Chore time

I tend to focus on teaching the kids how to do different chores in the summer.  During the school year I find it is just too difficult to teach them new things.  We are behind this summer as we were gone on vacation and then the kids were gone at their grandparents and at various activities.  We were able to get some in this week.

And there, future wives of my boys, is proof that they know how to clean windows and fold clothes. ;)

It's what we do when it is hot....

At the beginning of the week it was cooler in the evenings so that is when we were outside.  Firefly catching was on the to-do list.  It was also fun to practice using my camera in the dark.

Splashpad?  Um, yes please!  I am so thankful that we have a free splashpad to enjoy this year.










Watching squirrels.  I know, sounds kind of boring, right?  You would be surprised how much entertainment a couple of squirrels can provide when you hang a pine cone coated in shortening, peanut butter and bird seed on a shepherd's hook.  Here they are chilling out in the heat.

 We also hit a local state park that focuses on animals local to Illinois.  We found several years ago that if you go right before the park closes, most of the animals are active.  Here are a few shots from when we were there this past week.

Submerged...A Book Review

I recently received a book from Bethany House to read and review.  The book is Submerged by Dani Pettrey.

The book is the first in the Alaskan Courage Series.  So it takes place in....Alaska!  I am typically not a huge fan of Christian fiction.  For some reason, I just find some of them poorly written and cheesy.  This was a pleasant surprise.  It is a mystery and has a good plot line.  I really liked the fact that the storyline was not predictable.  The author also wove some Russian history into the story and I enjoyed that as I am not that familiar with Russian history.  I definitely recommend this book for someone looking for an easy, light read on a weekend getaway or an afternoon at the beach.

I went eXtreme....

That is what Joe's t-shirt says right now.  This morning he ran his first eXtreme race.  They are also called "Warrior Runs".  It is a 5K race with obstacles.  This army basic training and you will be pretty close to what he experienced.  He did really well especially considering it was his first one and most that were running were more than 1/2 his age.  I am not sure exactly what his time was (he lost his number tag on the first obstacle, but his ankle timer remained), but he finished to the front of the middle of the pack.  Way to go Babe!!!

Starting off through the woods

One of the first mud pits he went through

Climbing one of the walls

So evidently there was a 200 ft mud pit that they had to crawl through which is why he looks like this. Ugh...can you imagine how heavy the shoes and clothes are with all that mud???

Crawling through the final pit to the finish line.

And the finish line!

Joe and his pastor buddy Rusty.  They signed up together for the race.

Paint and Chess

I know..paint and chess....a weird combination).  But I didn't feel like these each warranted their own post, so I combined them. 

Our living room is painted at this point!  Yeah!  We don't have all the outlet covers changed or the pictures back on the wall.  But it is painted.    Here's proof:

The kids thought it was lots of fun to watch TV like you were in a movie theater while the living room was in process.

The technical color was "antique leather".  It is a cross between a gray and brown.  Now that it is on the wall it has a green cast to it as well.  We really like it.

Here you can see the gray in it.  We are going to paint the hutch on the right black.  We are also planning on somehow getting the gold on the fireplace painted black as well.

John decided he wanted to learn how to play chess.  So John did what John does when he wants to learn something....he finds a book at the library.  He read it yesterday and was playing some high schoolers from youth group last night.  He isn't a pro yet, but, if he sticks with it, I definitely think he has the brains to be someday.  Joe was "teaching" (some may call it "beating") him some of the finer skills this morning.

Saturday morning coffee and chess.

Cowboys and Indians

It was so great to have the kids back home this week.  I liked the return of the cowboys and indians.  The neighbors commented that they enjoyed their return as well.

Fun Filled Week

The kids hit the ground running when they returned from vacation and their grandparents.  John and Nathan had Cub Scout Daycamp this last week.  Ashley got to take a class at  World of Wonder at Bradley University.  Sara hung out with me and help plan VBS for later this summer.  Here are some pictures.  If you check out Joe's blog (http://jmhorn.blogspot.com/2012/06/cub-scout-day-c.html) you can see even better pictures of the boys. 

Here is Ashley in front of some flowers at Bradley.  She took a class called Dramalogy and LOVED it.  They worked a lot on improv skills as well as learning the basics of stage acting.

Nathan was the only Tiger Scout at day camp this year.  As you can tell he didn't really enjoy the attention. ;)

John getting his certificates of completion.

Florida Part 3

The next two days at Disney were spent at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  Here are some pictures:

One of the few full family pictures we got  on the trip.

One of our favorite rides...

Looking the part in "France"

Nathan chilling out and airing out his "piggies" while waiting for the kids to finish riding Mission Space

Love Piglet!

Okay, have to take a break and share more of these pics later.  Evidently our internet cannot handle this and Netflix.  Since we have been greatly limiting TV viewing this summer, I should extend some grace and let the kids enjoy their show.

The Mission Oak Inn

I ran just under 4 miles this morning.  My goal was 4 miles but I was afraid if I went any further I may vomit.  So, in order to maintain my dignity in the gym, I choose to stop.  It is the furthest I have run in over a year and it felt so good.  Finally starting to feel like myself again....  Just had to share that.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the Inn.

Almost 2 years ago our church family blessed us with a gift certificate to a nearby bed and breakfast.  Alas, Joe and I just hadn't been able to fit it into our schedule at a time they also had openings.  So this past weekend we were finally able to visit.  And it was so nice.  It sits surrounded by cornfields and a 5 acre lake (I think it is 5 acres..its large).  When I'm at the beach I can totally picture Joe & I living on a sandy beach someday.  However, when I am at a place like this I am reminded that I truly am a Midwesterner at hear.  Oh, and the food was absolutely phenomenal.  We had one of their supper dishes as well as breakfast each  morning.   Oh bliss...can't wait to return.

We scared a deer out of her bed.

I spend a lot of time photographing the birds.  Tons of finches and hummingbirds.  There was even an oriole who visited occassionally.

Yes, that is a raccoon that decided to come visit and chow down on the leftover bird seed.  I was sitting on the porch to our room when he showed up. 

Let the painting begin....

My kids are still at their grandparents.  I miss them.  But I have also been very productive.  Yesterday's plan was to clean up the basement.  I completely misjudged how quickly I could get that done while being the only one home so it was finished by about 9am.  So then I decided to tackle this.....

And unfortunately, it revealed this.....

We knew we had hardwood floors under our carpet but weren't sure what kind of shape they were in.  So we (ahem...I guess I should say "I") decided to tear out Nathan's room because it is the smallest.  I am so completely done with this gross carpet we have.  I cannnot. wait. to. get. it. out. of. the. house.  Now we are deciding if we should refinish them or if we should lay new floor.  After a trip to a couple of hardware stores we are thinking it is not going to be much more, if any, to lay new floor. Unfortunately, for Nathan, we are going to start taking care of this before we lay new floor.

the picture really doesn't show how bad this wall really looks

Yea, the red isn't too bad, but you should see all the nicks in it and I'm kind of tired of it.

Paint, paint and more paint.  We think we have settled on a color that we both like which is a HUGE accomplishment.  And the fact that we decided on one without fighting is an even bigger accomplishment.  For some couples their struggles are with money and various other things, ours is home improvement.  Hardly ever do our tastes match.  So we are pretty proud of ourselves that we selected a paint in a very calm and mature manner.  I know...pride comes before the fall and all that.  So I am off to eat breakfast, go for a run and paint!