If I Didn't Have Such A Sick Sense Of Humor.....

I'd be crying my eyes out right now.

This has been a week.

First, we have a kitchen sink with a hole in it. Yes. A hole. And it was there when we moved in, covered with putty underneath the sink. Which lasted about 4 months and then started leaking all over (as in on a large box of swifter duster pads which it ruined..and made me scream). So, maintenance came out. And put more putty on. Oh yes they did. And I knew the next call I would get something done.

And this last week was that time. Tired of the bowl under the sink to catch the water. Plus all of a sudden our water heater went out.

So since the middle of last week we have been without hot water 85% of the time. And this weekend to now? 100% of the time.

But that's not so bad really. We just went to the gym to take showers. A benefit of living on an Air Force Base is the free gym for military members. Loving it this week! And Mighty Mouse even thought it was cool....the novelty and all.

So, to not go into all the maintenance visits and steps you have to take to get it completely fixed, I got an order put in for a new sink last week, and an order for a new water heater yesterday afternoon.

Its all good. (And I do want to say that the maintenance personal I have dealt with at this base are by far the best I have ever dealt with anywhere. I love these guys.)

So we went to bed with sweet dreams of hot showers and dishwasher cleaned dishes in our heads.

About 1:30am I shot straight up in bed.

My eyes were streaming and my nose was burning and the gag reflex was in full force.

What in the world??????

First thought that ran through my head was skunk. But not that strong IN the house. But maybe Songbird had just let her dog out and he got sprayed and then she brought him in. But I would have heard all that ruckus.

Second thought was GAS! They never could get the pilot re-lit on the water heater. (And I'm super sensitive to the smell of gas -- probably because we lived in a trailer which was found to have over 30 gas leaks in it when I was a baby. I smell it before anyone.

Third thought was fire....burning something highly toxic.

So I jumped out of the bed and ran into the hall.

And it is all quiet. No flames. No kids up. Oh wait...here comes Songbird gagging and coughing also.

I am now convinced that it is for sure a skunk. And I'm checking the windows to make sure they are closed and looking around furniture and rooms -- because it would HAVE to be inside to smell like that in the house.

Oh wait. I live in military housing. The kind with $400 utility bills because it leaks like a sieve.

Unbelievable.

It kept me up for about 2 hours because my nose was just on fire. And I'm not opening a door or window in fear of making it worse.

So...anybody remember my feral cat problem this spring?
This would be my front porch. They have to keep so many wheelchair accessible houses and we ended up in one of them. Nothing says a wheelchair bound person has to live in it...just that they have to have them. Which stinks because my neighbor is actually wheelchair bound and they have a step. Unbelievable right?

Anyways, if you can tell, there is a gap that cats and other critters can crawl up under and then they have this wonderful "cave" that is rather large even. This is how we ended up with feral kittens we didn't want. And do you have any idea how hard it is to find a kitten a home? The humane societies here won't even take them because they are so over-populated with cats.

Back to my story. My thought is that a skunk/s is now under there and one of the feral cats found him....or vise versa.

Because that smell? The skunk spray? Is saturating my front door and step. And it really seems to be coming from UNDER the ramp. How in the world do I hose that off?????

And my house? Reeks like a dirty word.

And how to I get rid of THAT?????????? That's the INSIDE I'm talking about!!

Because we can't get rid of the smell outside????!!!!????

Anyone? I'm open for idea's here!! Please!?!?!

On the bright side, grounds will be out to set traps. And they will see what they can do to keep animals out from under there in the future.

But that sure doesn't help me right now.

And I have company coming next week.

Oh yes I do.

And MM and I went to the free movie today (Kung Fu Panda was a blast!) so I wasn't even here to explain to the guys putting in the new water heater just what that smell was. How embarrassing!!! Although I really don't think someone wouldn't know that smell anywhere. But why is it in the house!!!!

I just hope that we all don't smell like that when we are out in public. Because my nose is burned out at this point and I don't think I'd even know.

Cause that's just how my life rolls.

Meat!

I can't tell you what a relief it is to get this kid to finally eat some protein. And helping dad grill is fun!


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Snapshot Saturday

Today was Free Family Day For Dragons Baseball at Fifth Third Field

Free hat, free food and drinks and free play....6 year old heaven.

Why I Love Family Camping

This past weekend we went on our first family camping trip in about 3 years. Texas was just too hot...and well, the fire ants do not appeal to me.

This trip was actually with other families from the Girl Scout Troop....even though it wasn't an actual Scout outing. We had 5 families total.

I am AMAZED at state park camping in Ohio. First off, there is not a fee to enter the state parks. Wow. Although Texas and Nebraska don't have big fees, and have season passes, it still costs just to go....even into a day use area of the parks. So Ohio, that's a big plus for your state in my opinion.

Second, these parks have massive programs on the weekends all summer long. Nature centers with demo's and classes all day. Night hikes with rangers. Canoeing first thing in the morning with rangers. All the other things like horseback riding, bike rentals and tours, archery, beaches, fishing, night time movies...it just goes on and on.

We ended up camping at Hueston Woods on their Christmas in July weekend. It was hysterical! I could not believe all the campsites with Christmas Trees, lights strung everywhere and even the big blow-up Santa's and Snowmen and whatever. There was even a bike parade (with all the campers hanging garlands and decorations on their bikes) and a Santa visit. All day Saturday they had crafts in the pavilion in the camping area (which you do pay to get into as you pay for your site). Note to self -- Christmas lights strung in the camp do not attract bugs like lanterns.

And let me just say this was the MOST crowded camping I've ever done. We did check out the non-electric sites - they were more than half empty but its because they have latrines instead of bathrooms. So for many campers its probably not as much about the electricity as it is about the smell.

I have also never seen so many tvs, dvds, game consoles, large projectors for dvds and every other electronic gadget you can imagine. Why even leave home?????????? Why pay to do the exact same thing you would be doing at home? I honestly don't get it. (Funny how the people that have these things are also camping in air conditioned campers - it really is just like being at home.)

So Hubs and I were asking ourselves WHY we like to camp? And we had such a great weekend that we asked WHAT was it that made it so great? It is alot of work to camp...so WHY do we do it?

And here is why we love to camp as a family:

To get away from the house for a little bit and "get away from it all". Sometimes it nice to break out of the routine. Of course you can do this while bringing all the extra stuff with you, but its not much of a break from routine if you do. We like camping to be different - not the same.

To leave electronic gadgets behind and actually interact with others without interference. Camping without the gadgets forces even the teens to interact with everyone. It's relationship that is more than cell phone deep. Our society has become miles wide...but only a 1/4 inch deep. There's not a lot of true relationship going on in 1/4 inch involvement in others lives. Let me ask you....how many truly deep relationships do you have? The kind where you feel safe and don't worry about what you say? The kind where you can share "secrets" or fears and still feel safe? You have to get to know someone really well to get to that level. How many of your 300 friends on Facebook do you know well enough to have that kind of relationship with? Or even within your own four walls??? We like being in a situation that actually forces you to interact with who you are with.

Camping requires working together to make it fun. That means everyone does the set-up and breakdown and meals and chores to make it all work. And its not hard work. But it does go so much smoother when all chip in. We find that the kids help out much easier in this manner than they do with household chores. So its a chance to work side by side without all the complaining you get at home. You can joke and talk to each other on a different level than at home. I don't know if its the outdoors that encourages this change or if it is actually taking them out of their daily surroundings. Whatever it is I cherish it with my kids. Its so much more light-hearted and fun.

Adversity can make for shared stories and bonding you don't get at home. Lets face it....there always seems to be something that goes "wrong" when camping. On this trip it was getting poured on when we went for our morning canoe trip. And then had to come back to break camp in the rain. That's not fun. We rode home in wet clothes....REALLY wet clothes. It leads to "remember that time....." and laughs. Maybe its the time the tent had a hole in it and bugs got in. Maybe its the time you ran out of fuel and had to scramble to complete a meal/s. Maybe its the time you got the worst sunburn. Maybe its the time the canoe tipped. Maybe its the time the animals got into the trash or camp. Maybe its the time you came home with a million bug bites and no one else had even one! Whatever it is, it seems tragic at the time but becomes family legend and fodder for shared memories and laughter.

Its an economical family activity. At least it can be. If you go primitive the sites can even be less than $10 per night. If you go electric it can be closer to$30 a night - but compare that to a hotel. No comparison. Food you bring in and can be as economical or expensive as you choose. You have all the control over what you and your kids eat and can be healthy or not by choice....instead of by what restaurant is in the area. Your entire food costs can be less than one meal out. Even the activities tend to be much cheaper than other family type activities. Instead of spending over $100 to visit a amusement park, you can spend half that on a weekend with archery, canoeing, biking and hiking and fishing, spread out over 3 days. We love being able to do so many different activities with the kids without draining the bank account.

We love to spend some time in a natural surrounding. We like to be sung to sleep by the insects. We love to walk and hike in natural areas. We love seeing animals and birds in their more natural surroundings. We love seeing the mists over the lake first thing in the morning and listening to the surrounding forest waking up. We love to be able to really see the stars in the night sky without the light pollution. We don't get this at home.

Kids seem to be more willing to try new things. You wouldn't believe how many camping trips we've gone on where someone has asked me if one of my kids wanted to do something and I thought they wouldn't....only to have them prove me wrong and REALLY enjoy something I thought they would hate. Sometimes it takes encouragement to get them to try...but many times it doesn't. Again, I think half of that is because the cell phones have no coverage in the area and there's not a whole lot else to do. Camping can really broaden your kids horizons and help them learn more about themselves and their strengths and weaknesses.

Our weekend camping trip was wonderful for all of us. This time we bring home the memories of:

• The first family camping trip that Mouse remembers.
• Getting to know 4 other families we probably would never have gotten to know otherwise.
• Watching Songbirds pampered dog "rough-it".
• A ranger guided night hike.
  
• Songbird making a new friend to hang with at Scout outings.
• Lots of swimming at the lake.
• Why spray on sunscreen is not as good as the lotions.
• The amount of food kids can eat after playing outside all day!
• Mouse going fishing for the first time and catching 3 fish (the only 3 caught!) This was a free program put on by the rangers. It is also something I didn't expect her to like so I didn't even go with her and daddy. No pictures!!!!! Argggg!
  
• Mouse watching The Grinch at the pavilion. Another thing I didn't think she would like and would find scary. She loved it and wasn't scared.
  
• Smores! and Banana Boats in/over the fire.
• The game Apples to Apples with all the families. Hubs and I aren't much for games but it was really fun with so many people of so many ages.
  
• Picking on the teen girls and making them squeal.
  
• My first ever time to paddle a canoe.....I've taken a ride in one before in Nebraska but only once. Loved it. It was an early morning adventure with a ranger and we had a blast....all 12 of us that went.
  
• Getting soaked in the canoe by a Girl Scout that is going to get paid back....in my own time. Heh. I am coming for you girl.
  
• Getting poured on while in said canoe. Twice.
• Breaking camp in the rain.
• A very cold ride home in wet clothes.
• Not a single complaint in our family over our trip. It was great!
  

If you have never tried family camping I would encourage it. But do go with experienced campers the first time or rent a cabin instead of trying a tent or camper. Learning the ropes first makes all the difference in the world. And if cabin or camper camping is wonderful for you...stick to it! I'm not a purist that thinks tent camping is the only way to go. It is much more work than any other camping. You can have the same great time without the extra work. Even if you end up hating it -- it will be worth the remembered experience and family legend it could take on!

And if you have camped....how about sharing the best or worst experiences with us if you have a blog or in comments? I love camping stories and it just might encourage another family to give it a try!

And now, to go set the tent back up to dry so it will not be smelly for my trip with the girls in two weeks!

Happy camping friends!

And Summer Just Keeps Flying By!!

Wow!

Summer has been really busy this year! I think its partly the age differences of the girls and the different directions they are constantly going in.

July has already seen Girl Scout Camp for MM while big sister was off to church camp.

This week is VBS......the teen working it and the Mouse going and learning. Of course that means they have to be delivered at different times and keep me in the car and on the road. Ugh.

This weekend is a family camping trip with other GS families. Then the last weekend of the month is Adventure Camp. I think we are making up for the last 2 1/2 years with no camping. Which reminds me that I have to pull out all our gear and check it before this weekend.

Beginning of August brings a visit from friends. Then its mid August and time to gear back up for school.

So excuse me if I'm not around much until mid August. I'm still here. I'm just enjoying my girls while I have them all to myself!

Hope all my friends are having a great summer full of fun and relaxing to!

A Camping Trip to Remember

So I volunteered to be one of the adults at this years Brownie Try-It Camp at a council campground. And since they changed the ages of the different levels...they go ahead and let first grade Daisy's attend also. That would be my Mouse. So it only made sense to volunteer as this would be a first in her book.

(And you know...the nightmare issues.....snicker.)

And adults cannot be in the same tent as the girls.

And Mouse WANTED to go tent camping even though I wouldn't be in the same tent. No way I was going to hold her back. (She wasn't willing to go without me.)

So, its off to the woods and platform tents with 6-8 year olds. Seven of them. Only a couple of which had ever done this kind of camping before. Three adults.

Are you laughing at me yet?

The first sign of things to come was in the parking lot while loading up the girls and gear. Yep. One parent let us know about his daughters sleep walking. Lock her in and barricade the door to keep her in the room of their cruise last vacation kind of sleep walking.

Um....okay. Hubs and son sleepwalk so I have half a clue. Half. Yes, that would be a good description.

Now I have a van full of girls that constantly asked if we were almost there. This is funny if you know that it took about 40 minutes. Less than an hour. And they wanted to know every couple of minutes. This was a very good reminder that I am used to dealing with Juniors....not the little ones. Helped me slip into the right frame of mind. LOL!

First day we arrive about 2 or so and sign in, get our cabins and have the girls tested at the pool to see where they are allowed to swim. They are given a colored swim cap to show which parts of the pool they are qualified for. Very very good and smart system. Makes the job for the life guards so much easier.

At dinner time the mood was set for Mouse by having pizza the first night. Yes, my friends. My daughter has FINALLY discovered pizza -- and is currently obsessed with it -- so this was just the greatest. (And the only melt down all camp by Mouse was when she was not at the same table with me and someone put sausage on her plate. I made sure she was with me at meals after that. Oh well - it was worth a shot.)

We had s'mores the first night. Mouse LOVED them. I don't think she had ever had them before. So it was a cool first time.

Oh, I haven't mentioned the PA's. These are the older girls that were with us almost all the time. They got us where we needed to be. They did the fire and s'mores. They interacted with the girls. As leaders, we were oversight but the PA's did all the real work. It was rather nice.

First night I was kind of nervous. We shared a camp site with another small troop with 3 girls. All first timers also. They had a rough time of it and we heard them a few times but no big deal. Poor leaders were tired the next morning.

For us it was hot and the bugs were all over. I had a tent fan with me and as long as I had it on they stayed off my face and away from my ears so I was the lucky one. (One of our girls went home with over 30 bites - some from before the camp - poor baby!) And yes we hosed everyone down with the spray more than once..or twice.

We had two girls that stayed up talking until about one. Had to get up a few times for that. Then came the raccoon. A very tenacious raccoon. I listened to him for half an hour....praying he wouldnt visit us in our tent as we had both ends open for the air flow and any ole critter could have walked right in. Gotta love platform tents. Finally the rat got the lid off the can so we jumped up to go chase him off before we had to spend hours cleaning up garbage all over our site. That thing had actually chewed the bungie cord in half!! (Had to show it to the director to get them to believe it. Of course its going to be a first with us.)

After that it was all good and we got to sleep around two.

Next day was hot and busy! Even with that it was nice as an adult...because the PA's ran everything. And I have to say our helpers had their work cut out for them because I'm pretty sure we had the least excitable kids at the place. They were not easy to get to jump in and sing or dance or whatever. They just looked at the older girls like they were crazy. (I thought it was pretty funny myself.) I'm sure next year they will be more themselves, but this year they were pretty stoic!

The girls did great but were wearing out after dinner and we still had the big all camper campfire to attend.

The one where all the troops have to perform a skit of some kind.

Kill me now. We all know how Autumn hates all things singing and drama-ish. I'll get dirty. I'll play with bugs and snakes. I'll get sweaty and stinky. Just don't make me sing. Or act.

And nobody had any ideals. They did decide on a song -- but then someone else did it earlier so we had to put our thinking caps on and come up with something quick.

Enter the iphone. Type in "quick girl scout skit" and there you go. Skit took about 2 minutes tops. And we got them to let us go first as Mouse was DONE and needed to go to bed. (But she did manage to stay awake for the whole thing somehow.)

The second night was when I expected trouble. And got it. It only makes sense as all the girls are now very over tired. Its been a rather long day.

First signs of trouble came from the other camp. (And my fan was no longer working, sniff.) Now their girls didn't want to sleep. And some wanted to go home. NOW. And there was lots of crying. They finally got that quieted down. Then I hear one of ours. One of our girls was missing mommy very much and she cried for half an hour. I asked her if she wanted to talk to her daddy (the third adult with us) but she said no. After half an hour I went and got him. He fixed it and we all went back to bed.

Then came the hysterical screaming and all three of the other girls crying. One of the girl rolled out of her cot and off the floor and onto the ground outside the tent. That is a good drop of a couple of feet. I checked on our girls and everyone was still sleeping so I told my tent mate I was going to head to the bathroom. Took 4 steps and stopped. I could hear something not right.

I head for one of our tents and as I got closer I could hear our little sleepwalker crying softly. It took a minute to get the flaps unbuckled (our only way to keep her in) and I hit her bed with the flashlight and it was empty.

Of course it was.

Went flying out the back of the tent without even attempting to unbuckle it and couldn't see her with the flashlight but could hear her. And that forest is dark. But I swung around and found her trapped in the lumber frame that the canvas tents are attached to. She thought she was boxed in and was bumping off the frame and crying. She was fairly easy to untangle and get back in bed. I have no idea if she crawled out of the tent or fell out and will never know since she didn't remember a thing.

After that I settled back down until MM started up with the nightmares. That was about 4 trips out of bed to settle her back down.

And the third day our girls are tired. Luckily it was just clean up, breakfast in the dining hall and an ending ceremony.

And as we are transferring gear around between the cars we go to move mine. Won't start.

Dead battery.

Not kidding.

And I have no cables. So the camp starts a search for the cables and finally finds some and our third parent is wonderful enough to jump the van for me. And we get everyone dropped off - me leaving the car running. And then Mouse and I drive over to Walmart to have them install a battery as Hubs is out of state and I will be stranded if I don't go do it immediately.

With three day camp hair. And shoes that smell. Like I can smell them every time I stand still. Because those shoes and the feet and socks in them....have been wet for two solid days. The dew point was so high the grass was wet all day long...and so were all of our shoes.

And Mr. Walmart told me it would be an hour and a half and I had no choice. (But he was a major sweetheart and had it done in about 20 minutes -- I think it was the shoes....)

And after all of that I have to say we had the best time. It was a great trip. I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Cause that is good times.

Not kidding.

Dear Mommies at the Colubus Zoo....

Overwhelmingly, ya'll sucked.

And not just a little.

Did you lose your minds by picking the busiest day of the year to go to the zoo? Is that why you were so rabid?

Did all of you pinch your kids at the same time? Do they always cry like that in public? Or...have you just not figured out how to schedule fun during times it remains fun, instead of at nap time?

Dear mommy with kid slapping you over and over in the face. Seriously????? Is that fun for you? Are you intimidated to disciple in public? Do you ever discipline? What is up with that sister???? (And if you have a RAD child....God bless and keep you.)

Dear mommy with child that screamed, yelled, ran and beat on things while spewing filth. Most kids don't have that kind of vocabulary pre-kindergarten. Wow. I think I can safely say sugar is not her friend. Try some fresh veggies on that kid. Clean up her diet a little and see if it doesn't help. Seriously. I'm trying to help. After all, it was refusing to buy her more sugar that caused the fit. This is a big clue.

Dear mommy with the 1st/2nd grader in a stroller. Get her out. You do realize this is part of why she is so overweight right? She needs to use her legs. And cut out the pop. Try some good old fashioned water on the kid. She'll hate it at first but not as much as she's going to hate spending her life overweight.

To the wonderful stroller pushers......you guys were the best of the lot. Probably because you can see who you are going to hit and mostly had good enough manners not to. For those that ran over people on purpose....I can only hope one day you will buy a clue. Guess what? Having a child in a stroller does not give you permission to go to the head of the line, or ram others out of your way because they aren't moving fast enough for you. In that kind of crowd, everyone is frustrated, not just you. And no, others do NOT have to think of you before themselves just because you have a stroller/child. Luckily there are still plenty of people that will - but that is manners, not requirement.

Dear wagon pullers. This one will be hard to keep clean. I've never seen so many completely oblivious women in my life. You can't see what is behind you. A quick look over your shoulder could save others and your kids lots of contact no one was interested in having. Or pull over to the side. Everyone expects you will stop when traffic is backed up or at exhibits....but in the middle of the walkway, with nothing in sight, for no apparent reason? I would love to have a head count of how many people went home with busted shins from this type of behavior. And how many children had strangers fall onto them in their wagon. And mom...when the kid got hurt by a stranger falling on them when you stopped with no warning...it is YOUR fault. You had all the power in this case. You chose to stop with no warning or apparent reason in the middle of the walkway in a huge, huge crowd. I just don't get it. That many of you could not have been first time pullers.

*******************************
Obviously we went to the zoo last Friday. It was crowed and at first was one of the most awful experiences I have had to date. I actually was feeling like I was on the verge of a panic attack. After about 40 minutes we went back out to the car and had a tailgate lunch.

Poor Songbird has such a sore mouth we had no choice but to bring a picnic lunch...even though I know we would have anyways. But she requested some egg salad and we had hummus and applesauce for a sweet. Lots of water as it was rather warm. (If its under 98 its not truly hot in my book.)

Anyways, it was after one when we went back in so most of the mommies with littles were leaving as we were going back in! And we laughed the whole way at the amazing array of misbehaving, crying, screaming kids on the way out to their cars. Not because we were being mean but because we have been through it 3 times. Yes. It was time for a nap. Actually, the smart ones would not have stayed past 12:30 if they wanted to make it out before the meltdowns! LOL! I think I can finally say I'm glad we aren't doing this age again!

The rest of the visit was much better as far as the crowds were concerned. That first time in made me crazy. Never ever seen that many people at a zoo.

But it was just one of those days that at every turn there was really bad or rude behavior.

I don't get that.

We listened at one man screaming with profanity about how much he paid to get in and see nothing but rocks. It was the worst zoo he had ever been to. Which made Dion and I laugh (lucky we didn't get belted) because it was the middle of the day. The animals are all inside taking a nap! You go the first two and last two hours if you really have a burning desire to see all the creatures. NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. Not worthy of profanity in a circle of kids either.

And there is one long concrete tunnel you pass under. Well the echo is to die for. So letting your kids hoop and hollar a little is fun. But full fledged screaming and piercing shriek? Um...parent much? Did you not care about the people that were covering their ears and running out of the tunnel...some with actual tears in their eyes????? (That is not an exaggeration! And it was a zoo staff member even that had tears!!) I actually wondered if you were deaf until I saw you were carrying on a conversation with the person with you. That was quite a feat. I was looking at the child when he emerged from the shadows and he noticed so he screamed louder. And I felt very sad for him...because I got the feeling that mom doesn't pay this guy much attention (he was about 10 with a sibling in a stroller). Negative attention is better than no attention, right?

So we weren't very impressed with the famous Columbus Zoo. But we also did not go to the water park or the amusement park they have. You paid alot just to go to the zoo (well, we didn't as it was free for military that day) and then everything else was extra. Way too much money.

But I must say they had the BEST Manatee exhibit I've ever seen. I could sit in there for hours.

Plus, they allow you to bring food and drink and eat in the park. I'm always amazed at zoos that don't allow that.

And maybe if I went on a day it wasn't so crowded I would like it even more.

But for now, I'm still sticking with the Omaha Zoo being the best ever.



***And for those that don't know me well, all the mommy bashing is said in frustration with a rotten day.....I do not hate mommies or kids. I love them. I would have a half dozen more kids if I could.

Well, not after the zoo, but before it.

Snapshot Saturday: The Big Big Chair Edition

For some reason, the hotel we stayed at in Waco has a rather large chair in the dinning room. They bought it when a furniture store was going out of business.

Don't ask me why.

And the manager decided Mighty Mouse just had to have her picture taken in that big chair. With the big teddy.

We laughed.

But she was dead serious. Very serious. No really. Take a picture.

Okay.

So here is a random picture of my child sitting in a big chair.

For no reason.

Other than we were very spooked by that manager.....

My Thumb Is Still Green

Amazingly, the tomatoes are still alive.

I thought I'd lose them when we went on a 12 day vacation. I paid a little neighbor girl to come water them and hoped for the best. They were a little pale when we returned but I think that was because they needed some fertilizing. And it rained alot while we were gone so maybe too much water?

Anyways. They are still alive. Some more than others.

And the first ones are ready to be pulled off! Or will be in a day or two.

Question is....who will get to them first? Me or hubs?

And will it come to blows?

LOL!
The tomatoes on this side of the patio are all doing well.
This side is sad. It has the stubby runt. The middle one has dying leaves with brown spots. Not sure what its problem is.

So our experiment with the patio tomatoes is going well, I'd say. The tomatoes and plants are smallish...but I guess they would be since there is only so much room for the roots.

So how about you guys? Did you try and grow any food this year? How is it going?

Thankful Thursday

Joining my friend Tricia in Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for SUMMER! Aren't you having a great time? And for those with kids....Aren't you having a blast with the kids????

I am thankful for Ohio. Yes. The Ohio where I have my windows thrown open wide for the third day in a row. The Ohio that has had a 55 degree morning on July 1st. My house is full of fresh air and the breeze can be downright chilly in the shade. Now this is summer living.

I am thankful for the ability to put the teen in braces without a huge financial strain....which means I am also thankful for Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace program. Its been life changing for us.

I am thankful for the upcoming 4 day weekend with daddy. It feels like we are getting to make up for all the lost time from deployments. Well - except it can't undo the teenaged angst it caused our son. But the girls and I feel downright spoiled with all the daddy time!

I am thankful for our country and all those that serve/served her. Military, fire fighters, police, emergency personnel..... I thank God for all of you.

And I am thankful for the museums and zoos that make this a free weekend for military families. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (Columbus Zoo here we come.)

I am thankful for friends...scattered everywhere but still so close to my heart. Miss you guys!

What are you thankful for?