How sad

I saw this article today about Estelle Getty, better known as Sophia on the Golden Girls. I have always liked that show and "Sophia" was the main reason for that! How sad that she has passed away.

all hail the mighty camping trip

We love camping. I can't figure out why...it goes against my nature to have dirty hands and "seasoned" feet (our friend Jen called them that instead of disgustingly dirty). But we do love it. And we love to try out new places every now and then. This year we went to Lake Pearrygin. I really hope that is the correct spelling. It is just outside of Winthrop, Washington.
We had the best time despite my car sickness, the sweltering heat, and the fact that our tent was 9,000 degrees each morning.

As I am waiting for the computer to finish uploading pictures I see that one of my fellow campers has also posted about our trip so I will link to it here
so you can read her funny post about it! I am glad she liked her book that Mark found for her. It was a perfect purchase.

We can't wait to go back next year. If you go, watch out for deer on the Highway. We encountered 2 on our way home.

muppets anyone?

I read about this over on Pop Culture Junk mail and thought it was worth sharing here also! I love it when you can find something this silly on the internet. My favorite is the Jeff Foxworth one. See for yourself.

I don't know how big families do it!

I have four kids in my home right now, and I am exhausted! They have all been getting along so well, but still it has been a very long day. It is 9 and I have them laying down to watch a movie.

Hopefully by the time they get done, they will be good and tired. They should be! We went to Mark's company picnic today at Jennings Park in Marysville. We won a bike for Hayley which was perfect since we planned to go purchase the new bikes before our camping trip next weekend. Then we came home, the kids swam for almost 2 hours. When they got done they were hungry so I told them we would walk down to Dairy Queen and have dinner and ice cream treats. We must have walked over a mile, but the kids were happy.

Tommorow will be a day of relaxation, some scrapbooking, and then Monday will start another hectic summer week.

Local-ish band

Because I usually don't discover new music-ever-I want to say that I really like this Portland, Oregon band Blind Pilot. Yay for some good local music! Give them a listen.

Last Comic Standing second semi final : Marcus

Mark and I think this guy is so funny. He does great impressions! Especially his Christopher Walken!!!

kids "dig" the Sultan Shindig

Today was a suprise! I actually had fun at the Sultan Shindig. I usually don't have a good time at fairs. I think they are overpriced, it's always hot, the kids whine, etc, etc.

This time was different. The kids had fun on the rides and miss H. wanted to go in the dunk tank! Mark brought her bathing suit and she got dunked a few times.

Here are a few pictures.

Oh- and we finally tried an "old school bbq" pulled pork sandwich. It was delicious! They actually have converted an old school bus and are usually on Hwy 2 in the parking lot of the Reptile Zoo. If you are ever out that way, it is worth a stop to try some of their excellent food.

no idle hands here

Look at what we've made! There are many more to come, but here is a peek at what's been finished so far!

The girls are looking forward to making their "own" money. They get a small and I mean small allowance, but this will be a great learning experience of what goes into having a small business (you know cost of supplies, inventory, time....). See anything you like?

creativity in the air

I'm up to a lot this week in the creativity department. Here's a list of what is getting done at my house:
1. Lots of hats being knitted. We are gearing up for fall already. The girls are very excited about selling their hats at local shows. Honestly we are planning on one show, but if all goes well, we will search out some more that are cheap or free to be a part of.
2. Shadow boxes with shells and a group photo from our Seabrook trip. I went to Michaels to buy shadow boxes and they are not cheap. Here's a little tip: go over to the section with the wood stuff you can paint and instead of paying 19-25 dollars, you can get a shadow box for 6 bucks!
3. Finishing up a cross-stitch for Molly. It is one of those me and my big idea kids. I think I will make a beach bag and sew it on that for her. Easy Peasy!!!
4. Planning a scrapbooking day. I have a ton to get done. I am thinking this Sunday...so girls in my posse look for an email in the next couple of days.

for your viewing pleasure

swimming, Seabrook and slumber party

Well as it shows, we have been busy! We have had some super hot weather (except yesterday and today...can we say Thunderstorm?) and been taking advantage of our pool.
We took a much needed trip out to Seabrook with 4 other families and had the time of our lives. I like to call it "the stepford wives community" because it is sooo perfect. We had fun at the beach, riding horses, flying kites, hot tubbing, playing cards, riding Pee Wee Herman style bikes, cramming myself into the little red wagon for a jaunt down Fireside lane, and just having a ton of fun! We want to make it a regular family vacation every year.

Last night was Miss H's 9th birthday. We had a slumber party (5 girls in all). Everyone got along extremely well, so well that they were still up at 2 a.m. The acorn does not fall far from the tree where my girls are concerned. Hope the other children were not too grumpy for their families today.

Tommorow night we are off to our friends in Stanwood to whoop it up for the 4th of July. The have a great view of the Camano Island fireworks show.

Have a safe and happy 4th!