Ants

Wednesday nights are always hectic as we try to eat, clean up and make it to church on time. We were running late this week and I decided to clean up when we got back. Usually I'm diligent in picking up the food and crumbs that fall on the floor because we live in a very "anty" area and I hate the little buggers being inside my house. Well, I made a bad call! When we got back and I went to clean up the floor it was teeming with ants. Yucky! I quickly went for the ant spray and the Dyson. It wasn't anything like what Kim in San Antonio over at the Life in a Shoe blog has had to deal with. (Hordes of daddy long legs.) But it was creepy just the same. Next time I'll be late to church.

Books

When the Lewis family goes to the library I feel like we are taking half of it home with us. My oldest loves books and gets an armload full that she reads through in about a week. My middle two aren't readers as much so they only get a few but by the time I pick out some and my littlest picks a few and we get what we need for school it is enough for me to worry that the book bag might break.

Last Beach Day

This week has flown by and I've hadn't had time to post much as we packed in a lot. Tuesday the public school kids went back to classes. My kids sometimes fall into the trap of thinking they are missing out because they don't get to climb on the bus with all their neighborhood friends. But I surprised them. I told them that if they got their school work done correctly and quickly that we could go to the beach, something no one else who "goes" to school could do. The kids lit into their work and were done in record time. They had a blast at the beach. (Living on Lake Michigan has perks.) Hardly any one was there and it was a scorcher of a day. We saw some school buses on the way home and not one word was uttered about wanting to "go" to school. The only downer was that it was probably the last beach day of the season as the weather will soon turn and we have other obligations and plans filling up the calander. (Oh and yes... I cheated with the picture. This is one from earlier in the August. I forgot to take the camera with me Tuesday.)

Low Key Labor Day

My husband is still recovering from back issues so we had a very inactive holiday. We spent a good amount of the day watching the Dirty Jobs marathon on Discovery. Our favorite was when the host was painting the Mackinac Bridge as we go over it to camp each summer. We also took the kids to the "blue" park (Reagan's request) to play and then took a drive. We are ending the day with burgers cooked on the G. Foreman.

"C" is for cookie

... and that's good enough for me! While I confess to having a sweet tooth and love for all things candy and dessert there is nothing that I love more than a good cookie. The old traditionals are my favorites: chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodles and oatmeal! Today was a cookie making day even though the temps were a little warm for it. The kids all love to help mix up the batches, put them on the sheets to bake and then cleaning up. ( Licking the bowl!) I remember as a child wanting to just eat the dough and could never understand why my mom said, "I want to have some left for cookies." Boy have times changed. Now I'm the mom saying what I vowed I'd never say, "I want dough left for cookies!" AHHH... good times.

I took a few different pictures and after comparing them all I just had to go with the one with my youngest's fingers in the picture. She just couldn't resist all those cookies. LOL!

Bye, Bye Diapers

This is the last of the diapers. When this package is gone Reagan is onto pull ups and the potty chair! This is the first time that I am not pregnant or have another child still in diapers. We will be a diaper free household -for the time being at least. God could see fit to add another Lewis at any time.

Entrepreneurial Inspiration

I love a good success story. I also love a great entrepreneurial mind. As a home maker I am always looking for ways to bring income into the home and I admire all who have traveled that road. That is one of the reason why I'm highlighting Paula (Food Network star) Deen. As you may or may not know Paula had some struggles earlier in life and despite the hardships has done very well for herself. She started with a tiny sandwich business, moved on to catering and restaurantering, hosting her own t.v. cooking shows, writing cookbooks, snagging a movie role, becoming Editor-in-Chief of her own magazine, and publishing an autobiography. The thing that impresses me most about Ms. Deen, though, is not her many successful business ventures but her willingness to share her entrepreneurial success with her family and friends. In flipping through the lastest issue of Cooking with Paula Deen I saw: Captain Michaels's of Savannah- a coffee company she and her husband have started and Bloom- a Savannah Spa owned by her brother's daughter(?)- I forget the relation but it is family. She has helped her sons get Food Networks shows and cookbooks of their own and helped her brother open a restaurant. Family means a lot to her. Yes, she is in a financial position to do this but it really is more than money- its a giving of herself to others. A desire to see her loved ones reach their full potential and a chance for her to share her blessings with others. This is her true success and it is one that everyone can follow after.