July favorites

Here are some of my recent favorite things so you can enjoy them as well. Note, I am not sponsored by any of  the mentioned companies. (shocking I know)

Here is the shirt that I was happily wearing on the day of my great fall. The Underarmour flyweight Heatgear run top. Its super light, loose silky and dries super quick. In fact I have two of the same shirt.  though white does get pretty dirty in the desert especially when you lay down on asphalt. Being a maxiumalist, I want more.

Unfortunately, I'm prone to dark under eyes, and dare I admit, the occasional spot. For my concealer I use Benefit's fake up. It goes on easy, blends nicely.

My favorite new show of the summer is "The Three Musketeers" which airs on BBC America. Filled with lots of daring do, and action. Also you get the chance for the awesome debates with the question "Which musketeer is the most attractive?" Check it out.

 

 This is a great song to run too, or Rhiannon's kids favorite activity, clean to. Aloe Blacc's "Can you do this?"

For the Blog: Corny View

 I spend quite a bit of time at my kitchen sink as most moms do. ( I often ask myself if could only have one appliance would I pick dishwasher or washing machine? I love both of these machines so much I have such a hard time choosing between them they both make my life so much easier! Bless them.)  I was washing dishes when I looked out the window and I saw McCoy and Declan standing companionably on the picnic table eating their corn on the cob. It would never occur to me to stand on the picnic table to eat my corn but I am also not a young boy. Considering the many places in the backyard one could sit and eat ones corn it is a surprising choice.  Eddy felt it needed to be immortalized for the blog and so he snapped a couple pictures.  Once in a while we get lucky and get really tasty corn. We usually roast it with all the leaves and cornsilk intact at 425 (degrees) for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet then we pull back the leaves and pop of the cornsilk (hair as the kids call it) spread a little mayo and a sprinkle of Tajin (found in the produce section), salt and pepper. Hmmm . . . if I could only have one would I pick really tasty corn, dishwasher or washing machine?

Enjoying some summer corn

McCoy and Declan enjoying corn on the cob with corn on the cob holders (remember those)

A Principled Man

When Eddy and I were first married, Eddy needed to decide what career he wanted to go into so he could take the requisite classes.  He narrowed it down to police officer or teacher. I voted for teacher it seemed a lot safer and had better hours and at the time we thought making $30,000 dollars a year was quite a bit of money (HA! We were so naive and clueless). Eddy decided on teacher but he really wanted to be a principal. After graduating with his bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2004, he interviewed for a 5th grade teaching position in a town near my home town and got the job. We moved and he taught fifth grade for a year and then taught 3rd grade for four more years and got his masters degree in Educational Leadership in 2009.  His has interviewed a couple times for various principal jobs but he was young in his experience and didn't get them. We wanted to stay in this area to raise our family and because it is a small town there is not a lot of opportunities for elementary principals.  Patience was needed. Finally, this summer the school our kids go to was looking to hire a new junior high/elementary principal. Eddy applied and had two different interviews but sadly didn't get the job. I guess more patience is needed.  We both feel like this is where we need to be as a family but if we could go back in time we might have told our younger selves that teaching may not be the most lucrative career to raise a family of seven on. Oh well, at least we are happy!  One of the these days he will be a principal man.

Pre-interview picture

His got the stuff

And he is really funny

He will make an excellent principal!

What They Wore-Blue on a Rainy Sunday

The kids all wore blue to church today, various shades. I used to pick out everyone's clothes so they would match really well but now I have less time so I just declare a color and let them pick their own clothes out. They were silly in their photos and it took about twelve pictures before Quinton finally cracked and was silly too. 

Not silly Quinton

Zombie eyed Declan and Quinton looks on

Silly tongued McCoy

Ahh finally Quinton lets the crazy out

In the evening we had a terrific thunderstorm with lot's of lightening and quite a bit of rain. What a delight! After dinner I took the kids to visit Grandma Parke while Eddy stayed home to clean up dinner and make chocolate chip cookies. On the way to Grandma's we saw a rainbow on one side and on the other side a blazing bright sunset while the sky above was so dark with rain clouds I was surprised to see that the sun was still up.

Faint Rainbow

Blazing Sunset

Grandma Parke with Crazy Carlton Kids 

(not the best posed photo)

My kids are a bit wild at grandmas so I try to take them in twos but they all wanted to go. We descended upon grandma and they weren't to bad maybe it was the promise of cookies that reined them in a bit.

Sneaky Pug

Remington has gotten a bit crafty in his old age. Has has two tricks he regularly employs. Both have to do with him needing to go out for a pee, so even if I'm suspicious he has me with my back to the wall in case he does need to go. One does not want to risk a mess. First, he will go outside race to the Mulberry tree, look back to make sure I'm watching, lift his leg, keep it up and not do anything else. He then runs back to the house and begs for a treat. The other trick his has, is he acts like he needs to go out, I get up to take him out and in a wag of a curly tail, he jumps into my chair, counting on his cute looks that I'll let him stay there.

Pa's Endurance is Tested

Every couple of years we (Ashlee and I and this time Quinton as well) tag along with Pa to Tucson for his eye check up. Pa would prefer to drive the three hours there have his appointment and immediately drive home.  Since we accompany him and we love to shop he ends up going places he would never go like thrift stores and the mall.  Poor Pa.  He is threatening in two years when his appointment comes up to go once again by himself.  What did Poor Pa endure?

We began our trip uneventfully but awfully early and so we stopped in Willcox, Az at a trucker's gas station that has all kind of things you would never see in a gas station like two glass curio cabinets with crystal animals and other knick knacks. I rarely go into gas stations and never trucker kind so I like to look about a bit much to the annoyance of Ashlee.

Rhiannon and Ashlee in front of glass cabinet at trucker gas station

(Sometimes I do appear in my own blog)

Continuing on our way we arrived at Tucson and dropped Pa off at his appointment and Ashlee, Quinton and I went for a shop at Target and then Ross. Pa's appointment took forever which really put his nose at out of joint since he relishes eating at his favorite restaurant Claim Jumper and he missed lunch entirely. By the time he was done and we got to the restaurant it was three o'clock. We were famished and Pa finally got to order his favorite restaurant meal: Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes. Quinton had steak tips and mashed potatoes with roasted vegetables, Ashlee had a vegetarian calzone (she has been a vegetarian since college) and I had the Widowmaker Burger. I am not a burger kind of gal but it just sounded really good the bacon, onion ring and avocado on it may have convinced me.  It was the best burger I have ever had!

Quinton and Quinton (Pa) enjoying lunch at last

After lunch we all went to Savers (thrift store) then the two Quints went to the movies to watch Planet of the Apes in 3D. Meanwhile Ashlee and I tried to go to as many thrift stores as we could before their movie was over. We would have loved to go to more but before we knew it, it was time to get the two Quints. By now it was eight o'clock and the other stores we wanted to go to were closed (we can never get to all the stores we want too, sadly). We stopped by Five Guys to pick up a hamburger for Eddy (who stayed home with the other kids). Then we made our journey back home.  Too late for Pa's liking.

Ashlee's best find at the thrift stores we went to were these pewter like mugs and they were a real bargain at seventy cents each!  She is planning on having a theme party with them possibly Viking or Hobbit, not sure yet but you may be seeing them again on this blog.

Lovely metal mug

Ashlee got seven of them

I am currently obsessed with sewing and sewing notions and what nots. I have been working making a sewing room in my laundry room since that is the only possible place for it.  I have been gathering and organizing all my fabric and notions and of course decorating it. While I am a complete novice at sewing, I did have a part time job in college (Eastern Arizona College) for two years cutting out patterns for all the costumes. I am hoping to try my hand at sewing clothes, quilting and so on.  At the thrift stores now I always look for sewing stuff especially buttons. I had been thinking about buying a pair of proper embroidery scissors (I saw some at Walmart for fifteen dollars) when what did I find in a baggie of sewing stuff at Savers? Embroidery scissors. In the bag were also a leather/metal thimble, leather finger thimble, plastic thimble, sequins, mending kit with mirror, vintage needle book, thread, and a 24 karat gold plated needle. The gold needle according to the package is a real pleasure to sew with due to the gold. There is a note on the back of the card telling a Karen that she might enjoy the needle. It has been through a few owners without ever being used maybe I will break that streak and find out if a gold needle is really a better needle. If it is where will I ever find another?  Well I do know a guy going to Tucson again in a couple years maybe I will stow away! Shhh, don't tell Pa.

All mine for mere $1.40, yes, only a dollar and forty cents-- I just love a bargain!

Mud Men

 After a lovely rain, what do boys like more than playing in the mud?
The rain comes off our back porch roof and lands on bare dirt that soon turns into puddles and as the rain is absorbed it turns into gooey brown mud like a thick brownie batter. McCoy began playing in it making a mud pie and it wasn't to long before the other boys joined into the mud pie making.  Although with boys mud pie making doesn't last to long before the mud starts flying.  

McCoy mud pie maker

Mud pie bomb anyone?

McCoy-mud war paint

What's better than mud pie face paint? Mud pie body paint. 

Who has the bigger six pack?

Ready, Aim, Fire

Cupie Doll Declan

Hand to hand combat (Dec standing, Quint kneeling, Coy sitting)

Quinton nails Dec in the face while McCoy looks on

(Note: There were some allegations made that unnamed individuals may or may not have been embedding rocks in their aerial mud pies but no lasting injuries occurred during or after these photos were taken.)

Ruins on the Via De la Plata

One of my favorite things about traveling, is looking at ruins. I just love them. I can't imagine how it would be to live so close to them on a daily basis. Spain has quite a bit of great ones, my favorite being Roman. They also have ruins of churches and several Templar castles. In fact if you look thru all of the pictures I take, most of them will be ruins. I think I get it from Pa, if you look thru his photo albums countless rusted cars, and old barns will make their appearance.

On the very first day of walking you come to the site of Italica, an roman settlement that is fairly well preserved.

Looking over the foundations

Like every good town, it had its own coliseum

Look, I would have been able to stand up to the gladiators, if it was based on foot size.

The heads are always knocked off sadly,

Random old castle.

Another

The Spanish Town of Merida, is the best for roman things outside of Italy.  Above is what is left of the Temple of Diana. Merida is where Russell Crowe's character in Gladiator was from. It is also the birthplace of Trajan

From inside the museum. Luckily enough I arrived on a free day. Very airy and informative. I also got in trouble for forgetting to turn off my flash. A real rookie move.

The Remains of the Theater.

A Roman Bridge in the wee small hours,

This was roughly halfway point, and also probably the hardest day of my Camino. The day before I did over 40K's and this day was supposed to only be 30K's, but there were two routes and I ended up on the long one. at 36K. It was very, very hot.  And a lot of up and downs. I was so excited to get to this point, but by the time I got there, I had a blister burst and was too tired to explore. This is my one and only picture of the ruins of Caparra.

All along the way, at times you walk along old roman milestones. Here is a modern one they made.

Another old bridge, I usually only take pictures on sunny days, but I did experience other weather here it is a little cloudy.

A Visit to the Emporium (otherwise known as Magic Store)

My parents have owned a store since I was in eighth grade=quite a long time. It started out as a feed and nursery (plants) store and through the years it has morphed into a antique, collectible, guns/ammo, old west collectibles, toys new and vintage, victorian reproductions and more! Now it is a wonder emporium and we call it a magic store because whatever you decide you need, it will magically appear at the store. At least it works for Ashlee and I most of the time. The downside is if you see something but don't get it and later decide you want it then it will invariably sell before you can get it. It may have sat for years no one noticing it but as soon as you vocalize that you want it it sells. 

It can be a tricky magic store.

I took the kiddos for a wee mid-week visit and found Pa busy in his leather room working on restoring some old baseball mitts. He even has the mitt he used in ninth grade (one on right). Pa is a very talented leather worker making custom ordered holsters, knife sheaths, belts--you name it. Although I thinks Ashlee still has an order in for a Xena leather jerkin that has yet to be filled.

Pa-leatherman

Best place to sit and watch a storm is the store's front porch but when there isn't a storm it is still a good place to enjoy a soda and watch the cars go by.

Soda time: Ashlee & McCoy front; Pa, Archer, Nona, Zany, Quinton

Inspired by American Ninja Warrior, McCoy scales the wall making it to the other side without falling off or touching the ground.

Ninja Coy

Made it to other side!

Magic store is the best, if you are in the area stop by you may find that item you have been wishing for!

Ax Slappy

My kids love playing in the backyard, they play all kinds of games that they make up with various rules. Because it is so hot right now they haven't been playing their usual games quite as much but when it rains--game on.  This is a game I would like to name ax slappy. Quinton has two nerf axes that he chases and slaps his brothers with the ax. It makes a lovely, loud thwack. They run and try to dodge his blows and sometimes throw things at him. Four boys in a row leads to all kinds of rough games.

Quinton-ax master; Declan holds the victim

Viking Style

WWE Style

Maori Style

Quinton gets a good whack on Declan while McCoy runs up to throw something at Quinton while his attention is elsewhere

Get ready boys! (You can see the pouring rain in this picture)

Coy is going to get it now

It is entertaining to watch some of there games and try to figure out the rules. I doubt ax slappy is played anywhere else but my backyard so its a pretty exclusive game. 

Wanna play?