Our Insane Trek to South Dakota

In a moment of bizarre rationality (because it was rational at the time), we decided to make a long weekend trek to the Black Hills of SD.  The day-long drive was not so bad thanks to redbox videos to take our attention from the lack of scenery or anything of note really along the entire route.  I am quite sure I will not EVER be living anywhere in Wyoming or SD at any point in my life!

We stopped at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs to see many mammoth and various other animals remains trapped in an ancient sink-hole.  The kids had fun, however were more entertained by the enormous gift shop more than anything else. 

Dinosaur Hill was a strategic stop on our trip.  It permitted a short stop that didn't cost anything and allowed the kids to get some energy out by climbing on several life-size dinosaurs.  We also stopped by the Wall Drug Store on our way to the Badlands.  There were several cute kids attractions and hands-on activities for them there.  Of course, the main attraction was that grou p of 4 rock solid guys on the mountain.  The kids thought it was neat but obviously lost interest in some of the many facts provided during the walking tour.  Perhaps, we should have saved this trip for a few years when the kids would be more interested.  And granted, they may not remember many facts from our long weekend trek.  But, I'm sure they will remember the campouts and spending time together which, for me, were the highlights!

Monster Madness

I got this idea to do a weekly craft with the kids this summer. So, for our 1st Friday craft day, we watched the movie "Monsters, Inc." to get ideas of what kind of monster we wanted to make. Then we drew various monsters on paper to determine exactly what kind of monsters everyone wanted. Then it was a matter of picking out the material and sewing it together which I had to pretty much do myself. But the kids got to then put on their faces and other attachments. They were each pleased with how their monsters turned out and I actually had fun. Though I was hoping to design my own. No time for mine though. Maybe next time.

Pint-Sized Baseball

Payton & Ashlynn participated in t-ball and machine pitch again this year. As it was Payton's first year at machine pitch, it was a little challenging for him. He was frustrated when he was unable to hit the fast balls. So Dad took him to the batting cages a few times to help him get used to the speed of the machine. It did the trick. He usually was able to hit the ball without having to use the T. He did awesome. Ashlynn was so cute on her t-ball team. But, the kids do tend to get bored playing baseball at such a young age. They do much better and enjoy soccer much more.

A Daughter's Makeover

My daughter loves to "do my hair" which inevitably leads to her pulling out every hair band/barette and piece of make-up I own

in order to make me gorgeous. Good thing I don't have alot of make-up. As it is, I get 4 coats of just about everything. I
don't mind her handiwork except when she requests that I leave it that way when I have to go out. That's a tough one.

Recent Craft Projects

So I bought this cute little green purse at DI but wasn't excited with the monotone color scheme. So, I added a little pattern material to improve the overall look. And viola!

I didn't wan't to spend much on my little Logan for his bday due to an overall lack of money and even job at the time. So, I decided to give him a little tote for his Hot Wheels which he is always playing with. I found the idea online (can't remember where) tweaking of course to my taste and fudging around old levi seams and such. I really like how it turned out. I think I may have to steal it back when he loses interest.

Swamp Land Sights

If I didn't know any better, I would say that New Orleans was it's own little country. From the foreign language coming out of our taxi driver's mouth (even though he was speaking English) to the scary sights on Bourbon Street, we at least had an interesting vacation.
Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative for our four day stay. I had packed light to avoid any checked baggage on our flight and had planned for warm weather. With my little toes
braving the elements, we crammed as much sight seeing in as possible. New Orleans did have many great architectural elements strewn throughout the city. We toured 2 old plantations and strolled the streets, admiring the sites. I especially enjoyed purusing one of the bizarre above-ground cemetaries that New Orleans has as a result of it's position below sea level. Some of the graves are extremely lavish!
We tried to go authentic, sampling the most unusual foods we could. The large selection of fried foods got old fast. But I loved the shrimp and other non-fried seafood options. Daniel's crawfish were too cute!
We took a swamp a tour with a guide who regaled us with many of his favorite swamp recipes, giving in-depth cooking instructions for swamp rat, mushrooms, and edible plants. All I wanted was to see an Alligator. I guess they covered that by having a baby Al aquariumized in their headquarters shack. Not exactly the live encounter I had hoped for. Though he was a cute little guy.
Everywhere we went, we were innundated with the Mardi Gras tourism

No More Granny Piano!

I enjoy having a piano in my home. I don't always play as often as I should or would like, but it is still a nice addition. We bought an inexpensive Kimball console piano about 8 years ago and it has been a good little piano all along, at least sound wise. My husband has been bugging me for years to get rid of the "Ugly Granny Piano!" Well, we don't have room or money for the baby grand he would rather see gracing our home. So, I thought I would give my old piano a makeover in the hopes that it would stop further harassment from my husband. It was a long process because of all the sanding. I even coerced my husband to assist me in this part. The staining was a breeze. After several weeks of sitting in our garage, the new and improved piano was allowed back in our living room. My husband even graciously admitted it was the best home improvement project we've undertaken. I am exstatic with the results!!!