PARTY ON...

Yes, we had another party last night...this one was planned. My son's best friend's 16th birthday party. He and his friends planned it to be a surprise, and boy was it!






The birthday boy had gotten a rebuilt Jeep from his parents and drove it over here yesterday. Would you believe it wouldn't start when they wanted to go somewhere? So his Dad and my DH worked on it for a while, while my son stressed out about leaving since the girls would soon be arriving to decorate for the surprise party!!

Finally they left in my son's car, and the girls came over and started the decorating! Cracked me up, they totally put streamers and balloons all over the kitchen - things I probably would never do, but it was cute and they were excited.

OH YES! THE CAKE!

My son and his friend made another one of those awesome ICE CREAM CAKES! This time they used a white cake mix with BEN & JERRY'S CINNAMON BUNS ice cream and frosted it with Betty Crocker Vanilla frosting. Again, it was delicious. Tasted like a cinnamon roll. I think they've got something going with this recipe!!!

DEFINITION OF A COUPLE...

of friends, to me, is two. Dos. Two other people besides yourself, for a total of three.

Just a little miscommunication between me and my youngest.

In our family, the last BIG birthday party is at 13 years old. But somehow, my youngest, on his 15th birthday managed to have 12 friends show up last night for his "party." I had planned on taking him and his friends to see "Toy Story 3." But seriously, we could barely fit all 13 kids in our 2 vehicles!!! For some reason he had them come over 2 hours before the movie, so I made a fast run to Cheezie's for Pizza and Walmart for those yummy Lofthouse cookies I never will buy them. The impromptu party turned out to be a hit, despite our miscommunication. I am such a softie, sometimes...

WHERE IN THE WORLD...

has my dear husband been this week? Thank goodness we have GPS service to let me
View Larger Map">know!

This is Mt. Baker in Washington. He attempted to climb it 2 years ago with a small group but didn't feel well after climbing to base camp, and his feet didn't like the rental boots, either! This time he went with his own boots and summited on Friday!
Congrats, honey!

TEENAGE BOYS ARE A BLESSING...

when they go fill up my car and pick up the pizza!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE WAYS TO START THE DAY...

is this site that I feature on my blog list. With my husband getting ready to climb Mt. Baker in Washington, my daughter galavanting around Europe this week on free travel, and one of my sons at camp, this verse gives me much comfort today!

SOUNDING OFF...

So after helping out several days with disaster relief work from a flood in our area, I am reminded again that my problems are nonexistent compared to these families who have lost 90% of the contents of their houses...

It's interesting...some neighborhoods get lots of press and help while others are forgotten.

Why don't more people come out and help? I just don't get it...if you can do a load of laundry you can help. If you can find some baby clothes for an 18 month old, you can help. If you can pack up a kitchen full of dishes, baking dishes, pots and pans, you can help. If you can tear out wet sheetrock you can help. If you can feed some hungry, hot volunteers, you can help!!!

Another thought as I help this woman pack up the contents of her closet...what do I have in my lower cabinets that could be damaged by a storm? Maybe I'll move my photo albums up a little higher!

AND...it just killed me to see other neighbors whose houses weren't affected out mowing and weedeating their lawns today...maybe they helped another day or something, but that just went all over me....

Sorry, I'm a little hot and tired right now. Pray for these "neighbors" as they pull their lives back together this summer!

LIVING VICARIOUSLY...

through my daughter...driving a boat under a natural arch around the island of Capri...and I'm sure if there were guys on that boat she would be wearing a tank top...