These Are the Days

Well, Russ came home for a few days and it was like a traditional family summer for a bit...

Zachary took the cake.

LOL

Let's just all keep on having a great summer!

Love,
T

Vacation Blog?

Here's the thing...

I remembered the blog this Tuesday morning and there was nothing I could do about it. Russ was going to post FOR me, but then he could not either.

You KNOW things must be REALLY hectic and crazy around here when neither one of us can manage to make it to a computer to get the blog done.

Sigh...

Can we just call this a vacation week? (If you can call over 1700 miles of driving a vacation - and RUSS... who knows how many miles he's traveled by air this week)

Alright. I have to sleep now. I've got 400 miles to go tomorrow.

Love you all! Have a beautiful and safe Fourth of July!

xoxo,
T

The Complaint Department

This is where all complaints, criticisms and general negativity are going to go...

There (dusting off hands). With that out of the way we can focus on some fun in the sun!

"I hear ya, Tan"

"Okay Mommy"

"I STILL say these make me look ridiculous"

"They're cute, Sadie"

#FamilyFun #FamilyConversations

Here's to a great week of summer fun!

A little birthday present for myself representing the "coexist" concept

Someone once told me that religion was supposed to bring people together, not separate them. That was back when I was considering dating someone of a different faith. ;) These pieces celebrate different faiths, peace, chakras and the lotus flower. #HappyBirthdayToMe xo

Click here for "Coexist (image)" on Wikipedia

Namaste,

T

Swampfest 2018

There are nine people, four bedrooms and one bathroom. I'll just leave it at that.

Say "Cheese"

Fun at the Farm

The Petting Farm

Here Kitty

'Tis the season for family reunions, summer vacations and backyard barbecues. We find humor a good way to get through all the chaos. Here's wishing everyone good times this year! Stay safe.
xo

Namaste,
T

Quiet Time

Well, that was that. The whole crowd has packed up and gone home. (At times last week, there were twenty people at my house.) It's amazing how fast things can get quiet. For a moment it was sad.

Just me and the bees.

Oh - and the dog...

(Just before the other dog photobombed and everything got blurry)

and the baby.

I thought I would just sit and enjoy some quiet time.

Then as I put a few things away, I noticed the tag on one of my birthday gifts...

(Smile)

Here's to noticing the signs...

Namaste,
T

#GoneFishing

Here we go... SUMMER!!!

Even though he's a little too young for the youth fishing tournament, I think this guy's got the right idea. :)

Time to clean off the grill, find a bathing suit that fits, and get out in the sun! Chaos will descend on my household as family arrives and the good times start rolling. It’s just what I signed up for, and a perfectly wonderful thing to complain about too. :)

Aquatic Weed Harvester - in action

When things get a little too crazy for me this year – I’ll go fishing. By “fishing” I mean take a walk, steal some alone time, get quiet, or momentarily disappear. Some deep breaths in nature are like a miracle cure for anything! That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. (I’ll let you know how it works out.)

Love and sunshine!

Namaste,

T

The Bright Side

The really cool thing about this week is that I had the pleasure of numerous unexpected guests. They were all family members who stopped by for visits and I loved it! I had wanted to make the rounds visiting people before the end of summer and some of them beat me to it.

It always seems a little sad to me when summer winds down. The beach and the little ice cream shop close for the end of the season. Patio furniture and bikes will soon be put away for winter. The air is getting cooler (although that's a welcome change THIS year). There's the overwhelming feeling that something is coming to an end. Extra family visits seemed to make up for that though - or at least take the edge off somewhat. It's the perfect thing to be grateful for this week.

Here's to finding the bright side!

"Dancing in the Moonlight" has been stuck in my head this week. 

It's featured in a television commercial that keeps airing.

"Summer Breeze" - Ah... summer. :)

Namaste,
T

"Physical Perfection"

Just now, as I got out the computer to write this blog (which was going to be about my “vacation”) I picked up the book sitting here on the table as the machine was booting up.

The book is called “Everybody’s Life Preserver” and this copy is about one hundred and forty years old.  I bought it at a farmer’s flea market and auction we attended a few weeks ago.  I don’t know… it looked interesting and it was clearly old.  I opened and read a few sections and wanted to read more.  So, although the guy wanted twenty bucks for it (which really seemed like a lot compared to most other things at this flea market) I gave him the money and brought it home.

The first paragraph on the page I opened up to just now said this:

“We may say, with great truth, that the material glory, permanence, and power of any community consists in the physical vigor of the individual men and women who compose it; for physical perfection gives mental energy and mental health.”

I was inspired.  I thought of those Olympic swimmers we were watching last night.  (While watching, my sister, who currently has three jobs, turned to me and said that watching those tremendous athletes made her feel like the laziest person in the world.  “Me too,” was my response.)  I’ve been trying to eat healthy and get in better shape, but something always seems to prevent me from eating and exercising the way I should.

I ran into the kitchen, where Mom was, and read her this paragraph aloud after proclaiming, “Listen!  Listen!  This is why we have to get up and exercise tomorrow!”

As she slowly turned from the sink, our eyes met and she never had a chance to speak.  The laughter was instantaneous for both of us…  I had forgotten that she was making s'mores…

:) :) :)

Cheers!  Hope you all are enjoying your summer!

xoxo