Our week {InstaFriday...on a Saturday}

That is my kitchen ceiling and this has been my life for the past 2 months.

Our AC unit in attic leaked through our upstairs walls down into our kitchen.

And as if that was not bad enough, while the ceiling was cut out they discovered our Master shower is also leaking.

And to make a long story short, let's just say the issue is not covered by insurance and we have to replace our tile shower.

So here's to even more of my summer days spent to the serenade of strange burly construction men hammering and sawing away at my house.

And to NOT going to the beach this summer as I had hoped.

BOO.

On the bright side I do have a home to complain about and I am grateful for that.

YAY.



Speaking of boo...this has been my knee this week.

I've been running and my knee has been revolting.

I think my body is operating in dog years now.



The kids at hockey camp got a big furry surprise this week.

Gnash from the Nashville Predators.

Boy was in hog heaven I tell ya.



And so were Adam and I when the kids spent the night with Grandma this week.

We went to dinner, carried on conversations with complete sentences, picked up a Redbox, and swung into the movies for some blue cotton candy.

Pure bliss...Can I get an Amen?



I've been making chocolate gravy for the kids a lot lately.

Gosh this stuff is good.

Too bad I gain 5lbs. just looking at it.



It's ok though...I've been content to eat copious amounts of fresh fruit while it's available.

Athena cantaloupe is my new favorite fruit .



I found this IKEA table on Craigslist this week for $100 bucks! I fell in love with this when I was in IKEA back in March. Retails for $280 new. Just what I wanted for my new sitting room makeover. Score!



I had to stop by our Umbrella School this week, just to get copies made, and found this on their used book rack. Tyler's summer reading book! For $3 bucks! Mark that off my list of things to do please. Score #2!



These two have been wearing out dad's new hammock. It is kinda sweet to lay on. Not so sweet to try and get out of though. Never in my life have I been accused of being graceful.



I need an office. In the worst kinda way.



We ended our week with a bang. Cars 2 opening night. Thank you Groupon for your 2 for $5 movie tickets and half off dinner coupon. Felt weird not dropping $50 at the movies.



This is our weather forecast for the next 8 days. If you do not hear from me by the end of the week...I've either hijacked a plane to the Sunshine State...or I've gone insane. Or both.





"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Easy {Peasy} Peach Cobbler

This has to be the easiest cobbler recipe on the planet. Period.

A big thank you to my dear friend Lollie {cool name huh?} for not only allowing me to eat copious amounts of this last Fourth of July, but also for sharing the recipe with me so I can now pay it forward.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp. Butter (melted)
1 Tsp. vanilla
1 Can Sliced Peaches (drained)



Melt Butter and mix all ingredients together. {Easy enough right?}













Pour mixture into 8X8 dish.

**Heads up...go ahead and double this entire recipe and pour it into a 9X13. ;-)

You will thank me for it...I promise.



Then lay your fruit into the mixture. {You can use any fruit with this recipe. Blackberry or Cherry are great too}



Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. {In my oven it took closer to 50-55 minutes...just watch it till it is done.}



Be glad you doubled the recipe.


I am linking up at these lovely blogs:

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Five For Fighting {Sweet Shot Tuesday}

To say this boy loves hockey would be like saying I love Nutella.

A complete understatement.




"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

InstaFriday

Playing in the rain was on our Summer List.

So this week...we did. Rain in Tennessee minus tornadoes. Imagine that? It doesn't happen often so we jumped at the chance. In our pj's.



I got my hair "did" this week. I luuurvee hair day. High: My hair never looks better. Low: My hair never looks better.



Aidan is attending a free hockey camp this summer sponsored by the Nashville Predators. He is in hog heaven that boy. A natural. And it is so good to see him enjoying himself. Trying not to think about the fact that he has a $5000 mouth.



I've been running every evening when the sun goes down.



Tyler has been my partner. He rides. I run. He hated this picture. Said it made it look as though he's about to hit that mailbox.



We like to see these along the way. I'm totally not above running through them. It's hot as Hades here.



Wednesday night, on our way home from church, I was craving Starbucks. A mocha coconut frappuccino to be exact. BUT the Stanley Cup was on, and there were like "7 minutes left in the game" or something, so we HAD to hurry up and get home. So I had the next best thing. An iced coffee in my Tervis courtesy of my Kuerig. A little product endorsement for two of my favorite things. Your welcome. Even though you have no idea I exist. Oh and by the way see those blue toenails up there? They are mine. I do not even know who I am anymore. I may be having a mid life crisis. Not sure.
.


I made this for lunch the other day. I think I spent 5 minutes just staring at it. It was so pretty I could hardly stand to violate it with my fork. I copy catted {Lord help that is not even a word is it?!} my favorite Strawberry Pecan salad at Longhorn. Minus the pecans. They aren't as has healthy as my almonds. Someone should tell the folks at Longhorn.



We also made these for dinner this week. Kabobs. That word alone makes me smile. Add sweet taters to the mix and I am one happy girl. We put brown sugar and marshmallow fluff in ours. I know. I suck the healthy right out of them.



Maggie received a plethora of manicure/pedicure supplies for her birthday last week. We had "nail night" this week and she whips THIS bad boy out. Her very own nail chart. Complete with name and sample of every hue in her collection. I have to be honest. I didn't know whether to be proud of her organization skills, or call the church to come lay hands on her. Organized people scare me. That needs to be a bumper sticker.



We also took a short camping trip last week. The teenager is not loving our camping trips as much anymore. He grumbles. A lot. I tell him to put his big boy pants on and get over it. He isn't too fond of my advice. But after I let him beat me a few times at Phase 10...



And I bake these... {strawberry pie}

There is once again peace in Hormoneland.



Maggie {speaking of hormones} has decided she like whittling sticks while we are camping. BUT she has also decided that she despises all flying or non flying insects that grace the face of the Earth.

As you can imagine the cicada invasion has just about sent her over the edge.

Just look at her...poor thing is whittling a stick into a Wal-Mart bag that is strategically strapped to her legs while sitting in our camper in the middle of June. There is something very wrong with this picture and I just know Andy Griffith would agree with me.

Post Cicada Invasion Stress Syndrome?





"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Maggie's Surprise Party: Alternately titled "The Day I Learned My Daughter Hates Surprises"

Maggie turned 11 last week. She was wanting a dog. A little dog. And we were just crazy enough to be considering letting her get one. That was until we kept my mom's dog for a couple of nights. Little dogs are stubborn. We forgot just how much. That's all it took to snap her back to reality. No dog.

For now at least.

So a week later and the girl had no gift.



Enter my brilliant idea

A SURPRISE pool party.

It was the perfect set up.

Her birthday was long gone.

She would not suspect a thing.



Oh the lying I did to pull this off.

I pray the Lord can forgive me.

I told her the party was for her friend who had to have her party in June instead of July due to her family being out of town on her birthday.

Poor thing..she even made a card for her.

I felt awful and I made a discovery about myself in the process.

I am a bad liar.

No seriously.

Every time I told her a fib I walked away thinking "she's on to me."

Poker face. Lady Gaga has one. I do not.



I managed to have everyone ready and waiting for her arrival.

She walked through the door and was greeted by 45 people yelling "Surprise Maggie!!!"

{Let me just interject here and tell you what I expected would happen.

Hands on cheeks. Mouth open. Jaw dropped. Mile wide grin. Oh. My. Gosh.

Yeah that's pretty much how I had it played out in my head that it would go.}



Not so much how it went down.

She managed to conjure up a smile, {cause I've raised her to be polite ya know} turn to me and whisper through the fake smile (and I do believe gritted teeth), "Why did you do this mom?!"

Fail.

Add this to the long and ever growing list of things I've managed to get all wrong as a mom.

Faced with the obvious failure of my surprise of a lifetime, I just laughed. Weird I know but trust me folks..the moment was begging for it.

I'm such an extrovert that sometimes I forget that God made my children each unique in their own way.

And sometimes nothing like me.

This is the hard part of parenting for me these days. How to let go of my own expectations and desires for them and see them as the individuals God has planned for them to be.

A surprise party? YES PLEASE! BRING. IT.

That's me though...not her.

She's so much more reserved. Quiet. And He made her just that way for His purpose in her life.

And I am learning.

Even still



Thankfully though she has just enough of her momma's spunk {and I do believe a little of that poker face I am lacking} to shake it off fast, join in on the laughter, and get her partay on.

We had such a blast with our sweet friends and family.

Pool.Friends.Music.Pizza.Cupcakes.

Perfect.

She told me later that night that even though she didn't care for the surprise part...it was a great surprise.

She felt special that everyone had gone to so much trouble just for her and that was my sole desire. Mission accomplished.

Note to self: never ever again throw your daughter a surprise anything.



The next day I took her on a little shopping trip.

You know just to make sure there were no hard feelings.



She looked pretty happy to me.



"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"