Stachegirls

What's a TNDC without some good "stache" jokes or props!?!? These are stick on staches....and there is now one on my work laptop!

ohhhmmmm

I hate it when "ooohhhhhmmmmm" in yoga class is interrupted by "bbbbbriiiiinnnnnggg"! Some idiot had their cell phone in yoga today. Really? Where did they come from? Under a rock?

Happy 12th Birthday - a little early

Jim and I took Gracie and 3 of her best friends to the cabin this weekend to celebrate her 12th birthday (which isn't until Sept but soccer season will be in full swing then). We spent one whole day out on the lake squeezing in every water sport we could: skiing, tubing and knee boarding. And...just plain ole' swimming!

Normally Grace and I go away for her birthday but because we just went to London, we decided to do something lower cost this year. A trip to the cabin with her friends was the decision.

Snooze

This was all 4 girls sound asleep after a day on the lake.

Naughty dog

We are at the cabin with 3 of Gracie's friends to celebrate her bday - which is not until Sept, but that will be soccer season. So yesterday morning I made cupcakes and left them on the counter to cool while we went to the lake all day. We left Daisy Mae at home because she is such a pain in the butt on the boat.

Well....she told us how she felt about that....she ate 8 of the cupcakes!

Baaaaddddd dog!

Mini Coop

Check out mine and Drew's new ride!

New do

Jim had to get a new hair do also! He and Drew go to get their haircut together.
Now they both have "high and tight" hair! Hopefully it will be a longer time frame between cuts as they both have to go see Kim to get their hair done and it costs much more than a barber. BUT the cuts are much better too! And who doesn't love Kim and would pay extra to go see her smiling face!

Yum - Summer

I LOVE summer tomatoes! A fresh salad with tomatoes (4 different kinds), cucumber, basil and homemade Italian dressing!

Put it together with fresh green beans and quesadilla casserole and you have one yummy dinner!

"Crack" Toffee

So named, because it is addictive, like crack.

Saltine crackers

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

6 to 7 Hershey bars or chocolate chips

Preheat over to 375

Line a layer of saltine crackers on a cookie sheet

Boil butter and brown sugar, stirring for 4 to 6 minutes (it will thicken)

Gently pour mixture over crackers and bake for about 6 minutes (careful not to burn)

Remove from oven and sprinkle Hershey bars (broken up) or chocolate chips on top

Put back in oven for 1 to 2 minutes just until chocolate melts

Remove from oven and spread chocolate around

Let cool and then put in fridge for 4 hours or over nite.

Break into bite size pieces (like peanut brittle).

Enjoy!

BUZZ

BEFORE
















DURING
















AFTER

Achilles Update

Drew went to a physical therapist last week and got some really good news. She thinks he will be ready for football by Aug 12! She gave him some stretching and strengthening exercises and he seems to be recovering very quickly.

Fingers crossed that he will be ready for football and stays healthy!

A priceless memory

Grandma Anna is over waiting to take Drew to an appointment. And while they are waiting, they are watching "The Price is Right"! They are totally cracking me up talking about the grand prize/showcase and how someone guessed way too low of an amount! They are laughing and chatting!

How lucky we are that our Grandparents are so close!?!?!

Gardening Update

Check out my tomatoes and my giant pumpkin! I would say.....I have a green thumb!

The Three Bears

Drew, Auntie Debbie and Jeremy saw three young bears at the cabin this morning! They were right close in the lot next to us!

Yikes! Where was mama bear?

Dognapped?

This happened a couple weeks ago and I have not had time to post the story. Here it is....

Drew was home all day on the couch nursing his achilles. Jim and I were at work and Grace was at a soccer camp.

During the day, he often tells Daisy to go upstairs because he does not like it when she barks at people walking by or the mail lady. So when he did not see Daisy all day, he just thought she was upstairs in the window, watching the world go by.

When I got home from work, Ahi and Gracie ran out to the driveway to greet me, which is standard operating procedure. BUT Daisy wasn't there. That is when Grace said, "I haven't seen Daisy in a long time."

We came in and asked Drew if he had seen her recently and he said, "no - now that I think of it, I haven't seen her since 9 am!"

Ruh Roh!

We know she won't run away because when she gets out, she goes to the front door and waits for someone to open it.

So we all start running around the house looking for her.....

Is she sick?
Is she injured?
Was she dognapped?

We were worried! Nothing keeps her from coming to us when called!

After a short search, Drew found her....laying on her back, sleeping in the bathroom! The wind had blown the door shut. She had silently waited there until we came to rescue her. And as long as she didn't know how long it would be, she reserved her energy by sleeping!

Boat Day

The kids went boating yesterday with a bunch of friends and they had a wonderful time! The did a pyramid on the tube and even Coach Cindy got in on the action.

A special thanks to Shooter's mom for having everyone out on their boat. We know it's a lot of work and everyone appreciated it and had a great time!

Pedometer

I am doing a fitness challenge at work that is called "walking across America". Basically you use a pedometer and walk at least a certain number of miles a week.

One of my friends had the brilliant idea to put the pedometer on Ahi and see how many steps her little legs take in a day!

So, it's strapped on her harness and counting! Will keep you posted on the number of steps at the end of the day.

Journey into Dyslexia

I have been waiting for this documentary to come out on DVD. I just purchased it and can't wait to see it.

JOURNEY INTO DYSLEXIA presents profiles of dyslexic students and adults who share their experiences of struggling in school and then succeeding in life. Academy-Award winning filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond examine the complexities of this differently structured brain and debunk the myths and misperceptions about dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a specific leaning disability that is neurobiological in origin and typically manifests through difficulty in reading, writing, spelling and math. It has nothing to do with intelligence, birth defects, or a mental illness of any kind, the home environment, level of education or economic status.

Dyslexia persists throughout one's lifetime and is prevalent in every culture in the world. In the U.S. it affects as much as 10% of the population.

Surprisingly, however, Journey into Dyslexia reveals that many adult professionals who once struggled to learn in school consider their dyslexia a unique gift and the defining reason behind their success.

For more info: http://videoverite.tv/pages/film-JID-about.html

Uncle Richard

Jim's Uncle and his wife and grand daughter were in a terrible auto accident a couple weeks ago.

Richard's foot was crushed and they just did surgery on it on Friday -- this is the result. He is going to have a long recovery.

His wife broke her back and is in a brace. She is at home and doing ok.

Thank goodness that the grand daughter only had a concussion and went home the day after the accident.

They are so fortunate to be alive.

Dogs R Us

In the last month we have babysat two dogs in our home and rescued another dog! Not to mention Murray who comes for day care about once a week! Here is our latest charge, Lucy. She was very sad that her family left her so we let her do whatever she wanted!