Traditions

By far this is the most common thing our family does is eat the best popcorn you will EVER eat, Jason's air-pop popcorn!  It's a phrase that even Owen has mastered . . . "dad . . . popcorn" . . . just before bedtime!

But our most favorite time to eat it is during our new favorite TV show . . . WIPEOUT.  If you haven't seen it, you NEED to!  You will laugh so hard your cheeks will hurt and you might even pee you pants!  I guess it's on tuesdays on ABC, but we just watch it on the internet.  This is the hardest we've EVER laughed when this guy was supposed to go across these bouncy balls, and literally does the splits . . . OUCH!!  Check it out, your wont get through it without laughing! :D

 

Finally!

Finally the sun came out to play!  All of July has been cloudy & rainy.  {Our house has become an insane asylum with all the rain}  I don't know the exact temp for that day, but my deck was literally so hot it burned my feet, and this is what my thermostat read.  I know it wasn't that hot, but it made me chuckle.

A little preface: we went to Walmart a week ago and found a large plastic pool that had a slide, it was listed as $2 instead of $39.  I scanned the tag & we couldn't believe it, but couldn't take it home at 11 o'clock at night, nor would it fit in our car.  So we kindly told the girls that if they each paid $1 then we would go back the next day.  We hooked up the trailer and went back, only to find that someone miss-marked it and brought it back up to $20!  The girls were devastated!

So on Tuesday we had the gorgeous weather we're supposed to have all summer, and I surprised them with the $6 kiddy pool, and they made do with the small size.  I hooked the hose to our utility sink and filled the pool with hot water to keep them playing ALL day.  The trampoline was warm and made a perfect place to lay out.  The best part was not being cooped up in the house & it was a MAJOR relief mostly for their mother!

One Word Answers

{Apparently I've been tagged . . . new to me . . . you might be next}

The Rules: You must answer the questions using only one word, then tag four others.

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your significant other? snoozing
3. Your hair? long
4. Your mother? traveling
5. Your father? traveling
6. Your favorite thing? bedtime
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? italian-sodas
9. Your dream/goal? traveling
10. The room you're in? living room
11. Your hobby? crafts
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? homeschooling {no jr. high for us please}
14. What you're not? brat {hope no one begs to differ :D}
15. Muffins? crumble-top
16. One of your wish list items? piano
17. Where you grew up? alaska
18. The last thing you did? peed
19. What are you wearing? nothing {ha! just always wanted to say that!}

20. Favorite gadget? ulu
21. Your pets? NONE!
22. Your computer? Mac {nothing but the best}
23. Your mood? calm
24. Missing someone? baby {can't decide}
25. Your car? LandCruiser
26. Something you're not wearing? socks
27. Favorite store? rei {although the door greeter @ walmart would disagree since we live so dang close}
28. Like someone? duh
29. Favorite color? blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? wipepout {watched with kids on internet}
31. Last time you cried? church

TAGGED:  Lindz J, Tiffanie N, Jayci, Angela M

Fireweed Race

Some people have been wanting to know about my race, so I thought I'd post it. The Fireweed is a bike race in the middle of the mountains from Sheep Mountain Lodge going all the way to Valdez depending on the miles you do.  It ranges from 50, 100, 200 & 400 miles.  The highest summit is Eureka Summit, elevation 3,322 feet. I did the 50 Mile Road Race, and was proud of myself for doing it in 2:55:27.  My goal was under 3 hours, so Im very happy with that.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  I found myself catching a glimpse every now and then at the gorgeous scenery and being in awe that I was riding through it.  I had an awesome time, and it turns out that I came in 7th place for the women in the 50 miler event.  {There were photographers there, so if I find a pic of me, I'll post it}  This is part of the view I had the whole time!  

Take A Break You Blogger!

So . . . how'd you do!?

Just Simply Handsome

We really can't believe he is two years old.  Time flies!  But he is way too cute for his own good!  (This, by the way, is his super CHEESE smile.  I could just eat him)

4th of July

  

     

Our annual family trip to the lake was fun this year.  Playing games till our eyes roll into the back of our heads, eating, and more eating, and the best part  . . . the water.  Jason spent a 1/2 hour teaching Meg how to fish {which for Meg's attention span, is AMAZING!} and later Owen had a go at it.  We had fireworks off the dock and endless times in the bumper boats having water wars. 

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July this year!

Perfect Timing

So this may seem like an awkward picture, but it has an AMAZING story.  I went to our Walmart which is expanding to a Super Walmart.  They happen to be putting a LOT on clearance.  So I wandered through the isle not finding much, but found Faux Wood 2" Blinds on MAJOR clearance for $2 & $3!!!!  That was it!!  They were regularly $35-$50.  What a STEAL!  I grabbed all that there were, and they happen to work in our house.  I just took them to Home Depot, who shortens the width of the blinds for FREE, then had to shorten the length myself at home . . . and VIOLA!  It's a beautiful thing!  I went back and they had a few more for $10, but now my living room is almost complete (with exception to the triangle windows up high), my TV room, and Owen's bedroom.  I bought $350 worth for $60.  AMAZING isn't it!  They look SO much better than the cheep PINK and ROYAL BLUE metal blinds that were there before.  I'm very excited at the new look!  {Now to get rid of that awful pink paint!}

Side Note:  The girls gave me those pretty Orchids for my birthday!  I've become a cRaZy gardener that Googles everything to see how to baby it.  Love it!!

Like Father . . . Like Son

Yesterday Jason & I went to play Disc Golf with a friend, and had to take Owen & Meg with us.  The course is at our local Junior High; has 18 holes and is a lot of fun!  Owen wanted to be our caddy.  He carried two sometimes three discs at once.  He wants to be JUST like his dad, and LOVES to show it!  We looked back a couple times at him to make sure he kept up, and noticed he was practicing his throws immediately after seeing Jason throw his, and threw his JUST like his dad.  The two that were unexpected and made us laugh were these:  the first one he walked right up to the trees and threw it in the bushes . . . . . . the second one he walked up to a tree and threw it right at its trunk!  Jason is a good player, but it just goes to show that little boys want to grow up to be JUST like their daddys even when they make mistakes! :)

Update On Garden

  

  

 

{This post is dedicated to my mothers, Barbara & Cindy, for their beautiful gardens}

This year I have been worried about having a garden successfully grow.  Last year I bought cheep plastic from Walmart that is supposed to keep out the weeds, which in turn made EVERYTHING get root rot.  So this year, I was smarter and bought the material from a Greenhouse.  Which I am so glad I did.  It keeps out the weeds, but also keeps the soil warmer longer.  And with our summer this year being so cold, it's REALLY helped.  All in all, my garden is growing, even though it's slower than normal.  I have:

• Green Cabbage - My leaves are getting HUGE.  The directions said to plant 18" apart, but I'm affraid it will crush my lettuce next to it.
• Strawberries - I planted 14 plants in hopes to get "some" strawberries this year.  I had at least 10 to pick a few weeks ago, but unfortunately the next day BIRDS ate them ALL. Resulting in buying bird net to protect them. 
  
• Squash & Zucchini - I planted 2 squash & 3 zucchinis.  Theses are the slowest to mature, but one plant has finally bloomed!
• Romaine Lettuce - I am surprised at how huge these have gotten!  They are bigger than our big beach bucket!  At least 14" tall!
• Green Leaf Lettuce - These are also surprisingly growing large!  We will be eating a LOT of salad!!  :D
• Green Onions - These are left over from last year, the ONLY thing that didn't die.  That's why they are so tall.  Hopefully still edible!
• Cherry Tomatoes - These are taller than Kali!!  4' tall from ground up.  The plants say they wont need extra support, but I bought cages for them regardless!  
• Sitka Roses - These were here when we bought the house and I LOVE them.  The trees are taller than me, and they produce beautiful pink and white roses.  Personally, I think they are the best smelling flower out there!  When petals fall off we put them in a bowl inside the house to enjoy the yummy, can't get enough of, smell.

I NEVER thought I'd be a gardener, but I think I am hooked!  It's so fun to watch something grow, and then everyone is impressed when I tell them that they are eating something I grew!