Thankfulness...

I am thankful for a FREE Country...gotta start with that today!  Although, I hear many complaining about the state of politics in our country and our freedoms at risk (albeit true)...it's great that we can be displeased without fear of death or imprisonment.  AND...we need to take advantage of the freedoms we currently still have!!  Many Christians would spit nails if they were told they couldn't share tracks or literature (gospel) freely....but many probably couldn't remember the last time they took advantage of their freedom to do this...or have shared ANYTHING at all.  *OK...I'm done for now...getting off the soapbox!*

I am thankful...for dappled shade and BIG, old trees.  On a day that started in the 80s...and quickly rose so that by 10 AM it was 88....

...chalk drawings in the shade was such a blessing.  Cuz, there's only so much you can do inside!

The Sweet Boobah's drawing abilities have really improved lately!  I love my SUN flower!!

This is  ROBOT...VERY very cool...on a hot day!  We're supposed to be back in the 100s today!

This is a fire breathing dragon!!

I am thankful for sweet children...and shade on a hot day...and...

...an Air Conditioned house to go into when I can't take it anymore.  I am PRAYING for those families across our nation without power (and AC) right now....that they will find a cool place to take shelter!

"You [Lord God] have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat"  Is. 25:4

*SIGH*

Sorry for the lack of blogging activity...we have VBS each morning (8-12...cuz MomE is teaching the 2-3 graders so we get there EARLY)...and it's also the last week of swimming lessons each afternoon! Emma is swimming SOLO...and Lubby is SOOOO close!  I'm not supposed to take pictures for privacy reasons...sorry.  They look cute though...I can assure you of that!

This is how MomE feels at the end of each day!  I will be back next week...probably... 

Tomorrow and Friday are supposed to be about 100 degrees F!  Maybe you should pray for me too!!

STAYcation: Children's Museum

We saw the new Hot Wheels exhibit...YEAH!!

Caleb wanted everyone to move out from the front of the car! LOL!

Emma took a turn driving!  She likes to spin the wheel...Oui!

Caleb was so entranced by the buttons, etc. he wouldn't look up for a picture!

DadE in the clown car?

We spent some time in Egypt...one of MomE's favorites!

We dressed up so pretty!

DadE talked to his boss while he rode down the Nile! *sigh*

Emma made me smoothies at the cafe!

Do we trust this little driver?  I guess so!

We love the carousel!!

STAYcation: The Zoo

We had a great time!  The kids wore their zoo shirts...so did DadE...MomE...stayed cool!!

The flamingos changed locations.  This made them a lot more interesting...because they were closer.

I always think about what a detailed Creator we have.  He even did amazing thing with the under sides of birds...and their tongues are so interesting!  WOW!!

Emma visited her favorite animal!  Who then got scared by the water sprinkler changing direction and ran all the way back to his gate!  HAHA!

Does anyone know what this purple bush is called??  They are SOOO cool!!

DadE and Sweet Boobahs jumping on the Rhino bridge!!  Hilarious!

The little baby elephant was out with her momE....SO cute!

This elephant always makes me think of Stevie Wonder...swaying to the music!!

They put the warthog and the porcupines together now...That poor warthog just gets chased around!!

Since I always say we can't go on the train unless DadE is with us....

...we went on the train!

This lizard...well...I think he might have eaten another lizard or a bird...I think he's full!

The orchid hothouse was gorgeous as ever!!

I want to make on of these...I wonder how you water them?

I visited my favorite sunken herb garden...Someday my Loverbrains is going to make me one!!

We checked out the fountains!  WOoo...spitting frogs!

This one is neat...barely any water...just covers the whole surface! NEATO!!

Wedded Bliss

Well, as expected, it was a busy, crazy, wonderful weekend!  The in between times with family were SUPER special.  If you think about it, it's only at funerals and weddings that we get both sides (inlaws and outlaws) together at one time, in one place!  

Grandpa Denny getting special snuggles from his Sweet Grand Boobahs the morning of the wedding.

My camera did go on the trip...but it stayed in my bag.  I was too nervous and distracted to even contemplate taking pictures.  I was also kind of afraid I'd take a picture where I wasn't supposed to and get yelled at for too early reveals or something nutsy.  If it weren't for my fabulous cousin Paul's phone, you wouldn't even be enjoying these pictures now!  Thanks Paulie!

The second run through we realized that the VERY left-handed flower girl needed to switch hands with her basket.  I'm glad we realized this...because when the time came she was then able to throw flowers like a PRO...huge, fluttering hand-fulls!

The ring bearer, being a very practical, logical child, did not get the point of this whole ringbearer with fake rings business.  He questioned these points quite thoroughly with comments like, "If the rings aren't the real rings...then what am I doing this for?"...and "Well, I am the ringbearer, duh!"

He still did his nonsensical job...quite perfectly and VERY cutely!  I was so proud of them both...I got all choked up!  My sweet babies!!!

Toad in the hole?

Emma loves this special treat...we were calling it "toad in the hole"...but friends of ours said that THAT was actually a dish involving sausage and yorkshire pudding.  Bummer...it sounded so cool!

I guess we will call it...Birdie in the Basket...or Egg in the Basket...as clarified.

While researching this...I came across some other delightfully British named dishes...among my favorites...Bubble and Squeak!  I always thought it was made up of liver and kidneys but turns out it is the leftover dinner veggies with a base of potatoes and cabbage...Cabbage, there's your squeak...and when it's hot I dare say it bubbles!

 

But Emma says that an egg cooked in buttery toast is delish...whatever you call it!

Exploding Soap!!

I read about this online...so we thought we'd try it out! WOW...very VERY fun! I could do this all day long! It even makes the house smell nice!! Take a plain bar of IVORY soap...cut it into quarters.

Put ONE quarter in the center of a bowl...and put it in your microwave for 1 minute.  WATCH it EXPAND AND EXPAND...or EXPLODE as the Sweet Boobahs called it!  I would NOT put more than one quarter in at a time!

It only stays hot for a few seconds...and then it feels like a cross between cotton candy and toilet paper...and they had a good time shredding it into little pieces!

Soap flakes!

Then we added a tiny bit of water and made snowballs in JUNE!

Which they promptly took outside to splash about in the pool...AND MomE can use the water later to water her bushes that have spider mites.  They hate soapy water...waste not, want not!