The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of...Freestyle Motocross

Last Saturday, the boys skipped town and headed to the Fort Worth Stock Yards


to watch this.

(A guy doing a handstand on his airborne motorcycle.)

Here's a pro photo of another crazy jump.

Nuts, I tell you!


The only stop in our country this year for the Red Bull X Fighters.


Too good to pass up, they said.


They didn't even have one Red Bull--they opted for the more hydrating lemonade and water in the sweltering 106 degree heat...for, what, the 14th day in a row at 100+!

The girls and I

stayed home

in the a/c

doing (watching)...


...a few of our favorite things.

Kathleen's favorite part was at the end when the nuns removed the spark plugs from the Nazis' car so the von Trapps could make their getaway. The little pranksters!

We didn't make our own clothes out of old curtains, but we did start on a rag rug for the girls' doll house.


(Fabric cannibalized from a pair of their outgrown capris.)

Then we ate sorbet and went to bed.

Playing & Planning

They play.






I plan.


If I mention that they ran out of gas on the lake, don't let that fool you into thinking they had any less fun!!

Two Panels Down

School planning in progress...

No, we haven't been off on some lengthy exotic trip. We've been swimming at the pool, boating on the lake, having gates fixed and air conditioners serviced, enduring hail storms...and making every effort to keep from melting. It's been 100 degrees for the past few days, and I'd just like to say,


"It's
HOTTTTTT!"


The kids started fiddle camp last week, they're ready for VBS at the end of the month, we're signed up for art classes, and I've just been doing some fun school planning now that we've finished up our year.

Can you tell what time period in history we'll be studying this year?


I've had fun going through lots of other books we'll be using this year. I can't wait for the kids to dig into these 50s edition classics.


They were given to my aunt by my grandparents. The inscription Grandma wrote.


LOVE hand me downs!

Isn't the artwork in this Hans Brinker book sweet?


Presenting...


Black Beauty

Classic books are forever gifts!

An Heirloom from Grandma Hardie

I'm not even sure what year it was (80s?), but my grandma made this beautiful afghan for my mother.


The first time I saw it I wished I could either talk my mom into letting me have it or talk Grandma into making one for me.

It was a special gift to my mom, so I figured I wouldn't be able to pry it away from her.

Hmmm...
Grandma had already given me my choice of afghans from her stash--even before my brothers got to choose, so I figured I shouldn't ask her for another. It looked like it took a lot of time and work to make. I didn't want to be so forward.

Years of yearning for that afghan went by, and Grandma passed away.


After a number of years, I thought about that afghan again then realized that Grandma Hardie was the person (along with a little instruction from my other grandmother) who taught me--a southpaw--how to crochet. She hadn't taught me some of THESE stitches, but if I only had the pattern...

After finding it among Grandma's things, Aunt Kay even sent me the well-used pattern that she used.

That was many years ago.

Then I had children.

I know that pattern is around here somewhere...in a very special place. Recently, I was lamenting having to search our backroom (big gasp) to find it.

Then last month while I was in California visiting Mom, I saw the afghan once again. With it on my lap, I searched the Internet for the pattern. To my surprise I found it! The only thing I didn't know was how to do was the afghan stitch. Thanks, YouTube.com.

Now, as our crew has enjoyed some family time watching our Planet Earth and Blue Planet DVD sets that my brother gave the kids for Christmas, I've pulled out the yarn and a hook. You know, multitasking.

My progress: one of five panels.


A yarn guzzler.


It's taken two full large skeins of yarn to make just one panel and this extra little bit on the 2nd panel.

That's over 710 yards of crocheting so far.

It's much quicker and easier than I thought though, and it totally takes the edge off after a long day.

It'll be worth it!

What I received from Grandma wasn't the afghan but the gift of learning how to make it myself. If it wasn't for her, I most likely wouldn't have had any interest in learning how to crochet.


My heirloom from Grandma Hardie.