$$ Family Fort $$

3 tables, 7 chairs, 1 tee pee, 5 pillows & 11 blankets later, the memories of having the fort up for a week is priceless!



A promise is a promise...and even though I don't have much time this week (while trying to get thing ready for Dad to go back to school)I did take twenty minutes and make a fort for the boys to play in! I remember this being one of our favorite things to do as a kid! They're enjoying it as we speak!

Curtain Project

This one is for Kasi & Jared...who are crazy enough to try some of my projects!
This year I made curtains for my back deck to help with a little extra shade, and privacy considering we're up on the second level and seen so easy by the neighbors.

So here are some pictures with the basics. The curtains can be any color, but solid & dark help with shade, I used dollar fabric from Walmarts because I didn't want to invest to much money if I didn't like the curtains. $15.00 in material. The rods were a huge problem by themselves (not wanting to deal with the bowing of the rod in the middle, needing to be able to pull the curtains open & closed, but not having them right against the wall so they could move). After a good 40 minutes at Home Depot, and a number of different ideas, I came up with 1/2 inch galvanized electrical conduit. It's strong, easy to paint, light enough to mount & has "U" shaped mounting brackets all ready for you to mount. $8.00 for rods & brackets. Mounting the rods was a little scary, (looking off the back balcony while standing on a ladder)and not a good idea unless you have someone to hold the ladder. So, be careful and wait for your husband to get home! You can't mount the "U" brackets right to the wall because your curtains wont be able to slide open or closed, so I tried a number of things....none worked until I happened to find these little puppies! (look at the mounting picture, they're the little metal thing with the pointed claw on each end between the rod & the wall) They're used to assemble picture frames and they work wonders in holding the rods out away from the wall just enough to let the curtains move. $2.00 in screws & claw things. So, all in all a pretty cheep project if it's not going to work, or if I'm going to change the color of the curtains next year! My only extra advice...add tie downs to the sides of the curtains so that when they are open you can hold the curtains in place & they don't flap with the wind, and if it gets really windy wrap the curtain over and around the railing so that it helps secure them through any kind of a storm...Good luck & have fun! P.S. If you need help with how to measure for conduit or curtains call me!

4 Wheeling Weekend!

Two years back the Holmes went with us for a 4 wheeling weekend (Adults only!) at Duck Creek up Cedar Mountain. This year we added a few more friends, & we're glad we did! We had such a great time, good food, a huge cabin, rocking trails (literally), lots of laughs and one mean game of cards, in which I think Sara really wants a rematch!

The Couples were, (from the left) Todd & I, Spencer & Miriam, Kasi & Jared Hardy, Sara & Darwin McKee! *This is all of us before heading out on Saturday morning to ride, notice we're clean!*

It's Called Dirt!

We all knew it would happen....we'd have a little dirt on our faces from following each other...in Miriam's case it was a lot!

Morning Ride to Mammoth Cave!

Our ride to Mammoth Cave was a fun one, I was second to last in the group and the sheep herder behind me was hilarious! Every time we passed a herd of sheep I'd look back to see if Spencer was still behind me and he'd be off the trail following the sheep with his 4 wheeler. One time I was close enough to hear him baa-ing at them! I was just waiting for him to ask if we wanted mutton for dinner!

Right before we reached Mammoth Cave we came to the very top of the mountain range, it was so pretty & green with all kinds of flowers in different colors. For some reason I became so over whelmed, maybe it was because I was thinking about the sheep & searching for one if had became lost like the Lord. For some reason I couldn't help but think about how our Heavenly Father knows each of us so intimately, as he does all of his creations, and never wants any of us to be lost. It was a very quick reminder as I look across the mountain top, of how very small my part is in the whole scheme of things, and how truly beautiful this world is....

Any ways, Mammoth Cave just confirmed what I was already thinking...I knew a little bit about the cave from coming when I was a kid. My Grandfather would go with other young men from panguitch and cut blocks of ice from the cave. They would rap the ice in hay & cloth to take it back & use in their ice boxes to keep there food good for the summer. (remember I'm talking about a long time ago...they used wagons to get there, not 4 wheelers or cars)
The Cave it self was made from an air bubble in the lave as it moved to the surface and popped. The cave was about a 1/2 mile long, it's home to 5 different kinds of bats (which we didn't see, or Kasi may of had a heart attack) and had to have a gate put in front of one of the entrances to stop large animals from hibernating there in the winter. Well, the gate created a bit of a challenge for all of us, (especially Todd) with such a small opening very low to the ground! Once we were in, it was rather comical as we all moved blindly over rock after rock. We had two flashlights, Darwin in the front, & Todd in the Back. The flashlight helped some but most of us spent our time hanging onto the walls or ceiling to help us navigate over the rocks. It was nice and cool inside and became more and more damp as we worked our way to the back. Finally at the very end of the cave we started to get stuck in mud from all the water that had been dripping from the ceiling. I almost lost a shoe, and we all had a fare amount of mud on our feet at the end!
Some of my favorite comments made in the dark!
"Wouldn't it be funny if my flashlight went out?" - Darwin.
"Babe where are you? That's just like my husband not to need a light!" - Miriam. Ouch! My ankle....I can't believe I'm doing this!" - Todd.
"Ooh, I just touched something furry!" - Jared. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" - Kasi.
"_______________________" - Spencer.
"This was fun!" - Sara.
The pictures are of: Spencer & Miriam by the opening of the cave, Sara & Darwin followed by Kasi climbing in, Todd dealing with the small whole in the gate, Todd shining his light to Darwin across the mud while Darwin shines back, and the girls on there way out! (Miriam, Sara & Kasi)

Road Worriors!

This is all of us waiting for Todd (who went off to check out a trail) & Darwin (who went looking for Todd). The other picture is of Miriam & Spencer, don't they look cute! By the way, Todd never came back & we ended up leaving him. No worries though, he made it home about 15 minutes behind us! My Mr. Adventure blazing his own way in life!

Hike to Cascade Falls

The ride to cascade falls was a great trail with lots of tight corners, steep paths, narley logs, huge rocks, & plenty of mud! But, the funny thing is, the best part ended up being when we got off our 4 wheelers and walked to the falls. It was surreal! The views were amazing, and we all agreed you can't even begin to take pictures that capture the true beauty of the things we saw.

The Cabin....

This is the Cabin we stayed in, it was Great! It was our first time staying here, and we were glad to find plenty of room with 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, and a huge kitchen/family room!
Thanks to everyone for making this weekend a great one! It was lots of fun! See you again in 2 years!

American Idol!!!

Yes, we went, we saw, we listened, WE LOVED IT! Todd & I had the chance to go with friends to American Idol over the 4th of July weekend. It was such a great concert! David Cook as good in person as on T.V. and really did deserve to win. We both still wished it would of been Micheal John, but we love hearing him again too! All in all some major talent! (Love ya Brook White!)

A Day Off!!!

After numerous projects around the house & early morning cleaning everyday for a week, Todd pleaded for a real day off in his summer break. So, being the great family we are, we left Dad alone for an entire day to sit in his "Man Cave" watching T.V., drinking Diet Coke & do the thing he does best in his down time....work the remote! Finally at dinner time I couldn't help myself & had the boys help me as I lowered a sign down the stairs to hang at eye level. Everyone needs a day off! Thanks Dad for all you do for our family!!!

Cousin Henry!

This past week we had the chance to babysit our littlest cousin Henry! The boys just loved him, but no one more then Levi who would not stop giving him kisses! We love you cute Henry!!!

The Stairs!

The Stairs! I Love the stairs in my house, but they have been a bit of challenge from day one with Levi. First I thought I had everything solved when I couldn't find a gate wide enough to block the stairs, and used two shower rods directly above each other. This did the trick for a little while, but not long! "Teach him" my friend said, and so I did! Bad idea!!!! There's that no fear thing, and the idea that we can go up & down, down & up and constantly play on the stairs. Finally, in one last attempt to stop worrying about him tumbling to the bottom of the stairs, I had a McGyver moment and put up my entry way Bench! The minute I sat it there, he pushed it out of his way and was headed down, so, next came the bungee cords. It's totally white trash, I know! At least he still can't crawl over the bench, so...I think we're okay for now!