1. My daughter had team volleyball camp at Missouri State this week. It's really a gargantuan volleyball tournament, with teams from public and private schools all over the state (states, actually, since Arkansas was represented as well). They didn't always win, but they played hard and grew as a team.
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| Okay, the only picture I took all week of volleyball and it's (a) blurry; (b) has Coach Travis's shoulder in it and (c) although she was standing when I started to snap the picture, by the time the picture took, she had sprawled on the floor to get a pass. She missed.... |
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| Varsity girls are silly girls. |
2. I stayed at the lake house while Emma was at volleyball camp. It was only a half hour away and I could run up there and watch a few games every day.
3. I stayed at the lake house ALONE. ALL BY MYSELF. No one else there to ask me about food or tell me they're bored or fight over the tv or come in and change the channel when I'm watching something and no one drank out of my glass except for ME.
4. I stayed at the lake house all by myself and only got a little bit scared one time.
5. Thankful for my Shark Navigator. I love that vacuum cleaner!
6. There were some mystery stains on the carpet in the hallway at the lake house, and I got them out with only vinegar and baking soda. Pinterest win!
7. My kitties missed me while I was gone! Best part was when Fletcher wanted to sit in my lap, which was already occupied by Ruby. She grabbed his feet and tried to bite them, but he ignored her for the first time in EVER and sat anyway. ON HER HEAD. It was pretty funny, as she was rendered immobile for a minute before she got over the shock of having a 15 pound cat sitting on her head and got up.
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| A very determined Fletcher sitting on Ruby's head. |
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| Close up of Ruby with Fletcher's ass planted on her head. |
8. I GOT A MICROWAVE THIS WEEK! My microwave (the installed, over the range kind, not a counter top style) died towards the end of April, and I know this is a First World problem, and I know my mom and others before her heated up leftovers without one, but I NEVER HAVE BEFORE, and it's realllly harrrrrd! My mother in law finally felt sorry for me and bought me a new one.
9. The last one was worth two: one for the microwave, one for the mother in law.
10. Going back to the lake house this weekend and spend a lot of time at White Water, a pretty nice water park there. Fridays and Saturdays, they are open until 10 p.m., so we head over there around 5 or 6 and spend several hours cooling off without worrying about sunburns and excessive heat.
I'm going to spend the weekend soaking up summer and pretending it doesn't feel like a blast furnace outside. (Bonus thankful: my hair is easy to fix this time of year, as there's no fighting the curls with a straightening iron when it's this hot and humid outside.) Join our link up. Not a blogger? Click on any of the links below and read thankfuls from a variety of bloggers in a variety of styles.
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Omg 7 made me snort with glee...as much as I adore ruby....fletcher man! Funny photos! You could have taken my microwave... Well I guess I use it for dog food...I was gonna say I don't use it but I guess I do...but I would still give it to ya!
ReplyDeleteThe picture truly doesn't do the whole debacle justice! Ruby was FROZEN when Fletcher sat on her head!
DeleteI never realized how much I used my microwave until I didn't have one. Little things like melting butter or heating up a little milk for a bread recipe, for example. Besides the whole leftover thing.
I guess I wouldn't give you mine because when I heated up the dog food yesterday I came back and found that it had lit it on fire. Apparently the dog food must to explode in a little bit and got stuck on the filter which caused it to blow up in flames. Luckily it was a closed container and put itself out. Damn!
DeleteI agree with Ivy about the cat photos. Silly cats!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have a working microwave now, but I must admit I was surprised you hadn't ever heated anything up without one. :-)
SUCH silly cats.
DeleteOkay, that was a slight exaggeration about never heating anything up without a microwave. Soups and such are easy to do on the stove. But some foods are just impossible to heat up without compromising quality, like mac and cheese or casseroles.
I will try to stop taking your comments so literally. :-)
DeleteOh, I haven't yet got to spend any alone time at the NC house. I love those days of just me and my thoughts. You must have just loved the peace and tranquility of it. Glad you could visit the volleyball games. I loved the team photo. lol. The cats made me laugh, as always, and your posts are always happy and positive. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
ReplyDeleteI also cleaned like crazy when I was there, so I had the pleasure of that accomplishment as well. I brought my little blue tooth speaker and worked to the music of the Sara Bareilles station on Pandora.
DeleteThose goofball volleyball girls called themselves Kiss My Ace during the competition portion of summer weight class (it was them against the softball girls), so they thought this picture was fitting.
Thanks for your kind words, Val! Enjoy the beach!
Wow! Glad that you've managed to get some peace and quiet there! And got to enjoy yourself as well. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt was a very pleasant few days, Michelle!
DeleteFunny pictures. My teen just joined a volleyball club, although it is preseason here for the first time. It keeps her motivated, happy, and busy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.36hourworkweek.com/2015/07/summer-fun-frugal-court.html#more
My daughter is doing pre-season school ball. She has played club ball in the winter every year since 7th grade, although she's not going to do it this year, as we had scheduling conflicts with show choir performances. Glad your daughter is enjoying it!
DeleteThe trip to the lake house sounds just like the Diane Keaton movie I talked about this week..except that Diane would have had everything just perfect and never had anything scary...but it sounds like the kind of experience that I am feeling like I am missing...glad it went fairly well. And I hear you about he scheduling for the kids. The experience of getting into some high level competition sounds wonderful. I know my daughter loved playing volleyball, but it is hard to find that line where it becomes too consuming and they end up missing out on other things.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like your movie scenario! If only George Clooney had pulled up to the dock in a boat.... :)
DeleteHoly cow, they played some really good teams at that volleyball camp! They played well, though. She gave up dance and cheer for volleyball, but still does show choir.
Staying at a lake house alone with no one drinking out of your water glass sounds like heaven!
ReplyDeleteNo one drinking out of my water glass includes Ruby, who always does and who didn't get to go with me.
Delete#1 (second photo)... it's re-assuring that kids still know instinctively that official type group photos are meant to 'mess with'... in our day (yes, they had cameras non-digital but still cameras) leaning sideways (usually a part of the back row) was a definite go-to move, and, of course, there was my favorite, flipping off the photographer with strategically placed fingers.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a re-run of Roseanne (yes, I'm watching high brow shows on cable tv whilst at the lake house) where a bunch of kids were in trouble for flipping the bird in their class picture!
DeleteYou know, I want a lake house, too!! Lake houses sound awesome, at least if there's no flood.. And being alone... I remember a time when all I wanted was never to be alone again; now, I'd really love a day just to myself.. But I also know once I have plenty of days to myself again, I'll wish back those days of "Mami, I want breakfast" / "Mami, I'm bored!!" / "muaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.. Maaaaamiiiiii... mamamamamamam".
ReplyDeletePinterest is, was, and always will be awesome! And yay for Emma having a great time at the camp. I always keep telling Lily it's not about winning, it's about giving your best, having a good time, and be satisfied with your achievement in the end.
Have a wonderful week, Dyanne!
Come visit me, Stephanie! We'll sit on the deck and watch the water and you can drink coffee or wine or whatever and I'll have a diet coke and we'll talk and laugh!
DeletePinterest is one fantastic site! I get so many good ideas from there!
The best part of camp was that Emma got to play Varsity. She has had to work hard to get there, and she could be moved down to JV at any time if she starts messing up, but it made the week fantastic for her!
As much as I love having both boys back home again, I would love a day by myself too! Okay, let's be honest, when I say by myself I really mean a day without Jackson the very needy Shepherd.
ReplyDeleteIn the summer, it's very rare for me to get a day to myself! And with the kids bickering with each other, it's really nice to have SILENCE.
DeleteOh, and one other thought! You really don't want to know some of the ways microwaves have been destroyed in my house! I usually buy the cheapest one going now.
ReplyDeleteYou're right; I probably DON'T want to know how your boys have destroyed microwaves! Two of ours were done in by the door cracking from the handle being yanked open too hard too many times.
DeleteOne of mine was a victim of an experiment involving a light bulb. Another one was a victim of the 16 minute bag of microwave popcorn. Those are the two I know - who knows what happened to the other ones!
DeleteI'm going to guess you really don't want to know.
DeleteI have a tendency to set the toaster oven on fire, so I really can't talk, though.
DeleteFletcher is such an Eeyore!
ReplyDeleteIt was sooo nice to hang out there!
"...let the bodies hit the floor,let the..." lol That's the first thing to come to mind at first pic lol
ReplyDeleteAlone time at a lakehouse, water park time when you want, sounds like a bit 'o heaven to me :) Glad you are enjoying a whirlwind, but not, summer!
Cats can be very amusing when they want to be can't they? I'd have burst out laughing so hard, both cats would have flown off my lap lol
I wish that picture weren't blurry, because it cracks me up to see just her arm and leg on the ground like that. Plus I like the look on her teammate's face as she watches her dive and miss.
DeleteIt's pretty heavenly, and we know we are lucky ducks to have a lake house we can go to any time we want.
I was laughing so hard at Fletcher I could hardly get a picture of him! He is such an Eeyore!
Alone time at the lake must have been wonderful. We very rarely get that, and to have it a relaxing location must have been such a treat.
ReplyDeleteI did not know vinegar and baking soda removed stains. What amount of each do you use?
It was wonderful to be there by myself. I need some alone time and no one else in my family "gets" it.
DeleteFor the first spots I cleaned, I just poured vinegar onto the rug until the spot was saturated, then sprinkled baking soda on, not too thick (you can hear it sizzle). Vacuum up a few hours later. No scrubbing. It was amazing! I bought a spray bottle and sprayed the vinegar on spots the next time I did it, and that didn't get the rug so very wet.
A friend of mine had a microwave that broke three years ago. She still hasn't replaced it. I just don't even understand that. I use mine almost daily!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the only photo you took was of your poor daughter with her face flat against the court. I'm not surprised you took it and posted it, but I am surprised it's the ONLY photo you took.
Time at the lake all alone? Lucky you!
I may not use mine for big things, but I do use it daily, even if it's just to melt butter or something. It was easier to go 2 years without a dishwasher than three months without a microwave.
DeleteThe lighting in those gyms was horrible, and I couldn't get a picture at all, so I gave up. The last day, I figured I'd better at least try to get a picture, aimed it as she was getting ready to pass, and this is what I got.
You know you can come join me at the lake any time you want
How wonderful to be able to have some quiet time to yourself at the lake house!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you vacuum is a great one.
I remember the time I thought having a microwave just wasn't really necessary, but now I'd really miss having one.
Vinegar and soda to the rescue again!
The photos of your cats are so funny. They really love you and miss you when you are gone.
It was heavenly, even though I spent a lot of the time cleaning the house! At least there wasn't anyone going around behind me and undoing everything I had done!
DeleteMy parents bought their first microwave in 1979, and they replaced it LAST WEEK when the timer quit working.
I was very impressed with the abilities of vinegar and soda!
It was so funny to watch Fletcher sit right down on Ruby's head! They miss their mama!