An Honest Day's Work

Summer days tend to get filled up with the kinds of things that you can't even remember by bedtime. I often find myself wondering, "Did I do anything today?"

At least some people in my family are getting things done. Here you can see Mr. C keeping the grass in line. (Those of you in Indiana, there is still grass out there that needs mowing.)

And here is Hubby demolishing the wall between the living room and foyer. It is much more open now. I wanted to show the wallpaper that has been painted over. You can see how there were two different patterns in the foyer.

Here is a close-up of the downstairs pattern. Words fail me.

Portraits

I wanted to get some portraits of the kids while Smarty was home for the summer. The days keep passing and I keep putting it off. Or the girls are never home at the same time for a group shot. I have about two weeks left to try.

My Summer Vacation

I feel like Charlie Brown writing that title. Actually I've got pictures of the kids on vacation to share, so I should have called it My Kids' Summer Vacation.

Aren't they cute? Once I got home I realized just how many pictures of the bridge I took. Lots!

Mr. C got in this picture and put his hand in the empty hole. When we were looking at the pictures at home he said, "See this guy next to me? He's my right-hand man!" and then he laughed like a hyena. Funny guy!

We found an English phone box. There was a pay phone inside, but no dial tone. Of course we had to take a picture. You know how my kids are about anything British.

We crossed this suspension bridge wearing a safety harness. My camera strap was stuck inside the harness and I couldn't pick it up to take pictures. So I quite literally shot some from the hip. Most of them turned out pretty good.

Here comes Mr. C down the zip-line. We all did this and it was really fun.

Since we've been home I've seen a couple of good movies. My taste in movies tends to veer away from mainstream, so I don't want you to take this as an endorsement to see these. But you might like them. The girls and I went to see Moonrise Kingdom. S and I liked it and thought it was funny, quirky, and cute. M thought it was a waste of money. In all fairness, M hates to go to the movies and has a hard time sitting all the way through videos at home. I was also pleased to see that Netflix has The Black Balloon available again. I saw it awhile back and wanted to watch it again, but it wasn't on the list. Then it magically reappeared yesterday. I don't know why I like this movie so much, but I do. It is a coming of age story about a boy who has an older brother with autism and ADD. Not really for younger kids. Speaking of movies, I did get to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and really enjoyed it. I love Judi Dench and just about everything she is in.
Isn't summer great?

Staying Cool, Sort Of

Can you see Hubby waaaay up there?!?

I got something that I have always wanted this week. An attic fan! Yippee! It isn't magic, but it does work remarkably well. The attic has stayed at 123 or below during this heat wave. In the morning it is actually cooler in the attic than in the house.
Now that I've got that taken care of I think I'll get Hubby's rainstick out and do a little dance. I'll let you know how that turns out.