~I'm still here~

Hi.

I'm still here.

See.

 Told ya.

It's been awhile.

Been busy living and all that stuff.

I have so many projects and recipes and 

book reviews and outfits and flowers to share with you.....

I just need to find the time.

Ugh.

The veggies in my garden have been busy too:

 It's such a sense of accomplishment and self

sufficiency for me to pick food in my yard

and prepare it. I think I missed my calling in life-

maybe I should have been a farmer.

~toddler shoes from boy to girl~

 We bought these cute little Pediped shoes for 

our little guy when he was just a wee babe.

He wore them so much you can see his cute little

foot marks on the soles of the shoes. 

Pedipeds are not cheap and $40 for a pair

of shoes for a baby/toddler is insane to me.

INSANE.

However-let me remind you that we bought these shoes

PRE-poor days. Well-now our little lady needs

some sturdy little shoes and I pulled these out.

For $40 we've got to get our money's worth.  

I had to fem them up a bit.

I crossed the straps and sewed a big flower button

with embroidery thread to the straps.

 Still camo but a little better.

Now I'm thinking I should have used a big

black button instead. Maybe I'll switch them out.

~i love a parade~

 To me, nothing says 4th of July 

like a good old-fashion parade.

We started our holiday celebrations yesterday

with our little town's parade.

The VFW carrying our colors.....

how sad was it that one of these veterans

was having to tell bystanders along the 

route to stand up....don't people just know that?

Makes my blood boil.

 Nothing says small town like the posse....

 ...or the school kids carrying the flag...

very serious about not letting it touch the ground. 

I wonder if they actually made it thru the whole

parade without letting it touch.

 The wonderful, happy sounds of a parade :)

 Loved this Chinese dragon.

 I had to take a picture of this for all my friends

reading.....when we were cheerleaders back in the day

we thought it was cool to ride in the back of my friends

Dad's new Chevy pick-up truck.....DAMN-these cheerleaders

are taking that up a notch or two or ten.

When my little guy saw this he said,

"WOW! An army truck full of girls! Cool."

Twenty years later I guess this is how

cheerleaders are rocking the parades.

But nothing was better than this:

"Mom! Mom! Fire trucks...finally! My favorite."

Whew...thank heavens-he had me worried with

that army truck full of girls comment. I'm 

not ready for that yet.

Yesterday was one of those Norman Rockwell days.....

-we barbecued with friends.

-we enjoyed the weather.

-we ate too much food.

-we drank cold beer.

-we lit fireworks.

-we oohed and awed at the magnificence 

and beauty of the big firework show in our area.

-we thanked God to live in America.

Lee Greenwood said it best,

"God Bless the U.S.A."

~summer days~

 Been spending lots of time doing this:

Staring at this:

Lazy summer days.

Aren't they the best?