Mustaches

Now that Quinton is a Senior in High School, he has been experimenting with growing facial hair.  Mutton Chops, goatee, patchy beard have all been tried.  As soon as I get use to one type of facial hair or another on Quinton he changes it and I have to get use to a new one.  One day we were sitting at a local Hawaiian eatery when Quinton made a shocking discovery! He could touch his mustache with his tongue!! Quinton was so pleased and I captured the moment as a photo.  You can usually tell the upperclassmen at the high school based on the amount of facial hair they sport or shave.

Quinton's discovery!

 Declan being a Freshman found a quicker way to reach full mustache-hood. Buy one! Actually he earned it for reading and got it from the library!

What a lovely full mustache Declan sports!

Now even a 6th grader can grow a full mustache!

Zany, Declan (middle) and McCoy

Vintage Quilt Rescues

 I have loved quilts for a long time and have been collecting them for a couple decades.  Both of my grandmas were excellent quilters!  They both gave me lovely quilts for my wedding.  I am especially fond of quilts from the 1930s to 1950s.  I haven't quilted much myself but have plans of doing so someday and so I have been collecting a fabric stash in preparation for that.  I love fabrics too!

I like to find quilts at thrift stores and yard sales. Antique stores always have nice quilts but they are WAY out of my price range. I really admire quilts that are hand quilted! I'm always tickled when I find one that has been hand quilted.  I always think who would ever get rid of this quilt?!!

Recently, I have had some luck finding quilts at thrift stores.  At the time I wasn't even looking for quilts and even debated whether or not to buy them thinking about where would I put them and so on.  But the hand quilting wooed me and I bought them.

This quilt (above), I found at a Goodwill Thrift store it was totally filthy and had a nasty large stain (that I lightened considerably) but it was only $6.00 dollars so I thought I would do my best to clean it.  This quilt was very sturdy and had no tears so I began by putting it in the bathtub and rinsing it with the strongest setting in my removable shower head.  I blasted it then put some shampoo on it for good measure.  Then I soaked the quilt in the bathtub in biz.  I changed the water twice.  Then I washed it twice in the washing machine. It was like a whole different quilt by the time I was done with it.  

Large quilt held by Declan and Quinton

This quilt (below) was mint and is huge king or queen size. I found it at the same Goodwill as the one above and it was $20.00.  It had never been washed and probably was a wedding quilt for some couple.  It is embroidered and quite lovely.  I was worried about the red bleeding and so I washed it with 4 color catching sheets.

McCoy holding red and blue quilt

 This quilt has amazing hand quilting and seemed little used if at all.  It is hard to see from the pictures but it is also embroidered in pale blue.  It too is a large quilt.  This quilt was $10.00.  Such a bargain!

McCoy and Zany hold this quilt

It is so fun to find a bargain at the thrift but when it is a quilt it is thrilling.  I sometimes feel that I am a quilt rescuer. Abandoned and unloved quilts are taken in and clean and sometimes simple repairs are made.  Now if I can just get Quinton to build the quilt cupboard of my dreams I can have somewhere to display more of my treasured quilts. 

Archer the Legomeister

Archer has long played with Legos as all his older brothers have been into Legos at one time or another.  We have quite a lot of Legos that have been amassed over the many Christmases and birthdays.   Archer recently discovered the joy of building a new lego set following the instructions.  Archer received a junior build lego set for his birthday in July and throughly enjoyed building his set.  Yesterday, Archer discovered a unbuilt lego set in the playroom and happily began building it.  It took him about 24 minutes to build it he says.  Archer is also a member of our local library's LEGO club.  So he meets once a week with them and enjoys a L=lego day, E=enigma day, G=game day, and O=outside day.  Archer's favorite day is Lego day, because you can create anything you want.  One time Archer built a bank in Lego club.  

Archer working on his excavator 

Archer puts on the tires

Finished!

Now he only has to wait to Christmas to get a new set of Legos! 

Meanwhile he can continue to build creations of his own.

Mantra #1

Every mom needs a few mantras (Alexa defines a mantra as oft repeated phrases) that she trouts out when the occasion warrants it. My own mom has lots of mantras she likes to tell my sister and dad, mainly about being happy (Choose to be happy) and contented with your lot in life (Happiness is wanting what you have, not wanting what you don't have).  My mantras tend toward the I told you so vein or life advice as I like to call it.

Quinton has grown his hair out long enough that it is a problem for football.  He needs to tame that mop and so he wears a headband to hold his hair out of his eyes.   Well he misplaced his headband and couldn't find it anywhere. He would storm about looking for it shouting accusations at everyone, "How we shouldn't touch his stuff!" and "Why do you have to move my stuff around!" Of course it was everyone's fault but his own that he didn't have his headband.

Quinton's mop of hair

Mantra #1: Clean until you find it!

Whenever someone loses something I love to share Mantra #1! If you clean you will find it, is a universal truth or should be.  Quinton refused to follow my mantra #1. Two days went by with his mop of hair in his eyes at football practice.  Today as I was cleaning what should I find? His missing headband.  I put his headband on a statue, took a picture and texted him.

"I cleaned"

Camp Raymond: boyscout camp

Every few years my boys' boyscout troop goes for a week to a boyscout summer camp. This summer was Declan's turn to go to Camp Raymond.  Eddy was asked to accompany the troop so that made it possible for McCoy to go as well as McCoy would be to young to go otherwise.  They set out at 2am early Monday morning so they could arrive to Camp Raymond by the 8am flag ceremony.  Eddy felt like the drive was pure torture! They also had to re-route due to a fatality on the highway that shut down the road for several hours. 

McCoy far left, Declan in middle on the way to Camp Raymond

Whole Troop 

(Eddy far right, McCoy center, Declan just left of McCoy)

While at Camp Raymond the boys were able to work on merit badges and were fed very well in a cafeteria.  Eddy was able enjoy many naps and some leisure time.  Eddy is an adventurous soul and took the opportunity to rappel down a cliff.  

Declan's favorite thing at Camp Raymond was the Climbing Merit Badge which included rappelling.  According to Declan the tater tots were epic! During Declan's down time he enjoyed playing liar's dice with his fellow scouts.  

Eddy rappels

McCoy thought scout camp was pretty fun and he thought the food was pretty good.  His favorite merit badge he did was Leatherwork.  He did get homesick as he had never been away from home for a whole week before.  McCoy also liked the trading post where he got a cool knife and a baja hoodie.

Declan, Eddy and McCoy in the cafeteria

I received only a couple of photos of their adventures the one above was one of my favorites! Without a mom to nag them to take photos there isn't too much photographic evidence of their scout camp week but I'm sure they have lots of good memories of it.

Zaynzley's First Needlepoint

I had, had a great idea to take all the kids to the craft store and pick out a simple kit for them to do.  Creativity and crafting has so many good benefits, and I felt like we spend so much time and effort on various sports that maybe this craft project would help balance things out.  All the kids (except Quinton who was with the team) each picked a kid-friendly craft kit out.  It wasn't to long after we started the kits that I realized I had in reality bought myself 4 kits to accomplish.  All of them need such help it was really like I was doing them.  Zaynzley was the most interested in doing her kit which was a simple needlepoint and so we worked on off for the last year or so. Eddy also pitched in and would help from time to time. Today we finally finished it! We of course lost the instructions so I just filled in the face as best I could remember.  So it isn't perfect but in crafting that is not the win--the win is in finishing something!  Zaynzley is pretty happy about it now that we can finally hang it in her room.

Zaynzley and her kitty 

(FYI thats a kitty)

Eddy has been press-ganged into crafting and he is delighted to be helping!

Eddy working on Archer's needlepoint

Now I have just 3 more projects to go for the win!

McCoy's Scout Outing: Cluff Ponds

McCoy is part of a Boy Scout Troop for 11 year olds.  They meet once a week and work on merit badges.  His troop was working on the Water Safety/Water Rescue and so they took an outing to the nearby Cluff Ponds.  McCoy is an excellent swimmer thanks to swim team so that aspect of the rescue came easy for him but maneuvering canoes and small boats was a little trickier. McCoy learned the 5 ways to rescue someone when drowning.  McCoy much preferred the swimming to the boating.  He had fun jumping off the dock as well although the very best was all the snacks his leader brought!

 McCoy in all black on the shores of the pond

Admiring the crawdads from afar

I'm sure McCoy isn't about to bop a kid in the head, right?

This pedal boat wasn't working to well so they had to get oars and row.

McCoy facing camera in black

McCoy had a great time and is one step closer to getting his Eagle rank for Boy Scouts of America.

$25.00 Ice Cream Sundae

Where can you find a $25.00 ice cream Sundae? No, not Italy, where once my sister was bamboozled into buying a much more expensive gelato than she expected.  We knew what we were buying-- a baseball helmet full of Cold-stone Creamery ice cream!  The whole family had gone to a Diamondbacks baseball game. Eddy likes to sit at the very top in front of an air conditioning vent.  It is quite a steep hike-like going straight up to get to our seats.  Once you're up there you have to be pretty motivated to leave your seat and head down ten flights of stairs to the bathrooms or food vendors.  Luckily for us, Eddy was willing to make the trek.

Eddy's triumphant return

Eddy holding the helmet of ice cream, waffle cone pieces and 

two brownies with seven spoons!

Moments after arriving everyone digs into the ice cream

 The ice cream lasted quite a while and most of us had had plenty and there was still some left.  Of course a few valiant ones were willing to finish off every last bite.

Archer holding the nearly empty helmet

Quinton savors the last of it

(Just down from him were a group of shirtless boys--Archer decided to join them)

Not only did we get $25.00 of ice cream but Eddy also got a souvenir helmet for his office!  

What a bargain!!

Zaynzley: our first grader

Zaynzley is now 6 years old and is full of sass and spunk.  Having four older brothers tease her has made her one tough little girl.  Her biggest brother Quinton loves to tease her mercilessly which has made Zaynzley a good slapper.  She loves friends and going to school.  She also loves to go shopping.  She has been working on not whining when she goes shopping and that has been much appreciated.  Zaynzley has lost four teeth so far all on the bottom.  

Her favorite food from Taco Bell: Nacho Fries and Doritos Taco (no lettuce)

Zany loves all thing princess and puzzles

Today, Saturday, the whole family was doing yard work--pulling weeds, picking up trash, raking pine needles.  After we had been working for a couple hours Zany flopped down in the outdoor chair and said,"I'm exhausted I need a fiesta." I found it so funny! What she meant to say is I need a siesta (nap) not I need a fiesta (party). 

Zany in need of a fiesta

Here is a little Q and A with Zaynzley:

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Z: I want to be a doctor or work at Wal-mart or a nurse actually a veterinarian

Q:  What is your favorite color?

Z: Pink

Q: What is your favorite snack?

Z: Strawberries (she can eat an entire basket of them)

Q: What is your first memory?

Z:  I remember escaping out of my crib and I don't even remember how I gotted out.

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do with your brother?

 With Quinton: play pony on the loose (Quinton is the pony and zany is on his back at the pool and he jumps around while Zany tries to stay on)

With Declan: play board games (Sofia the First)

With McCoy: play with my Calico Critters 

With Archer: playing cops and robbers, also lava and water monsters

Zany has long brown hair that is a bit curly and she gets crazy tangles

Zaynzley also loves to color and draw and help her Mama bake and even make meatballs.  Zany is excellent at rolling meatballs.  She also helps her Mama make her bed.  She is wonderful at entertaining herself and loves to play in her room which being the only girl she doesn't have roommate. 

Zany visiting her Aunt Ashlee at the Library

Zany is a delightful girl and such a joy in our family!

Summer Pool Time

 We know it's truly summer when our pool opens.  About 32 families form our pool co-operative so most of the time when we go we are by ourselves or maybe with one other family.  It's the best part of summer getting out of the 105+ degree weather and into a cool pool.  When we finally got the giant popsicle Hollister pool float in the mail I don't know who was more excited Quinton or Zaynzley.  As soon as it was aired up Quinton claimed it of course.

Flipping an unexpected floater into the pool has to be one of the top 5 five fun pool things to do.  But Quinton might disagree.  Of course Quinton was quick to retaliate!  This summer Zaynzley joined the swimmers without any floaties.  She has gotten to be quite a good swimmer.  She loves going down the slide too.  All the boys did swim team this summer so there were also many races held in our pool.

Quinton on pool float with Archer and McCoy with my pool chair.  

I like to read magazines in my pool chair which usually get thrown away when I am done reading them because they inevitably get drenched.  Sometimes on purpose by punky kids.  One of these days I'm going to go to the pool by myself and read a paperback in my pool chair.

Beware Quinton!

Ha--Quinton got flipped.

 From left to right: Archer, Declan, Quinton, McCoy and Zaynzley

Cool Kids!

Even though school is back in session we will keep going to the pool for a few more weeks.  It's still plenty hot and I have a goal to meet--read a book in the pool.

First Day of School 2018!

 Summer flew by faster than ever before! Besides various weeks spent at camps, the kids were home with me all summer.  Suddenly the summer was over and it was time to go back to school.  The kids were so excited to get back to school.  New clothes, new shoes, new backpacks and of course new school supplies! School supplies shopping is the best.  It was always my favorite when I was a kid. Especially picking out the pencil box with your favorite characters.  After a breakfast of carrot muffins and smoothies it was time for before school pictures.

Zaynzley-1st grade

Archer-3rd grade

McCoy-6th grade

Declan-9th grade-freshman

 

Quinton-12th grade-Senior

All the Seniors had this shirt and wore them to the first day of school.

Group shot

I told all the kids to put their hands on each others shoulders.  Quinton decided he had a very tall bigger brother.  Funny guy!

Wonder what the biggest brothers name is?

Quinton decided it was time to beat up the fresh meat as freshmen are sometimes called.

Poor Declan!

Luckily Freshman Declan wasn't beat up at school although he did take a volleyball to the head during an assembly but that was an accident, we think.  All in all everyone had a great first day! And I had a quiet house for the first time in months.