M's Summer Sale EXTRAVAGANZA!

Get ready for a Feast for your eyes!

Prepare to stumble upon un-pass-up-able Bargains!

Below are items for sale....

Items that you never knew you could not

live with out!!

... Locals Only : (

Back Story

 Purpose for Summer Sale:

We have been having a lovely summer,

things are going well,

but since school let out McCauley has been asking

if I could help her come up with a way to earn a little cash.

She would like to invest in a few projects,

and will need funding.

I have hum-hawed around for several weeks.

She is still a year or two off from the baby sitting scene,

I have offered up a few jobs around the house.....

when finally,

I remembered the blog sale I had to raise money for 

Thyroid Cancer a few years back.

It was a fun endeavor, and pretty successful.

Soooooooo..... McCauley's 

(plus some of my stuff...and family items, and boys things)

EXTRAVAGANZA SUMMER SALE 

was born.

We hope you enjoy this convenient online shopping opportunity.

McCauley assisted with all the layouts, photo shoots, set up, gathering,

clumping of sets, naming of packages, and so forth.

We will include helpful ideas of how you can best enjoy and utilize the numerous 

treasures found below.

Please comment, or fb message if you see an item or VALUE Package

you'd like to purchase.

Thanks in advance for looking : )

OK, 

starting off with one of my favorite combos,

This is a "Girls Dream Jewelry Pack"

It includes close to 20 Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings,

ranging from every season and style....

your daughter, or grand daughter will be set.

She will even have a stylish display hanger....

(don't forget, you can always spray paint hanger if fuchsia is not your color).

$12

Next, "Girls Party Time Pack",

This set includes a custom notebook created by McCauley,

a New Years fancy hat clip, misc treasures, and a 

very fun Truth or Dare girls party game.

Your daughter will have many good times creating and being girly

with this pack.

$8

 You won't want to miss the,

"I'm so Fancy Porcelain Double Doll Set"

These are gorgeous, and in our opinion, 

made to enjoy....as proven with the one broken leg on 

the brunet doll.

At the price of $8 you can't go wrong. 

 Another Fav,

this kit has it all, M has put together this

"Girls Creative Learning Pack" 

for the curious young lady.

A girl who is ready for adventure.

There is a practice your cursive kit,

Russian stacking dolls, a journal, creative crafting book,

a classical music bird music box, and more.

only $10

 Believe it or not,

but the next pack is for a trip for two to..... 

yup,

Ripley's Believe it or Not!  in Orlando.

Trust me when I say this place is good times.

We recently attended the Ripley's in Key West.....

take a date!

or take one of your kids that could use some one on one time

with mom or dad : ) 

*includes an amazing, and at times disgusting,

 Guinness Book of World Records as a bonus

....a steal at $10 sold

"Costume Thrill Pack"

You will get all that you see below, plus a few extra 

costume and dress up add ins to play with.

Cruella was a huge hit for M last Halloween....

now it can be yours,

$15 Sold 

Taking a short break from kids stuff,

Here is a fun Ladies "Kitchen Pack" for YOU.

For some reason Kevin purchases a lot of knife sets,

this one comes with a Faber ware set, you will need to sharpen them

up a bit, also a Carafe to serve.....Hot Choffy??...a brand new grinder,

it says Coffee grinder, but I hear you can grind loads of stuff,

spices, etc. and lastly a Velata Warmer to keep melted chocolate,

or dips of all kinds warm.

giving it away at $15 

Tell me WHO can live without a Quesadilla Maker?

Name one person.

This is NIB and

would make a lovely gift for a college student that 

knows how to cook zip,

or maybe a lucky newly wed couple just starting out.

Sold $8 FIRM.

 This little baby doll has been such a sweet heart 

to M.  She wears premie baby clothes which makes it fun.

Sad and happy to say that M is like me.....we hang on to nothing,

when we are through with something, we pass it along.

(Just in case you were wondering why she doesn't keep it for her 

own daughter one day.)

The baby has several adorable outfits and lots 

of love and comfort left to give.

$20

 "Weeeeeeee"

Power Ball making Kit (used, M has made some of the balls)

and 36 Squinkies!!

Plus add ins : )

Need I say more?

$8

 I love this one also.....

"Paper Doll Princess fold out Play Set" 

McCauley is including a beautiful princess figurine

to enhance the delight.

All the cutting out and set up has been done,

now all there is left to do is

PLAY.

$9

This "Our Generation Doll" was a very fun 

gift from wonderful friends.

M has enjoyed her.

She is the same size as American Girl dolls...

so clothes are interchangeable.

The beautician chair is Most Excellent!!

It even goes up and down: )

Sold $18

 OK, I do not really want to part with this bull and cow,

but Kevin has such an aversion to them 

that I am finally giving in.

Their names are Harold and Kayla.

They reside in our room.

I purchased them a while back because Kevin said 

he LOVES the Brahma Bull below a TON,

and suggested I look for more of its kind and buy them.

I was totally down for the challenge,

and found this adorable couple and was excited to bring them 

home.

Kev has given me nothing but grief over them.

I hope someone else will be delighted with the pair.

$16

 (Looking for Brahma Bull items to trade for, or purchase)

NOT FOR SALE AT ANY PRICE.

This next set is one McCauley is especially excited to offer.

She is letting go of three of her custom designed rubber band

girls, three bracelets, one loom, and 2 packs of C clips.

All you will need to get are the bands to begin your new 

hobby of looming.

M spends lots of time creating and enjoying her loom creations.

"Loom it up Set" - $10

These pictures do not do these dresses justice.

Sorry for that.

They are beautiful, and very good quality.

Size 6X and up...

They are getting a bit snug for M.

$20 for all "6 dresses" (plus a few shirts thrown in)

"60 + Book set"!!! 

I spent way too much for all these books,

that's not like me....

YOU can get the deal this time.

These are perfect for early readers....

Sold $20 (about .30 per book)

Please purchase this helmet, we don't have motorcycles 

any more....have not had them for several years.

This comes in a lovely black carrying bag.

$5 size M - kids

"Cool Boy Set" -  

Authentic Coon Skin Cap!

Jaws t-shirt!

Hot Wheel car!

Yeti long sleeve T!

Bacon Body Wash....

plus a bag full of other boy shirts!!

$15 Wow!!

 ok, focus on one item that you may want in this next pack....

maybe the Pampered Chef Apple Wedger,

used once.

Then you have the other "wildly random kit" items - 

Laminator Trimmer (use it as a trimmer, all out of lamination stuff)

Bendy rollers......very good for your hair, but they make mine way too curly.

Two wine goblets....but you could use for water or cool aide.

Micro cooker....as seen on T.V.

Set of Eggies!!!! also as seen on T.V. no more peeling hard boiled eggs....

you only need to clean up the Eggie cases!!

Whoohooo!

Take it all, it is already boxed up and ready to go to your home in a handy 

reusable box.

$10 

(remember the wedger??.....it would be $14 alone)

Surprise!!!

Some choffy Stuff.

If you have not heard, Choffy is no longer using 

Independent Distributors such as myself to promote and sell

Choffy.

Sooooooo....I will be winding down business.

I still have loads of Choffy at the moment,

here are the deals I am currently offering:

2lb bag of La Espanola and totally adorable fabric gift bag set ,

$35 (4 available)

 Choffy Making/Taking Gift Pack -

YES PLEASE.

In this set you get a glass press 

(consider this free)

An air pot to keep your Choffy nice and hot for hours,

you can take your brew with you.

I love my airpots and will be keeping one myself.

You get a box of PureVia to sweeten up your Choffy if you choose.

And.....the 12 oz bag of Choffy of your choice.

$30

You are gonna want this.....

AWESOME GIFT IDEA : )

Your choice of brewing mug,

and 2 mini bags of Choffy, Ivory Coast and La Espanola.

The set is $15 - (I have 3 sets available)

"I'm So Fancy - set #2"

Pretty Jewelry and hand "made in china" pot.

I am getting delirious.....and can't think creatively any more.

$10

 Arsenal Jersey and 3 unopened Classic Car 

Color by number car sets.

$12

3 slap watches.

I thought these were so cool when I purchased them.

I still really like them......I just never wear them....

too many other options.

Great for teens, or sporty people, or lazy people that don't want

to do up a buckle.  IMO.

I hope you find them irresistible ....they need batteries.

$6

 This is the last one!!!

2 jet skis and a trailer to drag them out of our yard.

Take them.

I have the titles sitting here waiting for your name.

$500 

One is working fine.

One needs some overhauling.

They both need riders and some TLC like mad.

(Ryker took these photos....not the best....but you get the idea)

****If you purchase 3 or more packs you will get this 

signed book of "Move Live On Tour"....

you are gonna love it!

But M said to tell you there is only one of these....

so you gotta move quick!

Word to the wise!!

Sale starts now!

Scoop em up while you still can : ))))

Thank you.

Wait......we're Going WHERE?

ICELAND Baby.

Wha?

Yep.


Let me back up.
Several months back Kev said,
We are going on a trip for your birthday this year.

Sweet!

I am giving you plenty of notice so that there are no excuses.
We have plenty of time to get kid sitters, etc., etc.
We are going.

Twist my arm Hon.
I got this.
Do I get to know where??
Nope.
It's a surprise?!
.....ooooooooooo.....
even better.

Fast forward to May 21st, 2014....the day before my Birthday.
My parents arrive, and we are getting ready to head out.

Over the past few months I have been scavenging for clues on where
we would be headed....
if for no other reason so I would know how to pack.

When I point blank asked K what to bring he said,
quote:
"You will need a few swimsuits,
a fancy outfit,
and a few normal outfits."

ok.

I said, are we going someplace warm....
of course!

He also let slip out that we would have a private balcony!

Aha!!
I knew it.

We are going on a cruise!
Yeah!
Yippie.....TOTAL RandR.
Bronzing time GALORE.
Feast Fest!!

Jana had the idea that we may be going to Aruba.....she had some hot tips
on some killer excursions.
I had her hook K up just in case.

Christi has been a true friend and has tirelessly been helping me
build up my base tan.
(Don't know what I'd have done without cha bud!)

I pulled together a pile of my cutest workout outfits to run the Lido Deck,
(per Kevin's suggestion),
Plus I was excited to try a bunch of the cruise ships different fitness classes.
I have always wanted to do that in the past, but didn't want to take time
away from the family.

HERE'S my chance!!
I packed a few flowy skirts, several light weight layering sweaters,
(you know how cold it gets in the restaurants)
I had my running shoes, several flip flops, and my heels.
One fancier outfit like K said,
and lots of reading material.

Easy.

Kev had had me expedite my pass port a few weeks back,
at the time I said, OH, so we are flying out of the country??
No, not necessarily, but you still may need it.
Again,
a re-confirmation of the cruise in my mind.

I pick up my parents the night before.....
(they had a five hour delay, we didn't get back to the house
until almost midnight....not a huge issue, since we were leaving 
the house at 10:00 in the morning.  We could still have a casual send off,  
get my mom and dad squared away, and finish packing in the a.m.,
after a nice cup of Choffy and a warm bath.....)

.........and this is when the trip starts going offline in my opinion.
Red flags begin popping up.

Suddenly we are leaving at 6:00am.
We are now flying out.
??
Ok, so I need to get a flying outfit laid out STAT.
I will need a airplane bag packed pronto.

Hon?
I begin to question my entire suitcase?
What cruise would we be going on that we fly to??

Kev says, it will be fine.
I rush through the week with my parents,
do not tell the kids good bye,
(already in bed....had planed on hugs and kisses before school the next day).
We need to head out extra, extra early to drop our truck off at a
fix it shop at 5:30am.....blah, blah.

On our way out the door K casually says,
"You May Want to Grab Your Coat". 

?
Wait. 
Which one?
Why?
for What?

I began to get a sinking feeling.
I pull out my cowboy boots and stuff them in 
Kev's bag as a precautionary action.

On the way to airport I am nervous...
I am also scared.

At the desk....
the worker asks,
Where are you headed?
I look inquisitively at Kev.....
Iceland.

Swallow.
Shallow laughter.
Visions of my packed items flash before my eyes.

Fleeting thoughts of crying are squelched.

Here we go!!!
Lets DO THIS THING!!
ICE LAND here we come!!

We board our plane to JFK.
As we are waiting to take off Kev gets a text or maybe an email....
The briefest of notes to let us know that there has been a change
to our Icelandic Flight.

Huh?

Wait.

Stop.

I actually saw this as a ray of hope.
Honey.....it is not too late to call it off.
Really sweetie,
we can just make it a three day cruise....screw those other two days.
We don't need em.
I bet we can salvage this, lets get off the plane.
Please lets stand up and walk off.

no.

The plane takes off to JFK.
When we land, K checks his phone....we are both quite curious.

Icelandic Air sincerely apologizes,
but our flight to Iceland had been canceled due to pilot strike.

oh boy.

Now we are in JFK.....the hud hole of the world,
(Sorry but that is IMO)
Our Romantic Getaway has officially begun.

I gracefully excuse myself to a corner with chairs to read,
and allow K work out the details of this mini derailment.
Hours begin to crawl by,
we end up taking a taxi to 42nd street.....
Central Park and beyond.

Let the Photo opts BEGIN!!

We had time to kill in New York,
(as well as a desire to).

So, we went for some super awesome authentic Dirty Dogs!

Some crunchy- yummy- sweet roasted road nuts!

We saw freaks Galore.

We walked the park, 

the streets, 

saw lots of famous places, 

we spotted these two towers that aren't the twin towers.

This was my favorite part of NY....

the rickshaw ride.....most expensive 17minutes of our lives,

but priceless in that it saved me several blocks of walking in my heels. 

I was in painful cringe mode with walking long before this 

stage in the game.

After taking the train back to the airport, 

we were able to hop a plane to IceLand at 10:00pm,

we got in at 6:00am, so we really just missed a day.

There are 4 time zone changes between FL and Iceland....

very crazy, plus it never got dark.  

weird huh?

We lost our hotel due to our first night no show,

the company then tried placing us in a Hostel....

um, 

no thanks buddies.

We were able to finally get a room in our original hotel,

with our very own bathroom, 

just not a room with a private balcony like K had originally booked.

HOWEVER, we did have a special component....

in our bathroom, you were able to actually 

shower, right in with the toilet!

Who'd a thunk it?

(my new phone case from Christi.....love it!!)

Ok, we are in Iceland!

brrrrrr.

Lucky for me I wore a pair of pants,

I did spill my cup of cranberry apple juice right in the crotch 30 minutes 

after take off, 

but that dried up beautifully.

I was able to sport these guys for the majority of the trip....

(thank you Tina for the hand me overs....great pants!)

Here is some of what you would see if you ever go to 

Iceland.

Very rugged and beautiful.

You may be wondering why K chose this particular place for our 

first trip alone in ages.

He actually loves Iceland, he has had several business trips that 

have stopped over there for a few days at a time.

He has talked about vacationing there together numerous times,

....so it was not a complete blind side

.....really.

One of the places he has always raved about is the 

Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa.

Very cool.

Hot steamy water that replenishes itself every 40 minutes.

This was a very good time.

The water is milky blue and you cannot see below the 

surface....just sayin....interesting.

In the one pic we are sporting our Silica mud masks....

they have pots of this mud all over for guests.

It is a bizarre, and fairly creepy sight 

to look around and see numerous 

other freaks such as your selves sipping on Green Spinach power

smoothies and wearing their mud masks.

Kev went all out and purchased us the 

Romantic couples package.

We were wined and dined.

We had a private relaxing area with our own pool,

fire place, and FOOD!

That was when my eyes lit up, special teas, chocolates, fresh fruit,

infused water, and dipped strawberries.

Delight.

We each received a floating water massage.

If you look close you can see Kev relaxing away on his yoga mat,

coved in his warm wet towel.

I don't know how to describe this for you....

just picture it the best you can.

I believe this is touted as the only spa in the world that does 

water massage.....

so if you want one you'll need to head to Iceland.

Good luck!

We ate lots of scrumdidleyumptious food.

Very excellent part of our trip.

Below was the meal from our spa retreat.

Holy smokes!

Take a look at that crazy spit looking stuff....!

Who thinks this fan-dangled stuff up??

It was truly mag-nifique to the taste buds.

I want to describe all of it,

.....but we both know you would loose interest....

just know that the bottom sun dried tomato butter was served on 

a round Lava Rock!

Face!!

and that desert does not look like much

(I accidentally dove in before I remembered to snap a photo)

but that is homemade ice cream with tiny tart currant berries that simply

POP! 

in your mouth.

Combine that with all the rest and it is beyond goodness.

Just trust me....

you've got to go there and get some!!

Kudos to Kev for making me to take a run with him....

I say "make" because I didn't want to run in the cold.

I was not anxious to freeze my tail off.

I am a Florida girl now, 

and a wimp when it comes to coldness.

He said, we did not fly all the way to IceLand not to get a run in.

Ok,

makes sense.

I doubled up on my sports bras, tanks, and toped my ensemble with the 

one t-shirt I brought

I was a little nervous to wear that.....

I might actually sweat and would then have to 

take it out of my layering rotation.

In the end,

I was really happy K forced the issue.....the run was beautiful.

Brisk, yes, 

but we ran along the water and it was a refreshing, lovely way to start 

our last day on our trip.

What else did we do....

We drove, and drove, and drove.

We looked and saw many a water fall....of all varieties,

tons of Volcanos,

rolling hills,

lava rock.....

We shared numerous bags of m&ms.

I read and enjoyed being with my man.

He drove and enjoyed the windy, rainy, foggy, weather,

that is totally different from where we live.

PS - Icelanders pay next to nothing for their electricity,

but gas is over seven dollars per gallon!!

sheesh.

More of our favorite sites.

On the last night....

Kev planned the ultimate climax to our getaway.

The opera!

Bryn Terfel was performing, 

he is the number three tenor in the WORLD....

yep, I said it.....THE WORLD.

We got dressed up.

Ate another five star meal, 

and headed to the Harpa theatre.

(That is our hotel behind me in the picture.)

The stage is below.

When Mr. Terfel sang, it was just himself, his accompanist, and the 

page turner.

He sang three songs,

very, very goooooood songs,

then left the stage with his crew,

came back and began his fourth song,

at which point his voice broke a bit and then he stopped 

singing.

We, the audience, waited.....

He drank some water,

and then apologized to us all.

He would not be able to continue.

Cross my Heart.

I am not lying.

If you are familiar with the past t.v. series

LOST,

then you will know what I am talking about when I say

I felt like the big guy Hurley.

I sorta saw this coming,

almost felt like K and I owed the rest of the audience an 

apology for showing up.

Anywho.....we, the audience, slowly began to filter out

and wrap our minds around the reality of the night.

We had a chance to ponder the absurdity while we waited 

in line to see about a refund.

And there you have it.

In a nut shell.

You may think it sounds like a total bust,

but I am here to say,

NOT SO.

I absolutely LOVE that Kev had the guts and drive to attempt 

such a crazy, random surprise for me.

Who cares if everything does not turn out perfect,

as planned on paper, 

and in our mind?

That's called Life Folks....

and I for one am dang glad to be living it.

At one point, I to asked K, 

Why IceLand?

He said because Everyone goes on cruises,

You yourself have been on several.

We practically live in the Bahamas,

We are drenched in heat, and sun just about every day of our lives.

I wanted to take you to IceLand....

because nobody goes there.

I wasn't sure if that would fly as a selling point to most....

but I accepted it, and was satisfied and happy.

Not everybody gets to see views such as these.....

For the Record:

The precedence has been set.

Now that the kids are older,

every year, 

the week of my birthday we will take a trip to a spa 

somewhere, anywhere, for up to five days.

We will ALTERNATE years on who gets to pick and plan the surprise!!!

That was my idea : )

We have invited my parents back in one years time.....

I have begun planning....

Pay Backs Babe.

I am gonna 

ROCK YOUR WORLD KIND SIR.

** I am accepting any and all ideas for my trip

for the two of us.

Egg Report : Chicken vs. Duck.....

Dear Ducks,

I love you.

I love your work ethic.

Your regularity.

Your count on ability.

Your clock-work never faility.

Your look.

Your new calmness.

You are the perfect pet for me.

You give me satisfaction, and a feeling of 

productivity.

You provide my family nourishment, and save me money.....

for that, and much more, I love you.

Penned by your protector, friend, and new mom, 

Melissa 

........................................................

I wanted to start with a tribute to Majestic and Sunrise,

because, 

well,

THEY ARE FREAKING AMAZING!!!!

Why everyone does not have ducks......

I will never know.

Here is the EGG Report I have promised.

First, duck egg shells are STURRRDEEEE.

I gave a tap, harder tap, and then I still had to do a thumb

nail dig to wrench this mammoth apart.

WELL WORTH IT.

Double yoke baby!!

BooooYah!  

Face.

But double yoke or not, all the shells are more leather like and 

quite hearty.

Next, the color, notice the deep rich color of our three 

"home grown" eggs.

We all know a darker color means more nutrients and better for you.

Think about your green and red veggies.....

Lastly, the eggs themselves are firmer, not as watery.

You can see in the bottom right picture, 

the egg white is a lot thicker, it can hang around for a 

WHILE.

I made scrambled eggs and waffles, 

using eight of our eggs total.

No complaints.

I noticed a texture difference in our waffles....

a bit thicker, next time I may add a bit more milk.

Now that we are well past a dozen eggs I will quit counting....

I guess  : ( 

It is actually really fun to keep track.

Maybe I will keep counting.

Can you imagine??

2 a day x 30 days in a month = 60 eggs!!!

For real??

This still seems to miraculous to be true.

How do these two little innocent beautiful creatures

create a whole entire formed egg every single day?

I don't comprehend it.

(My friend Erica says she has a book I can borrow to understand

how this miracle works).

Just look at these two.

You can't tell me they are not smiling.

They have come into their own.

They really get who they are.....

no more random egg laying,

They lay two eggs a day (ready and waiting each morning)

always in their nest under the Jasmine, out the kitchen window,

beside the ping pong ball.

They get it!

They have filled out, 

(yes, I do give them a little extra for the eggs)

their bodies are in constant production as I see it.

They seem more satisfied with life.

They are comfortable.

That makes me feel good.  

They never leave each others side,

where one duck goes the other goes.

They are equally yoked. :)))))))

Majestic and Sunrise

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

New subject!!!

Choffy Video Release!!!!

Have you seen it?

Have you shared it with every person you know? : ) 

If not HERE it is.....

(click on YouTube to watch it full screen....you won't want to miss a thing ;)

Enjoy.

......and hey, if the movie got you in the mood for a little 

brewed Chocolate of your own,

PLEASE feel free to go to 

www.drinkchoffy.com/melissachristensen

Let me hook you up with your own cup of BLISS.

Eggspecially Eggsciting News!

The day we have all been waiting for, and anticipating 

since we adopted our two ducks has arrived.

They have begun to lay.

The first egg, Ryker stumbled upon two days ago.

He was changing the water in their pool,

when he looked down and beheld the little fellow in the mirky water.

Wow!

Majestic and Sunrise are always full of surprises,

always dancing to the beat of their own drum....

they are continuing in that vain with their egg laying.

We were pretty tickled.....especially me.

I knew there was at least one other egg hidden somewhere 

in the yard, 

so I kept hunting around throughout the day.

Finally I hit the jack pot.

Under the bushes I found their little makeshift nest.

It was a little dug out bowl, 

in it I saw what I thought were three more

eggs......I scooped them out, 

turns out one of them was a ping pong ball.

Hmmmmm......I left it in the nest to hopefully inspire them 

to continue to lay there.

No such luck.

It has been a full day since we have found another egg.

M and I were out this morning scouting the entire yard.

M and S have been hanging in the back part of the yard much more,

I had a hunch they really worked on hiding their recent eggs from us.

McCauley and I were all up in bushes, trees, under the jet skis, etc.

Finally I was like, never mind, I guess they haven't 

laid any more.....

when Wait!

What in the world?

 I look down on the ground in plain sight, on flat dirt, 

and there of all places was another egg.

There is no rhyme or reason to their method....but whatever.

I find it so amazing and exciting.

It makes their crazy, loud, random quaking  sessions WAY more 

worth it.

Look at that jumbotron egg below!!

These two are getting so grown up. 

Seriously.

They are settling into themselves.

Not so skittish.

It is like their hair (feathers) are combed, 

they are sitting down more (taking it easy for their eggs to develop)

eating a bit more (eating for two), 

I could swear they are literally waddling WAY more.....

(maybe when the egg is getting ready to drop?)

Is this what it feels like to be a grandma??

I don't know!!

But I like it.

I do feel a sense of pride and accomplishment,

even though I have done nothing but provide nourishment,

 refuge, fairly comfortable living quarters, and love and encouragement.

he he.....

Meet our other pets - 

Caterpillars.

My first instinct when I saw several tiny, spiky black caterpillars 

on my healthy parsley was how do I kill these guys, and fast? 

I asked my gardening friend Erica,

 she said,

 oh WONDERFUL!!

You will have BEAUTIFUL butterflies soon.

You will be able to ENJOY those lovely creatures flying around 

and visiting your yard.

Parsley is the only thing they eat.

Huh.

Well, I guess we don't really eat the parsley that much,

and I really do admire butterflies....

So I have turned the plant over to them.

I love watching their progress.

They grow FAST!!

I cannot believe my eyes.

The one hanging from a painted wire on our house in the rt bottom

corner has disappeared.

I thought it was hanging there to make its cocoon.....

but it never got that far.

: ( where did it go?

Did a bird eat it?

Any ideas?

We have four left on our plant.....I really want to see them make it to

their transformation.....  

 .....into something like this!!!

The kids and I are having so much fun....

mostly me again,

 but they seem intrigued.

........................................................

 Did I already mention that 

Ryker got his learners permit?

One word - yikes. 

Direct Quote, "Ok, so what do I do now?", (holding the key),

and, "So which one is the brake?"

oh boy..... 

M - just got her first pair of fake glasses.  That is the big rage at the moment. 

She and I hit the 10 for $10 at Claire's last night at the mall....

good stumble, I love it when we hit that sale.

I finally made my dad's favorite meal - it turned out so GOOD!!!

Home made Beef patties in mushroom gravy.....why on earth did I wait so long to 

make that for our family???

Everybody loved it.

We've been eating a lot of Krispy Kreme doughnuts lately....

that train is unfortunately being driven by me,

not sure what that is all about.....

pure full on indulgence I guess.

This phase too shall pass one day, (I hope!)

On the home front.....see that buffet in the front hall??

That is my latest wonderful home addition.

STORAGE SPACE!!!

I spent $36 dollars and got a whole slew of furniture,

this dresser (buffet in my book), a tall dresser, and small set of drawers,

3 large mirrors, a lamp, and small round table for M's room!!

Score!

I used to have a table with pictures in the entry,

and yes,

it was very cute and delightful,

but it served no purpose.

This guy is good looking, AND it holds a ton of STUFF.

I have room to spare, and I was able to clean out a few other spaces.

I really love it so much.

Life it so good.

So much to be thankful for.

Get out and raise something.

Nurture a caterpillar,

house a duck,

grow some basil,

create a new space.

These are all fulfilling and satisfying endeavors.

Are you doing what makes you happy??