it’s beer season

I think I could remain dry all winter long. But these busy days and warm nights just call for an ice cold beer. Here’s what has been on my lips lately:
Elder Betty. Yum.

A good hike with great beer!

Oh, these Summer/Lemon Shandy’s get me all the time. I love, love, love them!! Another delish one I just tried was Shock Top.

Read about this one in a magazine recommendation….glad i gave it a try!

What are you drinking these days?

Stella

A photo to share for comparison. Stella has 2 or 2.5 weeks until her due date. It’s around this time we start to doubt if she’s grown at all, if there is more than a few pups, if things are going well. Fast forward a week and then two and she’ll be as big as a barrel with no doubt to her condition. But it never fails that, although she practically grows before our eyes, that we worry. And so, here she is.

You’ll see her back her in this space in about 2 weeks. And growth and pregnancy and all will have your jaw hanging.

i wanna hold your hand (rail)

The handrail has been finished, clear coated and installed. And it’s beautiful. We’re hoping that was the most difficult part of the whole railing installation. Smooth sailing from here!! Bring on the ballusters!


We cooked and ate our first real meal at the new house tonight! It was kind of strange to get potatoes boiling, then holding and drilling the rail, then checking the chicken and then sealing some tile and grout. Kind of strange, yet kind of lovely.

(Never mind the Tyvek housewrap in the background…we have a leaky spot at one of the sliding glass doors that will not be a bother once the siding is up. We’re just not there yet!)

a birthday weekend

6 years old! How exciting! I love catching those first moments of awakeness when they realize it’s their Birth Day!!

Summer and John participated in their first Quarter Miler race. They loved it so much! I hope running will become a family thing for us!


We celebrated Summer’s birthday with friends and family at our new house (no we’re not living there yet!) Summer had an amazing day, screaming at the top of her lungs with her friends.


Goodness I love this girl!!

our last big project

There are plenty of little things to do. I think there could be little things to do from now until Winter. But there is only ONE big project left. Which feels so great. We finally have gotten all the pieces today. And if it weren’t for two slumbering children and two early morning jobs, you’d better believe we’d be at it right now.
Our handrails for the stairs, waiting to be stained:

And the ballusters, waiting to be placed:

This house is really beginning to come together! AAAALLLLLLLLLMOST there!!!!

simply successful camping

Jen, my co-leader for our Daisy Scout troop and I headed out to Camp Hoover in Tully, NY over the weekend. And for one time the weatherman was right: Cold. It was cold.
Highland, the cabins where we camped:

Jen and I heading in:


Our sleeping (freezing?) quarters:

Our BIFFY: (Bathroom In the Forest For You)

The canvas tents we were supposed to stay in….they said they’d have kept us warmer because the cabins have a large screen in the peak so none of our body heat stayed in:

We learned lots of skills….firestarting, knot tying (wow, I’m really bad at that. I hope Jen paid attention!), using propane laterns and cooktops and how to clean the BIFFY:




We did lots of cooking:







And a bit of cleaning….(getting the honor of dipping your freezing hands in that hot dishwater was great!!)

Of course it wouldn’t be Girl Scout camp without a fire, some songs and meeting lots of new friends!

camp

I’m heading a few hours North to an adult learning opportunity: Learning how to camp with my Girl Scouts. This is just leaders camping and learning how to manage camp with girls, girls and more girls. I’m suuuuuper excited about it all! Well, not all of it: the weatherman predicts lows of 29 tonight. *GULP* Wish me luck!!!

I’ll see you back in this space for great stories and photos in a day or two!