three levels- a walk out basement (which is where we sleep), a main level and then there is another story. There are no curtains or drapes on the windows of the house. And why would there be...we are out in the country! No neighbors!

Well- it was just getting light and I kept hearing the banging. I tried to ignore it and hide under the blankets - but that didn't last long. Soon John was up getting ready for work...and he heard it too. He asked me what it was. How would I know!? All I knew was that I was hiding! John was in the shower and asked me to go look. Are you crazy!? No way! Finally- after hiding for another five minutes or so...I decided to get brave! Since my dog was cowering in her kennel and John was in the shower- that left me to be the hero! I start up the stairs and the banging gets louder! So I turn around and head back to the bed room. On the way back to the bedroom I pass the fireplace-which had a poker tool set on it. I grab the biggest heaviest tool (the log claw) and head back upstairs. I am convinced at this point that someone is breaking into the house through a window in one of the back windows. John thinks maybe an animal is stuck in one of the window wells. Either way...here I go...armed and dangerous!

I get up to the hall leading to the back bedrooms and I see this big black something in the window...moving and banging on the glass of the window. The banging was so hard - that I was sure the glass was going to break...so I head into the bedroom to confront whatever it is!

And this is what it was...
Two big turkeys trying to attack their reflections in the window! stupid crazy birds! How is that for country living! And they came back after I shewed them away- and kept banging away for another 90 minutes! Only in the country!

LONG TIME NO BLOG!


We have been living out at our family acreage for the last two weeks.... and we are finally home! Our house has undergone a much needed updating! But that's another post - while we were out at the farm, we went to the lake several times. Here are some pix of the girls chillin on the water.

Needless to say, we had fun! We even went out to the lake on July fourth! We thought it would be crazy busy, but it wasn't! The kids had fun building sand forts and castles. It was great being out there - but nothing compares to being home! And coming home to a new and improved home makes it even better! Its great being back!