Summer is here!

The kids last half day was Tuesday, so what have we been doing so far this summer?

We started our bike riding.

Last summer I got a crazy idea to ride our bikes on a 5+ mile route on our country dirt roads with many hills, a minimum of 3 times per week (not if away on vacation). This way we would all benefit from the exercise.

Last summer we logged in over 130 miles. The kids and I were proud and we are starting again.

Wednesday we put in 5.2 miles. Today we were about 2 miles out and heard the thunder rolling our way so we turned around and only got in 4.

I am going to keep a tally of our miles and hopefully we'll beat last years total.

We have pea pods! I love the snow peas fresh in the garden, in salads, stir fry or with dip.

We've also been eating salad for lunch and dinner.

I dream of this during the winter.

We've fed the fish.

Somebody rolled in something gross so the girl gave him a bath.

Doesn't he look pathetic?

Speaking of the girl, she has 2 cat sitting jobs already lined up for the summer from two different neighbors. She just got back from visiting one cat and took in their mail. She can't stop smiling about it.

We are trying not to freak out Shoebird although she is right by the door.

You can see part of her head and beak in this photo if you look close.

Speaking of birds....

The Partridge Rocks are almost 9 weeks and the Dark Cornish are almost 7 weeks.

I am trying not to get attached to the Dark Cornish due to the fact that I'll only be keeping a few and the rest are going in the freezer. I figure I have a month or 2 to decide which ones we'll eat. I can't tell the difference from the boys and girls yet.

This is our free exotic, "Hamburg". Short for Silver Spangled Hamburg, there is our genius naming skills again. Not sure on that ones gender either. It's kind of nervous and runs super fast. I love its black and white coloring, we will probably keep this one even if it's a roo.

Hubbie sold his 16mpg Blazer and got a 32mpg Honda Accord.

It's in great shape for being 22 years old. Of course most of us were in great shape at 22.

I filled my Monster Truck tank Tuesday for a whopping $150.00, yikes! I have a large tank and the plus is, I was still driving on $3.53 gas I got back in March. I'm hoping to make this last most of the summer. I do way less driving in the summer.

I have been busy and suffering from sewing burnout and only got 3 bags made this week.

The plus is my house is very clean, laundry is caught up and the kids and I have been having a blast!

Attack of the Giant Bag!

This bag is Huge!

Compared to an average size bag.

Oh No! The giant bag is swallowing the other bag whole!

The Humanity!!!

Maybe I should start using a pattern.

Good Hot Weekend

Spring soccer season is officially over. I love to watch the games but I also like to try to sleep in Saturday mornings. I say try because I am a early morning riser, but I like to have the option of sleeping in if I can.

I put 6 fertilized Black Jersey Giant eggs under Bandit Saturday eve.

I figure 6 is a good number to handle for a first time mama.

I waited til dark as to not freak her out while switcherooing the wooden ones.

Ok, so I freaked her out a little.

Is it 21 days or 23 days for eggs to incubate? I cant remember.

Speaking of eggs....

...these are tiny, about the size of jelly beans.

In my hubbies shoe.

We have a bakers rack on the front porch (curbside treasure) that holds our grubby yard shoes and a little wren made a nest and laid 3 eggs inside.

We named her Shoebird. We are geniuses when it comes to naming things.

I helped at the 6th grade celebration today.

Some other nice moms and I served 84 boxes of pizza and countless cups of lemonade to ravenous children. It was fun.

So what did we do on the rest of our half day?

The boy planted spaghetti squash.

They will hopefully climb the monkey bars I salvaged from our outgrown swing set.

The girl weeded the beans.

I weeded, hilled and mulched the potatoes.

I also weeded the Rhubarb patch.

It feels good to make more garden progress.

It was in the 90's so we broke out the floaties.

A cool swim is the only way to survive yard work in the heat.

I got my first delicious sunburn of the year. After suffering through a gloomy winter, I get that Seasonal Affective Disorder, it feels so good to get cooked in the sun.

Topped the day off with some of our local pork chops and a salad with all fresh picked goodies from our garden.

Me likey salad.

Friday work tally

I did it. Just finished. Eleven new bags for the show. Nineteen new tissue packs.

I made a few other things.

Flannel pj pants for the boys birthday.

8 tissue packs for teachers.

A banner for my girlfriends tent at the ART FAIR.

This is the back side.

Yes I got a lot done but at what cost.

Now I like things clean but I would never be accused of being a neat freak. I have my share of clutter and dust bunnies and tend to clean my bathrooms only on a semi regular schedule or if company is coming over.

But this is getting ridiculous.

Like my dining area and kitchen?

How's about my sewing area?

I could show you more but I have to keep some of my pride.

Is that a garden amongst all the weeds?

Where's Waldo, around here we play where's Rhubarb?

Just try to find the onions and the beets in this mess.

I really am happy with my sewing progress. 30 bags and 50 tissue packs in three weeks. I know I won't be able to keep this pace. We have soccer tournaments tomorrow, rental house painting Sunday, I'm helping at the 6th grade celebration Monday and the kids last day of school is Tuesday.

The Ann Arbor Art Fair is a huge deal, I still can't believe I am going to be there.

Oh yea, I sold another bag on ETSY!

We have Broody Hen!

Hooray! This is Bandit and she is one of my third batch, last years spring chicks, and she is broody! My hope has been to eventually have a mama that wanted to raise babies so I wouldn't have too. Not that I don't like caring for chicks, but I wont need the heat lamp and I really think a chicken can do a much better job. Thank you Bandit.

I plan on getting some fertilized Jersey Giant eggs from my dad and let her be the mama she wants to be.

Even with her being broody, the other girls have been giving plenty of eggs.

Bandit is on top. Notice the pissed off attitude.

I may need more nest boxes.

Our Lilly pads have blooms.

Here's a dog tip that I'm including for free.

If you have had a dog rawhide sitting around a couple years that the dog hasn't ever been interested in, just have a chicken show up on your back deck and have the chicken look like it might be something they want, and all of a sudden your dog will think that rawhide is the greatest thing ever and get a gleam in his eye and wolf that rawhide down.

Goofy pup.

Happy Birthday!

Fourteen years ago you came into the world and I finally knew what I wanted to be.

I love you giant kid.

this weeks work tally

I didn't get my 10 bag per week goal. It was an unusual week, Memorial Day Monday, family issues Tuesday, Field Trip Friday, Soccer Games and my cousins sons Graduation Party Saturday and make up Soccer games today.

Oh did I mention I had to throw a birthday get together for my son today?

We had an hour and a half time kill between games today so I came up with one of my most brilliant ideas ever. I had everyone meet at Dairy Queen for Ice cream. No house to clean, no cake to bake, no dirty dishes. My son loved it and one of the grandparents got him Guitar Hero III. I have one happy teen.

We then had time to visit Great Grandpa (88) in the hospital, he's good, had a blood clot in his leg but should be out on Tuesday. He had to blow in this machine while we were there and I asked if it was his crack pipe, he said no it was for his marijuana. The kids were cracking up!

So in spite of all that i finished 7 bags, 15 tissue packs and made eight 3 packs of cards.

I took photos of some of my art quilts, printed them on card stock, cut them out and stitched them onto cards with matching envelopes.

So with last weeks 12 bags and this weeks 7 I am at 19 new bags, so only one shy of my 2 week 20 goal, I have a much slower calender this week and should be able to do 11.

Just don't look at my pathetic weedy garden and messy house.