whatever

have you seen this fun video.
🙂    🙂    🙂    🙂
it makes me so happy.

these running shoes!!!
they are crazy bright yellow.
but i kind of crazy love them… soft and cushy!
they were here at Finish Line.

the girls learned to play Dutch Blitz at camp this summer.
i’ve heard of it all my life but i have never learned… yet.
they wanted to get the game as soon as they were home.
we couldn’t find it locally at our stores so we ordered it off amazon.
they’ve been playing each other non-stop.
(the UNO cards in the top corner have nothing to do with Dutch Blitz.

i am sure i am WAY behind on what’s cool with nail stuff but i found these and super like them!
they are really easy to use and FAST!
and i could bring them in my carry on for all my trips this summer not having to worry about another liquid.
it’s nice to just have in my purse too.
so you probably already use these but i hadn’t even seen them before!
i don’t know why they are faster than cotton balls and the bottle… but they are!
i found them at walmart and they probably cost 20 times more than for what you would get out of the bottle but it’s still only $2. 89.

TALBY GOT HER BRACES OFF!!!
she is the funniest girl.
she was SO happy and then got the retainer and was SO mad.
she was all over the place emotionally that day.
but what a knock out smile!!  i love that girl.

annie found out about the show Chopped.
craig and i used to watch it but i am so not into food that i couldn’t keep watching.
i mean… who eatS octopus cooked with gummy bears?
can you just help me make a real dinner for 4 picky kids????
but annie heard about it and came home and put it on the dvr.
what she has been watching (and now we ALL are watching!) was the Chopped Teen Tournament!

it is truly adorable!

they are all teenagers trying for the prize of $25,000 and a scholarship to culinary school.
i cried on every show.
i am a dork.
since she has been watching Chopped… annie has asked “can i make dinner?”
ummm YES!!!
she made one of our favorite meals.
We call it Sicilian but i don’t really know why and i doubt it has much to do with Sicily.
and it definitely has NO nutritional value… oy!
but they looooove it.
it’s a butter, cream & parmesan cheese sauce… with ham.. over pasta.
and she made it all by herself!
i hope this becomes a thing around here!
i would LOVE to share cooking duties with anyone who wants to do it.
yay for The Food Network!
seriously… find that show and watch it with your kids.
it’s the sweetest!!

so… i feel like i was JUST writing about being ready for summer and now it’s over.
time is so dumb.
i decided to just dump a bunch of pics here and talk about what’s been going on.

this summer i let my girls into the world of starbucks.
until this summer i have always said no to them getting Starbucks and i have no idea why but i caved and now it’s a special treat for the girls when we are out and about.  we don’t have one in our town so it’s a rare treat.
and the Smores fraps are already gone which means summer is over right?

we have been to all the restaurants everywhere.
we have visited the water parks.
and the pools.

i have enjoyed a full month of morning coffee right here while my kids sleep in or watch cartoons.

i helped scotty dye his hair for no reason other than total fun.

these four were hired as helpers at the craft house.  🙂
the boys have been working for almost two weeks… the girls one afternoon.

i finally finished the back stair way with a final coat of white and three coats of varnish.

treats at the craft house for hard workers.

Annie tried to pick her favorite color at home depot while i tried to pick a replacement color for the purple on the outside of the Craft House.

the previously brown bedroom is now “Painter’s White”
Sean, Scott and Craig have power washed, scraped, sanded, primed and are now painting the house.
SO MUCH WORK!
i am super proud of all of them.
we dreamed for a weekend about painting the whole house white.
it would be GORGEOUS!!
but in the end we knew we just didn’t have the time it would take to re-do everything.
we recalled that we have five kids, two homes, two jobs, football season, volleyball season, and a life AND its a THREE STORY house… so we decided to just fix what is there.  🙂
except the purple is going navy.
making grown up decisions is a a bummer sometimes.

we looked on craigslist for a few more chickens to add to our flock.
we didn’t know what we were headed into (like usual on craigslist) and we came home with these weirdos!
Talby’s is Cecelia…a silkie.
Annie’s is Pearl and we think she’s a silkie mix.
Sean’s is Sadie and she’s a show girl.
they are the crazy looking chickens!

i can’t not be outside this summer.
it’s my calm and quiet place.
every morning and evening.

these two are becoming expert grasshopper hunters.
they eat several every morning.

my parents came to stay the night for talby’s baptism.
we about passed out from the heat eating out there.
it must have been the hottest day we’ve had!
OH MY WORD!

talby stood up in front of our whole church family and gave her testimony.
she said she wants to be a missionary when she grows up.
and then she was baptized.
i was crying the whole time.
i am so proud of her.

we named this chicken Big Bertha.
she’s bigger than all the other girls and no one likes her but me.
i love her black beak and black feet!

this is why the dogs are getting so good at catching grasshoppers… because there are a million!
this ginormous spider is hanging out in the fenced area of the chicken coop.
she’s smart enough to be too high for the chickens to get to.
and a place where her web stays uninterrupted.
i’m terrified of her but totally intrigued and curious.
i like to check on her everyday.
Pearl’s eggs are SO TINY!!
it’s hilarious.
my friend said two eggs = one regular egg but i can’t imagine that to be true.
these are bitty bitty.
like an american girl doll kind of omelet.
ha!

back to the craft house today for more trim paint for me, outside paint for the boys and curtains need to get finished.
and school starts in FOUR DAYS!! yikes!
my only concern is getting up in time to get out the door!
how will this possibly happen?

we may be late the first month of school…..

#thestruggleisREAL