Rambles ~ That's What I Do Best

I feel a little out of the blogging loop these days, and sometimes it makes me wonder if I even have time for it anymore. But then I think about how many {wonderful} friends I've made, and how much I enjoy having a place of my very own. And that makes me want to stay.

I find myself stressing out a little when I'm "absent", and that takes some of the fun out of it. Plus, I have a hard time getting back into the groove after I've been gone a few days. {Anyone else have this problem?}. And let's not forget all the Summer fun we've been having. That, alone, leaves little time for the computer, don'tcha know. {Oh yeah, and did I mention my laptop is currently dying a slow death, making it almost impossible to use? Sigh.}

Anyway. A quick update, and then I have to get back to real life. I may or may not still be in my robe right now, ahem, at 1pm. I frosted my hair this morning {yes, I use a cap and hook. Yes, I do know that it is no longer 1987}, and, oh my, it has taken hours.

Now that I think about it, there's not much to update, ha! We've been outside, running through sprinklers, going for drives, working { a little } on the house ~ we're kind of at a standstill for the next week. That about sums it up. Windows were installed this week, and that was pretty exciting. Toward the end of next week we will install the woodstove pipe, and then roofing will begin. Yahoo!

If any of y'all are still with me, and I haven't yet bored you to tears, then Congratulations! You are true friends.

Can't wait to hear what y'all have been up to!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Family Camp 2010

Laundry ~ done! Clothes are put away, the trailer is clean, annnnnnd, I even had a spare moment to go through some photos to post. Woohoo!

Brace yourself, I took a LOT of photos. These were the few {ahem, 17} that made the cut for you fine folks ;)

The girls were so excited over this monster that Jeremy caught. Um yeah. There was a lot of fishing that took place last week. Did I tell ya, or did I tell ya? ;)

Mom served ribs while we were there.

Makenna kinda likes them.

Can you tell?

These little guys were everywhere. They look real cute and sweet . . . until one climbs up on a table, chews through the screen of your trailer, and hauls off with your dinner.

Kam LOVED camping. She is my outdoor girl.

Once our reunion started the kids were kept busy with crafts and games. I love that my aunts are so talented and crafty. They spend months preparing for our reunion, and make it so much fun for the little ones.

It's just not summer without otter pops ;)

Can you tell which color Kenners chose?

My Aunt Pat was the popsicle distributor.

I tell ya, that one was as big as Kam!

Jaymes ~ the Washers champ ;)

Look at that face!Mona could not get enough of the dirt. She literally plopped down in it and rubbed it all over her arms, legs, and face. If Kam had done that, I'd have had a panic attack. Annie was pretty laid back about it. More power to ya, sister!

Mona and Kam reunited. Oh how Kam loves her cousin. She would squeal with delight every. time. Mona came near.

Of course there was marshmallow roasting. And S'mores eating.

And now, the view of the lake from our camp site . . .

We witnessed some of the most gorgeous sunsets. And you know I had to get some shots.

Wanna see?

Wait for it . . .

Wait for it . . .

Oh geez, is anyone still reading at this point???

Oh it was gorgeous. Dirty. Dusty. But, gorgeous!

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For more Wordful Wednesday fun, head on over to Seven Clown Circus. Need a Wordless Wednesday fix? Stop by 5 minutes for Mom and Miller Racing Family.

Home Sweet Home

We're back!

Yay!

It always feels so good to be home. My own bed. My own shower {with as much water as I care to use}. My own . . . space. And no dirt ~ woohoo!

So. Quick camping recap because I've been having serious blogging withdrawls. We had a fabulous time. Jeremy got a LOT of fishing in which made him super happy, the girls got to ride bikes and play with cousins, and I got to visit with family. It was good. But I'm so happy to be home. I don't like dirt, and there was a lot of it where we were camped. I wanted to hug my shower, washer, and dryer when we got home last night, but I refrained. Amazing how six days of camping really make you appreciate all that you have at home.

Anyway.

The laundry is calling. I just completed my 12th load. And it feels like bedtime. But I promise to post photos soon. {And when I say "soon" I do mean sometime this year}. I took a lot of them. Not quite 1233, but close ;) Hope y'all had a great week!!

Camping by Numbers

1.3 million

The number of times I have been back and forth from our house to the camp trailer.

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6

The number of pounds of bacon we are bringing along for six days {don't judge}.

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45

The number of diapers we are bringing along for Kam.

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15

The number of sweatshirts we're taking for cool nights by the campfire.

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0

The number of books I'll get to read while on "vacation".

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157

The number of miles between our house and the camp site.

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53

The approximate number of family members we will be camping with.

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98

The number of degrees it will be at home while we are gone.

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91

The number of degrees it will be at our camp site.

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1,233

The number of pics I'll snap.

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49

The number of hours my hubs will be fishing during our camp stay {hehe, just kiddin' hunny}.

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24 billion

The number of loads of laundry I will have when we get home ;)

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Tons

The amount of fun we will have while we are away.

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Hope y'all are enjoying your week!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Ready for Campin'!

♥ I *think* she's ready ;) ♥

Checking In

Wow. Summer is busy! Whoever came up with "lazy Summer days" was sadly mistaken.

So, a quick check in before we head out for a week of camping fun ;)

First, we had a fabulous 4th. It was nice, quiet, and fairly relaxing. We went to church, came home so that Kam could take a snooze, and then headed to my mom and dad's for dinner and a few fireworks.

Kam enjoyed dinner. A lot.

And for dessert? Cookies. Sierra and Makenna decorated them all by themselves.

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I only have about a million more trips out to the trailer before we're ready to go camping, so that's good.

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If I can get my act together {that's a BIG "if"}, I may schedule a post or two while I'm away. If not, I'll see y'all next week. And now, I'm off to go read some of my favorite blogs. I've missed you guys.

Busy, Busy Bees

Whew! Where have I been??

I was afraid that when my sister and her littles left we would be bored out of our minds. Not knowing what to do with ourselves. How would we keep busy, I wondered. Yeah. I shouldn't have worried. We've definitely kept busy.

I will have more house updates soon. So, tune in. Or don't, if you're sick of hearing about it ;) Framing is officially finished, and now we're on to a little plumbing and windows. Woo hoo!

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A little bit on what's been keeping us busy . . .

This one here. She pretty much keeps me runnin' all.day.long.

Can you say, hand FULL? We're smack dab in the middle of the "screeching at the top of our lungs phase". Is this a phase? I can't recall going through it quite so badly with my other two. Pair super loud with demanding, and you've got Kam ;) Thank goodness she's adorable.

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We've been gearing up for the 4th. We don't actually have many plans, but my girls love an excuse to get dolled up. Who doesn't?

So, you guessed it, spa day. Sierra and Makenna both have red, white, & blue nails. Kam had half of them done, but she kept smudging hers, so we called it quits after our fourth attempt.

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In other news . . . we've been crafting!

I kinda had to. I couldn't make a camp shirt for just one.

{If you'd like step by step pictures/tutorial for this, click here}

Sierra's is on the left, Makenna's is on the right. They chose their colors and helped me apply them.

FYI ~ wool felt is so much easier to work with than the oil cloth I used on Kam's shirt.

And after making Sierra's wool felt embellished tank top, you know Kenners was asking for one. So . . . this was her request. A ladybug. 'Cuz we call her Bug ;)

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So, that's it. We're getting ready to put on a movie and eat some ice cream. It's girls night, you know. Jeremy is at work. Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Water Fun

For more Wordless Wednesday Fun, head on over to 5 minutes for Mom and Miller Racing Family

Sunshine & BBQin'

. . . Go hand in hand!

In honor of my sister coming up for a visit {and also for someone's 30th birthday, ahem} we invited a few friends and family over. And oh, what fun we had.

We only had one uninvited guest. This "little guy" came boundin' down the driveway, and once he saw the kiddos he didn't really want to leave.

Would you be wanting to leave if you were getting all that love and attention?

This is my friend, Mandy, and her two adorable babies. My mom used to take care of Mandy and her sister when my sister and I were little. We pretty much grew up together, and haven't seen each other since we were about 13. Yeah. It was quite a reunion.

The kids only had a teensy bit of fun. It was rather boring for them, actually. Can you tell? They were half asleep from the sheer boredom. Yawn. ;)

Guess who ♥ LOVES ♥ their cousin? Kam could not get enough smoochies from Mona. She kept chasing after her trying to give more and more loves. Precious, I tell ya.

My sis and my best friend from middle school and high school. Annie planned the entire gathering {with some help from my mom}. She is a party animal ;)

Ang & I met up again last summer after losing touch for several years. How precious friendships are. I'm so happy to have her in my life again.

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It was a gorgeous day.

Sunshine.

Blue skies.

Friends.

Family.

Good Food.

It doesn't get much better!

Summertime!!!

We have been enjoying some seriously beautiful, sunny, perfect days! Pair that with my sister and her kiddos here for a visit, and it doesn't get much better.

Yesterday we went to Enchanted Forest {to check out last year's Enchanted Forest fun, click here}. Oh the kids had such fun.

The stroller was a ride in and of itself for Kam. I don't think she's been in a stroller since she was a few months old. In fact, I can probably count, on one hand, the number of times she's ridden in a stroller. This child is an Ergo girl, I tell ya. She'd rather be carried than strolled any day. Now, Kenners, on the other hand . . .

We enjoyed a walk through the park, and a few rides . . .

My gorgeous sis, and her daughter, Sonoma riding the train ;)

And Miss Kam lovin' Sissy's Sno Cone.

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It was a good day.