Swim Number 10

I had been missing my alone time at the lap swims at the public pool.  I know.  Me?  Missing swimming?  It was a pinch me moment.  So I sent an email to my mom asking if she would want to pick the kids up from Music Camp and keep them for the day.  She wrote back in all caps, bold, and in a purple color so it would stand out, YES!!!!!

With lunch sack and water clothes in a backpack, I dropped the kiddos off at 9am at church this morning.  I ran a few quick errands and then headed for the pool.  Ahhh, to be back in the water with the bonus of an entire lane all to myself for an hour.  Life was good.

I suddenly realized, however, that my sore arm muscles were going to get really stretched and worked on while I was doing my first lap.  Ouch.  I know I have shared before that I go in spurts at the gym of using weights.  And many commented that if I would just be consistent, that the ouch-factor would slowly go away and be normal.  Yeah, I heard and accepted the comments, but that doesn't mean I took the advice.

I worked my arms a lot in the pool and by the end of the hour they were feeling pretty good.  I have come to the point in my swimming where I don't have to think about my technique.  I can let my mind wander and that is a pretty good feeling.  I pick one thing to focus on for each lap, but I don't have to focus on everything at once; like I had to in April just to stay on top of the water.

When I first started, my private swim instructor suggested that I just try to breath on one side.  She thought my coordination was a little off and that one-sided-breathing would work better for me.  So I picked my left side and have been doing that.  But today I wanted to mix it up a little and challenge myself.  I tried alternating with my right side.

It felt good to have that "start over" feeling. You know when you are going through the motions and it feels like everything is working and you don't have to think ... and then you throw in a new dynamic and it feels like you have never done something before in your life?  Sometimes I like that feeling.

I did it. I  was able to go a couple laps alternating left and right.  I wasn't as shaky as I had been at the beginning of April, so I consider that a plus and a new challenge to keep improving, so that the newness wears off and I don't have to think again.

The rest of the day I sat in our blow up pool that fits two adults comfortably on circle blow-up inner tube floaties. My husband and I had some catch-up time in the pool.  It was the best; so relaxing.

My buddy will be taking off soon to hit a bucket of golf balls and take some pictures of our gorgeous mountain from the golf course.  I will be reading outside in the quiet until my children come home for bed.

Life is good.  A great summer day!

Summer has arrived

The kids are in Music Camp at our church this week from nine till noon.  I can honestly say that I do not know much about the Musical production they will perform this weekend because they want it to be a surprise.  But I have gotten some hints that "This is the best one, Mom!".

I think I can confidently say that my son feels this way because he gets to spray Silly String on his fellow actors; one of which will be his sister. He was just asking me to purchase Silly String this past weekend.  While I did not, the church has, and has asked him to be the sprayer. He is so excited!!

I just came in from washing both cars in the front, and two neighbor kids and my two are in the back in the blow-up pool.  Yes, we have reached Summer Around Here with low 80's today and record breaking 90's for the rest of the week.  I know, I know, my Mid-West, Southern, and East Coast readers (whose left, right?) are laughing that we think that is great news in a weather forecast.  But to water-soaked peeps like us, this is great news!

My favorite part of the simple pleasures of summer is reading out in the sun with the wafting smell of Banana Boat sunscreen in the air, hearing the kids laugh and talk loudly with their friends, seeing my dog choosing to bake in the sun, while my husband relaxes by puttering around his beautiful yard snipping this and that to make it just so.  Grateful for the sunshine that warms me up.

The Fourth in Photos

We had a fabulous fourth with neighbor friends and our immediate family of four.  In our next of the woods, we are used to saying that summer does not start until after the 4th of July. It barely made it to 60F yesterday, and the 10-day forecast starting tomorrow is set at 80F+. The years when it is warm and beautiful on July 4th (last year) is a rarity. But despite the few raindrops we might dodge on the 4th, we still know how to have fun!

My photo essay of our 4th of July 2010!

Kids Parade ~ the only cute guy at the party, who was not 40-something and married to me, got to run through the sign.

 Bike Parade ~ creative way to wear balloons that won't snag on tire spokes is to tie them to your helmet!

The three BFF's on the Block, choreographed a dance routine to music for a 4th of July performance. The girls' have talent ~ we have a competitive gymnast, a competitive cheerleader, and my girl the dancer. And yes, their outfits and hair were chosen on purpose to be identical.

4th of July Tradition ~ Kickball game ... Kids vs. Dads = FUN!

 And then THIS flew over our Kick Ball Game multiple times!!  What a game-stopper!!

Game On ...  my handsome hubby keeping the kids working for every out and making them laugh along the way with his Oh-So-Close! maneuvers.

Cora and I took photos and ref'd the game with the other moms.  My beagle is the best sweet buddy of a dog. She could care less about the firework noise and as soon as I sat in the chair she was up on my lap. 

Barbecue Time!  The HOA provides the burgers and hot dogs, my husband cooks, and the rest of the gang provides pot luck yum for dinner.

Our house at night with every one gathered 'round my husband's fire pit enjoying the Fireworks from neighboring neighborhoods and our own.  Another fantastic fourth!!

Fourth Of July 2010

After morning worship at church, our family will be spending the rest of our day together outside hosting our annual 4th of July block party.  We are looking forward to a crowd of family and friends in nice weather, lots of food, barbecue of burgers and hot dogs, a bike parade, a dance show by three girls on the block, kickball game of dads versus kids (and mom refs to make it "fair"), homemade churn-style ice cream, and staying out late for the grand finale of FIREWORKS!!!

Celebrating the United States of America with gratefulness for all the service men and women who make this the land of the Free and home of the Brave.   

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

The Adventures of Charlie

Last night's family movie night to see Toy Story 3 was fantastic. I never seem to be disappointed in Disney Pixar movies. The way they capture the life and essence of every toy is so spot-on. Every detail is accounted for; even the squishy octopus toy was brilliantly played to match a perfect type cast. A must-see. Although my kids could not understand why both of their parents teared up; we simply had to tell them "You'll see when you watch it 20+ years from now with your children."

But nothing could compare to the theatrical production that was presented to us at 9:30 am this morning.  Complete with ticket and twenty-five cent admission in hand, we went up to our playroom for the production of The Adventures of Charlie. The dance floor has been a perfect addition for our family. Not only do the kids practice dance and Taekwondo on it, but they like to perform their own plays too.  Now they are talking about wanting to complete the area with stage lighting and a stage curtain. We'll see ...

The premise of this play was that Charlie was ask to pick Blackberries. Along his berry journey he fell upon darkness and a fight ensued with witches and prisoners.  But no fear, Charlie was tough and overcame the evil to a happy ending.  There were no lines, but the kids chose fantastic music to play out their story.  All of the songs came from the soundtrack of Wall-E. Perfect mix of upbeat tones to portray the berry picking, and mysterious tones to help tell the scary, dark side of their story.

The kids did fantastic!  What fun it is to see them work as a team this week (secretively in the playroom with the door closed and a sign that read: Parents Do Not Enter, Production in Progress), to have them follow through on their design, and make a story that was clear and followed a path.

While Disney Pixar may make great movies, my children make great theatre!!!

Momma sewing, waiting for Charlie to arrive in the house ~ I loved the costume combinations from their own closet of past Halloween costumes and old clothing.

Momma asking Charlie to go pick berries:

Charlie picking berries ~ he was so serious, what a great actor (and kinda cute too!):

Evil falls upon the berry forest ~ love the stage makeup (and thankfully it stayed on faces and not carpets):

Yay, Charlie wins!:

Bowing for the audience and a sneak peak behind the scenes of the actor's dressing room:

Back In Time

Although around here we listen to primarily Christian music and jazz, I do have a soft spot for the 80's genre of music.

I just made homemade biscuits for dinner just like my mom used to make, and they are going to go with the homemade Raspberry jam.  Some barbecued chicken and raw cucumber slices will accompany it too.  Simple, and yet for some reason makes me think of my growing up years.  So, why not turn on some 80's music to go with?

The kids have just been called in from outside to wash up.  I wonder what they will say of the tunes. AND the homemade biscuits.

We are headed out to see Toy Story 3 tonight.  Looking forward to our Family Friday.

Even if we are a little back in time.

"Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks playing right now ...

Raspberries, continued

I grew up picking blueberries at U-Pick Farms, and then eventually at our own house. I know my mom "did stuff" with them, but I was a kid who was not interested in that "stuff", so I did not pay attention.  Therefore, having never been responsible for fresh produce in this quantity before, I decided to use the handy internet to get some tips. So far the things I did at the suggestion of others seems to have worked.  This is what I did with the 9 pounds of Raspberries that we picked yesterday.

I washed all 9 pounds and separated the ones that I wanted to freeze from the ones that would make jam.  I used three large cookie sheets to spread out the berries to air dry after they were well rinsed.  Once they were pretty much dried, I put two of the cookie sheets in my second freezer in the garage.  The other one I decided to just bag by one cup measurements into Ziploc sandwich bags, and then add all the bags to a Freezer Quart size Ziploc.

My tip for those that do not have a vacuum sealer at home, such as myself, is to try this trick.  Place the berries into the Ziploc, put a straw in the bag so that it is not touching the berries, but sticking half in the bag and half out of the bag.  Seal up the Ziploc all the way until you reach the straw.  Then suck the air out through the straw. You will see the bag get air tight just like the professional vacuum sealers.  Quickly take the straw out and seal the rest of the way.  It totally works!

Once the berries on the cookies sheets are completely frozen, then I will put them in bags.  I just didn't have enough room to get three sheets into my freezer, so I took the above shortcut of adding non-frozen berries into bags and then putting them in the freezer. In the end I should have about 15 cups of frozen berries.

I kept some washed berries for our fridge, but since they don't last more than a couple days, I only put in the amount I think our family would eat in that amount of time.

Then at the spur of the moment, I went to the store to purchase canning jars to make jam out of the rest of them with my son. That too I have never done before; although my son the Chef has canned pickles before with my mom.  I relied on him a lot during this process; between reading the recipe and giving his tips along the way we made it work.

We used 10 cups of berries for (12) 1/2 pint jars.  We would have had (14) 1/2 pint jars, but I had only bought a dozen jars!  I really didn't even think that we'd be using that many when I purchased them. The jars turned out beautifully and the jam ... amazing!  Just a simple recipe of equal parts Raspberries to Sugar, boiling to 219F.

 Raspberries ... a complete success!