Work Travel

Sometimes it isn't so bad to be away.

Shrimp and Grits

A  finally perfected a Southern meal that I can actually stomach.

 

The children:

Hold the cheese in the grits.

Hold the shrimp.

Hold the bacon for the side. 

 

(sigh, serving them plain grits is no challenge.)

Sunday Mornings After Church

If we make it to early service, we make it to the free buffet at the casino for military members and their families.  The wonderful thing about a buffet, you can eat what you chose to your heart's content--even if that should be two ice cream cones at once.

 

Or strawberries on a stick until you make yourself sick.

 

Something about trooping my kids through the casino to the buffet in their Sunday best cracks me up every time. A free Sunday brunch where everyone finds something they like to eat and I don't cook--bonus.

Valentine's Day

Lost in the shuffle.

But remarkable, none-the-less, they are actually reading the cards....

My coffee, not far from my right hand there are 7 AM.



Perfect Fit!

Thank you Grandma Airplane

Sunday At Sunset

Perfect.

Our Sunday hike

It started out nearly serene.

 

Then the rest of our group, the boys, caught up.

 

Put it on the List!

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times.

 

So, no wonder I get things like this when I'm getting ready to go to the store.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Apple Juice (lot of it)

Candy for Alida

 

Bobby pins, figured that one out.

"Ledous," no clue.

Funny to Me

That they both went to the orthodontist, who did confirm that we may as well start saving for braces for both...

 

But, this guy left with no current work to be done and only another round of mug shot pictures.  At least they got him to smile in the last one. 

Four Teeth

Pulled from his mouth last week.

 

You can kind of tell that his mouth isn't quite right when you know to look for it.  That feeling though, that your lips are not yours any longer and feel like they take up half of your face...  That feeling, I recall from my own prior dental experiences. 

 

Poor thing, after we decided that four teeth pulled due to crowding did indeed earn you the remainder of the day out of school, the school called.  And apparently a water line burst.  The rest of the kids earned the rest of the day off school as well, for free. 

 

Ben, you were a pretty good sport about the entire thing. 

All These Years

And still my valentine.

Even when the afternoon out, is with a pack of Scouts.

Small signs

Popping up all around here.

We're ready.

Hurts Me

Just to look at this.

We've All had Annual Physicals lately

103 pounds and as healthy as he can be.

Well, we might know more if he had allowed the vet to look in his ears, but he was having none of that.

 

He's sweet, but he scares the phooey out of our UPS guy every single time with his wagging tail and silent greeting;  our mail lady, she stays and pets him.

 

Alternate mail lady the other day: she stayed in her car and honked her horn until I came out to get the package from her hands.  "He's sweet," I say.  "He's a horse," she replies.

The Kid Cave

 

This is the name of their new spot under the house, where they pick up a pretty good internet connection.  They also found carpet tiles and put them down to make their little more homey.  Not sure you can do this with a dirty space under the house, but they disagree.

Sunday Afternoons

 

Elaine making a pretty fantastic first showing in the limbo.

 

 

Alida, checking in with mom every few minutes.

Waiting for the Bus

Is a little dark this time of year.