Life ¤ Love ¤ Laughter ¤ Linds

I calculated to day that on average, I work 50 hours a week (without breaks - getting to the bathroom without hearing a little voice call my name is a wonder!)   I'm not complaining as the decision to provide home daycare has, when everyone is happy and occupied,  left me with flexibility to tackle little things around the house (or catch a chapter or two in my current read, waste time online, solve a crossword on my iPhone) but it means by the time my own kids go to bed (14 hours after rising!), I'm exhausted and my house is trashed!   (I don't know how teachers survive their days... I'm surrounded with maybe a third of the number of kids they are at my busiest time of day and it's enough to pull my hair out - if the baby hasn't already done it for me!) Which is why I love my all-too-rare girls nights with friends (even if it's just grabbing a smoothie at Dairy Queen), uninterrupted downtime with my Kobo, sleeping in and the elusive 'free weeke...

This time of June I always have a lot of men to think about.   Father's Day was celebrated, as was our anniversary.    This means trying to find heartfelt and meaningful gifts for dads x3 and something to mark our anniversary without spending a fortune, all while hoping they're actually appreciated by the recipient(s).   Why does it seem that this is sooooo much easier to do for women?  Our week seemed to be crazy busy as usual and days didn't go as planned - neither did my gift projects with the boys so we spent a lot of time Friday night trying to complete some last minute (but not unplanned) crafting.   The boys decorated a t-shirt (lots of messy fabric paint!) for Papa featuring their hand prints.  They took special pride in creating cards for Papa & Daddy using my scrapbook supplies - they love picking out the elements and helping to design the layout and even deciding which adhesive to use.  (FYI, the Xyron sti...

I'll 'fess right up and admit, I'm addicted.   The first time my mom referred me to Pinterest , I didn't get it.  It was busy and confusing and who has the time for another distraction?  I must have been having a bad day!   My cousin commented (maybe on one of my previous posts?) that I would love Pinterest and should check it out.   So I did! Well, my days have a bit more routine (until school ends next week and we start all over) and I'm finding a little more time for me while still managing to keep kids safe & entertained.  I also (unfortunately) realised there is a Pinterest iPhone app - which is just so convenient - and now I'm addicted!  In the less than 2 weeks since I've joined, I have 11 boards & 66 pins with more being added daily.  Quick Screenshot of My Pinterest Account  It's such a convenient place to track all the unique and interesting things I find as I journey through cyb...

I think I found this recipe in one of the grocery store complimentary magazines a few years ago.  It's become a family summer fave!  Grilled Peach Crisp 4 large ripe peaches 1 tsp pure olive oil 1/2 cup quick oats 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup caramel pecan frozen yogurt or french vanilla ice cream Preheat BBQ to medium high and clean grill well.  Combine oats, butter and brown sugar.  Halve peaches, remove pit.  Brush fleshy side with oil.  Place cut side down on grill and cook until lightly marked, about 2 minutes.  Top peaches with oat mixture.   Place back on grill, close lid and cook until peaches are tender and topping is golden, about 8 minutes. Serve with a scoop of frozen yogurt and garnish with a drizzle of chocolate sauce (raspberry chocolate is yum!)

Apparently, "Subway Art" is the big thing in home decor and people are loving vinyl wall appliques.  You would think, lucky for me, I have a hubby who just happens to have a print shop with acess to, gasp!, a large digital printer and vinyl, banners, canvas, etc.  Too bad I have to make a decision and pinpoint exactly what I want.   (Many moons ago, I did get him to print the vinyl wall applique for the boys room... it looks cute!  And he did the canvas monkey prints for me... so I'm not always indecisive and I do manage to create some decor on a budget.) I stumbled across the "Family Rules" idea at Walmart one night.  I actually took a picture with my handy-dandy iPhone and asked for it for Mother's Day thinking maybe this would inspire above mentioned hubby to print one up at work.  He didn't.   Soooooo I've been thinking that I should design my own.  Design Divas Gallery , Etsy Seller There are a ton of ideas on Etsy. ...

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted anything since Day 1 of our California adventure (gasp!)  Actually, for anyone who really knows me, it's highly unexpected.   Life gets busy...and the blog gets sent to the back burner.   We've almost been home for 2 weeks... we've survived the daily grind, birthday parties, Ribfest and a face-off with strep throat (not fun!  I forget how yucky it is until I get it... my sympathies to those fighting it at present.  I apologize if you got the germs from me!) And now it's time to really get back into the swing of things...  I'll update the highlights and anecdotes from our trip another day (or you could just check out the pictures on Facebook!)  Funniest quote goes to Kaleb on the shuttle bus to Disney:  "Daddy, I know when the world is going to end."  (He says this in all seriousness like this a normal topic of conversation for a 5 year old.)  Kevin:  "Oh really?  When?...