i have to say...

Our weekend, even though it was busy, was a good one.  We got lots of stuff done, but took some time out to play also.  A day of hiking and geocaching was perfect since the weather dipped down to 80 degrees; only the day before it was 95!  Funny how 15 degrees can make such a big difference.

As usual, my husband was more than willing to accomodate my need for good blog photos.  Here he is doing his best Nacho Libre pose---sans the white polyester pants:

When we got to the creek the kids wondered what the temperature of the water was, so my hubs tested it out for them:

Aubry, of course had to be just like daddy:

What was your weekend like?

does this mean that I have to quit calling her "snaggletooth"?

homeschool conference ticket winners...

Thank you to everyone who commented! 

Here are the five winners:

Jill
Kristin
MomRN2
A Snip of Goodness
LeeAnn

I need all of your emails so that I can send them to the gals at The Heart of The Matter, and when the conference is all ready to go they will send all of you access codes and log-in instructions.

If you are interested in finding out more about the conference, click here.

Have a great day!

attention: homeschoolers and people interested in homeschooling

The Heart of the Matter Online is hosting it's first Homeschool Virtual Conference and I have 5 tickets to give away to the event!  Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler, someone just starting out, or a parent curious about how it's done, this conference will be a blessing to you!

On the week of July 30th through August 3rd, HOTM will host motivational speakers, video tutorials, free products, question and answer sessions, and a vendor hall--all online!  You can choose to either listen live or log in at your convenience and download the audios.

To win a ticket to this online conference, simply leave a comment in this post and I will draw names to pick the winners.  The names of the winners will be announced on Thursday, July 10th.

More information about the event can be found here.

***Comments on this post will be closed on Wednesday, July 9th, at 9:00 PM.

Have a great day!

 

we're a little goofy--or at least that is what the pictures tell us!

We had a hot, fun summery weekend filled with lots of pool time and, of course, trampoline time.  I held my usual position of photographer, but I did take the time to get in on the fun.  My kids tell me that I spend too much time on the sidelines so I actually put on a bathing suit and swam, and after that, I jumped.  I guess I need to quit acting my age!

We cracked up when we downloaded this photo on the computer. My daughter said I needed to save it for future blackmailing opportunities when he is a teenager:

Imagine our surprise when this photo came up soon after.  Does he get his graceful moves from daddy?:

I about fell off my chair when this photo showed up.  Yes, that is me in a bathing suit.  Get a good look because I will NEVER show myself in such attire again!  It just seemed too funny not to post!:

Here is Maddie looking cool in some googles:

I know.    Poor dog!  At least we don't dress her up in people-clothes!

the girls

The prettiest girls in town are in the shop!

You can find Ava Rose in yards, fat quarters and bundles , and Lola and Emmeline are just waiting to perk up your kitchen attire.  (Lola has the pattern and instructions for both an adult and a child-sized apron.)

***If you desire a particular length or combination of fabrics, simply contact me and I will set up a custom-listing for you!

Have a great weekend!

 

wishing you all a happy 4th!

We are hosting a BBQ today and my kids are crossing their fingers that no thunderstorms will be rolling through to spoil outside activities.  I suppose I am crossing my fingers too since rain would mean about 20 kids running through my house.  Yikes!

I haven't even begun to plan for this event (no menu in the works yet!), so I had better sign off so that I can head to the store before there is a run on the hot-dog buns.  You can't do the 4th without hot-dogs, you know!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

The Recipe Box Swap

Welcome to the July edition of The Recipe Box Swap! This month's theme is "BBQ-main dishes and sides".  Whether you throw it on the grill, or eat it alongside, post your recipe on your blog and add your post URL to the auto-link below.

My contribution is "Aunt Cheryl's Baked Beans".  My aunt gave me this recipe a number of years ago and it never fails to impress.  I love it because it is easy and my hubs loves it because it has bacon---and lots of it!

This is where I need to apologize ahead of time for lacking a picture of the finished dish, but the week just got away from me.  I don't know why I always think summer is going to be so full of free-time!!!  So I give you a picture of some of the ingredients:

Aunt Cheryl's Baked Beans
2-28 ounce cans of Bushes Baked Beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pound bacon, partially cooked and crumbled or chopped

Stir together the first 5 ingredients and pour into a greased baking dish.   Top with the bacon pieces (do not stir the bacon into the beans!).  Bake for 45 minutes to one hour at 400 degrees.  Stir in the bacon and serve warm.

Enjoy!

laundry on the cheap

Woman Hanging Her Laundry by Camille Pissarro

On April 17th I posted about making my own laundry detergent, and now, over two months later, I am finally running out of my first batch and am ready to make my second.  For about $2.00 I have kept my family's clothes (my family consists of 7 clothes-wearing people) clean very nicely, although I will add that I do use Spray & Wash along with the soap and fabric softener sheets in the dryer, so that brings up the two-month cost to about $7.00.

Not bad, if you ask me!

You can find the laundry soap recipe here on the Down To Earth blog.