Frantic Rush before August 18th

So as the summer is coming to an end there is a frantic rush to wrap up our house projects before Chuck (not to mention BOTH kids!) heads back to school. So far we have finished the kitchen, minus the hardwood floors and trim...ok and a few of the cabinet pulls (see pics below), planted our garden, rewired the kitchen and dining room, completed plumbing the laundry room, and are in the process of replaced the shingles on the roof.





The good news is that yesterday Chuck bought me a new car, yea me! So we are no longer a one car family. This has both positive and negative reprocussions. Now I will not have to plan my errands around when the car will be home, which is usually when the kids are home too. However, I will no longer have an excuse as to why I can't attend meetings, etc.

YIKES!

Let the roofing begin

We had a huge truck deliver our shingles this week. Chuck and I spent the next two days on the back portion of the house stripping the old shingles and replacing them with new ones. What a chore! I am not big on heights but by the end was able to get around ok. Chuck did a wonderful job!
Ever since Abby saw Kit Kittredge she has been interested in journalism, she was our photographer.
Next is the second story...I will not be participating in that! But I will take some pictures of Chuck in his bravery.

Thanks for the package Grandma Smith!

Eli couldn't wait to use his floatie!

Girl's Day Out

Abby's birthday is next month. She wanted to take her friends, Maddy and Bailey, to the movies, but since Kit Kittredge was only playing in Columbus until today we celebrated early. We went to the wonderful Easton Mall and had ice cream, watched Kit Kittredge, made lip gloss at Libby Lu's and ended the day with playing in the fountains. It was a good day!

Abby in the kitchen

Abby made her first recipe today. She read the recipe and measured all of the ingredients herself and we had delicous Cherry Cobbler.

Here's her recipe

Easy Cherry Cobbler

15-oz. can tart red cherries (Abby just cooked down fresh cherries, YUM)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/4 c. sugar, divided
1 c. milk
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
Optional: vanilla ice cream or whipped cream


In a saucepan over medium heat, cook cherries with their juice until boiling; remove from heat. In a medium bowl, mix flour, one cup sugar, milk, baking powder and salt. Spread butter in a 2-quart casserole dish or in 4 to 6 one-cup ramekins; pour flour mixture over butter. Add cherries; do not stir. Sprinkle remaining sugar over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, garnished as desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Our Garden

Chuck has been busy working on our garden. It is amazing that you don't even need to water anything. He is growing corn, zuchini, several yellow squash, corn, chard, beets, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cantelope, peppers, eggplant, tomatos, wax beans, peas, and giant pumpkins. Everything looks great. We have started to get wonderful fresh veggies for dinner.
The giant pumpkin plant can't be controlled. It is starting to grow into my bushes and up the cable for the telephone pole. Abby and Eli are having fun watching everything grow so fast!

Ohio Summer

It was a whopping 88 degrees Friday so we took the kids up to the creek to play.

4th of July Weekend

We had planned on going camping, but had to camp inside because of the rain. I think it was the first fourth of July ever that we had seen rain!

We went to Buckeye Lake to watch a fireworks show. The kids were sitting on top of the car and Eli spent the whole time wiggling so that Abby would be upset that she might fall. I sat in the car trying to ignore the craziness above me. Then we came home to sparklers.