Seven Quick Takes Friday

It's Friday!

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Family vacations CAN be fun. Even when you cram lots of people in one house. It helps to have the distraction of a pool, a beach, lots of games and lots of cousins. For the grown-ups I suggest a few cocktails, can't hurt right? Cheap wine makes great sangria, and Bud Light with lime is a pretty good beach drink. And sisters really are the best when it comes to laying it on the line and whining.... who me??

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Thanks to the Pioneer Woman for her awesome recipe for Jalapeno poppers. They truly are amazing. I have to say, I also love her wisdom. Let's just say I learned this lesson the hard way. We enjoyed them immensely. Until my sister scrolled through my pictures and said, "Who would take a picture of the poppers?" (She doesn't blog...)

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Today's big debates? Where to take the family picture-- this is always a discussion for this family. Too many photographers in the bunch. Everyone has the perfect idea. Funny, despite all the fussing that comes before we still manage to take a pretty good picture. The second debate? Shrimp or pizza for dinner... we don't even entertain taking this huge brood to a restaurant to eat!

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Today's beach find? "Ouchless" jelly fish! They can be used to decorate sand castles, chuck at your brother or introduce yourself to pretty girls on the beach --this only works if you are 4 1/2 and are cuter than a button like my nephew Aidan.

BTW, it works.

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My son Ryan re-discovered reading Harry Potter this week. I have to say I am happy about that-- so much so that I let him stay in and read instead of guilting him into going to the beach "because we drove all this way and spent all this money". A lifelong love of reading is much more valuable than getting pelted in the back with an "ouchless" jellyfish by your brother.

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This week made me realize how I miss my college friends. None of them read here, so it is not a shameless plug for some lovin'. I just realized that Rhett and I have spent most of the week telling stories of various beach escapades we survived with the Loy-yo-yo crew. I need a fix. Nothing can compare to day-long tournaments of UNO on a rainy beach day, or trying to explain to your kids why "Uncle" Frank is swinging his bathing suit around in the surf (let me just say that he was thankfully and mostly UNDER water at the time).

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Finally, surf lessons + 6'4" frame+ ouchless bandaids = weird tan lines
Now, hop on over to Jen for some more 7 Quick Takes!

Day 5 at the beach

Today was another surf day...from 47 to3 everyone was surfing.

I love the look of sheer joy on my honey's face --nothing is sweeter

Things I have come to appreciate these days...

• Spray sunscreen. This was invented for the mothers of pre-teen boys who DO NOT want their mothers touching them. Guarantees sunburn-free boys who have more time to spend at the beach and get tired.
• Solo suntan lotion. I love that I am almost to the point where I do not have to "lube up" anyone but myself-- minus a little spray here and there. This morning I had flashbacks to applying lotion to myself and 4 kids-- don't know how Kate Gosselin does it alone.
• the miracle of "peek-a-boo" when trying to calm a crying 5 month old -- and the look of surprise everytime I reappear. I rarely get that look of admiration from my own children.
• beach chairs can make amazing babysitters when needed. Necessity is the mother of invention!
  

I love the fact that this family can embrace nature...

from baby blue crabs....

to starfish...

to tidal pools...

to...what the hell is this creature???

Rainy day

AH, life at the the beach. You wake up in the morning and see grey skies....what do you do? There are 9 children in the house...

So, you decide, let's go to the beach any way. A little rain can't hurt!

When you take 9 children to the beach and leave some people home-- this is what they get to do on a rainy day...

take a well deserved nap...

read a good book

or, read that nasty summer reading that you have been avoiding...

Day 4 at the Beach

Today is day four of our family vacation. Eighteen people in one house. It is a house amazingly filled with happy sounds-- giggles, farts, screetches, numerous sound effects and robot voices. I am constantly amazed at the ability of the average boy to mimic their favorite sound.

So far it has been a fun filled week. Full of ice cold watermelon after a day at the beach..

Starfish hunting....

and then covering your cousin in starfish...

Rocking a baby to sleep to the sound of the beach wind and waves...

Learning to surf from your aunt and uncle that are really just 12 year old boys trapped in an adult's body...

And FINALLY being relaxed enough that you are willing to post a picture of yourself (in a bathing suit) on the beach-- lost in a good book.

Seven Quick Takes

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Remember last week when I mentioned that Claire and I were immersed in re-watching the PBS series Frontier House? Well, my fascination with all things pioneer has inspired me to use nature's dryer

I swear the whites really DO come out whiter! Luckily I have a large deck and a deeply wooded backyard so I am able to escape the HOA police.

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I have also been inspired to garden.
Wait, I know you are saying, "Kathleen??" the Queen of the black thumb? You are looking at BOTH of my beautiful basil plants, purchased at my local grocers, and still in the planter pots. But you gotta start somewhere. Let's hope I can keep these alive.

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My children have discovered that kindness begets kindness.
Last Sunday, Father's Day, we were driving home after trying to see Poppy. It was a hot Sunday afternoon. The temperature has been hovering around 95 with a heat index of 100+. Just before we got to our driveway I noticed a man sitting on the curb. I, OF COURSE, immediately stopped the car to ask if he was OK. [At this point I just ask that you insert your own interpretation of the groans that were coming from the backseat. You see, I have a habit of talking to strangers.] He was profusely sweating and said he was really tired. I offered him a ride home --about 7 houses down the street --which he happily took advantage of. He seemed to me to be a little "off" -even if I had never met the man. At first, I rationalized it as embarrassment or tiredness but it worried me-nothing new for me. So, OF COURSE, I decided to call (thank you whitepages.com) to check on him. OF COURSE, there was no answer. After much fretting, I decided I had to go and check on him. Overkill I know. Rhett suggested that I take Claire with me in case something had happened. I guess she could run screaming into the street for me.... Being the loving, devoted daughter that she is, she came but giggling to herself about her irrational mother. I knocked and OF COURSE there was no answer. I rang the doorbell, no answer... I pressed my face up against the door to see if I could see anything.
And, I did.
My neighbor coming down the stairs in his boxers after a shower.
Apparently that's what normal people do after sweating profusely on a 90 + day.
The next day I received thesewith a lovely note thanking me for going out of my way. I refuse to even entertain the notion that the flowers had ANYTHING to do with the boxers as "the college girls" might have suggested...
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We celebrated my hubbie's intelligence and determination this week. He is now LEED certified!.. That means a lot today in the architectural world. Green design is the new thing. Way to go honey!
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I finished #1 on my list of things to do. This is the list of things that I used to do when I was home all day and my kids were at school. What pray tell was #1? It involved spackling the ceiling, sanding, caulking and painting the ceiling in the foyer. I guess #2 and 3 were stripping the river rock floor and painting the banisters in my front foyer. Wanna see? Oh, yeah, I might have included the flowers too. Didn't know where else to put them.
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I am slowly de-cluttering the house and it feels good.
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I still ask for your prayers for my sister-in-law and my husband's cousin who are battling cancer. My sister-in-law thought she had qualified for a new drug trial out of Vanderbilt University Med School but learned Monday that she had not. She started chemo again on Tuesday. The good thing that this chemo drug has a great track record--
There is no nice way to put it other than
CANCER SUCKS.

more thoughts on Bella

Well, it has happened.

I have been bested by my girlie. Her recent blog post was a much more eloquent way to say "WAKE UP BELLA!"

Makes a mamma proud!

Buffy vs. Edward Just watch it

Buffy vs. Edward. What happened to our kick ass role models for girls???

You know, I read all the Twilight books, and to be honest, I liked them. There were some good messages in them, abstinence was one. Romance. Chivalry. Friendship.

When Claire was little I used to worry about her watching all those Disney movies. The message the "princess world" was sending her was the wrong one. My sisters and I would say to her,

"Never give up your mermaidness for a man!"

And then Bella comes along, perpetuating the myth.

Just something to think about.

back again

I have been gone for a while. No real excuse, just not feeling the creative juices flowing. This can be witnessed by my last few blog posts that were complete cop-outs according to my newest blogging compatriot and all around brilliant young woman who happens to share some of my chromosomes.

In an attempt to get my feet wet again I am participating in Friday's Seven Quick Takes....

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I am back! For better or worse. THIS time I mean it!

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Last week we celebrated Rhett's birthday and our 21st wedding anniversary by going to the drive-in double feature movies. It was fun, despite the small interruption from a mini-monsoon. Did I mention that I STILL have not remembered to get my windshield wipers fixed? UGH. Poor Rhett and Sean had those tall lanky bodies folded up in the back seat looking out the rear window of the mothership. I got to watch the last half of Night at the Museum through the rear view mirror. But you know what, tease me they will...but why am I up blogging at 1:30 am? Waiting for Claire and the girls to get home from THEIR adventure at the drive-in. I think I started a trend.

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Today we had the privilege of hanging out with yet another cousin. It was a blast. He and his parents were in town for a wedding (on the other branch of their family tree) and he decided to hang with us rather than go to a boring rehearsal dinner. Wise move -- especially when he was met at the door with "Hi, do you like Legos and X-Box"? That's all it took and they were off. In a sidebar... can someone PLEASE explain to me cousin genealogy? First, second, once removed etc. etc. Enough to make your head spin!

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Our movie watching has been curtailed by Rhett's studying for his LEED certification exam. Poor guy, thought he was done with school. Not sure how this is helpful, I think it just adds some more initials after your name, and hopefully makes you more appealing to the clients. In the meantime, Claire and I are loosing ourselves in fake history -- and have been wishing ourselves back in time to Frontier House...

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Speaking of which, his contractually obligated "no contact" is officially over. Hard to believe that it has been a year since the end of his days at the firm which shall not be named. So now the push is on to get some clients in...not that he doesn't need any additional stress. I keep reminding myself that every time we have had change it has worked toward the better-- NOT that I am asking for change again so soon...but in every case God has blessed us -- in ways it may have taken a while to realize, but there has always been a blessing.

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Much of this weekend will be spent trying to sell tickets to Isaiah it is the last ditch effort to get tickets sold. All proceeds benefit the Missionaries of the Poor and their new home for unwed mothers in Kingston. Remember when I said change works to the good? This is a classic example. A week with the priests and brothers of MOP changed our family, especially my husband. It's a good cause.

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Keep praying for my sister-in-law who is still fighting stage iv non-smokers cancer, and for Rhett's cousin Liz who is fighting brain cancer. I wonder if there is any correlation between environment, stress and cancer. After Katrina, I didn't think they would have to battle anymore. Ugh. But God is good and Biffy has been accepted to the drug trial in Nashville, and Liz will be getting treatment at MD Anderson. Miracles happen.

May Feelings II

Many thanks again to Deacon Greg over at The Deacon's Bench.

Put a tear in my eye ;-)

Some brightness on Sunday morning

SO, I totally copied this from The Deacon's Bench, a blog I really love. I liked this video so much I was afraid no one would use the link to see it. So, please watch and enjoy.

And, thanks for standing by me!


"Stand by Me" performed by musicians around the world from SKAT on Vimeo.