Friday, July 10.
Vacuuming the pool. Finally feels like summer, so maybe someone will actually swim. Right now the birds are the only ones using it. The swallows are the ones messing up the pool. I told Ethan to get his gun out. Don't think Dave was as happy about that idea.

Thursday, July 9. How sad that today is my first day in the pool, and not even really "IN". Just floating. I don't swim in 74 degree water. Oh well, if not anything else it was nice to see the sun and float with my girl!

Wednesday, July 8.

Took the kids and the dog to Fort Ontario for a picnic lunch and a walk around the fort. The sun stayed out long enough to be hot in a sweatshirt. Decided that we need to go back sometime WITHOUT the dog and tour through the fort. It is FREE during the week!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Leaving the Oswego Hospital parking lot after blood work for me and the kids. 10:41am and I have the HEAT on! It must have been only 60 degrees. Hit Dunkin' and then we headed out to the plaza for some fun shopping. If you look closely, yes, that IS an ice scraper/snow brush on the floor of the passenger side. Hey, ya never know! Zoom ahead less than 10 hours, we learned that both kids have cholesterol levels over 200. Our pediatrician called from home after hours to let us know. Both kids were upset. We will make some conscious changes in diet, but unfortunately, I think they have inherited Dave's gene for this. To be tested again in December.

Monday, July 6.
Kind of a low key day. Finished SUMMER BLOWOUT and started on LIFE'S A BEACH. I thought the cover was totally appropriate for this summer! Check it out!

Are they mine? Or Cheryl's?

Oh My. Well...I guess I had been so stressed out at the end of the school year that I completely forgot about my wardrobe of flip flops. I have been wearing my new Vera flip flops and loving them...and then I have an old pair of LLBeans that I keep on the deck to slip on to take care of the dog, or laundry or whatever. So tonight I was browsing the LL sale and saw these cute flip flops. They seemed strangely familiar. But I couldn't remember whether I recognized them because I owned them already, or because Cheryl has a pair. I could picture her black lab flip flops...and wondered if I was just thinking of hers, or did I have my own? Yes, yes, I think I do. But, what is on them? Certainly NOT black labs! Hmmm. And if I do have them, where the heck ARE they??? So I dug through the foyer to only find the sandals I had been wearing to school all last month. Then I went to the bedroom closet and looked in there, really not even knowing what I was looking for! Then I spotted them! My blue whale flip flops!!!! There they were! And also a pair of plain brown that I think Cheryl may have in black. Or do I, too? Wow. Things are bad when you can no longer remember what you own and what your friend owns! So now I guess I won't order these cute pomegranate flips...seeing as how a year from now I won't even remember them!

Sunday, July 5.
Took J to the Oswego parade. I wonder every time I go now, what is missing, and why they aren't anything like they were back in the 1970s, when I was a kid? Where are the floats? All the bands? The guy with the machete in the jeannie pants? And have all the guys on the little motor bikes died out? Needed to ponder all this over ice cream at Bev's with my feet in the lake.

Saturday, July 4. Annual fireworks gathering at Cheryl's. This year the fire pit and sparklers were the big hit, especially with the boys. The fire pit was nice, seeing as how it was only like 50 degrees.

Summer has begun with our annual 4th of July bash (didn't really FEEL like summer ie. fire pit was for fun, but also NEEDED, and Sue's fuzzy slippers) and I am reminded of the good 'ol "Bauer Family BBQ" every year on "Guiding Light." That was MY soap, back when I watched soaps. It was also my mom's and my grandma's. It is going off the air this year after like 70 some years. Soaps are just a thing of the past, I guess. Sad that my daughter won't be into them. Oh well, at least we'll still carry on with a 4th of July BBQ of our own.

-Cheryl

I think that each day, when I Swiffer the wood floors, I could weave a new dog from the fur I accumulate. You SHOULD kiss my "still in need of a pedicure" feet, Lucy!

-Cheryl

Friday, July 3. Spent the day at nephew, Gavin's 1st birthday party. Learned that they don't plan for him to be the baby of the family for long. Was a little shocked by this news.

Thursday, July 2
The day was very busy. Woke to an empty house which felt wrong for a day with such a full agenda. Went to my Aunt Mary's funeral. Lunch with family after. Picked J up from camp, Ethan had a Dr. appointment. Made a last minute decision to try to catch the Fair Haven parade at 7. It is like reverse trick or treating. You stand there while they throw piles of candy to you. Or at you may be a more accurate description.

Today's installation is a joint venture...we were at the Fair Haven 4th July Parade. Funny you might say, it doesn't look like a parade, but it really was...just with a LOT of LONG PAUSES!

-Cheryl - the one falling over in the brown sandals

and Sue - the one looking uber-cool in the Vera Bradley flip flops and funky pedicure!

SO, had a nice day shopping...again. Of course with all the RAIN, what else is there to do? Was out weeding the front garden and got chased in by rain, so we went to Lowe's and got a few more Adirondack chairs and one of those backyard firepit thingies. Got home, and then the evening cleared up like crazy! I mean, I appreciated the nice evening and all, but a DAY with some SUN might be nice too.

-Cheryl

The last day of June brought shopping and dinner out with my bestest buds, Nancy and Kathy. The day was a rainy mess, so the kids and I set off to North Syracuse for sandal shopping, then I shuttled kids home, and returned to Lock 24 in B'ville (reference knees:) for dinner. Kathy and I continued on and I dropped mega cash at Barnes and Nobel...a fine, fine day!

-Cheryl

Tuesday, June 29. Unfortunately, the day never made it much past sitting around in my robe with coffee, the expensive pets, and either the TV or a book. I am really ready for summer to happen ANY time now!

Monday, June 27
Are pets REALLY worth it? $45.50 at the vet today for 1 month of Advantix for the dog, 1 month of Advantage for each cat. I mean, come on. Maybe I should get one of those little OFF clip on fans and just make them stay within a 2 foot radius of each other and clip it to the one in the middle? We'd make it the whole summer on $12.

Summer brings WORK! Already, in just four days without "real" work, I have gotten more done at home, joyfully, than I have in like a YEAR! The top shows reorganization in the bathroom...HOW can I have SO MUCH MAKEUP AND CRAP? Second question, how can I have so much expired medication...I feel like I go through it rather periodically, yet today I threw stuff out that expired in 2006! I know I have gone through my stash several times in the past THREE YEARS! Oh well, it probably is in some way connected to where and why socks disappear in the wash...

The second pic shows my kids RAKING! For some reason, I can get them to mow and rake with minimal grumbling. If you look closely at my knees, rain was JUST starting, so the project was dropped rather abruptly, but still...I am highly thankful for my great kids!

Good day today...

Cheryl

Sunday, June 28. Spent most of morning relaxing on the deck in the sun with Claire Cook's SUMMER BLOW OUT while Dave tore around doing yard work, gardening and laundry. Pretended I was on a real vacation.

Saturday, June 27
Second day of summer vacation. Good thing this involved only feet, as my hair is still VERY purple and I am not up for permanently recording it in any way.