Sleeping Beauties

We are enjoying all of the abundance in our gardens right now. Well, the abundance is mostly in the flowers and herbs, our vegetables are not doing quite so well. In my defense though, it was the first year I attempted to grow veggies. So I suppose it is a combination of inexperience and neglect, inexperience being the larger influence of course.

I am loving these poppies, something new this year. Justin got a bunch of seed packets as a giveaway at work so I figured I might as well give it a go. They were planted a bit late, but have been well worth the wait. They are amusing little flowers in the way that they close up in the evening and then burst open again bright and early in the morning. Flowers that sleep (although I have yet to catch them taking an afternoon nap).

Camp

It looks more like the farm here, but this is Connor at Day Camp. He enjoyed all of the many activities of last week - swimming, archery, games, art, even yoga. Mostly I think he just enjoyed being outside all day with a multitude of kids. What I wouldn't have given to have been a little bird spying on all of this!


Pictured here is the "art barn" where all of the children and counselors were packed in when I came to pick up Connor on Friday. We had a terrible storm, so bad I had to pull over and wait it out in a parking lot. Nothing life threatening or anything, but I was still relieved to see my little camper, dirt mustache and all.

And here we are at home, winding down from a week of camp, if you consider whipping the Friday afternoon craft around and around as fast as is possible a form of winding down.

Parade

Last week Connor attended an art class where he made a very handsome dragonfly all out of trash (ahem, I mean treasure). The kids also made some noisemakers out of recycled plastic bottles. Last Friday night I was serenaded by this little contraption - on and off for several hours.


And on Saturday he got to show off his art in a parade celebrating 25 years of the Phipps Center for the Arts.


It was not your typical parade - no clowns, no candy. Fire trucks did not lead the parade but rather a giant eagle that was pilaged by pirates. Yes, pirates in a speed boat.


And this guy. I am not sure what/who he was but he was my favorite, not including the dragonfly of course.

Again

So just after we finished remodeling the upstairs bathroom we have mess...again. Just as I was getting used to the luxury of two functional bathrooms...bam it is taken away. And this time the bathroom we are sqeezed into has no cabinets, no closets, and no space to move.

We were not planning on this, however after a weekend away we came home to a wet basement and discovered a rotted bathroom floor. Evidentally something in the toilet was not installed correctly or had not been replaced, causing years of rotting underneath. I guess we are lucky no one has fallen through!?! (well I don't think it was quite that bad)

I have issued a timeline on this bathroom though, no two + years on this one. I am putting my foot down.

Summer Fun

Weekend activities........

golf

frisbee golf, fishing, dam building, popcicles from the ice cream truck, bonfires, fireworks.....

and a little r&r

It was nice to have Dad home for the whole weekend (for both Connor and Mom)!