Try A Root Beer Freeze

I knew I needed to give you this one just in time for the long, hot, patriotic weekend!  I'm so pleased with how this recipe turned out - SO yummy and SO refreshing!

Recently, Bridget at Bake at 350 wowed us with her coke icees!  I was asking my son if he wanted me to make some and he suggested using root beer.  That's when it hit me - I could use my new ice cream maker to recreate my old A&W fave, the Root Beer Freeze!!  It took a couple a couple of tries to get the recipe the way I wanted it (hard for me as I like to get it "right" the first time - failure is not my friend!).  But I did it.  And I'm going to share it with you.  And you will be happy when you make it.  And then you will be mad at me because it's so good but it's gone so quickly.  :)

Here's the star of the show!  My new friend - LOL!  I had wanted one of these ice cream makers for a couple of years and finally saw them in Costco for $20 less so I went for it!  Sometimes it pays to be patient.

Just 4 simple ingredients for this recipe!  I think you should use good old A&W root beer for the extra sweetness, but of course a premium root beer would be wonderful too.

Action shot - pouring in the root beer after pouring in the other ingredients while the ice cream maker is running.  Action shots are hard to do by yourself with one hand and a point & shoot camera!  :)

Cheers!  This actually makes 3 good-size servings or 4 regular servings.

That's some creamy refreshing deliciousness in there!!

Completely unnecessary extra pic - I'm just fascinated by the light through the glass in this one.  :)

Root Beer Freeze

3 cups (24 oz) root beer
1 cup whipping cream (heavy whipping cream is even better)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk until sugar is dissolved.  Start ice cream maker and pour in whipping cream mixture.  Immediately follow with 24 oz. root beer.  Let ice cream maker run about 15 minutes until you have a milkshake consistency.  Pour into 3-4 glasses, grab your straws and enjoy! (My ice cream maker is 1.5 quarts - if you have the bigger one, you can increase the quantities.)

That's it!  Go and be refreshed!  What's your favorite thing to make with the ice cream maker?

Have a refreshing day friends!  And really, be warned  - these drink up like you're having your first glass of water after a long day of yard work in the hot blazing sun and then you'll be staring sadly at the empty bottom of the glass wondering what just happened.  Maybe start with half a glass.  ;)

This post is linked to:
~ Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom
~ Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky 
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace 
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

WFMW: Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Mix

One thing that works for me is making my own seasoning mixes instead of buying the packets.  This not only saves money, but you know what all of the ingredients really are!  I was happy to discover this taco seasoning mix in a cookbook.  After I give you the recipe, I'll share my Montana Taco Salad with you - I do think you'll get a laugh from it.  :)

Measure out the ingredients into a small bowl.

Mix it up - looks like taco seasoning to me!

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic (sometimes I just use garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Mix ingredients together and use immediately or store in airtight container.  Makes about 2 tablespoons mix, the equivalent of 1 package.  When using, add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix and 1/2 cup water to 1-1/2 lb. browned ground beef.  Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I really like this!  And you can make it ahead of time and label the bag/container ('cause if you don't label and think you'll just be able to remember what that is for, you might be wrong and you might have packs of spice rubs and seasoning mixes that look similar and you don't know which is which...or maybe that's just me).  :)

And now...Montana Taco Salad.  I named it this because that's where I learned how to make it - from a newlywed friend when I was probably 17.  So you need to keep in mind that I didn't have much exposure to Mexican food growing up - only tacos and a few tamales.  That's it!  This taco salad was my first and is still a fave though most would not consider it worthy of being called a taco salad.  There are only 4 ingredients: lettuce, tomatoes, browned ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, and...beans?  No.  Corn?  No.  Olives?  No.  Salsa?  Sour Cream?  Cheese?  Cilantro?  No, no, no, no.  The 4th ingredient is none other than Nacho Cheese flavored tortilla chips (AKA Doritos)!

I did recently try to healthify this recipe a little - I use organic lettuce & tomatoes when possible, grass-fed beef, and I found a Doritos equivalent at Trader Joe's that does not have artificial flavors or colors and doesn't use GMO corn.

Gather the ingredients!

Uh-oh...somebody appears to have already opened the bag to sample!  Must be Quality Control.  ;)

I put lettuce and tomatoes in first, then crumbled chips, then the seasoned meat on top and let it sit for a couple minutes before tossing.

Toss it all together!

This is SUPER easy when you need something quick and it's kid-friendly!  It's one of my son's faves!

Do you make your own taco seasoning?  Do you have a fave taco salad recipe?  Obviously I need a "real" taco salad recipe, so leave links to your faves in the comments!

This post is linked to Works-For-Me-Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Have a great day friends!

Monday Musings

I'm stealing borrowing from my friend Charlotte today and filling you in on what I'm up to...

What I'm thinking: That I have GOT to catch up on housework this week and get back into 31 Days to Clean.  And thinking it's time to get organized about Summer since we haven't yet.

What I'm reading: I read Just Too Busy by my blog friend Joanne (see my review) and I'm still working on my 12 books in 12 months list.  I'm a little behind on that schedule - currently reading Oliver Twist by Dickens.  And I'm looking over a cookbook that I'll be reviewing on the blog.

What I'm listening to: The coffee maker finishing, whispering to me to get a cup before I finish this post - LOL.  And wind chimes outside which means there's a nice little breeze on this hot day.

What we're learning: Kiddo is trying to finish 7th grade math this Summer so he can start 8th grade math in the Fall when we start school, so we're currently doing 2 math lessons a day.

What I'm watching: The overgrown jungle in our little back yard - we really need to do some trimming!  But at the same time I like looking at all that green. We recently borrowed a movie from friends to watch: Gifted Hands - The Ben Carson Story.  Amazing story - I highly recommend it!

What's cooking: Tonight's dinner will be taco salad.  I'm naming it Montana Taco Salad ('cause I learned the recipe in MT) and I'll actually post it soon - you'll get a laugh from the simplicity of it.  And I need to mix up some more Instant Oatmeal Mix.

What I'm buying: Hopefully not too much!  Last week we spent some $ at Costco, Kohl's, and Lowe's so I'll try not to shop much this week.

What I'm thankful for: My family!  And I'm thankful that son and I can fly out to visit my Dad later this Summer - plane tickets are just not cheap!

What I'm creating: As much as I would like to try out some crafts, I really need to focus on organizing my household.  So I'd like to create some order around this place!

What I'm praying: That I would be a better wife and mom.  That kiddo's arm will be all healed up when his cast comes off tomorrow!  And for friends suffering with illnesses, financial problems, and more.

What I'm planning: To finally see the kiddo without his cast - yay!  Hoping to go to the $1 movie with friends this week.  Helping hubs with appetizers for his appetizer contest at work!  And trying to figure out our 4th of July plans.

What we did this last weekend: Well.  The weekend before I was helping host a ladies' tea.  But this weekend was quite the opposite!  I helped hubs who was blowing extra insulation into our attic.  I was the one loading the bales of insulation (which had to be broken apart) into the hopper in the garage and trying to keep up the pace so the hopper didn't empty!  SO dirty!!!  And my back is still hurting today, though I'm sure it will be fine soon.  Kiddo helped too by opening the bags up and sliding them over to me.  We rewarded ourselves for our hard work (and MANY $$ saved!) by going to see Kung Fu Panda 2 and then out for a steak dinner - yay!  :)

What I'm looking forward to: Kiddo getting his cast off!  4th of July!  Getting organized! (See, if I keep saying it I figure it will seep into my subconscious and help me out.)  :)

A picture to share:

After the insulation loading - SO dusty!!  I'm only smiling 'cause it's OVER - LOL!

What's happening with you?  Have a beautiful day friends!!

Sour-Cream Lemon Pound Cake

I do love lemon desserts, don't you?  OK, well I love *all* desserts, but lemon is so refreshing.  :)

I found this recipe over at MyRecipes.com, made a couple tweaks, and served it for Easter.  Very yummy and not too heavy!  I served it with some fresh strawberry ice cream - yum!

Sour-Cream Lemon Pound Cake

3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I used organic-evaporated cane juice)
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (2-3 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
8 oz sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 10-inch tube pan and coat with breadcrumbs.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Whisk well and set aside.  Beat butter in large mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add granulated sugar and lemon extract.  Beat until well-blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Beat for 30 seconds.  While beating at low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into tube pan.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes on rack, then remove from pan.  Mix remaining lemon juice and the powdered sugar, adding extra lemon juice if necessary to get desired glaze consistency.  Drizzle glaze over top of cake.

Eat and enjoy!!

Have a wonderfully refreshing day friends!  What's your favorite lemon dessert?

This post is linked to:
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam 
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace 

Review: Just Too Busy

We always talk about how busy we are as moms - whether it's at home or on the go.  I'm less busy than many, but I have friends that are on the go all day long and I wonder how they do it!  I get cranky if I have to run more than 2 errands!

Joanne Kraft found herself stuck in busy mom mode and stressed out.  She knew it wasn't good for her or her family and it led to an interesting experiment: the radical sabbatical.  Joanne wrote her book Just Too Busy ~ Taking Your Family On A Radical Sabbatical about how that experiment went and the lessons learned.

Joanne's family took a year off from all activities outside of the family - no sports, choir, theater, etc.  And they went on one family outing each month of the year.  I love how she includes her children's perspectives in the book.  It helps to see the lessons learned by all of the family.  Joanne isn't suggesting that you do the exact same thing that her family did, but she asks you to look at what the Lord wants for your family and think about ways to slow down and spend more time together.

You'll enjoy the book!  It's easy to read because it's just like Joanne is talking to you - and she's funny!!  She shares entertaining stories, but then at the end of each chapter is a prayer and some questions/suggestions for you to consider.  You can use this book as a group study and download the Leader's guide for free!

A little about Joanne:

Joanne Kraft loves to encourage women.  A sought-after speaker, Kraft has been published in Today's Christian Woman, In Touch, ParentLife, Kyria, and P31 Woman Magazine.  She serves as Marriage Study group leader, leader of Inspire Christian Writers, and a 911 Dispatcher in Sacramento County, California.  She is married and has four children.

I was honored to be asked to review Joanne's book since I've "known" her as a blogger (at Blessed) for quite some time!  She even lives fairly close by though we only had the chance to meet in person just last week at her book launch party!  So nice to hug a blog friend in person!  And I can assure you that Joanne is just as nice, funny, and real as she seems in her book.

Joanne and me at her book launch party!

Um, I know Joanne won't mind if I make a side note to tell you that this was indeed a bad hair day for me.  I was baking for a ladies' tea and had my hair pulled back, then ran out of time to make it pretty for the party - even though I *knew* there would be photos!!  Sigh.  We can't all be glamorous ALL the time you know.  ;)  Oh, and I'm pretty sure the camera adds 50 lbs - at least on the right side of the photo - heh,heh.

You can get more info about Joanne Kraft on her website, buy her book at Amazon, and follow her blog.

I'll leave you with a few questions from Just Too Busy:

~  Are you addicted to busyness?
~  Do you think you might be suffering from Activity Denial Disorder?
~  When was the last time you fell flat on your face while trying to overachieve?
~  Which activity in your busy schedule has eternal rewards?

Have a wonderful day friends and may the Lord bless your attempts to slow down!  Take a little time to stop and smell the chocolates.  ;)

Our New Adventure

I wanted to wait until the school year was officially over until I talked about our family's new adventure.  We've known about it for a few months and are excited about it!

We made the decision to home school our son for Junior High (7th & 8th grade)!  I'm excited to teach him and he's excited to learn and to not have homework in the evenings - LOL!

This wasn't an easy decision for our family.  We have been at the same Christian school for 7 years and we LOVE it!!  We have always been supportive of home schooling but we have an only son and God has blessed us through these years with the opportunity and finances to put our son into this Christian school.  And we already knew and loved many staff members before we even started there.

Me and my son when he started Kindergarten!

If you had asked me a few years ago if I would be willing to home school, I would have said that only if we could no longer afford to send the kiddo to our favorite school would I do it.  In the last couple of years, I was starting to get an itch to try home schooling.  I still loved the school, just not the homework!  And as my son got older, I knew the teaching would be less difficult for me as he's a smart and *mostly* obedient kid.

Anyway, don't want the story to get too long!  The Lord put it on our hearts earlier this year to consider home schooling for Junior High.  We resisted at first, being afraid of what our friends at school might think.  We truly tried our best to make our decision ignoring what others might think and just left it up to the Lord to guide us!  I even almost changed my mind at the last minute, but only because of some external circumstances, not what we felt the Lord wanted.

So here we are - a bit unexpected - home schoolers!  We know that there will be some people who are convinced that we no longer believe in our Christian School - simply not true; we still support the school financially, through prayer, and through hubs serving on the Board.  And there will be some people who think that we've finally *seen the light* to home school our child because it's the only "right" way - not true for us either though we have always supported and believed in home schooling.  But we can't worry about what man thinks - only what God thinks!  And we feel this is where He wants us right now.

I'll be doing it on my own, not through charter schools (which are very popular here) or through any sort of co-op.  If I was homeschooling long-term, I could choose from MANY methods of homeschooling!  But since our plan is to put our son back into our fave Christian school for high school, I'll be following the school's curriculum somewhat closely.  I'm still working out the scheduling and the details.  I'm sure I'll update you as we begin our school year, but that won't happen until after Labor Day.  That's right - I've GOT to make the most of this Summer break!!  :)

Now you're updated!  'Cause you wanted to know every detail of my life, right?!  :)  OK - that's enough talk about school.  Today is the first day of Summer and it.is.HOT (102 degrees).  Let's think cool relaxing thoughts instead.

Have a wonderful day friends!!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I haven't posted anything chocolatey here in a while and I don't have any "new" chocolate to share, so I thought I would repost an easy chocolate recipe for you!  Just in time for the weekend...

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 8-oz. pkg + 1 3-oz. pkg (11 oz. total) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed, or homemade whipped cream
1 9-in. graham cracker crust (I prefer the Oreo crust with this)

Beat softened cream cheese, sugar and butter until smooth. Fold in mini chocolate chips and whipped topping. Spoon into graham cracker crust. Cover and chill until firm.

Isn't that super easy?!  Might even make a good Father's Day dessert!  And you don't need a very big piece - it's rich. Now who's going to make some and bring me a piece?  :)

Have a wonderful weekend friends ~ with a blessed Lord's Day and Happy Father's Day!

This post is linked to:
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam 
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

WFMW: Sterilize That Sponge & Clean Your Microwave

It's been a while since I had a Works-For-Me-Wednesday tip for you!  Guess I haven't been very helpful...

When I was attempting to keep up with the 31 Days to Clean challenge (Um, I left off at Day 6 and have yet to complete that and move on, but I WILL, yes.I.WILL.), I did remember a few cleaning tips.

Did you know that according to MythBusters (so it must be true - 'cause I saw them test it), your** kitchen sponge has not only more bacteria than your toilet seat, but more of the harmful kinds of bacteria than your toilet seat.  I know, you just stopped by a pretty little chocolatey-looking blog and I made you gag.  Er...sorry.  Think happy thoughts like sugar cookies and Nutella bites.  La, la, la...bad thoughts gone.  And now we can move on.  :)

The answer to the problem is to regularly sterilize that kitchen sponge!  You can run it through the dishwasher with each load of dishes.  You can boil it on the stove for a couple minutes.  But my favorite way is to put that microwave to use!  Put your damp sponge in the microwave on high for 1 minute!  Some people say 2 minutes, but I think 1 does the trick.  But wait...there's more!

You can accomplish a kitchen chore at the same time - cleaning your microwave!  After your damp sponge has been in the microwave on high for 1 minute, you will discover that your microwave is steamed up.  That's fabulous because all you have to do is use that very sponge to wipe out your microwave as you're removing the sponge!  I must warn you - please wait about a minute before trying to grab that sponge because it.is.HOT.  When everything is damp and steamy, the grime and splatters just wipe right out!!  If you do this each time you wash dishes, your microwave will stay sparkly clean with almost no effort!!!  Woot!!!  Now if your microwave is really, really, really dirty to begin with, then you might want to start by giving it a cleaning with this other easy method.  Then you'll be able to maintain it.

Quick swipe of the sponge and it's sparkly!

 Isn't that cool?  My microwave almost always looks purty on the inside and I put forth next to no effort.

** When I say "your" kitchen sponge, I don't necessarily mean "your" kitchen sponge, but SOMEbody's kitchen sponge.  Somebody like you.  Or not.  But maybe.   :)

Get more Works-For-Me-Wednesday (also known as WFMW or WMFW as I have occasionally accidentally posted) tips over at We Are THAT Family!!  And please say a prayer for Kristen and her family (THAT Family) as she just got out of the hospital from having kidney failure and their Africa trip has been postponed.

Have a sparkly sterilized day friends!  LOL!

Sharing the Yummy Stuff

I've already mentioned that I love Pinterest.  I have a board of Yummy Things to Make and recently needed dessert recipes for a church potluck.  I just went to my board and looked around until I decided on 2 new recipes to try!  So cool!!

I'll share the pics with you along with links to the recipes.  I must apologize for the pics though - I was taking them in the kitchen at church just before serving so couldn't take time to do better! It doesn't take away from the deliciousness though!  :)

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

These had a light lemon flavor - stronger would be even yummier - but they would be nice cookies for an afternoon tea.

Smore's Pie

Well.  It just doesn't get much yummier than this.  This pie was GONE before I made it over to the dessert table after eating my lunch.  However, I do have my brainy moments and had removed a slice before ever putting the pie out on the table!!  Plus I needed blog pics you know.  :)  And yes, the ladies at church are used to me trying to take last-minute photos of food before serving it - LOL!

I had made the pie the day before and chilled it a bit before cutting my slice which made for a fairly clean cut, but you'll notice in the slice that the chocolate looks solid.  That's not the consistency you want.  I put it into a warm oven for a few minutes until the chocolate softened - perfect!

Got any yummy stuff to share?

Have a yummy day friends!

Because Coupons Are Important

We had a little story yesterday that gave us a laugh and hubs thought I should share!

Hubs was busy so kiddo and I decided that take & bake pizza was a must for dinner.  I searched for the perfect (meaning not expired - LOL) coupon and found it!  I called in the pizza.  And off the kiddo and I went to run a couple errands and then get our pepperoni deliciousness.

When we got there, I parked across a row from the pizza place.  I like to send the kiddo in alone to pick up the pizza - good practice for being polite, handling a transaction, and not being afraid to do things on his own as he gets older.  I handed him the cash and the coupon.  He's such a good thrifty kid that he reminded me about my stamp card (which earns 50% off a pizza when full), so I handed him that too.  He then started messing around and dropped the coupon in the car on purpose.  He picked up the coupon and I told him to *please* hold on to it all tightly and he said "of course" and headed in to the pizza place.

After a few minutes, I started watching the door as it usually doesn't take that long.  Then I saw him come out - no pizza.  What??  I saw him start talking to a young man who came out at the same time and they started looking all over the ground.  "Oh no," I thought to myself, assuming he had dropped the cash.  After they were heading my direction still looking around, I started to get out of the car to find out what was going on.  My son headed over to me while I noticed that the young man was talking to somebody driving down our row.

Turns out my son dropped the coupon!  He waited in a small line, and when he got to the cash register to pay he had the cash, the stamp card, but NO coupon!  The lady asked him what it was for (probably to give him the benefit of the doubt) and he had no idea.  He walked away and looked all over the floor in the pizza place - nothing there!  He walked outside and that's when he told the young man that he dropped his coupon.  They couldn't find it anywhere on the sidewalk or in the parking lot.  Then the young man heard my son call out "Mom" and thought he was calling to the person driving down our row.  So the young man started telling the lady in the car "Your son dropped his coupon and can't find it anywhere."  And she was obviously very puzzled, saying "Whaaat????"  Then the young man realized that my son came over to our car and this lady he was talking to was the wrong person.  Oops!  My son overheard him say, "Well that was awkward."  LOLOL!  Poor guy was just trying to help a kid out!

We could not find that coupon and went back into the store.  A nice young couple knew what had transpired and offered us their extra coupons in case one of them was the right one.  One was just right!  I thanked them very much and we finally got our pizza - at the coupon price of course!!!  We still looked for that coupon on the way back out and in the car but never saw it anywhere.

All of that trouble for a coupon?  Yes, coupons are very important to us!  Hey - that coupon was $3 off people!  :)  I will be stapling all coupons to my son's hand from now on.  ;)

Hopefully you got a smile or giggle from our fun, though maybe it's one of those "had-to-be-there" stories.  Are coupons that important to you?  Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends!

School's Out For Summer

Did you just sing that title in your head?  'Cause I did!  LOL!

Yesterday was the official beginning of Summer break for us so you would think I'd have plenty of time to write blog posts.  But oh there are so many things I got so behind on!  I'm trying to play a bit of catch-up on the housework and household planning and I think it'll take me the whole week to feel like I'm back on track.

I do have so many things to blog about - there are recipes I haven't posted, upcoming reviews, a baking soda hair-washing update, household cleaning tips, perhaps a giveaway (raise your hand if you like handmade doilies 'cause my Dad made some for me to give away and he does a great job!) and more!  I think I'll give myself some time to write this week and work on getting some things posted next week.  That takes the pressure off a little!

My kiddo has had his cast on for a week now and only 3 weeks to go!  Thank goodness!  At least he's still persevering through the video-game playing.  :)

Are you *officially* on a Summer break?  Are you doing anything fun this week?

Have a lovely week my friends!

Miss Me?

If you are having a hard time dealing with my lack of blog posts this week, you can find me today over at Pennies and Blessings!  :)  Click on that link and come say hi!

I'm sharing a little frugal tip with you over there...and confessing my love for a certain type of pasta!  :)

Do you have a favorite kind of pasta?

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Crazy Busy Week

I know you've had weeks like those!  This week turned out to be a little busier than I thought, so all you'll get for the whole week is this post with some random thoughts!  I hope you'll survive!  ;)

~ My son started out the week by breaking (technically just fracturing) his arm!  Argh!  Poor kid - was very painful.  He fell while trying to play tennis with his dad.  So sad because he's excited about tennis and we hit a sale that very morning to get tennis rackets and balls and new tennis shoes for him ('cause his were way too small and worn out).  He and my hubs went out and found an empty tennis court nearby and started to play.  But kiddo got tripped up and fell, fracturing his left arm.  Anyway, he's back at school to finish out the last week and has his cool new cast on!

This is what happens when you say smile and he does...until you hit the button and he makes a face.

After the ER visit, *suffering* by propping arm on pillows to play video games!

~ This is the last week of school - Woo Hoo!  I'm working on homemade teachers' gifts and goodies today.  Tomorrow is a last meetup with Bible Study ladies and my last time for the year of volunteering at the school.  Then Friday is school awards assembly and I'm helping drive kids to the end-of-year rollerskating party (and son can't skate now - boo!).  Then on to Junior/Senior High graduation - our son isn't graduating, but we always attend because it's such a special event at our small Christian school with inspiring speeches.  I believe there are 11 8th grade graduates and 6 Seniors graduating.

~ I've fallen off the wagon this week for the 31 Days to Clean challenge!  I'll get back into it starting next week, our unofficial beginning of Summer!

~ I probably had more things to say, but I haven't had my coffee yet.  With cream and sugar please.  Oh - I guess I have to go get that myself.  :)

What's going on with you this week?  Have you started Summer break yet?


Have a fabulous week friends - I'll see you next week!