4th Of July And More

Hey, my friends!  Well, I think I've fianlly come to the conclusion that during the summer months when my girls are home, I won't be posting more than once, possibly twice, a week.  I just can't find enough time in the day to sit down and compose a post, along with pictures. Plus, I have a terrible guilt complex if I'm not spending time with them. I suppose it goes back to my knowing that our time together is passing by much faster than I care to admit...and I want to cherish every second of it. Sure hope you'll continue to bear with me! 

Last week, Chris and I decided to lay 6 pallets of sod in our backyard.  It was about 102 degrees outside! Definitely not one of the smartest decisions we've ever made.  I got really worried about Chris when we finished up.  As soon as he got a shower, he started having chills, then he had terrible leg and arm cramps.  We bought him some jugs of Gatorade and after about an hour, his symptoms subsided.  No doubt about it...I believe he was on the verge of suffering a heatstroke. Pretty scary stuff.  Thankfully, our yard looks great now!  As you can see in these first two pictures, it was dying in many spots.  We think that all of the large trees in our backyard deplete our lawn of water.  So, we got a Bermuda sod that is shade-tolerant.    

See how much better it looks with the new sod...

As for our 4th of July, we just decided to stick close to home.  We barbequed chicken and had corn on the cob, baked beans, and homemade peach ice cream for dessert.  The girls, of course, had to have some sparklers to celebrate...

We got a few more fireworks to set off in our driveway once the sun went down. So, I guess you could say that our evening went out with a BANG!

It was the strangest thing a few nights ago.  Abby and I were watching TV and Chris was mowing the yard.  He opened the back door and yelled for me to come outside QUICK! He told me to grab my camera, which is always nearby.  When I got outside, I found this fella roaming around...a PEACOCK!  What are the chances of seeing one of those in your backyard?  All I can say is if he escaped from a zoo...he definitely came to the right place! :)
 

 
Brittany will have her CT scan on Tuesday morning and I'll be glad to get that behind us.  I feel confident that all will be well, but say a prayer for her, if you would. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 

Fun At The Lake

I've, finally, come to a conclusion. I'm ready to pack my bags, buy a house on a lake, and live out the rest of my days in sweet content. Oh, if it were only that simple! As you know, we spent the 4th of July weekend in South Carolina at my mother-in-law's house...she lives on beautiful Lake Murray. Both of my girls brought a friend along and they sure had a good time! I thought you might like to see some pictures I took while we were there.

Here's Abby and her friend, Katelyn, shortly after we arrived and were about to go on a boat ride.

About all we did for the next few days was take the girls tubing. They had a blast! I love the expression on Abby's face!

And on Brittany's!Hold on Kelsey!Katelyn's about to slip-slide away! Bella and Maddie just sat on the boat and took it all in. No tubing for those girls!
Abby doing a cannonball off the dock...though it looks like she's sitting still!
After only one attempt, Brittany popped up out of the water and started skiing...she was so excited! She stayed up for a good while! I didn't try this time around...my snow skiing escapade has made me a wimp! My mother-in-law hosted a party on the 4th for about 50 people. We had Brunswick stew, cornbread, potato salad, watermelon, Key Lime Pie...the list goes on! It was almost like a church potluck! Since my mother-in-law lives right on a point, you could see the fireworks display over the lake perfectly.

Here's Brittany with her friend, Kelsey.
Chris giving Abby lessons in how to play horseshoes.
Abby and Katelyn battling it out to break their tie!
Me with the hubby.Brittany with the princess herself.One of many gorgeous sunsets that were seen from my mother-in-law's backyard. It's a sight I can never get enough of!
I hope all of you had a great 4th with family and friends! Now, it's back to REALITY...I say let's all just live in denial! :)

"You can never appreciate the shade of a tree unless you sweat in the sun."~Author Unknown

This Is How WE Do It!

Today, I'm joining Angie over at 7 Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday...I've been out of the loop for awhile now and I've missed it! Be sure you drop by when you can and see all the photos others are sharing. It's fun, fun, FUN!

This time, I've chosen a few pictures from last July 4th. We went to my in-laws' house in South Carolina for the long weekend. Brittany had her best friend, Alicia, tag along with us. What a good time all the girls had!

Of course, sparklers are always a must! Here's Brittany and Alicia doing the "sparkler joust".Abby's twirling the sparkler around her waist like a hula hoop! I think they're all pyromaniacs, if you ask me! LOL!Of course, fun on the water was a huge hit!We'll be heading back to South Carolina tomorrow afternoon to spend the 4th on Lake Murray in South Carolina. Both of the girls will be bringing friends, so they're EXCITED! There will be lots of tubing, swimming, and skiing going on. Just pray that I don't pull something that's really important for doing things like walking, for instance! Oh, to be young, again...but, I'll always be young at heart!

Have a fun and safe 4th of July! God Bless AMERICA! "Where liberty is, there is my country.”~Benjamin Franklin

P.S. If I can get my vlog done and uploaded before we leave, I'll participate in Vlogemotions Carnival tomorrow. If not...I'll try, again, next week!

I ♥ Faces...Friends Forever

I am really excited about this week's theme over at I ♥ Faces...SILHOUETTE. There's just so many different directions you can go with it. I, immediately, had a photo come to mind that I took last summer. We'd taken a trip to my in-law's house in South Carolina for the 4th of July. They live right on a lake, so the scenery is spectacular! Well, Brittany's best friend, Alicia, went along with us and they had such fun going tubing, skiing, swimming, and just hanging out. On our last night there, the sun was doing down and the sky turned the prettiest color. I had Brittany and Alicia stand close to the water's edge holding each other's hands and here's the result...

Now, go on over to I ♥ Faces and check out all the amazing photos this week! You'll be "oohing" and "aahing" all day long!

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."~Author Unknown

P.S. More questions and answers coming soon!