Would you drive 3 1/2 hours for this?

Chelan WA, Slide Waters

Yep, they named thier water slides

Slide Waters!

3 1/2 hours each direction.

I slid on 3 slides, banged every bone on every curve, then did this...

But really, the drive was so beautiful.

We didn't really care that it took so long to get there...

It was going home the same day after playing at the waterslides for 8 hours that killed us.

Oh, and the mountains were on fire...

So, to recap, 7 hours of driving, and 8 hours of sliding.

And this is what I saw in the morning....

Ahh, Summer!

Going on a Rant here...

Where the HELL ar the parents when thier littl sweethearts are out pouring paint all over my yard furniture?

Toilet papering my car?

Egging every car on the street?

What mother doesn't miss an entire cardboard tray of eggs from her refrigerator?

Hmm?

Happy Birthday (18)

To Him!

Another project completed

This was an unscheduled project. It started with an odor.

The odor would not go away!

So, one day I took up the linoleum.

That worked....

For one day.

Then we took up the subfloor.

Which meant pulling out the toilet and cabinet.

Since we had to put in new flooring, I insisted on tile, so in goes the concrete backer board. Then the project became larger than Jon or I were capable of. Not because we are incapable, but because we are two very stubborn people who really should not undertake something of this magnitude together. So, We called in reinforcements. Enter My DADDY! Once we got the pattern and spacing worked out, He and Jon worked great as a team and cut and placed the entire floor in just a matter of hours. The next day, Jon took on the wall behind the toilet. With great confidence having been successful at the floor the night before. Look what a great job he did!There were a few bad paint choices on my part. Not willing to spend any money on paint, I shopped the garage and my parents paint supplies. The wall color was a taupe, but in fact, It turned out to be a purple. The cabinet was painted using the leftover paint from my parents kitchen cabinets. Beautiful, but unfortunately, it looked terrible with the tile. So I repainted everything. The cabinet got another coat using the brown color of mom and dads kitchen island. The walls, a green from Mom and Dads garage. I think it is in the front upstairs bedroom. It looks so much better now!I still need to do touch up paint and hit where we caulked around the tile, but This is what it all looks like today!

Just proving I did some of the work, This is my painting shirt! I actually have several of them since I often forget to change before jumping into a project.

Some of the things we have accomplished this spring,

Darian started driving...

And Graduated High School.

Since we are going to need lots of money for college, I have been cranking these babies out! I designed a new look, It is more of a book bag than a grocery bag. Thinking about college age people you know...

I got the yard cleaned up, The weeds were growing like a garden!

My brother installed my oak stairs.

And we threw a party!

With a few of his besties coming to celebrate with him!

It did not rain on the party, but it was cold, so that beautiful fire pit came in handy!

I have more catching up to do, but it looks like this post is all about graduation, so I will leave it at that.

I hope you are well!

Sorry I abandoned you all spring!

Wish I were HERE!!!

I seem to be on a break, I will return! Hopefully, I can get my mojo back!

Letter from an excellent boss

Dear Employees:




As the CEO of this organization, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way.



To compensate for these increases, our prices would have to increase by about 10%. But since w...e cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off sixty of our employees instead.



This has really been bothering me since I believe we are family here and I didn't know how to choose who would have to go.



So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lots and found sixty 'Obama' bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the ones to let go. I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem. They voted for change...... I gave it to them.



I will see the rest of you at the annual company picnic.



THE BOSS

My Weekend...

I spent Saturday working on the yard, I pulled weeds, then I dug holes. I moved shrubs, and I divided perrenials. I worked on a brick walkway going in on the side of the house. Then, on Sunday, I could barely move. SO...

I brought out my crochet hook, and tried something new.

I LOVE HANDMADE DISHCLOTHES.

I have several that I have used for YEARS!

and now, they look so ratty disgusting, that I should find more.

SO... Emboldened by my success with hats, I decided to try my hand at making a dishcloth.

My first attempt. I used too large of a hook, and this is almost the size of a towel...

BUT

I followed a pattern. Yep, all of the sudden it made sense, and I could follow written instructions.

WELL,

I did call my mom to clarify something, but it was an easy thing and once I was past it, it was smooth sailing.

SO,

I bought LOTS more yarn and made this one in about an hour...

And followed instructions again...

Then, I googled how to make a granny square and made this one.

WOW! Just over an hour because I kept taking the border apart. I see a goof, but it is for me, so I am leaving it alone. If I were selling them, I would be ripping that baby right apart again.

NOW

I have two more sides to finish on this one.

SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!!

Hmm, another income potential!

THE LIST

First of all, this week held a monumental day for me!

Cannyn turned 15!!!!

Far cry from the teensy weensy 6lb 6oz baby I brought home!

I chose to share that picture because it ties into the List!

Boy is going to ROTC Leadership Camp in less than 2 weeks.

He came home and gave me a list of required items.

REQUIRED!!!!

Not anything that we owned...

7 BLACK shirts both long and short sleeved.

Black "Beanie" or knit stocking cap.

Thermals or Under Armor.

Sweat pants and Sweat Jacket, Black

Flip flops

Black coat / Windbreaker

Flashlight,

Lipbalm

Laundry bag

Laundry detergent,

First Aid kit,

Insect repellant

Watch,

Water bottle or Camel back.

Actually the list is longer, these are just the things I had to buy.

Happy Birthday son.

You got your list of required items for your birthday.

Isn't life grand?

Oh, and since it is already spring here, and all the winter stuff is gone, it wasn't an easy task to find long sleeved shirts and a black beanie.

So, Mommy gave him a ball of yarn.

BUT

Yesterday, said ball of yarn turned into this....

And he LIKES it!

Instead of throwing parties this year, I decided to spend all the birthday budget on the boys. So, after he opened his "presents", we went to Red Robin for dinner and had them sing to him.

At first, he said he wanted to do Subway for dinner that night, (my wallet was rejoicing...) But at the last minute, changed his mind and we went to Red Robin... Do you know how much it costs to feed 4 MEN at RR?

Now, I am off to get my hair done...

Have a great weekend!