Staycation

This is the first year in a long time we have not taken a summer family vacation.  Funds are low & our time off is limited.  So we opted to try to utilize the fact that the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday.  My husband & I took off Thursday & Friday.  I also took off Monday.  How was the "staycation"?  A success!  I feel refreshed & relaxed.  I can't say I am raring to go back to work tomorrow but I can feel good going in tomorrow knowing that I spent quality time with my family, especially my little girl who was really longing for some family time...and some mommy time.

Tuesday night started with an attempt at a backyard campout.  Bella invited a neighbor friend over.  We tried to sleep in the tent but it was 100 that day, the inside of the tent felt like 150 degrees.  The air mattress came inside & the girls camped out in the living room instead.  I had them do a backyard scavenger hunt & paint water worn rocks from last year's vacation to Lake Michigan.  In the morning I made them chocolate chip pancakes.  Dinner was quick & easy.

Wednesday, July 4 was spent at the pool.  Cocktails and water games were in the mix.  I ended up babysitting my granddaughter.  We took her to her first fireworks, which we left early because Bella was so tired and my daughter-in-law came to where we were to get the baby.  Dinner was something quick & easy.

Thursday, July 5, I took care of my over-due oil change & interior & exterior car wash.  I took Bella to breakfast at her favorite place, Bob Evans.  We attempted to get pedicures in the a.m. but our efforts were thwarted by a too busy salon.  We opted to go to the pool after an inexpensive trip to Claire's for some goodies.  We spent the afternoon at the pool, then went up for pedicures.  Dinner was quick & easy.

Friday, July 6, my husband & I got up early & tackled projects around the house.  Gutters were cleaned, garage was cleaned out, an old broken fridge was hauled off, weeds were pulled, flowers dug up & moved...all before noon.  We spent several hours at the pool.  I came home & did a  power/speed clean  of my house & got it ready for my girls night out.  I did get up & run to the grocery store.  Stocked the cooler with drinks & ice.  Girls night out was a blast!!!

Saturday, July 7, another fun & lazy day.  We watched movies, went to the pool...I actually went alone for about an hour.  So nice but so strange!  It's been a long time since I did that alone!!    Bella went to a friend's house for quite awhile on Saturday.  Saturday evening was just plain relaxing & I had ran to Kroger for a couple of things.  My husband made us steak hoagies...I hadn't had them in years but they were so tasty!  I also made the buffalo chicken from Pinterest that day.

Sunday, July 8, another day at the pool & a little cleaning up around the house.  At 3:30 my friend Karen picked Bella & I for a pre-concert dinner.  We took our girls to see Big Time Rush.  We had a great time!!!

Monday, July 9, got up & got some things ready for "back to real life" tomorrow.  We left the house by 10:30 to go to the waterpark where we stayed until about 2 then headed to a friend's pool to swim there for a few hours.  I have a few things left to take care of around here to prepare for tomorrow but we are pretty set for the week!  Yay!  I will definitely do this again!  I have had a fun & relaxing time & enjoyed my family!!!

Pinterest...I don't just pin it...I try it

Pinterest....a serious addiction.  A woman's wish list of crafts, DIY projects, recipes, wardrobes, hairstyles and the list goes on.  One can easily burn through hours viewing & pinning everything that their heart desires.  Although I know a lot of pinning goes on, most women I know don't end up actually trying many of these things that they pin.  Those that do, share their successes & failures.  I have tried a few things....a few have been a success...a few have been failures.  Mostly failures for my lack of patience with the project.  The most recent success is this yummy recipe!  I love buffalo wings.  They are not very healthy.  This is a pretty good alternative for the buffalo wing lovers in our house.  A Pinterest success!  Yippee!!!  This blog below is fantastic & is where I tracked down the buffalo chicken in a crockpot recipe.  Now...as to my other attempts at creating the masterpieces I see on Pinterest...well....more on those later.


http://reallyfrompinterest.blogspot.com

Source: reallyfrompinterest.blogspot.com via Hope on Pinterest

10 things that make me smile

It's tough to narrow it down to 10 things...these however are the 10 most common things for me these days....When I am having a bad day, these are the things that bring a smile to my face.

1. My husband's twisted humor
2. My daughter's laugh and silly sayings
3. Almost anything my 19 year old says these days....he's still in the "I believe everything other people tell me" phase of his life.
4. My granddaughter...especially now that she's cooing and smiling.
5. My friend Deb's laugh...it's contagious.
6. Tosh.O, it's a guilty pleasure.
7. Any time I get to spend with my mommy friends....there are just so many things to laugh & smile at during those conversations and the rare girls' night out.
8. My son's high school friend Mike.....he's goofy and he says it like it is...he always makes me laugh.
9. Hearing tales of new parenthood from my son & daughter-in-law.
10. Sunshine...seriously...it's so hard to be in a foul mood when the sun is shining...unless it's 105 & you are NOT in the pool or in AC ;0)
11. OK...I couldn't keep it at 10.....the crazy text messages I get from my friends Jenny & Rhiannon that literally make me LOL in the middle of the day!