Mike & Heather and Family

Silly kids-silly dog

I can’t help but laugh.

We haven’t finished the tree house, and the fence was put on hold, but we decided that insulation in the attic is the next task on the list.  Our A/C went out last week, and while the repairman was here he reminded us again that attic insulation would help incredibly.  So, optimistically, we planned for Friday to be a work-from-home day. We would blow insulation into our attic, and everything would be wonderful.  We estimate that it will cost us less than 1/3 the price quoted by home depot.  Hooray.  So, last night we went up to investigate and get a game plan, and we were reminded why we haven’t done this yet.  A bit depressed at the absolute disaster of our attic, we quickly realized our plans were going to be much more involved than anticipated.  The poorly design a/c system is a mess and leaking air. The useless boards and garbage need removed, as well as the old antenna.  We need to install vents along all the edges, and we need to insert 2x4s into various places for support of ceiling fans and stuff.  So, I spent a bit of the morning up there and ended up with this.

We can’t dump it yet because we need to build a box to fit around the staircase in the attic so it can be filled as well.

Notice the hideous antenna that I need to figure out how to unscrew when I can’t reach the base.

Sad, sad, sad.

The 1″ of decaying insulation that currently resides.

But on a more pleasant end, my butterfly bush is doing well.  It is attracting me some butterflies, and I’m loving it.

Ethan,”Did the earthquake destroy any houses?”

Dad,”No, it was just enough that you could feel it, but it didn’t do any damage.”

Ethan, “So, you could have made a milkshake”

We’ve picked blueberries with friends…

We’ve fished with the scouts…

We’ve celebrated Independence Day…

We’ve made our own lunch (blueberries, marshmallows, nutella, peanut butter, and a plum)…

And we gave the dog a bath.  She smells better, for a minute at least.  She thorougly killed her duck yesterday.  She has chewed completely through and it had to go.  She needs surgery on her left knee.  It was an expensive surprise.  In the meantime she isn’t supposed to run or jump, and there will be a three month recovery after the surgery as well. Hooray for dogs.

This is Cookie.

This is Cookie and her duck.  She loves to play with it.  She was throwing it into the air herself and trying to catch it yesterday.  She loves to play and roll in the grass.  She is obedient and can do tricks.  We love her. Yes, she is a pit bull.

Horseshoe crab

Newest member of our family.

He built this all by himself.

We attended the end of year concert.  It was great.  She is so talented.

This was as good as I could get.  It is just too hot in my house.  Everything is melting.  I could harden the wings in the freezer, but by the time I set the pan on the table and tried to slide a spatula underneath it was already sticking to everything. I decided you can only make chocolate decorations in the cooler months of winter.

We made chocolate lollies for Memorial Day. Not too well themed, I guess.  It was a fun experiment.

My sillies on the Memorial Eve.

So the birthday cake was thoroughly designed by Mr. C.  He drew me a detailed picture with colors, shapes, and everything in between.  This was the beginning layer.  It turned out pretty cool, but as I was moving it the cake slid on the plate (my own fault for not frosting it to the bottom) and landed in my thumb.  At least in didn’t fall on the floor, but my thumb left a print and some of the bottom ring was…run over.  Of course I didn’t save any frosting of that color either.  Oh, well. Good thing he doesn’t mind.

The end creation.  Definitely another extremely helpful learning experience.  Getting better all the time.

In my new caking adventures, I’ve increased my interests-or in other words, increased the window of items I am willing to buy.  I have always had interest in these fun things, but not the justification to indulge in them.  I have often passed the cupcake books thinking, “It’s a fun idea, but would I really put in the effort.”  Now, I can take ideas and soar with creativity from simple techniques, right? (hopefully)  At first I thought maybe a library read through would suffice, but I flipped through the book and fell in LOVE. I had to own them. There’s no way I would remember all the cute ideas, and the kids would love to make them with me.  So, here’s an attempt at one.  They are much more brilliant in the book since they used real colored sugars.  I just colored my own, and the colors aren’t so bright.  It’s what happens when you don’t plan ahead.  Still very cute though.  My children say they are delicious as well, and what more could you ask?