Moving Right Along.....

So the next project is pretty big. We need to re-do our deck. You can see how awful it looks from too many years of shade and neglect. Saturday we started to rip it apart.

The plan is to downsize and lay down Trex composite decking. De-struction isn't so bad but the con-struction will probably take us forever. Actually, I think Jill's got the hardest job right now....figuring exactly how much stuff we need delivered so there's no question of having to get or return another 16 foot board that wouldn't fit very well in her 6 foot truck bed!

We work slow but were pleased with what we got done by the end of the weekend.

From Oak To Pine In Just A Few Easy Steps

Since we'd ripped out part of the cabinets it has been Jill's plan to build a movable island that would replace the lost counter space but could be moved out of the way if need be. So we started with an oak cabinet base...

...replaced the drawer and door fronts...

...wrapped it in pine and made a countertop.

Behind the doors can be the garbage can that always sat out in plain view and a spot for some recycle stuff.I have christened it The BIG Island, Jill prefers to call it our PINE Island!

Breakfast And Blox

Cate has "graduated" to sitting at the island next to Claire for their meals and both girls are pretty happy about it. The only thing is, Cate would rather just sit in the big people's chair instead of her booster seat.

On Friday Angela had made gelatin for Knox Blox that the girls had a lot of fun with.

But we were supposed to try to use just half the pan and it didn't quite work out that way.

Let's Make A Deal!

The girls were so cute in their Adidas outfits today I wanted to get a picture of the two of them together. But Claire had other ideas. She wanted to take a picture first. So the deal was.... O.K., you take a picture then you have to pose with Cate. Here's the trade-off.................this........................

.................for this!

Down By The Riverside

Jon played in the Concert Band and Choir's performance at the concert in the park Sunday night so we made a picnic out of it.

Harvey even had a bit of potato salad to go with his pancake. And you can see he must have had a little watermelon because that's a seed stuck in his hair!

We didn't get a program until intermission so I didn't know until it was announced that the band was going to play Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave. I LOVE THAT SONG!! What a treat!

(Jon's on the tympani)

Jon came for a visit at intermission since the kids, their mom and grandma had to head home for bedtime. It seemed like a short concert to me...it was hardly dark when they finished.

But the band finished their portion with a flourish!

Party For A Five-Year-Old

Saturday was a perfect day for a pool party! We celebrated Olivia turning five at the Zumbrota pool.

Claire got to spend some time with the birthday girl.

Olivia's mom had a little game ready for the kids...pin the ears on Olivia. Pretty good try!

But Amy likes to tease. After spinning 3-year-old Isabelle around she "forgot" to aim her in the right direction for her turn!

Last year the theme was Fancy Nancy. This year it was Olivia the Pig. Pretty cute cake!

There was a plate of cupcakes, too, for the kids to pick from. Isabelle picked the only all black one. Look what it did to her lips!

...And I don't think she even knew it!

"Fry"-day Supper

First zucchini fry of the season last night with Mom and Dad!

It was just the four of us but we had enough slices to feed a much larger crowd. Funny how it happened but there weren't any leftovers!

Now we need to line up some dates for a fry with all the family. This is a delicacy in our house!

Friday Afternoon Theatre

Our plan was to go to Karate Kid but I guess it's been here and gone. So another movie on our list was The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

It was another of those far-fetched films that the critics don't like but for the viewers it's just a fun time in a cool theatre. I like Nicholas Cage...I hope he doesn't do a Mel Gibson on us!

Just A Short Visit

Harvey stopped by yesterday while Natalie went to music class. He had a bit of a fever but I put him to work anyway! I had a load of laundry to put in and he liked watching it go 'round.

We talked a little bit about golfing. I told him to keep his head down and his eye on the ball...which I think he may have taken literally.

But he just didn't feel quite up to 100%. A couple minutes after this picture he fell asleep and took a 45 minute nap. He woke up, though, to find his mom and Natalie had stopped back to pick him up.

Of course, everyone has to have lunch. So we hopped in the car and went with them to the McDonald's just up the road! I wish it showed up better but Harvey's first tooth is really starting to become obvious!

On Your Mark, Get Set........Go!!!

Claire and Cate were in a track meet on Tuesday. Yes, even Cate at a year and a half! She wasn't too crazy about the start...

...but Darrick talked her into running the 50 yards.

Claire knew just what she had to do and clipped right along.The girl's neighbor kids were there, too......Serena and Noah.

What do you suppose is with the dude in the green "Disaster Volunteer" t-shirt?! What could he have been expecting?!

An Outdoor Concert...Indoors!

Outdoor concerts in the summer are so much fun.....if the weather holds! We began the show in Pine Island in spite of how the sky looked.Two songs into the show it started to rain but it was such that the band could move into the building they were set up next to. The group was Lost Faculties....mostly a bunch of retired teachers that play music from the 50's and 60's with a few more recent songs tossed in.

It actually turned out to be a pretty nice evening. We set our lawn chairs up at the very back of the building that had the doors open on both ends so even though the concert was inside we enjoyed it outside!!

The Color Purple

It won't be long now.....

...before it's hard to get a word in edge-wise!

It Pays To Have A Connection!

I got a very important call from Duluth today. Mindy called from the Canal to say they were there and, by golly, she wasn't kidding! I could see them on the webcam again. She and Natalie are in the circle, Jon and Harvey are in the square. Mindy had just pulled Natalie back from sticking her head through the little slot the arrow is pointing to. I think that opening is there for drainage but it was big enough for a little girl's head!

Five times this summer a big cruise ship will be coming into port. It came the first time the day we left Duluth back in June and we missed it then. It was in again today but was leaving shortly after they called. So Mindy called back when the bridge was going up so I could see it on it's way out.

If we can't see it in person this will have to be the next best thing!

Outside With The Girls

Even though it's been pretty hot the girls still like to get outside. And every day Claire asks, "Is Jill gonna come?" So the other day we took a walk down to the neighbor's rock to watch for her.

Of course, I had to get in on the action too.

Claire can be quite concerned about bird poop and when Cate got sidetracked up somebody's walk we found an excessive heap of the stuff. When I looked up there was a swallow nest in the entryway.

On another rock at the end of the block Claire was very cooperative about posing for pictures.

Cate, on the other hand, likes to have something on her mouth besides a smile.We tried some different modes of transportation on the way home. Cate was busy picking something out of Jill's hair. Claire wasn't quite sure what a piggyback ride was but she gamely gave it a try.When we worked our way to the backyard Claire showed us how she likes to swing on the high swing.And I tell you, something about those Bogie girls...they seem to lose their feet in the sandbox!!

One Of Those Wild Friday Nights!

We talked G and g into going for an early supper with us girls tonight after we got done golfing in Plainview. After a really good burger and tator tots at the Island Sports Bar and Grill in PI we went all out and got milkshakes from Kwik Trip for a little dessert to top it all off. Mmmmmmm.....

This picture is courtesy of my phone. Are there any techies out there that might be able to guide me through a faster way of getting photos from my Blackberry to my computer than sending it by email? I have a cable that can connect the two but I don't see anything in the User Guide about saving pictures to your computer. Help!

Glasses For Everyone!

Everybody took a turn yesterday looking through my glasses. I still think they fit me best!