The Cats Will Need to Find a New Litterbox

The cats are going to have to come up with another option for a bathroom. Some of you know that we have had a big naked spot in the yard since June. The winter was pretty tough on yards and our lovely St. Augustine grass (up north it is called "crab grass") died and was taken over by weeds. This was common all over the area. People are pretty frustrated. You would think that a yard would be easy to maintain in our climate. Actually, it is REALLY hard; nigh impossible. Travis raked up all the weeds, put down killer, tilled the dirt, killed weeds again. Then he went out of town for a long time. This was the first weekend he had available to get back to the yard. Despite the 97 degree temperature, he got really busy today and resodded the yard. It looks really good and it is nice to have that on its way to being lush and green!

This next picture is just a shot to show our "Firecracker" crepe myrtle with the dark red flowers. It is one of my favorite colors for these trees.

Rozzie was at dance camp this week in Daytona. Within the first hour, she sprained her right index finger playing balloon volleyball in her dorm. Another girl "smacked it." It was swollen and purple all week, but she taped it up and didn't complain. Her coach gave her a special award for hard work and dedication. One of the afternoons at camp, the girls have a themed costume party. This year the theme was sports and our girls chose...Quidditch, of course. They divided up into Hogwarts houses and decorated shirts. Their little brooms were so cute. They were little plastic brooms and the girls sure had a fun time.

Last, but certainly not least, Lisa and I went to see the movie, "Larry Crowne" yesterday and we were very much the youngest people in the theater. We giggled over that. After we came out I noticed someone had called from home. It was Maddie. Travis had set dinner on fire. Before I left for the movie, Maddie and I had made Chicken Spaghetti. She had put cheese and bread crumbs on the top and put it in the oven. I had the oven all set on "delay". Trav came home early and wanted dinner done sooner, so he turned the delay off and restarted the oven. What he didn't know is that we can't have anything in the oven when it preheats, or it burns the food. This burned it so much that the casserole ignited and scared Maddie. Travis picked the burned bread crumbs and cheese off the top and they were able to eat a delicious meal!!

Oh, What do we do in the Summer Time?

We go to Girl's Camp!! Morgan harassed me yesterday about not posting on the blog yet, so here it is!! Camp was a family affair this year. Travis was one of the camp lifeguards. We got there and saw that the guard chair was umbrellaless, so we called the girls back home and had them bring the new beach umbrella and it was a lifeguard saver!

Before camp, I helped the girls at church tie-dye tshirts. The theme this year was "BEE-YOU-tiful" and they went with the "bee" thing. I already blogged about the shirt design, so here we are at camp looking amazing. I love the group pictures with tie dye!!

This year was a very small year for our ward. We have lost a number of girls to graduation over the past few years and a few have moved and so we are very low in numbers this year. However, what we lack in number, we more than make up for in spirit and spunk!! I am very happy to be associated with these people. It was a lot of fun to have Travis there for a week. He was surprised at the amount of work Girl's Camp is. It is truly an exhausting, but rewarding week. We missed Morgan terribly, the whole camp did. A family picture with just 4 of us feels odd. However, Morgan is where she needs to be at this point in her life and we couldn't be happier.

Just so you are aware, I don't know what happened to my pictures and why they are all over the place. Just so you know.

Last night was the big "Potter Affair". We spent all day dressing up. Maddie worked on her Luna Lovegood costume all week!! She had it all, down to the radish earrings!! We got some comments that Maddie looked quite a lot like Luna.

We ended up with a housefull getting ready. It was very exciting and quite fun to have the hustle and bustle here. Maddie's friend, Megan was a Hogwarts student; no one in particular. Maddie as Luna. Rozzie was Bellatrix LaStrange and borrowed the pleather bustier from McCall. She worked much of the day painting up her Death Eater mask. Sabrina was another Hogwarrs student. Nora was Rita Skeeter and I made her the green Quick Quotes Quill. Alexa was Lavender Brown.

Here is another shot of Rozzie with the Dark Mark on her arm that will be there for a long time, I'm afraid!Bellatrix!

We met Lani and McCall there. McCall was Fleur de la Coeur. Lani whipped this costume up in about 3 hours. Lani dressed up as Sybil Trelawney and she was just hilarious!! I went as Mrs. Weasley and wore two aprons.

And here, Rozzie and Dobby re-enact Dobby's murder. Rozzie didn't have a dagger to throw, so she used her wand. Speaking of Rozzie's wand, she found this twig months ago and has carried it around in her purse. It is bent, just like Bellatrix's wand. It was sitting by the computer the other night when Lani was over and Lani picked it up. Right as I was starting to say, "That is Rozzie's 'Bellatrix' wand," Lani snapped it in half. "NO!! That is Rozzie's wand!" Lani taped it together. Rozzie came home and was furious that we had broken her wand. Maddie and I were at Maddie's violin lesson. Rozzie got the story and was devastated. Lani got to feeling pretty bad about it. Funny story.

The movie was wonderful. I cried. The girls were heard to be all-out sobbing. We got home at about 3am and I was in bed by 3:15.

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what it easy." My favorite quote from the books. It is well known, but it truly speaks what I believe and what I live by and teach my kids at home and at school.