More updates from this past week! It sure was a busy one that's for sure, but it was a lot of fun!

A couple of years ago we ended up in Comanche with B's family for the 4th of July weekend. Well we were delighted and hooked on the exceptional display and loved spending the time with family.

We didn't make it down there last year, but decided this year we would go - it worked out well! The guys were able to get the shed taken down at Uncle Doug's house and we were able to spend time with Mimi Net and cousins as well. Plus we got to see the great fireworks show! Due to the drought in Texas this year most of the shows around Texas were canceled. The one is Comanche was PACKED, but we got a good seat and enjoyed a great display!

The fireworks were great. I wished I had my long lens with me. It was awesome to watch the boys sitting with their cousins in awe at the fireworks. We enjoyed watching the kids play a game of tag before the sky got dark enough for the fireworks. Brings back childhood memories for me. I love hanging out with family.

Here is my latest canning fiasco! LOL - Bread and Butter Pickles. I snagged cukes on sale 8 for $1 - can't beat that. And we got a precious few from our own garden. Darn heat is just killing everything.

Here's my cukes all cut up and soaking in the salt for two hours.

Here's my pickles cooking in the brine for 5 minutes. I figured out when I went to make the brine that I was almost out of vinegar. Grr...wish I had noticed that earlier as I was at Wal-Mart to get lids and rings. Pooh - oh well, more pickle making another day.

Since I ran out of vinegar I only made one batch and ended up with a quart and a pint. I am quite proud of my first batch of b&b pickles. I do hope they are good!

Here is my first batch of freezer jam. I made red plum freezer jam. Boy is it yummy. It turned out a little more tart than what I get at the store, but I have to admit I like it that way. It was so yummy. We at it on toast the next morning and in PB&J sandwiches! I ended up with six 1/2 pints in all.

While we were down in Comanche I did quite a bit of cemetery hunting...as hot as it was I did enjoy myself. While out visiting Mimi Net I was looking online and found a small rural cemetery about four miles down from her house. Imagine that!!! Mercer's Gap is a precious little rural area with a tiny Baptist Church and a cemetery. There was a geocache there so Daddy, Red and I took off that afternoon to go check it out. I waymarked several woodsmen of the world markers and a homemade headstone as well as the cemetery itself. Daddy snagged the cache while I was exploring the cemetery.

This precious little outdoor church stable structure sits right next to the little white church house. It was so cool to see. It doesn't look like it gets much use - but I am sure the Summer temps have something to do with that.

I surveyed the Sardis Cemetery and uploaded quite a few pics for find-a-grave. It is another rural cemetery that has quite a bit of history in it. It's still in use today and very well kept. But watch out for the stickers - they will eat you up! There is a cache here as well so i grabbed it while I roamed around!

This particular grave caught my attention...lots of love here...

While at the hotel we spent quite a bit of time in the swimming pool. Bug's favorite place. Cousin Davin came over to swim and the boys had a ball playing in the water. Red not so much, but he did get on the steps (on his own accord!) and play around in the water a bit.

Red decided to become the photographer for a bit and took a few pics while we were "lounging" by the pool . I thought he did a pretty good job on this one!

And here is mom, reading her book! ;)

I have to fit this one in! LOL

Daddy decided that with the grass so dry that he needed to cut the yard before we left out for the weekend. Less chance of catching on fire I guess. Well since it was soooo dry and just walking across the ground causes a Texas dust storm he decided goggles were necessary eye protection, with his sombrero and googles in place he was ready to tackle the yard. LOL

And a dust storm it did create! I didn't dare head out there with my camera - but it was quite a sight!

I am excited! I have been working on our curriculum for next school year. I found the Pathway Readers we are going to use on vegsource.com for a great price! I got both 3rd grade readers with brand new workbooks and the 4th grade reader, brand new workbook and TE for $23! Woo-Hoo! I also found the TE's for the 3rd grade books on vegsource for $4. So we are all set for reading! Yeah!

The weather the past few days has been really unpredictable - lots of storms and tornadoes around Texas! We saw these clouds outside and thought it looked something like a toasted Marshmallow. You know those really good ones that have been burned on the outside...ummmm...I think I want to toast a marshmallow! LOL

Here's Daddy's porch redoing project. He had to jack up the corner of the porch so he can replace the corner boards. After he jacked it up using the ladder and a cinder block - we got the cedar pole stuck in place. Now he just has to get the old board replaced and the underpinning put around the bottom. We are also going to paint the porch.

Here is the other end of the porch - the front board had been sitting on the ground so it rotten out and the boards were sinking with out any support. So Daddy dug it out and put cinder blocks under the porch to support it and replaced the front board. It is much better now. The underpinning with make it look all uniform and pretty.

Here's a close-up. Good Job Daddy!

Daddy, the boys and I went up to Lowe's last Saturday for their Earth Day celebration. We got a bag filled with goodies while we were there and had lots of fun!

The boys each build a window birdhouse, we got 4 samples of laundry soap, some candies and five baby trees! We also got another reusable bag and lots of good coupons! Woo-Hoo!

In Red's story time class they read stories about animals and got to stamp with animal stamps. Red got a blue zebra. Here you can see the zebras and the wrestlers! LOL - He drew in wrestlers so they could keep the zebras in line. Funny kiddo!

In Bug's drawing class they were working on drawing trains this last week. He just lOvEs that class! Check out this good drawing!

Here is another - check out all that detail - man!

This cute little guy showed up in our yard one afternoon - Bug just fell in love with him. We called him "Sam" while he was here. I think he lives around here....somewhere....we've seen him up the road before. I hope his owner gets him a collar and tag. He sure is cute. We are hoping to get the fence fixed in the next few weeks so we can get another dog - Bug really wants one to "play" with. Poor Lady - she's just so old and doesn't get around too well these days. Every now and then she gets a wild hair and will play chase the ball or play with the water hose - but Bug really wants a dog who will run wild with him. Daddy started on the porch redo so hopefully the fence is next.

One of our Meals on Wheels clients celebrated her 83rd birthday last Thursday. We found out that she was planning on being at home alone that day, so we decided to make her a card and take her a cupcake for her birthday.

Here is the front of her card.

Red decorated her card and when I asked him what he wanted to write in it he came up with this "I wish you get a wish you wish". What a guy!

For our soldier cards this month the boys and I decided to decorate eggs to include with the cards - we also put in some easter grass. Here are some of their decorated eggs. Pretty!

Red was talking about Eskimos this last week and how God loves them. He colored the Eskimo boy, sled and dogs and put them together. Fun! He was very excited to find "Corn on the Cob" yellow in his color box - so the entire set ended up being "Corn on the Cob"! LOL

At Cowboy Church the kid's Sunday School classes adopted a little girl from France, her name is Dodo. The classes have been collecting money to send her. She wrote a letter to the kids a few weeks back so Bug wrote a note back to her. "It says I hope you stay healthy." What a sweet boy. He also drew her a picture as well.

Hubby broke out his new mower for the first time this season...he said mowing season is open now. LOL It is so dry around here that he had huge dust clouds going everywhere.

Here is my man after the dust mowing escapade. LOL

Here he is behind the barn - the light is reflecting off all that dust! Ewww!