free and independent!

 I've always been partial to the Little House books, and I remember fondly how Pa Ingalls liked to say, "I'm free and independent."

Tomorrow, we are having a HUGE barbecue, at church, with friends we haven't seen in a very long time.  There'll be ribs and kielbasa, homemade Mac and cheese (I helped Emily with this today, 30 pounds of pasta!), some different salads, brownies, sheet cakes with buttercream frosting (Mariel made the frosting today, almost 12 pounds of confectioner's sugar!) with strawberries and blueberries.

Paul and I ended up here alone this evening.  We spent the day at church, me making the brownies and helping in the kitchen, him painting, the kids painting and cleaning, a nice summer work weekend!  The kids all stayed there for some fun evening activities, we headed to Walmart for a few things.  What to do for dinner when it's just us?  We got a rotisserie chicken, a bag of shredded cabbage (it's so good with salt and pepper!), some diet root beer.  (A splash of heavy cream in your diet root beer is almost like a root beer float)....yes, we live life right there on the edge.

Tomorrow is the barbecue, and the next day:  we are spending the day on a boat on Seneca Lake!  Seneca Lake is one of the Finger Lakes, glacier formed at least 2 million years ago,  cold, clean, and DEEP, 618 feet deep.  It's 39 degrees, because it's so deep, but in the summer, the top 10-15 feet warm to 70-80 degrees, thankfully!   It's 38 miles long, and has over 50 wineries.  It's fed by underground springs, replenished at over 328,000 gallons per minute!  It is truly a beautiful, fresh water lake.  Emily rented a pontoon boat for the day, so off we go!

Tuesday, weather permitting,  I'll be bringing Lydia and a few of my girls to visit Ben & Ashley and girls, at their campsite up on Lake Ontario.  

After that, who knows?   Here are some random pics, because why not?

Sonja K., Camille, and Grace (cousin, well, technically second cousin...)

Camille, Grace, and Charlotte Claire...Lake Ontario, Fair Haven beach.

The squash in the garden is growing beautifully!

I went to Aldi with Abigail the other day, and it poured while we were in there.  We waited and waited, and finally decided that we will not melt.

This pot of flowers was clearance at Aldi about a month ago, dry and almost dead, now, wow!

Last night I brought the girls out for ice cream.  This is a small soft chocolate with sprinkles...small!  (and no, I did not have one)

So many things to be thankful for!  Friends, family, the grace of God...freedom!