FISH TALES

look what harrison reeled in...

HEAVEN SENT

It's no secret that I'm ready to tackle some of the little and big projects around here. Then my purse was stolen with all my home depot gift cards. So I got a little down because my plans were thwarted once again. I volunteered to clean out some closets at Sully's school. I found this awesome little kitchen that made a perfect Lego center. We put the Legos in Sully's room and it is so much easier to clean the playroom now. Our ten little containers for the different colors or types fit perfectly into the cabinet (the other 4.2 million Legos are in the basement). That leaves the shelves for the projects, the counter for workspace and the sink for the loose pieces that we are not going to sort every night at bedtime. It even fit perfectly between the vent and the outlet. I couldn't have come up with something better if it were custom.

We cleaned out Harrison's closet for a reading spot a long time ago, but we never found the right size or price beanbag chair. I got the idea to do the Star Wars theme from a shirt I saw while working at Sully's school. So the very talented graphic artist from our church, Ms. Virginia, made us the awesome Yoda sign. We purchased the other posters online and got a great deal on a Hannah Montana beanbag...that we covered with a furry, black blanket...all's well that ends well, right?....just don't tell Harrison that you know what is under the blanket. The shoe holder keeps his chapter books tidy and we made magnetic clips that are on the art supply cabinet to hold his summer reading log. Woo-Hoo! And the best part is that it is a huge hit and he is using it!

In other news, we've been working on the backyard. I've made three new flower beds and the mosquito magnet is functioning. Bob has purchased the lumber to make the raised beds for either side of the deck. Our laundry room is slowly becoming a haven for every type of hook or organizing gadget Ikea makes. Grandpa and Sassy gave us a murphy bed to use for Troy when we finish the basement and Aunt Beck may have scored us bunk-beds for the girls! And the piano is going to be moved the third week of June! BOO-YAH!

GO-GO PLANT SALE

Hello everyone! Harrison is very excited to introduce you all to his summer plant sale. He is always wanting to help people and ask for sponsorships. We decided that he could earn the money to donate and are using our overgrown yard to help others. He has created a blog and named it Go-Go Plant Sale. He is raising money for Heifer International's Read To Feed.

Also, let us know if you have any plants you would like to donate. We will try to dig them up and find them new homes. His prices are cheap because he hopes they live...so far, so good. If you need a lot of one type of plant, let him know. You can give us a call or leave a comment on his blog.

You can still sponsor Harrison.
He is reading lots of books this summer.

Click Here for more info about Read To Feed.
thanks!!

MONKEY SEE

MONKEY DO

TEETH OF MANY BEARS

So Harrison got this necklace while we were at Enota. I asked him to show me his fierce face and he started posing...without knowing that I had switched from photo to video...enjoy...

FIELD DAY

it's probably harrison's favorite day
of the school year. and judging by the look on his friend's face
while we said our goodbyes...he's not the only one.

STICKS, WATER AND FIRE

The boys and I got away for one night this past weekend. It was a treat I had planned before I realized it was Mother's Day. And judging by our calendar, I didn't see a time we would have been able to do it until late June. So I gave myself a little gift and took the boys to Enota for the night. We're not hard to satisfy. It had all our favorites:

Harrison: Sticks
Sully: Water
Me: Fire

Now for the pics....

We made it in time to feed, milk and collect eggs. Sully was torn between watching the chicken's red bottoms and the poop...there was plenty of poop to watch. and some funny goats that I feared had an appetite for tie-dye!
We got to see the new miniature horse
that was only a few days old...
and Harrison did some major egg collecting...
Sully looked at the poop on the eggs...
and then went back outside to study the poop some more...
then the horrors of all horrors...
he was trapped between the poop and the red-bottom chickens.
but he was able to safely escape and find more poop...
yeah...we didn't stick around to milk the cow. We watched the goats being milked and the first cow. By the time the cow that we were allowed to milk came up, I practically threw the kids in the water... They were nastier than nasty. We played in the water until dinner and then we hit the playground...

Another family abandoned their fire and we
gladly jumped in to stoke the cinders.
Victory!
There were awful thunderstorms that night. The boys never heard a sound and with three in a queen sized bed that was desperate need of a box springs...they were the only ones sleeping. Sully is a rule follower...if it's his rule...and breakfast should be eaten in pajamas....so I let him wear them to the lodge to eat some of the eggs we collected. He also has rules about using the proper utensil.
And then we fed the fish...
LIKE A

(Yes we still have Annie Get Your Gun songs stuck in our head!)

We were going to hike to the waterfall, but I left their hiking shoes out in the storm. There was a very safety conscious deer that warned us the trail was too steep for Crocs..."Turn Around! Never befriend people wearing orange! Is that buck scent or did you eat the eggs? The path is steep!" ...such a wise, old deer.
So we hit the falls close to the lodge...
sticks and water...
they really don't need anything else.

On the way home, we had to pull over and check out what made the Smokey Mountains smoke. If you are wondering...it's fog.
Then we hit Helen for lunch. Harrison asked questions nonstop. It's usually entertaining, sometimes annoying, and sometimes I just can't contain my laughter. He's also what I call a "guess reader". He looks at about two, maybe three letters and blurts out whatever he is thinking. So as we pass through the village, he says "What's an Alpino?" I don't know if it was fatigue or lack of diet coke, but I totally lost it. That was almost as good as his observation at dinner last night: "I think the earth is very entertaining for God and Jesus. They can just watch what's going on like a TV. They can look over here and when they get bored, look over here... What? What's so funny?"
We found a lunch place that took Amex and Sully was very excited...can you tell?
While Harrison relived the horror of the time I took him and the cousins tubing...that was not one of my best ideas.
Then we had dessert!
I had lots of homemade goodies when I got home and some flowers.
Bob made me something really cool and I'll post the pictures when it's finished.

Thanks, my boys, for a very happy Mother's Day!

WHY JOIN A POOL

when you have Creekland? I was joking with the dad of one of Sully's friends that my kids didn't need to join a pool as long as we have a hose. Well the weather is very hot already and this year is no different. The first thing they ask about after school is if they can play in water in the backyard. We do mostly play with buckets of water since the drought, but the little boogers will sneak and turn on the hose.

Creekland is the name Sully gave the mud hole that they make near the deck. There are even orange peel boats in Creekland! The peaceful village is located adjacent to the trashcan and is home to many waterfalls. If you plan on visiting Creekland, please beware that it does have one natural enemy...

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MACEZILLA!

so bring your oxyclean and join us!

RUDE KID

The play was a success and Harrison's first experience was a fantastic one. He really got into it and met a lot of great people. He's constantly coming out with something like, "I saw Sitting Bull at the Mexican Restaurant." It cracks me up.

He was a member of the company and the kid that bugs Charlie in the first scene. They carried the gag through the entire play and it was pretty cute...but I'm a little partial. When people asked him what he did, he would say, "I'm a rude kid." Here he is after the show on the final night with the man that will forever be known as Charlie. And thanks Ron (aka: Buffalo Bill) for the picture!

It's still too early to tell if he'll do this again. He has been very flattered by the attention and request for autographs. People look a little stunned when they ask if he is going to be an actor when he grows up. He tells them that he is going to be a monster truck driver, cowboy, and chase tornadoes. I don't think he even realizes that people make a living acting. He was bit by the bug when I took him to see Bye Bye Birdie a couple of years ago...we'll see if this satisfied the itch.And here is his favorite souvenir- the head band from the Indian Ceremony...just a hunch, but I think the itch will return...

IT'S ALMOST OVER!

only three more weeks of carpool lines

and trying to get in bed at a decent time
and getting up early
and packing lunches...

summer is almost here :)