When life gives you lemons ... make lemonade!

With days starting to cool down and getting closer to the start of a new school year we are trying to take advantage of the final days of summer! 
After almost 2 weeks of VBS between our church here in town and our church up in Quebec, hosting house guests in our basement for over a month complete with a guinea pig, 2 funerals Wayne officiated and Will played violin for, WELS Canada meetings of which Wayne is on the board of directors and a quick Sat - Mon trip to Vancouver for Wayne so that he could have the opportunity to meet our brothers and sisters in Christ out West and preach - all of which was crazy and hectic at the time but blessings abounded through them all - here we are well into August! 
I had promised the kids since early summer that they could have a lemonade stand. I had been collecting a fast growing pile of garage sale worthy stuff and thought we could do a duel purpose event. I had found some lemonade stand decorations at Target that I just couldn't resist. The actual follow through was a bit more difficult! 
Finally setting the date, I got down to the nitty gritty of pricing items, grouping them and hauling them over to church which was where the blessed event was to happen. The other matter of the lemonade stand demanded separate attention as I wanted this to be a learning moment disguised as pure fun! 

Lemon flavored cupcakes were baked and decorated the day before. A list of what was need compiled. Directions read on the side of a frozen concentrated can of pink lemonade. We were ready to go!

Yep, they did good. As a matter of fact, they made out like bandits! They went through all 4 cans of lemonade, 5 cupcakes left, money made! Their investor (me) did point out that if I were to demand payback for the items I purchased for the stand their loot would be greatly diminished. Lucky for them, they have a generous benefactor:). 
The garage sale part was a pain.in.the.butt.  I remembered why I hadn't done it for awhile. But it was a lovely, sunny morning, I got to meet some new people and I had the satisfaction of getting rid of my pile by dropping off my stuff at Goodwill that didn't sell. 
We've been to a nearby beach twice this summer with different friends. The kids love to play in the sand and water and we all enjoy a picnic lunch in the great outdoors. Best of all, there's a local that comes around with his boat outfitted as "the ice cream float" selling ice cream cones to us! What a hit!

Hey, Dad, this could be an idea for you in between Harley rides!!!

And the ice cream was yummy - can you guess she had chocolate?


We also celebrated Daddy's first day off in 3 weeks upon his return from Vancouver with a day trip to the area water park. My kids are fearless and willing to ride practically everything. Honestly, it's hard for me to keep up! We had a super fun family day of playing in the wave pool, hurdling down water slides, being dragged along in the lazy river and enjoying a picnic lunch on a beautiful, sunny day! 


Zanna continues to relish being able to ride her bike like a big girl and we've attempted a few family bike rides. Her stamina is improving (I remind myself as I go painfully slow).


Next up I'll be revealing the schoolroom/playroom that I've been working on and our plans for the new year!

Vacation out West

AHHHH, fresh mountain air! We enjoyed one week in Calgary reunited with the family. We enjoyed day trips to the zoo,  a hike at the falls and rides at an amusement park.  Cousins bonded, sister-in-laws gabbed, brothers - were brothers!

Wayne spent his birthday on a motorcycle. He and brother Jeff spent the day cruising through the beautiful scenery. 

Always a highlight at Grandma and Grandpa's house is the go-cart. The cousins took turns doing laps. They made up their own obstacle course and prayers were answered that no one got hurt! 

Another highlight of summer visits is the garden. The grandchildren  enjoy helping out with the taste testing of fresh vegetables and we all enjoy a green salad with the ingredients grown on sight. Such a treat! 


My father-in-law is doing well considering the circumstances. While initially he was feeling better with more energy from his treatment, it seems to be catching up with him a bit - understandably. He slept more than usual, hung around the house and laid low. But his spirits are good and he was thrilled to be surrounded by all his children and grandchildren. He finishes up with the chemo in the fall.  Thank you for your prayers! 
On another note - I'm super excited to announce Zanna's big milestone. Check it out!

The world is her oyster - the road is open - the possibilities are endless!!! Congratulations, dearest girl!!!!

Summer project fun

We've been in and out of town this summer but we've managed to keep up our nature table. 

Notice the addition of a certain birds nest? After I shook out all the bugs we got an up close look at the construction of the nest. We even found some interesting videos on YouTube of birds actually in the process of building nests and tiny eggs hatching. So cool!

The newest contribution to the nature table is an article on loan from Will. He obtained a peacock feather from the Calgary zoo and brought it home on the plane (as a carry on!).  We are all quite proud of the feather!!
My other project in the works is an overhaul of the school room. I'd like to include more of a learning area for Zanna. My inspiration comes from an old school desk given to me by a Lutheran grade school. 

It's in pretty good shape. I've put up with the bright yellow but thought it needed to be - attacked with spray paint. 

So now it's a lovely shade of purple for my girly girl. I even added some chalkboard paint on the back of it to personalize it. 
Now that this is done, I can start working on the rest of the room in August. Next week is devoted to organizing, lesson planning, listening to educational pod casts of encouragement and direction, any ordering of things I still need to get, etc.  Then I can hopefully relax for the rest of the summer! I hope.

Our Summer Holiday in the Midwest

Picnics at roadside parks   hotel swimming pools to wear off some energy   kids old enough for Mom and Dad to stay dry at the side of the pool   arriving excitement - hugs and kisses   Mom's food   hours of hide and seek with Uncle Tom and Auntie Bekah   "Get Ready! I'm coming!" in his British accent   Bodda Boom! Bodda Bing!   

Celebrating birthdays (I'm still 28) Dad the big 6-0   Will attends soccer camp at Mom and Dad's church

Chicken salad served in Mom's antique glass chickens   family bowling

Staying with Grandma and Grandpa N.   Grandma's rhubarb pie   games of hand and foot   Island Cafe's greek omelet and chai tea   Fresh white Ikea dishes and shiny new silverware to replace 40 years of mismatched cutlery   the smell of the log home   exercising 2nd Amendment rights at the shooting range (we are in the US!)    Harley rides   the sound of loons on the lake   Will's island   feeding Buttercup the deer in the driveway   precious time spent with sister and husband from across the pond    Friday fish fry at Little Bo's   sweet whiskey old-fashioned with a crushed orange wedge and 2 maraschino cherries   bending the rules - too much dessert, pop, chips and up too late   weekend in Minnesota   Uncle Greg, Aunt Lisa, Allie and Lauren   Zanna wearing out their new puppy playing ring around the rosy   cousins braiding hair   downtown Stillwater   unbelievable musical talent in church - who knew you could do that with a pipe organ?   an afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma H.    trips down memory lane   driving gravel roads in the Albert Lea countryside   Grasdalen farm    the farm Dad grew up on   cemetery relatives are buried 

"Wok and Roll" Chinese buffet   cherished time with great grandparents   kids stopping up toilets wherever we go (too much junk food)   3 seasons of Giligan's Island and backseat belly laughs    waking up to itchy rash on legs    drugged up on allergy medication at the Mall of America    lunch at Don Pablos - our old dating stomping ground - margaritas and enchiladas!    shopping for shoes with my college roommate    Wayne watching 5 kids while we shop

picking up with an old friend where we left off    dropping Daddy off at the airport    listening to the GPS over my common sense heading for Duluth   reading an actual map and ignoring the GPS   back at Mom and Dad's   male bonding - Harleys, guns and golfing   female bonding - flea markets, craft stores and antiquing   lake rides on the pontoon boat    lunch on the lake   Friday Fish Fry #2 at Little Bo's   kids attend VBS at Mom and Dad's church   going to the beach   splashing in the lake   flea market addiction   Celebrating 65 years of marriage

Breaking in the chalkboard chargers   bonfire cookouts - hotdogs and smores   radio flyer taxi rides

missing husband and dadddy   Facetime everyday on the iPhone   13 years of celebrating our 4th of July anniversary   40 years of celebrating Mom and Dad's 4th of July anniversary   anniversary email love note from husband   Grandma's cherry pie   coconut joy ice cream cone at Cathy's ice cream shoppe   things you can do with doors and spray paint inspiration   watching fireworks on the lake   

Face painting

4th of July breakfasts

a heavily loaded minivan, me, 2 kids and 16 hours between us and home   a full tank of gas and an empty bladder - $75 Can / $55 US (the gas, not the bladder)   a hotel with no pool - substitute bed jumping   

HOME

Relax .... it's summer!

OK, pretty sad when I need a sign to remind me what I'm supposed to be doing. Instead I'm finding myself cleaning, doing yard work, putting away school stuff and organizing for fall, never ending laundry, you get the idea! 

Ahhhh, red geraniums.

I admit to having mostly American decorations but in my defense, it's hard to find cute Canadian stuff. I love this little angel!

And finally, here's my new summer mantle....

Inspired by the quilt my sister and brother-in-law gave me for Christmas, bought at a quilt show in England - it's bright and cheery!

The Squatters in our Backyard

I've taken pictures each day - they change so rapidly! Will has enjoyed spending time in the backyard observing the comings and goings of papa and mama robin. He's noticed the difference in their appearance and watching them fulfill their jobs of protecting and feeding. We've seen them chase off a seedy looking black bird with ferocity!

I'm not the best photographer but I hoped to capture their daily metamorphose. They started as arguably  unattractive and bald. In the coarse of a day they were peaking over the edge!

We love to watch their little beaks wait for food to be brought to them. Meanwhile, more feathers appear.

They look more like birds now, don't they? Check the latest out ....

It won't be long now. I am praying that we'll be fortunate enough to witness their fledging. This should be the week!! How wonderful this experience has been for all of us. Sure, they don't pay much rent - er, any. And the kids have to postpone some sliding fun on the the play structure for awhile. But how much better can nature study get?

Backing up a bit - Surprise!!

I have some catching up to do - recent news sort of distracted me I guess. 
Will celebrated his 11th birthday last month. My folks drove in for the occasion. I told Will last year that this was the final party I was offering but gave him the choice to forgo a party in lieu of a more expensive LEGO set. He chose the LEGO. I had every intention of staying true to my word and being done with parties after the age of 10 but I couldn't help myself.... I threw him a surprise party! 
It was so much fun and he really was surprised. I had the guests meet in the church basement because it would be easy to lure him there with an excuse. The basement worked great for the birthday activities too! The guests had a blast finding the perfect hiding place and they eagerly awaited the guest of honor's arrival.

The party was a great success! I had hired the "LEGO guy" (as he's known in our area by reputation) to entertain the group. The boys were in LEGO heaven! Even Zanna joined in and had a great time. They played games and put little gadgets together but the ultimate was at the end when they divided into teams and built a NXT robot that sumo wrestled! Too cool! 
Having planned my own themed parties in the past complete with entertainment, I found myself at a loss of what to do other than take pictures. It was lovely. We picked up pizzas and served up a make your own sundae station. The evening flew by! 
During the grandparent's visit it wasn't all about Will - my Dad had some lost time to make up for with Zanna after having been unable to come for her birthday in February. He made special time with her in the form of tea parties. It was pretty cute.

They had it down to a science there at the end of the visit! They easily found where the marshmallows, hot chocolate and cookies are kept. Notice her adoring face?
More activities to post later (we've been busy!). I'll update the status on our little baby birds. And stay tuned for my summer mantle reveal .....