It's Good Being Me {this week}!

Well, how ya doing, guys?  I am SO FINE!  The last two days I have literally been TOTALLY ALONE.  As in, no kids!!  No kids at all.  Big boys are at work all day, Eli is at camp, the other three are at my parents' lake house.  Leaving me, ALL ALONE!!!

Here's what I've been doing:


Shopping (ALONE)!!

Lying on a beach towel in my yard (ALONE) (while my toes take over the universe!)!!

I've also been doing a few miscellaneous chores, but only because it's the right thing to do...because, after all, I've been complaining all summer long that I can't get anything done around here because of all these blasted kids. 


My plans for this afternoon are:  Go to the little local farm store to buy chicken feed and chat it up with the gals that work there.  Then maybe take a nap.  Then probably watch a few things on my DVR.  Then, maybe I'll throw something together for dinner.  Then lie down on the couch after all those exhausting activities!


It's a good week to be me, friends! 

My Summer, Thus Far {BORING!}

So, ummm, yeah....every two weeks like clock-work, I post to my blog.  And I'll tell you this, it has taken me about 34 hours to write this one, meager as it is!  My apologies in advance for wasting 17 seconds of your time to read this.  But you know me, I gotta catch you up on all the mundane things that I'm doing!

My summer, thus far:


And here's my breakfast this morning:  (Which, was I think Thursday morning, when I started this post.)  My new breakfast BFF's are eggs, avocados, and oatmeal.  Mmmmm!

1.  Three of my six kids walked through sewer water/mud today.

2.  Isaiah has declared, at least fourteen times, that he is going to find another family, or at the very least, go back to China.  I might let him.

3.  Here is a pic of me on what feels like day 3,487 of summer break. 

 3.  So, yeah...fortunately, (or unfortunately, however you choose to look at it), I have been working at my little waitressing job a lot lately.  And really, I do love it so much it at least gives me a chance to put on makeup and talk to big people.  Although we recently hosted a sorority formal and as I was serving a particular table their second course, I stood starring at them in disbelief that their napkins were still on the table.  In disgust, I took the napkin of the dolled-up girl closest to me and put it in her lap for her.  She was embarrassed and declared that they all really need to go to etiquette school.  I concurred.   

And my kids wonder why I'm so militant about table manners.


4.  It is my goal this summer to create premium boredom in my children.  And so far, I am well on my way to reaching that goal!  As a start, I  have even conditioned them to be excited about our once-a-week trip to the library.

5.  My farmy farm is coming along nicely!  Here are pics:

And goodness gracious, if I hope to ever publish this post, I better do it now or it's not going to happen.  So for the less-than-exciting goings-on!

I hope YOU are all having THE most fantastically boring summer also!

Summahhhh is here!

When I was growing up we had a mulberry tree that gave us HUGE berries each summer.  And we would eat 'em as fast as we could pick 'em!

And now my kiddos are getting to do the same thing!

Except that we made mulberry milkshakes out of them!  Deliciousssssss.

Happy summer, friends!!

Dreaming of a Warm Vacation! {and a cleaning lady}

Happy Tuesday to you, friends!

Are you enjoying tropical temperatures like we are here in Kansas?  It's positively balmy, at a whopping 5 degrees.  And I'll tell you something, I'm so over it.  I have a fresh new appreciation for, say, 30 degrees...or even 20.  I'd love me some 20 right now!  But sunny and 73 would be way better.

Anyway,  

For the next two weeks I'm on stand-by for jury duty.  I have to call in every couple nights to see if they need me the next day.  I feel so important!  And boy, are they in for a treat if I should actually have to go in. Finally, my chance to throw my power and opinions around at the county level.  I've been waiting my entire life for this!

With any luck, I'll keep my mouth shut just enough to get chosen for a sequestered trial and I'll get to kick back in a hotel room in the evenings!

On the home front:

Yesterday morning I was seriously plotting to secretly hire a cleaning lady.  I had it all figured out.  (Or should I say, I HAVE it all figured out.  This idea is still brewing.)  Two days a week I am the only one home for a big chunk of time.  All I have to do is have a cleaning lady come over, I'll pay her cash (or give her a perm in exchange, whatever), she'll clean my house like it's never been cleaned before, I'll throw a little Windex behind my ears just in time for K-Man to get home, and KA-POW, suddenly my man, my kids, and the world just assumes that I've finally got my act together.  It's the perfect crime!

I think it's very clear that Lori needs a vacation...a very warm vacation!  Because the cold is eating away at my last remaining brain cells.  

Okay, I gotta snap back to reality! I need get busy with my day while I try to stay warm with a tropical umbrella drink hot cup of tea.



Have the best Tuesday ever, everyone!

independence day, baby!

Happy Independence Day, friends!

I truly hope you are reflecting on and savoring in our freedoms in this,

THE GREAT, US of A!

We are a blessed nation, like none other.

And we need to regularly be on our knees in thanksgiving to our Creator,

and in desperate plea to protect those God-given freedoms.

AMEN?!

Our day, thus far, has been uneventful.

And that's okay by me.

I am enjoying the down-time!

I cut some of my hydrangeas to put in a jar because I just could't resist them any longer.

 And as my summer lethargy continues,

we bought a pool!

(Is it just me, or are we devolving in this situation?)

Twelve bucks, baby!

And the kids are having a blast. 

Of course, this budget-friendly liquid entertainment only satisfies the boredom of

two little ones, leaving any big people to fend for themselves.

And that's fine by me.

Anyone old enough work, I'm not responsible for.

That's my new standard.

And here is my perch.  By the pool.  With a drink.  My Kindle, filled with books.

And some Vitamin D therapy.

It's sooooo good.

And above all else, K-Man is smoking some chicken.

Now THAT, says Fourth of July.

Swing by for some chicken and a dip in the pool!

Coo-Coo

I am sitting here in a summertime funk.  All the extreme ambition I had built up during the school year when I had nearly zero time to tackle big projects,...well, it's gone now...now that I have plenty of free-time.  I've concluded that without structure, I am nothing more than a puddle of pudding.  Mindless, lifeless, and delicious.

I tell you all that to keep you from judging me as I indulge in some much-needed Dorito therapy while I type this. Just in case there is an orange-cheesy residue that you detect smudged on this post, you'll know why.  All the while, as you know, I'm eliminating processed foods from our home.  The irony is not lost on me.

We have however made some lasting memories this summer.  And to boot, I found a way to completely avoid the public pool.  Let me show you:



Look at the children, so happy at Driveway Splash Land USA.
And look at my still-blackened toenail from dropping a bookend on it while putting up the Christmas tree. It's the gift that just keeps on giving.  Christmas in July, if you will.

Here are the kids taking a dive into the deep end.  They've always been so brave and adventurous!

Watch out for that waterfall! 

Time to fill up the pool again.

Easy there, little guy.  The lifeguard will getcha for being rowdy.

And this is the look of a summertime mom.

I call it, Coo-Coo Sunning Herself.

 

Good heavens, send in a rescue team immediately.

I'll wait here.

 

my public pool observations

Okay, so here's today's blog post.

If you're a close local friend of mine, you know that we've had a gigantic above-ground pool for the last decade or so, give or take a year or two.  But for reasons I won't go into now, we decided to dismantle it and be done with it.  Sigh.  It was sad, actually, because truth is...it had a ton of life left in it.  But, it costs a lot of money to keep a pool up and running, and we just couldn't swing it anymore.  But that's okay.

All that to say, I took the kids to a local public pool yesterday.

And here are my observations:

1.  My apprehension about showing my bent-beer-can-body in public proved to be unfounded.  I was a supermodel compared to exactly half++ of the pool population.  (I do NOT drink beer, just for the record.)

2.  I am clearly out of the loop, tattoo-wise.  And really, I'm okay with that.

3.  It grosses me out that so many bodies gather in one place to "bathe".  I can't even continue to think about it right now.  It's sick.

4.  I am whole-heartedly against sizzling oneself in the sun, coated with chemical-laden sunscreen.  Yet, my recent purchase of natural products to make homemade sunscreen remain in their package, on a safe shelf in my bathroom.

5.  What I'm saying is, I have a sunburn.  It's not horrible.  But, it's pink and a tad uncomfortable.  Don't lecture me, I simply traded one bad thing for another.  I will be golden-brown in no time, as I am every summer.  I just wish I had whipped up some of my homemade goodness beforehand.

6.   I make no apologies about the fact that I've always been a bikini girl.  I know, I know.  Modesty and such, I know.  I get that, I totally do.  And frankly, I agree, fully.  But, having said that, I'm a bikini girl.  And I really don't care.  And after seeing some of the things I saw yesterday, I WAS QUITE modest, in comparison.

7.  My little children have no concept of time in the water.

8.  I could have left them there until next Tuesday and they'd be none the wiser.  And happy as clams.

9.  God bless whoever put air-conditioning in cars.

10.  I will never go back to the public pool ever again.  Actually, I will.  I have no choice.

The End.

eleven random things for today [very foxy!]

1.  It's a rainy morning, and that makes me happy.

2.  The sun better come out tomorrow.

3.  Flowers, herbs, and miscellaneous items growing on my front porch.

The decorative cabbage thingy falls under the miscellaneous category.

I love it so much!

4.  For Mother's Day, Nick refinished my window box and bought me flowers to put in it.

He's a very good boy.

5.  More lovely flowers.

And they better stay alive because I will cry otherwise.

6.  My view from my front door this morning.

And best of all, it's QUIET.

7.  All my children are either at work or still sleeping right now.

And really, I could handle this kind of peacefulness all day long, every day.

But according to my calendar, that won't be happening until the year 2025.

(Oh my word.)

On that note...

8.  K-Man and I are planning a very much-needed vacation (ALONE) to Winter Park, CO,

later this summer.

I can't even begin to tell you how unbelievably excited I am!

9.  I have a new favorite product for my curly-hair-days.

FOXY CURLS.

In my estimation, anything with the word foxy in it is a winner in my book.

It really works great, even in the humidity!

(Not a paid endorsement!)

9.  I bought some freshly harvested broccoli from a local farmer yesterday.

Not much makes me happier than that, folks.

We gobbled it up for dinner.

I didn't even have the courage to cook it, we just ate it raw and loved every bite.

10.  This is one of our new kitties.

She's just the sweetest ever!

11.  I posted this photo on FB last week.

I love it so much.

My sweet mama and me!

Summer of 1969.

Which could explain why I love the word foxy.

And that's my random list for this fine Thursday morning.

I hope you have fun and exciting things planned 

for your day today!