Mini Vacation with Grandma!

Grandma Joyce treated us (G, his friend me and herself) to a mini vacation to .......

the boys spent hours in the water for 2 days ......

We took time to get a game in of mini golf .....

And a game of baseball .....

Can you see the boys?

they have their feet up on the wall! Thanks Grandma!

and one last time .. the boys in the dump!

Life on Thursday ~ Meltdown Version

After being on a food binge, lack of sleep vacation the past couple of days it was back to reality today. It's always the fun times that spur a meltdown day (or two) for G. He's tired and used to having too much electronics for him to quit cold turkey. I just have to hold on and let them happen while sticking to my guns! Today was that 'cold turkey' day as known as a Meltdown day".

I got a great boxing workout in. Not without a mini meltdown from G. about how he wasn't going.

Then we got home we had tons of yard work to get done. G just wanted to watch TV so we had a few meltdowns until he realized that TV watching wasn't going to happen. Then he wasn't too bad about doing his chores.

The weather was perfect, 80ish and sunny (finally) for yard work. Our yard needed to mowed badly. I had asked that it be mowed while I was gone, but it didn't get done. I really do love to mow so I wasn't too upset.

I took a badly needed shower, started a new book, fixed burgers, roasted veggies (asparagus, & green beans) and fresh tomatoes for supper and turned in early.

Quick trip

Yesterday we ........

the boys and I

took a quick trip to visit family.

First we stopped to see .....

My Dad and Betty were having a fish fry for their church so we went to see everyone and enjoy Crappie.

Then we stopped by to see ......and had a couple games of Farkle .....

Busy Monday

We visited with Granny

(her 89th birthday is next weekend)

Granny and Gr'pa made Doll Houses for years.

this is her doll house, she's had it for years

and collected the furniture when she'd travel the country.

when W was little he would go and look at this doll house for hours

Today, he went and found the things that were new,

he also found the things he use to play with, 2 little kittens, and a black car.

W and Granny talking about her old things.

She has a plate from the HaHaTonka Castle

(it's the gold plate on the right in the picture)

We then headed off to play Miniature golf.

We've been experiencing the

coolest summer in history,

but this was not a cool day!

G kept commenting on the sweat dripping off of his head.

then we stopped by to see Aunt Maurice.

She always makes all of us feel so special!

Great Sunday

I didn't go to church today except to make some copies and hand them out.

Lucky for me I was there long enough for my friend,Iris to find me.

She had a Birthday gift for me!

We both got a laugh out of this ....

a very colorful nesting turkey!

She told me that she just laughed when she saw it
and knew I needed that for my collection!
She also said that she must really treasure ME
since she was parting with one of her

"Smithsonian" boxes for my turkey!

Then boys and I then took off driving to visit family.

I've been driving this same route for over 20 years

(probably closer to 25 years)

and when we go through an area where we see these signs ~

But I've never seen an Amish person or even an Amish buggy.

Just How can This Be?

Until the last time we went through the area, I turned to hubby, and said, "you know we've never seen an Amish person through here." I turn my focus back to the road and there is a buggy on the side of the road. I was about to tell W in this same thing on this trip, when we see a couple of barefooted Amish boys (in the Sunday clothes) walking along the road.

We stop at HaHaTonka State Park, we walk around the Castle ruins

and look out over the bluff.

The boy's Granny (hubby's mom) used to work at and stayed at

HaHaTonka Castle when she was young.

Rock Bridge and Devil's Icebox

Rock Bridge

I had taken field trips to this state park for years and then visited it several times and NEVER saw this much water in the stream! When we were little there wasn't a walk way and we had to use stepping stones to walk under the bridge. Looking for bats as we walked!

Devil's Ice box

I don't think I've ever been all the way down to the door of Devil's Ice Box and was amazed as just how much the temperature dropped was we went down to the opening.

At the entrance to Devil's Ice box there is the steep hill. Brave G started to climb (he's the boy at the top) and just zoomed to the top. When he got to the top he decided he couldn't make it to the walk way and decided to climb back down. He was amazing with his ability to climb and his bravery! By the way the other little boy was scared and stuck telling his dad that he couldn't get down. I was worried that W may have to do a rescue mission, but to be honest W wasn't really going to get near the steep hill!

When I used to go to this park on field trips there weren't any nice walk ways the trail looked much like this only with out the rail. You can still see the old walk ways and it's amazing that we could climb the hills! The new walk ways and stairs are still a workout but so much safer!

Fantastic day in Fantastic Caverns

We met up with Gran'pa R and Gran'ma B and drove to Fantastic Caverns. We rode in a tram through the 1/2 mile cave.

There was lots to see, something every where you looked!
Things growing up and
and things growing down!
We had a great time UNTIL it was time to ride out of the cave,Through the rain that was pouring off the hill ~ it was like a amusement park ride with water!

OH, we saw one bat in the cave and one outside of the cave.