What I did...

...the rest of the week

Despite Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes, tie-dyed T-Shirts, science experiments, Texas-shaped pb&j sandwiches and bicycle riding in the big barn, I have to confess that none of those are the reasons the Chickies lasted the whole week at Camp Mimipapa. The youngest chick has never had a problem lasting through the planned schedule. It's the oldest chick that missed her mom and dad AWFULLY bad! This year, we had no problem at all. Here's the truth behind the story:

The hook. At least twice a day.

Yes, Lulu has become quite the swimmer.

Cannonballs are a cinch.

We started checking for gills and webbed toes on the third day.

Blondie? Not so much!

She's working on it! 

As long as she was left alone, she did fine. Offer her some help, though...

 

and, she's outta there!

 

day 2 of Camp Mimipapa

Who knew our small town H.E.B. had such foot-tapping music?

 

 It was a rap song, in English, if you can believe it, that the Chickies couldn't resist groovin' to. I know, I know! Using "rap" and "groovin'" in the same sentence kind of dates me, doesn't it?

Sorry for the blurry pictures. My iPhone doesn't have an action setting.

You can see that they are in front of the cookies, crackers, and lunch box snacks section. I pretty much let them pick out what they wanted to eat, guided by the list sent by their mom. Twice, we had cereal for breakfast. Cereal still counts as breakfast food even if it is in the form of Rice Krispie Treats, right?

What you can't see, is the rack I am standing in front of...right across from the cookies, crackers and school snacks. It's the beverage rack, but not the beverages made by Minute Maid, Sunny Delight, or Welch's. Well, Welch's Grape Juice does at least have the same raw ingredients. They've just kept the grapes in storage a little longer to create an adult beverage! AAHHH! Life on the border line!! I think that needs to be the new title for this blog.

 

 

these past three weeks

 We'll have to start with the first and best week of the past three weeks...

Camp Mimipapa

Though it has always been planned to be a full week, this was the first year that the Chickies made the full week. The Children's Museum (pronounced Nuseum) is always the first place they want to go, nevermind that it is still in New Braunfels and did not make the trip to Carrizo Springs with us. Therefore, just for the Chickies, and for no other reason, we met at the outlet mall in San Marcos, just so we could stop at the Nuseum on the way home.

A quick horse-back ride around the farm.

A withdrawal at the bank.

 

Stop in to pick up a few groceries. No, the woman in the background is not shoplifting cantaloupes.

  

Waiting our turn for blast off in the space shuttle.

Climbing through (and over) the logs at the campground.

Check back later for more Camp Mimipapa adventures and discover the rest of the story behind why the Chickies lasted the full week.

without Internet access for a week.

Good news/bad news! I thought I was calling the movers plenty ahead of time, but when I talked to them last Wednesday to see if they could move us prior to July 31st, they said, "We don't have anything open until August 8th, except for tomorrow." So, last Thursday, they showed up bright and early and had all our big stuff moved by 3 that afternoon. That's the good news. The bad news is that we now have the hundreds of small things to move ourselves since we didn't have time to pack.

Not being one to procrastinate, I jumped right in... my car.  I took Friday off and drove to Wimberly to have lunch with two old dear high school friends. We met at TJ's beautiful ranch house overlooking a GORGEOUS hill country view. Yes, those are my bare toes. I may be moving in with her soon.

We reminisced about the "good old days", which created lots of laughter, and  a recently departed friend, which created a few tears. Then we all pulled out our iPhones and took pictures. Just because we are approaching our 40th high school reunion, we are no slackers when it comes to technology! (At a Homecoming Breakfast several years ago, when they asked those celebrating their 40th reunion to stand up, I wondered how they had managed to drive all the way to Carrizo by themselves!) It was a wonderful day that needs to be repeated more often.

If not for my iPhone, I would have been completely out of touch this past week! Our Internet service was connected today and now all's right with the world...at least it will be after another couple of days of moving.

before lunch today

Once again proving my philosophy that it is often more efficient to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. Here is what I did this morning:

See these little half walls with the lovely spindles?

This is my "formal" living room, right inside the front door. They really close down the entry and the hall. We had originally intended to address them once we moved in, because this was about the only room that didn't need a major overhaul. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to rip the carpet out. The new carpet is coming Wednesday and that should be the last thing (knock on wood) that needs to be done before we move in. Not the last thing that needs to be done, just the last before moving our beds over.

They are so 1970. Now you see them.

Now you DON'T.

And, I did it all by myself with just these 3 little tools!

Thanks to my sister for suggesting I make a decision prior to Wednesday!

practiced what I used to preach

Though I am a retired technology teacher and currently sell technology to schools, my daughter, daughter-in-law, and nieces have left me in the technology stone age in regards to blogs. Being the middle child daughter, I wanted to wait until I had plenty of time to "do it right". Well, we know where those good intentions lead us!

With memories of my students spending an entire 45 minute class period adding special effects and transitions to one Power Point slide before they ever added their name, I decided I would practice what I preached and, "Put in your information first, then you can go back and add the fun stuff."

So, with cousin Suzanne waiting for those promised pictures from our March visit to California.

 

...and remembering the fun we had on that Spring vacation,

  

I quote the Chambers Brothers...and welcome you to my inaugural blog.