the chaotic life of mama...

There's still a sense of excitement when the toys come out, and the living room turns into a playroom. Lydia loves her aunties, and uncles too. Davian came to spend the afternoon with us, too.


This pool steals my heart when it's hot out, and it's been a treasure this summer, so refreshing. Keeping it clear is work though! It'll rain, and the pool will turn green...and blah. I am very thankful for this pool though. We put it up ourselves, it's not huge, and the ladder could be sturdier (but at least it removes for safety). The kids talk about getting an inground pool...how much fun a diving board would be...but I steer them back around, to be thankful for the one we have. We WOULD like to add a small deck so they can jump in...


The deck...I love the deck. I did think I was done with buying things like little picnic tables, but shh, this one was only $16.98, and we have these little grandkids, and little friends over too...what?! We NEEDED it!


Um, yeah, that's my cart. Walmart was having a clearance sale...on toys. My kids are sort of growing out of toys, but still play a little bit with certain things, and they'll still play with visiting kids or grandkids. But I figured I would get a few Christmas gifts, and the Waffleblocks, they are so much fun! The huge railroad set was marked down to $13! Perfect for a rainy day with Lydia over!


The symphony played outdoors on Lake Ontario! Symphoria, at Fort Ontario in Oswego. Did you know that this place once was called, Safe Haven? It was a refugee camp for almost 1,000 displaced Europeans, mostly Jewish, from 1944 to 1945. Anyway, we loved the concert...the 1812 Overture...wonderful.

Summertime...blissful, relaxing, but still, busy somehow. We've had Lydia a lot, and we've had tons of rain here in the northeast. Today is sunny and warm, and I'm wanting to go to the beach, but of course we have dentist appointments right smack in the middle of the afternoon. I think the older girls might go on their own adventure, and leave me with the dentist appointment girls, Miss Char and Miss Cam. They said they would take Lydia along...whatever we do, I'm sure we'll make the most of it.

Paul is coming home tomorrow night, in what seems like the longest trip ever, even though it was the usual two weeks.

The red mini van was in the shop for inspection and new rear brakes. Then, it was making noises and smoking, so we brought it back in, and blah, someone had engaged the parking brake and driven with it on, but didn't know it because of the dashboard lights that seem to be permanently lighted...so the mechanic used his little computer figure-er-outer to diagnose the problem on the dash, and said it was just a lose wire, the brake was fine after he fixed it, ect. But, in the process of using this figure-er-outer, he put down the windows, and our driver's door buttons don't work at all, so now the window is down a few inches...and won't go back up. So we have to stop and visit Ed at the shop again.

Anyway...summer is slipping away. School will start soon, with only two high school girls getting on the bus. Evelyn is all graduated, and she is going to Switzerland for a few months!!!! Kathryn is going to college, and the three youngest are homeschooling again, so I have to get those plans drawn up, and submitted. Joseph will be getting married soon, maybe in September, they are figuring out a date...and the little girls are chomping at the bit to move into his bigger room...and I am thinking "guest room" for their room.

I want to buy a saw...a circular saw...and a handheld sander...and a miter saw...I want to set up a workshop, actually. I want a tile cutter, and I want to be able to do my own renovations. We'll see.

And off I go, to start the day...dentist office...blah.:)