Here's What I've Been Up To!

Howdy! The Summer heat is still strong but thankfully not as hot as it was last week and the week before. We are not used to temps in the high 90's here on Long Island. It slows us New Yorkers down! We have gotten a couple of good thunderstorms to break the heat, and I love those! I enjoy a good thunderstorm as long as it isn't so severe it causes damage~~you know the kind, just a few cracks of thunder and lightning...Anyway, I have been busy with alot of things. Caitlin completed her week of VBS and it wrapped with a fair for the whole family! The incredible thing was that the whole fair was free! (as was the VBS!) As the Pastor told us Sunday "VBS is free because God's word is". What a great way to look at it. There were carnival games to play, a general store to get little items such as punching balloons, bracelets, balls, etc. and a bouncy house, a GIANT slide, food and more. Caitlin earned VBS "cash" during her week by behaving, by learning a bible verse every day, by being kind, and more and she had lots of tickets. It was such a fun night.

Thanks for the emails about my little mischievous bunnies. Here they are enjoying some oatmeal and bok choy. Those little guys have won our hearts over BIG TIME. My husband cuddles them and kisses them just like I do! :) The cutest thing happened the other morning. I have 5 cats and 2 outdoor cats. Four of the five cats do not go outside except for a few minutes on nice days for a breath of air right in our yard where I can see them. The other morning, Robin (the black one) and Dutchess (the calico) went out at about 8:00 am and were relaxing. Then when I went to call them to come in a few minutes later, Robin was up in Caitlin's jungle gym playhouse!!!! He must have walked up the slide! When Caitlin woke up and she saw him, she ran to her house and Robin ,who just LOVES kids ,was so happy and they hung out in the playhouse for more than a half hour! It was adorable. He rubs against Caitlin's legs and almost knocks her down!

I got some really nice fabric the other day for some projects I'm working on. I'm making rag wreaths out of the two greens and a couple of pillows out of the others. Plus, I'll use the scraps from the pillows for another wreath. I love making them--big and small. I also redid a little birdie basket I had and it now hangs from a hook by my kitchen sink. I have two paints redos almost done---my son did one of them. He has discovered the joy of painting projects. So I guess we have all been keeping busy!

Saturday afternoon, my kids and I went to a garage sale a few blocks away and got some goodies. I got two boxes of ceramic ghost napkin holders (perfect for my Halloween brunches), some scarecrows, a metal witch, a really cool candle holder with a witch that you hang on the wall with a votive. It's all metal and I know my friend Mary will love it cause she loves odd items like that. What else did I get...a wooden snowman and some other harvest arrangements. Some I will keep as is, and some I will redo! My son got my sister a little chicken in a nest that is actually a covered box. He always remembers that Christine and I decorate with roosters and chickens, and he knew she would like that. All in all a good sale, and I only spent $7.

One more thing to mention, we have a new "family" outside. A raccoon family! We always have a lot of raccoons and possums here; they come out at dusk searching for food. I'm used to the raccoons coming right up to the house looking for cat food so I'm never scared but I never approach either. Well, the other night at about 7:30, along came a Mom and Dad and three little ones! They have come every night since so I been adding more scraps for them. I know alot of you might think I'm crazy. I never get close and I don't encourage them to come to the door. But where we live in a suburban neighborhood, our raccoons are VERY used to people. They live among us! I feel as though we took their land for houses that are built, and we have displaced them so now most of them live in sumps, some wooded areas and they even live in old sheds. They enjoy cat food as their diet because so many people feed cats and that's what they've gotten used to. They don't fear us; they treat us like neighbors. But I NEVER take that for granted and give them their food when I have some on the patio. I have to say, they respect me for it because my garbage pails are never touched or dumped over, Those little baby faces of the three babies are so cute and the Mom and Dad are so protective. With all the news you hear on tv, I have come to believe that in some cases, animals are better parents to their children then some adults are! I watch how the Mom and Dad strategically place themselves when the babies are eating to protect them and speak to each other in a low tone. It's true! Oh and my little squirrel buddies who devour all the peanuts I give them, are all in the doghouse this week! I'm just kidding though I wasn't so happy to find they have shredded a little pillow on my porch for the batting material within it! Some day I will scold them :0 hahaha I understand they are building their nests cause Autumn is coming! SO I took the rest of the batting out of the pillow and put it in an open bird feeder so that the birds and squirrels can just take what they need. Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose! When my sister brushes her German Shephered, she puts the huge wad of fur out for the birds to take and guess what? She saw his fur entwined in a robin's nest in her front bushes! Warm and cozy!

That's my story and I'm sticking with it ;) Have a great day!