hobby lobby

what is not to love about these crafts shops!
we always look for their clearance projects...we found these...wooded tractor and windmill with paints and moveable parts...for .49 cents!
couldn't pass it up.
we use hot glue so it is a quicker project...there is nothing worse in a kid craft to have to wait for glue to dry before painting! yikes!
at least my esme can't tolerate this at all =)

Heaven

Heaven by Randy Alcorn
my new favorite favorite life changing book....
i am in the midst and wake up to read it and fall asleep reading it...
makes me so excited and tearfully at peace....

please read it!!! if anyone wants to do some sort of online book club (i've actually never been in a book club =) but here's to trying! =)) let me know! i'd love to read this and discuss it too) email me! claredms@yahoo.com

yayayayayayayaya!!!!!

o what joy!!!
i haven't wanted to download pics to this computer for fear of overloading it...but i decided to just download a few so i coudl continue blogging!
i have missed it a lot!
but i found i didn't miss it THAT much if it meant endless waiting for uploads of pics...

so catching up a bit!
almond butter!
grace made me some that was sooo good....
this is clare-esque and yummy in my book but not as good at graces
raw almonds, coconut butter, honey and a bit of sea salt....

and the kids in the bath....we bought tablets that color the bath..we love them =) we have also used food coloring...same thing and a lot cheaper...

and the butcher block!!! yay!
we bought this from jenny and daniel's yard sale...josh is planing it down adn then has to sand off and oil...can't wait until it is finished!
more soon!

flat rock state park

which is JJUUUUst down the road from us...
right now it is wanting for a little water but it was fun for the kids to climb on the rocks...
i imagine in the weather months it would be super...lots of pools and rocky/mossy spots to sit and explore....and only 8 min from where we live now!

which is another topic....we are loving being here...renting this great house...but as the fall (or hints of it) approach both josh and i have a hankering for our own little piece of land to tend ...spots for bonfires, wood to cut, a house to build! (ok...that is more my hankering that josh's =))
so we are on the look out....some land we thought would surely work out just hasn't come through...and other ideas haven't turned out to be just what our hearts were setttled in...so on goes the search! 

envirobattery....

kim!!!!

my dear friend kim!!!!
kim leaves next month to do her doctorate in florida...so we are squeezing in time together...
she and i spent the night at callaway and talked all night....it was WONDERFUL =)
and then the kids and josh showed up the next day and we swam and built sand castles...
and the following week, we went sailing with her and her parents...the kids LOVED it...
i told josh all about it and it re-enlivened his desire for a sail boat....
just sweet sweet time with my dear friend....

few more beach pictures =)

andy bought a net....and josh had wonderful beginners luck!! he caught 4 fish right off! and then nothing else! ha! but it was so fun to watch him cast it out...
and then we celebrated grammie's birthday!!! she turned 60! i really can't believe it...she does not look 60....at all! here she is with her boys =)
and then esme...that little face...i could eat it up!!!

july 4th

wow...this is catching up!!!

we woke up and make red white and blue breakfast in our similar colors =)

and then put together the statue of liberty! 

mostly anyway...i ended up with about 5 pieces and we had no idea where they fit...

i've figured out the secret to these things....to label with the correct number all the bits before ripping them apart...i don't know why this isn't done for you....

anywho...

and then we made salt dough so the kids could make another statue like the french =)

which didn't exactly look very similar  but they had fun nonetheless...this second project was more esme's speed =)

bingo!!!

we found poker chips at the thrift shop....and we have an old dice with all the letters on it....

so i made some alphabet boards and played bingo...

jack won 4 out of 6 times =) before it turned to shooting chips into our paper goals =)

anywho....

it was fun =)

veggies!!!

so our corn isn't so good....well, not at all actually =)

i cut the corn off the cob ...around the worms...and sauteed it with other veggies =)

not too bad...

but better with the cowpeas..of which we have a plenty...i keep snapping and blanching and freezing in the evenings....

we have enough for the year me thinks...

and peaches!!!!!

there is a great place named marvin's market...which sells a 25 lb box of peaches for $13!!!

the lost sea!!!

loved this place!!! it is privately owned so very basic and incredible! it is in sweetwater tenn....the largest underground lake....we walked almost a mile into the cave...down and down and down winding pathways and into huge rooms full of stalactites and mites...and finally to a lake and a boat...there was very little lighting so alas, not a lot of pics...but if you google the lost sea you'll see lots of crazy cool stuff!