Happy Summer (vacation)!

This picture is from our trip to San Diego a few weeks ago, which of course I didn't blog about because it's taken me this long to get the pictures off my camera. Anyhow, the weather down south was fabulous, but until yesterday things around here have been rainy and cold. Yesterday was our last day of school and the sun finally came out - how exciting! My garden is already stretching out and looking happier. So are the kids - they want to do nothing but play outside, which is fine with me. However, this is the first summer of my life that I find myself worrying about how I'm going to fill up the summer without losing my mind. I guess my kids have finally gotten to "that age" or something. Even the farm gets boring when you live on it every day, so I'm trying to find lots of fun things to do that are free. Today we went to a local outdoor mall with picnic lunches and played in all the fountains. All it cost was the fifteen cents that the kids threw into the fountains. Score! What are your summer plans?

Keeping Cool

School may be back in session, but that doesn't mean summer is over!

(This was my best purchase of the year by far - a $4 slip-n-slide from Target that has sprinklers on it. Awesome!)

Summer Treat

Moses thought up these watermelon pops the other day and they are SO yummy! Just cube some melon, stick them with toothpicks, put them in the freezer for a bit, and enjoy! Pretty much the easiest treat I've ever made.

One Piece Swim Suits

I have been on a hunt for the perfect one piece for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. It took a bit for me to get this far - I've always been a bikini girl and it's taken a bit of mental work to realize that no matter how in shape I get, after being pregnant with and breastfeeding two children I am probably going to be a one piece gal from now on. *sigh* Now that I've done a bit of research, however, I've realized that there are a lot of really cute one piece options out there. I'm a huge fan of rucheing - it adds a little bit of (ahem) bulk to areas that need it and distracts from other areas I wish had less bulk.

The other day two possible swimsuits arrived in the mail and I locked myself in the room to try them on, telling my husband that I would be a LONG time and that if I came out crying he was to just leave me alone and not ask any questions. However, I was pleasantly surprised by both - NOT ugly, NOT frumpy, actually quite flattering and cute. I am no longer dreading my vacation! How about you - are you a one piecer or a bikini gal? Any good one piece suggestions for me?

From upper left, going clockwise:
Carmen Mark Valvo Retro One Piece
Juicy Couture Ruched One Piece
Kenneth Cole Halter Swim Dress
Natalya Toporova One Piece

Snapshots of Summer

We've been spending a lot of time outside, and boy is it pretty up here on the farm! Even the pasture full of dead grass is pretty.




I am reminded of how special this time in my life is - a relaxing lazy summer not yet full of soccer practice and running kids all over town. Of course, that will be wonderful too, but the "summer of the two-year-old" only happens once per child, and we're enjoying it one hot afternoon at a time.

Practice Makes Perfect