Getting Ready for School

Rachel starts 5th grade on September 8th. This week we got her hair cut and went to the orthodontist. She got pink and black bands on her braces to match her first day of school outfit. I have a confession...I let her get her eyebrows waxed, too. Just a tiny, little bit in between the eyebrows and some of the strays underneath.

On September 8th we are also leaving for London. We are going to send Rachel to school for a half a day and pick her up around lunch time. Then we'll drive to Newark for our 6:30 flight to London. We're meeting my dad in London. He's been invited by the Kew Society to unveil a plaque honoring my grandfather's Army unit that was stationed there in World War II. We will also be donating my grandfather's books from the war to a library there. My dad donated his maps a few years ago. The U.S. soldiers stationed at Kew during WWII prepared maps in preparation for the Normandy Landing. Dad is going to be introduced at the ceremony by the Mayor of London as a descendant of a US Serviceman who was stationed in Kew.

Got Milk?

Violet has to have a little milk every morning. This morning when she was drinking it, she looked up at me and had little droplets on her eyebrows, her whiskers, her nose and her chin. I think she was really enjoying it.

Corn, Glorious Corn

This is one of my favorite things about summer -- yummy Jersey sweet corn. All the 12 years we lived in Florida, I never found corn as good and sweet as Jersey corn. All it needs is a few minutes in a pot of boiling water, some butter and salt....oh, my goodness. I can't wait until dinner!

Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Fred!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

For his birthday "cake" Fred chose a banana cream pie. He also bought it himself when he and Rachel were at Sam's Club. Rachel and I were going to get him a cake when we went out later, but he came home with this. Hey, it's his birthday....he can have whatever kind of cake he wants! He also cooked his own breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mainly because he's a much better cook than I am, but also because I'm working on a big job and didn't have the time to cook a big elaborate dinner. Fred made tortellini with chicken in a homemade sauce. Not sure what was in the sauce. It was tasty, though.

Ferris wasn't too sure about the card we got Fred. It barked and talked, and that freaked him out a little bit.

He was pretty interested in all of Fred's presents, including the little hair trimmer. He really wanted a piece of the whiffle ball and bat.

But Ferris was most interested in the Milkbone that was in the bottom of the bag!

His birthday was pretty low-key due to my having to work almost all day, but I hope he enjoyed it nonetheless!

Workin' the Runway!

Rachel modeled in a fashion show at the mall today. She was hired by Fashion Mystique Modeling, who are looking for models, so if you or someone you know is interested check them out. Rachel's done two other fashion shows, but it's been several years since the last one. I was very proud of her. She did great. I thought she'd be nervous, but she was confident and was even high-fiving the male model she would pass on the runway.

This was my favorite outfit. It was so cute on her.

Mannequin posing.

I wanted to buy all the outfits, but I was good and only bought one pair of jeans. :)

Contest

One of my favorite bloggers, Suzanne McMinn, from Chickens in the Road is having a contest, giving away a $200 Visa gift card. Click on the link for your chance to win! Then check out her blog about building a farm from scratch in rural West Virginia.

Base hit!

Rachel got a base hit at the softball picnic at Fred's parents' house in Harrisburg. She was eventually batted in after her single. Not bad for being barefoot and wearing a swimsuit cover-up! Notice she's batting right-handed. For everything else she's a leftie.

Toilet Paper Bride

Today, Rachel and I went to a bridal shower in Harrisburg. It was for Fred's youngest brother's fiance, Amanda. One of the obligatory games was making a wedding dress out of toilet paper. I think we did pretty good with Rachel's wedding dress, but we didn't win. It was fun, though. We love Amanda and Dennis and can't wait for the wedding in November!

Down the Shore

We hit the beach for a few hours today. But the water was pretty cold, so we didn't really get in past our thighs. The air was cool for a while, too. It's crazy. August is usually so stinking hot. But it was a relaxing day, which was nice.

Wheeeeee!!!!

Ferris loves to swim. Actually, he loves to chase things that are thrown in the pool. We have an above-ground pool, and he'll run around the edge of it (about 6 inches wide) and jump in when he gets close to the ball or whatever. He'll even dive under sometimes to get whatever it is he's chasing. Then he'll play with it on the deck, knocking it into the water and try to get it out again, reaching with his paws or biting at it. He swims pretty good, too, and we're training him to swim to the ladder. It's not easy for him getting up the ladder, though, so we have to help him with that.

Here Comes the Sun(flower)

Wow....have I been lazy!?!?! Actually, I've been busy and haven't been taking a lot of pictures. I still have more China pictures to post, but decided to post this picture of the sunflower I'm growing in the back yard. The flower right now is the size of a dinner plate and is so heavy it bends the stalk. I planted four seeds in the spring, but only one grew. Right now it's at least six feet tall.