And a New Chapter Begins....

A new chapter is beginning in my life - I will be starting a new job today! I am going to be working in a daycare about 10 minutes away from my house. I will be taking care of babies, up to the age of 14 months. I knew I would be looking for some sort of job because Kelly - who's kids I watched last year, decided to not go back to teaching this year. I have a friend who works at this daycare and told me about this job opening. I will be working every day from 3-6 with the possibility of more hours. For the most part, I think it will work out. My one concern is that I won't be home when the girls come home from school. If Dave is working more hours,this leaves Chelsea to watch Shaelyn - and they don't always get along that well. Shaelyn has a tendency to "bug" Chelsea.

We've had a lot of change in our household this year. Chelsea got a new job at the nursing home this summer. Katelyn quit her job and got 2 new jobs on campus and now I am also starting something new. I'll be letting you know how it all goes.

Works for Me Wednesday

Actually, this is a trick that Chelsea wanted to share. Do you know how dirty your flip flops get when wearing them? Using an old toothbrush and some dish soap - scrub them. It's amazing what a difference it makes. Here is a picture of one of her shoes before and after she scrubbed it. Amazing, huh?

1st Grade - Here I Come!

Shaelyn started 1st Grade today! We went to school yesterday for visit day. She got to meet her teacher and find her room. She is at a new school this year so I also took her around to see the gym, art room, etc.. Her room is right next to the door to the playground - great for quick exits to the toys! She was excited to go - she wanted to sleep in her clothes but I guess I talked her out of that. She thought that it was also pretty cool that she gets to ride the bus with Chelsea (not so sure how Chelsea feels on that one) So here I am, all alone today. (sorry, Cheri!) It seems extremely quiet but I know that soon they will be home and the noise level will increase!














She's got her own desk and locker this year!
Last week I was talking to her about school and saying how she would be going every day this year. Later in the week she asked if she would be going to school on Saturdays. I guess I should have clarified that more for her.

And another one's gone (to school that is)

Chelsea started school today. She is in her junior year. I think that is one of the more difficult years - class wise. She's got a lot of tougher classes including AP History. She does have friends in most classes so that helps. She said that it went fine today. It was a shorter day today with class getting done at 12:20. They do have off on Friday so that will be a nice, longer holiday weekend.

And She's Off Again!

Today was the day that Katelyn moved back into the dorms. She was excited to moved in again and see her friends. Classes start for her on Monday. She also got 2 new jobs on campus - working the front desk and in the business office. She will be busy this year!

Packing took a little time again - check out the vehicles!

Vehicle #1













Vehicle #2















Here's Katelyn and her roommate - Kath. They were suitemates last year and
decided to room together this year.













The room was starting to take shape -at least the beds were made!
I hope they make some great progress tonight and are able to walk
through the room without tripping. AT least they've got food!

Summer Foods

I've been busy lately with much food from the garden. Two weeks ago, I
canned some dill pickles. I found an easy mix from the store so I'm hoping
that these turn out good.













Today, I worked on salsa. I got about 22 pints of salsa. It smelled so
good in my house. Last week, I froze a 1/2 bushel of peaches. I know I'm
going to have to get more of them though. We love frozen peaches.
I would like to can some tomatoes yet but we'll see how much time I have
to get more accomplished.

A Busy, Fun-filled Week

It's fair week again!! This is always a fun but busy week. Last night, we went to look around a bit and here's some of what we saw. Do you see the little white animal in the bottom? It's a chicken. Today, we went for the afternoon. Shaelyn did reading club and earned 5 free rides. Tonight we will go to the off road derby with Cheri and her family. I'm hoping for a great time tonight too.

The Yearly Chicken BBQ

Saturday we went to our annual chicken bbq. Every year my dad takes us there. We grew up going to this. Because it was the 50th year, there were some added attractions including animals and an antique car show. The food is always great and 3 years ago they added a corn maze and wagon ride. What fun we all had!


Dinner!!! Chicken on the grill, potato salad, applesauce, coleslaw, potato chips, a roll and ice cream. It doesn't get much better than that!










We let the little girls lead through the maze. They kept saying, "They're still following. We must be going the right way!"














How do YOU spell "Love"?














Faces of Determination












Obviously bouncing is a ton of fun!











Aren't these Angora bunnies the most precious little things?












Why must baby chicks grow up? They are so cute when there are little!

The Completed Look

I promised you a picture of Shaelyn's finished tie-dye shirt. Here it is. This one is called the spiral. Can you see the spiral effect on the top and bottom? I think that overall, it turned out pretty cute for pajama's!

Camping Pictures

I know - I know; it's been forever since I posted. We got back from camping last Saturday. My Dad informed me that my garden was overflowing with food so I have been chopping and cutting peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and pickles yesterday and today.
I thought I would at least post some pictures of our great week, in spite of a few rain showers. Overall, we had a really good time!



Back from the beach











1-2-3 JUMP!












Shaelyn helping tie-dye her shirt. I'll show a completed picture soon!











The waves were really big on Thursday











Shaelyn enjoying the BIG waves

I'm Hoping for None of This...

I took this picture earlier this week. Suddenly it started to rain and the drops were so big that they formed bubbles on the pool. But mostly I'm hoping for no rain because I am leaving tomorrow to go camping for a week with the 'sistas'! We'll try to keep the laughter level to a minimum for the sake of our neighbors. I'm sure we'll all have some stories to tell when we return!