Tri-Cities meet up

Auntie Amanda just happened to be in the Tri-Cities at the same time we were, so we had to meet up for a little bit.

Justin was weilding the camera and snapping a few shots from the back seat.   Here Amanda is critisizing my bun-making skill {or lack there of}.

I think it is great fun to see what a 4 year old can capture with a camera.

let the vacation begin!

I worked to day until 5:30.  Zipped home and got back and hit the road just after 7:00pm.  The plan was to get to the Tri-Cities and get a hotel for the night {Justin loved the idea of staying in a hotel}.  The drive was nice {minus being asked 1892 times if we were there yet?} and the sunset was amazing.  Problem was - it was behind us... so we stopped at the rest area and snapped a picture of the sky which does not do it justice at all. 

we recycle

a mouse in the house

I get home yesterday and pull the car into the garage and the door from the laundry room comes flying open and there is Jusitn... "there's a mouse in the house!"  Huh?  He never greats me with this much enthusiasm, but he comes to the car door with big excited eyes and tells me "a baby mouse, in the house, it is so cute?"  I walk inside and find Teal {his sitter} standing in the dining room with the kitchen colander in hand pointing to the fireplace.  She said it was injured and they had been trying for the past 2 hours to get it out.  The front door was wide open.  I cracked up!  Then I went and dropped the bottom panel of the fireplace down and found this little gray critter shivering and licking his injured front leg.  Clearly one of the cats had drug in the mouse.  Justin was in love "ohhhh, he is so cute, hi, hi mouse, oh, it is a baby mouse, ohhh, he is soooo cute!"

Looks like I have a lot of dust bunnies under the fireplace to deal with.  Gross!

With the fireplace opened up we placed a book down and I instructed Justin to plop the colander down when the mouse got on the book.  It didn't take long - I think the mouse wanted out just as bad as we wanted him out.  I think Justin would have loved to keep the mouse, but I hate rodents and that just isn't an option.  With the mouse under the colander I scooped it up and we went outside to set it free.  Phillip from next door was outside spreading bark dust and thought I was nuts - he offered up a plastic bag so that I could dispose of the mouse in the trash.  I couldn't do it - so Justin and I set off to the drainage area at the end of the street and sent the little guy on his way.  He will be easy pickin's for the cats that roam that area of the street, but at least we did what we could and Justin was pleased with the outcome.

untitled

carrot cupcakes

my to do list shrinks and grows

very productive today

the car is INSIDE

Today was a great summer day!  Justin drug me out of bed earlier than I had hoped for, which was just before 10 am - so really I shouldn't complain.  I made coffee and went out back to do some watering which led to me deadheading the hanging flower basket.  It was scorching hot out there so I went out front where it was still shady and deadheaded flower pots on the front porch which led to Justin coming out and opening up the garage which led to this....

...the car parked where it belongs! Inside the garage!

I have been trying to get the garage organized forever.  And forever I have been close to having the job complete...  and today it finally happened.  The garage is still far from where I want it to be.  The "beer fridge" still needs to be totally cleaned out and the boxes need to be broken down {but I don't want to tempt fate too much, so I am leaving them alone - just in case}.  I have to get rid of the blue bed frame left over from last years garage sale and there is always more organizing to do, but this project has been on my to do list forever and I so glad that we can have the full drive way to play in.  The car stays much much cooler when parked in the garage - and when it rains we won't get soaked getting in and out.  It is also easier to water the left side of the yard because the car isn't in the way. 

We also did our grocery shopping today and I made an awesome grilled steak and potato dinner.  We capped the evening off with a trip to Target because Justin wanted to "look around" - which meant he wanted to drool over the legos in the hopes that I would cave and get him more. {I didn't}

he's happy because he has more leogs

No doubt about it. Justin loves legos. I have no idea how it happened but tonight we ended up at the lego store at the mall and came out with legos. You should have seen and heard the begging Justin did to get his latest. It had a family in the store cracking up! I was cracking up.
I want this one!
Please!
I need this one!
Can I get it?
Yes or No...?
Why aren't you answering me?
Mooooooommmmmm.
But it wasn't just what he was saying, it was how he was saying it and his mannerisms. The jumping up and down. Then he would bring his hands up to his face, where you push on your face and slide your hands down. It was like these legos where the most important things ever! I cannot even describe how hilarious it was. I stretched out my answer of yes for quite awhile and made him squirm because it was just so cute!

caution cones

I over watered a plant tonight and the water dripped on to the floor.  I went to get a towel to dry up the mess but Justin quickly jumped into action and asked me to wait... he proceeded to set up his cones.

I asked him why he needed to set up the cones and he told me... "so nobody slips." 

hose

lego house

a view inside

DMB

car wash

bees

The bees love this bush and they leave us alone because they are so into the flowers here they have no need to come after Justin and I.  Justin always reminds me "be careful of that bush mom."

shootin' hoops

Yuu know those cupcakes I made last night... the ones my boss paid me to make... yeah, last night when I finished them up I put them in plastic containers and put them side by side on the table. THis morning they were all frosting side down on the floor. My heart sank!  Luckily Bev didn't need them until Friday, so that meant I could rebake.  But Justin didn't want me holed up in the kitchen for another evening - he wanted to play basketball...

And later....

snapshot

My boss paid me to make 18 cupcakes for her. I had to bake them tonight. While I baked and destroyed the kitchen - Justin destroyed the living room.

Justin is getting so tall, but dude is skinny - lean and mean. Justin's favorite things to eat are: cereal, jelly sandwiches, noodles, applesauce, cheese, crackers, chocolate, and that is pretty much it.... I am trying to expand his list of preferred chow - offering up old favorites and new options. He isn't interested....

peach rose

I neglect my backyard and I had thought that this rose bush had fallen victim.  It surprised me with big peach blooms. 

what happened to the heat?

Last week it finally felt like summer.  We ran the AC all day Wednesday through Sunday evening.  And then last night the coolness rolled in and it stuck around.  The air today wasn't warm, what the heck?!  I want more than a week of summer.  On the plus side, the cooler temps gave me a break from the constant watering I need to do to keep all the plants from wilting in the heat. 

world cup cat

one little monkey jumpin' on the bed

baking = dishes

dishwasher loading and unloading is a constant around here

vanilla + caramel = yum

Vanilla bean cupcakes topped with caramel buttercream and salted caramel drizzle.  And now I am wondering what else I can put that frosting on, because it was soooo good! 

I should also mention that it was in the upper 90's today.  But I have AC, so turning on the oven was perfectly okay.  And these cupcakes were so worth it!

crowns

Picture text from Nicole:  we made crowns

 and this was her facebook status earlier that day:
Mmmmm grilled cheese for me and Justin. We played with water balloons, I sprayed him with the hose and now we're eating and watching Tom and Jerry. I feel like I'm 8 again. It's awesome.

a growing army

day off

I pile stuff on the stairs that need to go back upstairs and be put away.  With a day off work I really had big plans to get the house cleaned up, but instead I spent the afternoon hanging out with Tina.  My pile was waiting for me when I got home... which was kind of a bummer, somehow I had hoped it would clean itself.

Happy 4th of July!

Laid back day today. Justin was excited to go get fireworks with his daddy. I ventured out to Brandi's house and had yummy margaritas. Looking forward to a free Monday tomorrow!

locked out

I went outside to turn the sprinkler off and to snap a few photos, Justin thought it was hilarious to shut the door and lock it on me.

He cracked up, thought he was oh so funny, and then quickly let me back in.

It's finished!

Here it is!

My friend Michele asked me to make a Fireman Sam themed cake for her son Alex's third birthday.

Originally I had visions of the fireman standing on the cake with the hose {in the shape of a 3} spraying "water". That didn't happen... but I am really happy with how it came out. The cake was a double chocolate/white chocolate marble cake {note to self: make it more swirly next time} filled with whipped chocolate ganache and topped with vanilla buttercream. Happy Birthday Alex!

so sweet

Justin giving Paxil loves...

Tina's daughter Nicole is at the house this week looking after Justin while I am at work. Nicole captured this great shot of Justin being sweet with the kitty and I just love it!