Waffles and Shells mac 'n cheese...Oh My!!!

So, during our visit to the Science Center yesterday, Shelly was playing in the grocery store area. She immediately beelined for her favorite item...WAFFLES!!! We all got a good laugh when she enthusiastically held them up for use to see.Shelly's food items are limited. Her menu consists of waffles, milk, mac 'n cheese, pizza, applesauce, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges, and yogurt. Yes, that is about it. But, I know she'll be fine. Why? Because I'm the same girl who lived off of cheese sandwiches and plain pasta with butter throughout most of my young life. My mom would even fix me a cheese sandwich and put it in a brown paper bag for me to bring with me when we would go out to eat. So, we all live through our weird little idiosyncrasies and are probably better for them.

Weekend Fun

We had a really nice and relaxing weekend. On Friday night we went to a birthday party for a friend of the girls. It was done so well and so clever. The family lives on a farm and they set up a movie theater in the tack room. They had concessions where the children could use their tickets to purchase hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and drinks. At intermission they had cake and snow cones. It was all so cute. Wish I had my camera with me to take pictures.

Saturday, we had a nice day. We ate dinner out and got some movies at Blockbusters. Last night we watched 21. It was a lttle slow moving, but ok.

Today, we went to the Natural Science Center. It was a fun time. After, we hit Lowe's hardware store and had lunch at Subway. We came home and swam in the pool until about 7 pm. We just finished watching The Bucket List. It wasn't my favorite movie, but I did like the message.

Here are photos from the day at the Science Center:

Animal Farm???

Do we look like a home for wayward animals??? So far, since Spring we have housed a plethora of ants, a scratchy little mouse, and a really odd squirrel. The squirrel might be the weirdest animal of all. First off...we have no trees where a squirrel might live, yet she is here all the time. She likes to perch on the windowsill of the large window above our front door. Then we saw her at our little plum tree eating the plums. And, now she has taken to hanging out on our front railing. This morning Shelly was eager to let me know that the squirrel (named Scratchy) was back and resting on the railing again. So for those who are interested, here she is on our front porch railing:

Next up in the world of entertainment here...I made a pitcher of iced tea the other day and decided to calculate the cost of a glass of homemade tea. Looks like I can make the pitcher for 50 cents and I am getting about 6 glasses of tea per container. So, the final cost is: 8.3 cents a glass!!!! No wonder you can always get free refills of iced tea from the $2.00 glass you ordered!

And next, a shot of Lily wearing her new Justice outfit she received from grandpa and grandma for her birthday-a-month gift. This is such a cute idea and the girls love it! Each month they receive a gift from my parents for their year round birthday gift. They are always so eager to see what they have received.

Finally, the girls wanted a new hairdo for the day. So, I took a cue from this site and put their hair into a High School Musical style. They both loved it:

Memory Lane

After I posted the previous entry, I found this picture of the girls when they were about 5 & 1 1/2. Just thought it was so sweet and fun to compare them from 2005 'til now.

Sugar and Spice Girls

I just love these two little girls. I love to photograph them and usually they love to be photographed.

Lily asked to have her curled with the spiral curling iron. She then put it up and turned into a 16 year old!!! I can't believe how much more mature she is becoming. She is really growing up.

My other little pretty...well, she is going through quite a battle of wills. We are attempting to potty train her (and yes, I know she's 4 1/2 and yes, I know I should have done this sooner). As we attempt this, she is still NOT showing signs of interest in the whole thing. We have tried it all...books, lots of liquids, visits to the potty, incentives, potty chart, the list goes on and on. I am questioning my decision to force the whole process on her. Maybe I should just be letting it happen naturally, but my fear is that it might not happen any time soon. Not so sure what my next step will be. I do know that I am not a fan of being forced to stay at my house. Between the gas price situation and potty training, I gotta get outta here!!! Said in the nicest way!

Summer Entertaining Tip

Here's a tip for a great product for those summer get togethers. I am no longer a Pampered Chef saleslady, so I don't benefit from the sale of this item, but it is worth every penny.

The rectangular Chillzanne Server by Pampered Chef. It's a great way to keep your cold food cold while out in the sun at a picnic/party/barbecue. The inside plate comes out and is filled with a gel that freezes. I store this part in my freezer so that it's always ready to keep my foods cold. The flip side of the tray holds 24 deviled eggs while the other side is flat for placing veggies, fruits, and any snack that needs to be kept cool.

I promise you'll love it. Check it out!!!

Lily Retrospective

A little digi layout that shows how she has grown:

Yes, still OBSESSED

...with this movie, song, etc.!!!!

New Digi Scraps

Haven't done many digital scrapbooking pages in awhile. So, here are a few:

Hop 'til You Drop (@ The Pool)

That was the theme of our progressive pool party. We started at our house with the appetizers and stayed for two hours. Then we moved to the next house for dinner and finally to the last house for dessert. It was so fun. A great adventure for everyone...complete with lots of adults being thrown in the pool!!! Here are photos (only from our house):

Party supplies

Pre-party

The deck with the new railing (installed by John)

The girls and the jets

The appetizers

Party People

To Do List

Here's what's on my agenda for Saturday (before the fun begins):

Make chicken dip
Make fruit dip
Wash strawberries
Make cheese bacon bites
Pretzels
Chips
Grapes
Onion Dip
Drinks
Buy ice
Set up tables
Clean around pool
Coolers
Clean bathroom
Vacuum
Wash towels
Chalk on driveway/move car
Toenails painted
Trim Shelly’s bangs

I Finished a Book

Well, not the most exciting news ever, but exciting to me. I read and finished a book in a timely manner. Since 2000, I just haven't made the time to sit and read. I am glad I am forcing myself to do this once again. I love to read a good book and have really missed some of my favorite authors. Here's the book I read and finished:
No, it wasn't a classic, or a witty new novel, or some well written political prose...but, it got me back into reading and for that I am happy. So, now I will wander through the bookstores and libraries looking for that perfect book that keeps me reading. I can't wait!

In a Day

With the price of gas increasing, I am doing my best to stay home and not take extra trips out unless absolutely necessary (haven't filled my gas tank in two weeks!!). So, that means that we are occupying ourselves at home with different activities. Here is a photo log of some of our daily stuff:

Lots of card games...

Lots of snacks...

Lots of pool time...

Lots of pool cleaning (complete with the hook I invented to empty the skimmer basket without having to touch any gross animals it collects)...

And those are just a few of the things on our daily routine. More riveting excitement from the Foster house to come!!!

Our 4th

It was a fun day. The afternoon was spent with the four of us in the pool (finally took some photos at the pool). Then we headed to the 4th of July celebration at our friends' (The Kinney's) home. It is exactly what you would imagine a cool country 4th of July party should be. Lots of kids running around and playing and adults drinking, chatting, and eating. So fun. The highlight is always the parade with decorated golf carts, tractors, and kids' vehicles. Once it's dark, we head to the 18th hole of the course to watch one of our neighbors shoot off fireworks.

Our one low spot this holiday...

Each year one of the guests at the party brings her adorable new puppies. Lily is immediately in love and spends the remainder of her time trying to convince mommy and daddy that she needs a dog. These dogs always get me...they are a beagle mix. Last year a beagle/Jack Russell mix. This year a beagle/lab mix. And they are cute...I mean really cute. But, we just can't do it, yet. So, with lots of chats and LOTS of tears, we went home without a puppy. Once in bed, Lily grabbed her stuffed animal lab puppy and fell asleep (I'm sure dreaming of what wasn't meant to be).