Weekly Summary ~ 6/7/15 - 6/13/15

I realize that it is already Thursday and I am just now getting a chance to post my weekly pics, but I didn't want to have a super huge post next week.  Besides, VBS starts on Monday so who knows if I'll get a post up next week.  :/  Between VBS prep and having no power for almost a whole day on Tuesday, I'm just a little behind. :)

{June 7:  Inspired}

A friend first inspired me to raise Monarch butterflies several years ago. She gave me 4 big, fat caterpillars to take home and raise. It was the coolest thing. Since then I have raised approximately 250 Monarchs over a 5 year span. This year I am branching out to raise other butterflies. Like this black swallowtail. Sylvester, our largest caterpillar, is getting pretty big and will be pupating soon. I can't wait to see if Sylvester is a male or a female!  :)   I also can't wait to start finding Monarchs to raise! Hope they get here soon!

{June 8:  Urban Geometry}

This prompt taught me something about myself. I very seldom take photos of buildings and such. I'm such a nature lover and people person. However, I did take a few photos with my phone when we went on my son's field trip last month. (I actually left my big girl camera at home). And since we went to the city and this photo has geometric shapes in it, I'm using it.   :)  The artwork is made entirely out of license plates.

{June 9:  Smile}

Somehow I got a "smile" out of Kobe during a recent visit.   :)   She's so much fun!

{June 10:  Balloons}

Or in this case ... balloon. I ordered these "light-up balloons" to try and they just so happened to come in the mail today. Alex couldn't wait for it to get dark(ish) so we could try them out. However, we were a bit disappointed as they don't light up very well. At least this one didn't. We will try the others tomorrow night when the kids can stay up later and enjoy them if they do work. Tomorrow is the last day of school before summer break. Yahoo!

*** This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots for the day! WOOT! ***

{June 11:  Jagged}

The jagged look of a future coneflower that is ready to bloom in my garden.

*** This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots for the day! WOOT!  Two days in a row! ***

{June 12:  Forced Perspective}

This was not my original plan but rain keeps interfering with that idea, so when the sun actually came out for a bit today, I ran outside to capture this.

{June 13:  Clever}

Keira is so clever. She sees something she wants to make and figures out how to make it. Like this crocheting project which she says will be a shawl when it is done.

*** This photo was chosen among the Top Shots for the day!  WOOT!  That makes three in one week! ***

Normally I link up with Tamar but I missed the link up this week.  I think things will be hit and miss around here this summer.  Spending time with the family and in my garden instead of on the computer seems more important.  :)  Instead I will link up with image-n-ing this time and see how that works out.  :)

My quick rundown of the week:
Sunday after church Keira and I went to my friend Rainey's for some crafting and girl time.  We did more girl time stuff than crafting but that's okay.  We had fun and got away from the boys for a few hours.  :)  We ran to Panera to pick up dinner.  Yum!
Monday was all about VBS.  Met with Sharon, the leader, about what still needs done.  We were supposed to take Abby and David's engagement photos in the afternoon but Mother Nature had other plans for us.  Just at the time we were to start (after we had already decided to reschedule), the skies opened up.  I did manage to get some weeds pulled in my garden before and after the rain though.
Tuesday I made cupcakes for the 6th grade awards ceremony and Keira had a violin lesson.  And I spent more time pulling weeds.  So.many.weeds!  :)
Wednesday I attended the 6th grade awards ceremony at Nick's school.  Honestly I wasn't expecting him to get much in the way of awards based on his performance and attitude this year but I was pleasantly surprised that he received a few.  Even an academic one!  And every year the teachers give candy awards based on the kids' personalities ... Nick got the Whoppers award for being quite the story teller.  :)  At the end they showed a slideshow of photos from the year.  I somehow managed not to cry.
The kids brought home the yearbooks on Wednesday also.  They turned out great!  Diane did a wonderful job designing it.  It was fun being a part of making the last Oakland yearbook the best one yet!
Thursday was finally the last day of school.  The kids only had a half day.  I picked Keira up at 11:15 and we zipped home to be here when the boys got home.  Once they did we hopped in the car and went to eat lunch at Valley Dairy.  I usually try to do something with them on the last day of school.  The restaurant was busy and the kids were whining about it taking so long to get our food.   I joked with our waitress when she finally brought our food that I wasn't going to be able to take their whining much longer.  :)
Later in the day Alex managed to get a wire stuck in his mouth.  Apparently he was trying to straighten a wire that was in a circular shape - like a key ring - with his teeth, and managed to get it through his bottom gums.  I took one look and knew it was more than I could deal with - beyond my mom expertise.  :)  So off to the ER we went.  They were really great.  The PA that took care of him was incredible.  She answered all his questions and made him feel at ease.  She numbed up his mouth and wiggled the wire out.  We were in and out of the ER in just about an hour.
In the meantime Keira was supposed to be at worship practice at 6:00.  But we were at the ER.  Thankfully Doug got home just after 6:00 and took her.
When we left the ER, we zipped home, picked up Nick, and went to the church for a pasta dinner fundraiser for MS.  I wasn't all that hungry after eating lunch late, but I ate anyway.  The boys both took a few bites and went off to play so we ended up taking their dinners home.  Along with a couple to-go dinners for Doug and Keira.
Friday I spent a good part of the day in my garden pulling weeds.  So.many.weeds!  Wait, I think I already mentioned that.  My strategy is to dig up everything and pitch the bad stuff and save the little milkweed seedlings that are growing.  I have way more milkweed than I will ever need so I plan to give some away to friends.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through the garden.
The sun actually came out on Friday for a while.  We have had so much rain and so many thunderstorms, it was so nice to have some sunshine!  Even if it didn't last.
We also went up to help our neighbor with her pool.  She told me that if I helped her get the pool ready to swim in that the kids could swim in it whenever they wanted.  With all the rain and thunderstorms, however, it has been hard to find time to get it going.  And now with VBS coming up, it may not be ready until July.  She shouldn't have to worry about the water getting low though.  :)
Saturday was spent pulling weeds (when it wasn't raining) and doing stuff in the house (when it was raining).  I made gnocchi soup for supper.  Yum!

Well, I think that's about it.  If you made it through all of that, thank you for stopping by!
I will be posting a movie review and giveaway either later today or tomorrow so be sure to check that out.

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