Here are the monthly mugshots.

Can you believe that August is just about over? The girls picked out these outfits to wear today. It was only 70 degrees out yesterday but today it was 90 in the afternoon. It's that time of year when it can be cool in the morning then the afternoons are steamy. Good thing I took these pictures this morning because they did not look that cute and fresh this afternoon when they got off the school bus. Paige asked me "why don't they put air conditioning on school buses?" I told her it would cost too much and she's lucky they have heaters. Plus I think it's good for them...let them have a little taste of "the good ol days", it can only build character.

Paige said about her outfit: "I think this is a cute outfit to wear on Friday since I have art today." I guess it's her artsy bohemian outfit, anyways she looks adorable even without her shoes on.

This little fellow is the king of the front feeder. He has been busy chasing the other hummers off this morning. I had to hurry and give them a refill. Earlier in the summer it would take about 3 days for them to empty this feeder (and we have two more small ones and a large one out back) now it takes about 24 hours for them to empty it. I guess they are preparing for their migration to Central America. Paige and I were reading hummer facts from a web site this morning before the school bus came. After she got on the bus I grabbed the camera and took these pictures.

When life gives you lemons, or when your parents lemon tree is brimming with unpicked lemons....we made lemonade. The best thing about this lemonade besides the wonderful fresh flavor was how simple it was to make. I think the hardest thing was picking the lemons (Mimi, Mike and the girls did that part) lemon trees have very long and pointy thorns. Paige and Megan were very good lemon squeezers. Megan even had a cut on her finger, and braved it out.
When I announced that I was going to make lemonade my dad gave me this look with raised eyebrows that pretty much said "that sounds like too much trouble". Maybe he was recalling the "great grape juice fiasco of 1984"? That's another story for another time.
Well he must of liked my lemonade because when I gave him a taste from my first glass he didn't give the glass back until it was empty! We made two batches of lemonade, I made the first and Mike made the second. We even brought some to the cookout at Shann and Steve's, it did not last long enough. We had just enough lemon juice left over from the first batch that Carole made her yummy lemon bars, they didn't last long either!

Ingredients

Makes 2 quarts

• 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 1/2 cups water
• Lemon peel strips, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups lemon juice and the sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let syrup cool.
2. In a pitcher, stir together lemon syrup, remaining 2 cups lemon juice, and 3 1/2 cups water. To serve, pour over ice, and garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Aunt Shann and Megan (7/24/08)
1,2,3 as cute as can be! These pictures make me smile:)

We take pictures of feet! We being me and my sister, she's the one that started it. I like our feet portraits because our feet are so unique. You can tell exactly who's foot you are looking at, but just in case you are not as familiar with our feet as we are...the one's above belong to Chelsea and Megan.
Chelsea's feet in her new sneaker's she bought at a discount store for fancy footwear and stuff!


Megan's feet at two different beaches along the northern California coast last month.
Me and my girls feet at the beach in California. I think the title for this should be "The feet of M. P. and B."
Last but not least "Feet in the surf", and those are all the feet photos from our 2008 vacation in California.

These photo's were taken on Thursday 7-17-08.
Dad and Mike had gone quad running with Steve for the day. Paige and Megan enjoyed hanging out with Mimi painting in her art studio, and I got to run some errands and have some free time. Carole's daughter Jenny came over to visit and have dinner with us. The girls were thrilled when she went to pick up her pooch, Mogey from the groomers. It was the first time that we have gotten to meet Mogey, but we felt like we already knew him from seeing his pictures. He is a dapper little fellow, and we were all charmed by his mellow nature and good looks.
We had and extra special treat when Carole invited her dear friend Virginia over. We always enjoy visiting with her and hearing about her travels and art. She has a very positive spirit.
Carole and Virginia say "cheese".

Paige was showing Jenny her virtual puppy's on her Nintendo ds.
Here's Mogey back from the groomers and ready to play. The girls were so excited to get some puppy love.


Did I mention how cute and dapper he is? We are all smitten with Mr. Mogey!

Megan relaxing with Mimi above and goofing with Pop-pop below.
Megan (below) performed some songs from Hannah Montana, with a little coaxing of course.
I think Paige missed her daddy. He left with Pop-pop to go to Steve's before the girls got up. The guys had a great time on the quads. They came back grinning and covered in dust.



For dinner we made quesadilla's on the panini grill. Mimi made a tasty desert that we all enjoyed. It was a layered pudding, graham crackers and chocolate frosting almost like a sweet lasagna. Paige and Megan were crazy for it!

O-H-I-O....here we are doing our Buckeye cheer in the California Redwoods. While we were out west we took the girls up for a ride on the Avenue of the Giants.
Just when you start thinking your kids are growing up so big you find a picture of them looking tiny in front of a fallen redwood.
The next two pictures below were taken if front of the "Dyerville Giant".
The Dyerville Giant was recognized as a "champion" Coast Redwood as certified by the American Foresters Association until it fell on March 24, 1991. Before it fell, it was at least 362 feet tall (estimates from two different sources measured it at 370 feet after it fell). That is two feet taller than Niagrara Falls; or comparable to a 30 story building. It is 17 feet in diameter, 52 feet in circumference and probably weighs over 1'000'000 pounds.

Fossil records show redwoods grew naturally in many places across the Northern Hemisphere. Due to climatic changes and other factors, Coast Redwoods now only grow naturally in a narrow 40 mile wide and 450 mile long coastal strip from southern Oregon to southern Monterey county in California.

This is kinda cool how the tree seems to be growing in a spiral. Does it make ya dizzy?

Mike told Paige to make a chopping motion...she was not that into it. Now Mike on the other hand is a much more believable actor.

Those big growths on the tree above are burls they do not harm the tree, they are just a mass of cells that have mutated. Mike referred to them as elephant snot...and the kids thought that was cool...so then they had a ball calling out "elephant snot" each time they spotted one.

Redwoods are so immense that they live in three climatic zones at once. The base of each tree is in one set of climatic conditions, the stem is at another and the crown is yet another.

"The redwoods once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always...from them comes silence and awe. The most irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect" - John Steinbeck