Sunday, July 31, 2011

Summer-in-a-nutshell

Jumping off the diving board
Icees
Baby ducklings
Circus
Night fishing
Fireworks on the beach
Boat ride
floating in an innertube
ceiling fans
Walking on a sand bar
corn-on-the-cob
Engagement Party
S'mores
Water slides
swim meets
library books
High tides
Plane rides
outdoor shower
Cracked crabs
lemonade
Cab rides
Liberty Island
sunscreen
Subway rides
Lazy river
matinee movies
sparklers
Train rides
view from the Empire State building
air conditioning
Sonic happy hour
watermelon
barbecued chicken

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum-Summertime

Summer.
It's been a good one so far. A really, really good one. I put the kids in a variety of camps for the month of June, and it went by in a blur. Lucy's new school did a "Here Comes Kindergarten" camp, and it was just the thing to acclimate her & get her excited for the new school year. It helped that she had a "cooking class" in the afternoon. They didn't cook as much as smear frosting on anything that moved.

Annie's new goal in life is to be on "American Idol." This surprised our household- because during her spring school play, Annie looked like she was going to blow chow from stage fright. And yet, she insisted on attending a local theater camp. Last Friday was her performance, and I'm happy to say the stage fright has been reduced from nausea to paralysis. Progress!

As for me, I've got a dear friend with a booming business who asked for me to help her, but really, we just enjoy spending time together. She's an interior designer- and our first venture together is with a lovely local family that just moved in to a new home. (The irony that I was hanging pictures in their foyer while I still had boxes in my dining room did not escape me).

The family are true Texans- and their home reflects this. They have mounted, stuffed (really stuffed) animals on the walls- deer, duck, the occasional wild boar & even a bear. During my first visit, the gracious home-owner told me how she decorated her son's nursery with the stuffed ducks. She said this was a creative way to teach him about animal sounds.

"What does a duck say?" she laughed.
I thought for a moment and said, "Ow?"

Next up: packing up the anklebiters & heading to the East Coast. I cannot wait to see the Statue of Liberty, have a beer with my 92 year old grandmother & hit the beach. If there's a Snookie sighting- you guys will be the first to hear.