for love of summer

Yes, those are my sandy feet.  They take me many, many places one of which was to the beach with the kidlets this past weekend.  There are quite a few beaches around my area.  Some are close and some are far.  Going to the lake is a past time for people here.  It's what we do when the weather permits.   We opted for the beach that sits on a huge lake about an hours drive from our home.  I loved going there especially in the later part of the day when the trees provided some much needed shade.  It's not so crowded at that time of day either so watching 4 kids with a good book becomes a bit less daunting.  Speaking of the kidlets, they just loved their time along the water's edge.  Miss A & Miss J rock hunted and searched for treasure for quite awhile before they braved the waves.  At one point Miss A was greatly rewarded by a couple of bracelets that she found.  But alas they slipped off her petite wrist and fell back into the water from whence they came as if the waters were telling her the treasure belong to another. 

Enter the boys who spent the majority of their time either rolling in the sand or rolling in the water.  They had their mind on packing enough movement into those few short hours as possible. 

Breaks did come though and we refreshed ourselves on water, watermelon and grapes.  Just enough to keep hunger at bay.


Of course, what is a day at the beach without a bit of sand burying? 


 

heatwave

Has it really been that long since I last posted?  Things do get away from me in the heat of the summer.  We are in the midst of an incredible heat spell where every day seems to hit 35+ celcius (95 fahrenheit) of course our humidity is making that temperature just soar so that it "feels" like 48+ celcius (118 fahrenheit).  We are making the best of it and spending our mornings and afternoons in the pool. 


When we have had enough of the heat we come indoors to cool and re-fuel.  Gosh, I love summer.  Even in the midst of this crazy hot weather I love it.  Usually we make countless treks to the beach but with my hubby's work hours changing I haven't ventured there alone yet.  The thought of four children & myself on a crowded beach is just too much for me to manage.   Perhaps when the girls get a wee bit older.  Until then we will have to settle with the backyard crazy fun morning, noon & night.

And what about this sometimes craft-blog of mine?  Well, crafting isn't happening too much right now.  I really need to make the most of these warm days because I am all too aware of what is around the corner in a few months time.  Yes, very soon we will all be banished indoors as Jack Frost covers us in a blanket of white snow.  Hard to believe that day will come.  But just for you, here is a glimpse of it...


Are you shuddering with me?  As you can see, you will have to be patient with my blogging updates whilst I spend every minute I can making sure my wee ones are having a great summer outdoors.  I'm sure you understand.

the photo journal continues...

These are my "outdoor children".  They don't mind staying outside and they never complain about it being too dark at night.  They are always ready to give a helpful hand and hold a watering can or two.




I was finally able to put in a couple of new gardens at the front of our home.  I've only been waiting for a few years now and it was worth the wait.  Things are pretty small now, but it won't always be that way, growth happens so quickly be it plants or children.   It's a perennial paradise and my ds is hopeful that more butterflies will find comfort in our yard.   


Things are steadily growing in the backyard too.  Most days when you enter my backyard, it looks like a toy store exploded there.  But I did reserve this one little section for the grownups where you can admire the clematis vines along with other perennial favorites.








Take time to smell the roses and have a lovely weekend.  I'll be back with more photos soon. 

the silence is deafening...

around my blog that is.  We had a nice weekend of warm, humid weather which kept us outdoors the entire time.  My sewing machine is begging for some company as are many other crafty endeavors that are sitting around the house.  Alas much of the creation is of an outdoor variety and will most likely remain as such while the warm winds blow. 
We put the pool up for the kidlets just in time for a hot spell, ours are a strange bunch though as they gather in the small tiny pool while the large pool sits lonely in the background.  They like to call the small one their "hot tub" as it is usually filled with warm water and loads of bubbles.

One evening we took a ride to the big city park and walked through the lovely English gardens to bask in the floral goodness as well as the artistic talents of a beloved local.

Even surrounded by such beauty, kids will be kids.  Climb away young adventurers


Things are busy in the summer and I can't bring myself to be indoors too much so for the next little while my blog is going to be a photo blog.  See you around.

we got "catapiggers"...

...as pronounced by Miss J.  One peek at our garden and you will find little "caterpillars" bursting from their eggs and munching to their hearts delight.   I planted some milkweed a few weeks back to entice the lovely monarch butterfly to come grace us with her presence and lay her eggs.  Sure enough, she came, deposited and we are now witnessing the cycle of life for the monarch butterfly.  If you look closely at the photo, you can see a tiny white egg on the leaf, this is where a better quality camera would come in handy. 


Within a couple of days we saw this little guy (or gal) all dressed in stripes and ready to munch, munch, munch. 


Not too long after this photo was taken, were we able to catch another glimpse of our not-so-little-anymore-friend. 


The very hungry caterpillar is now a great big fat caterpillar, or "catapigger" as Miss J would say (she is correct in more ways than she realizes).   I just love that we are able to witness the growth pattern and changes in this creative little creature.  I'm totally digging his antennas, what a cutie!  And while we have yet to see a cocoon, we are hopeful that we will get to witness that next.

All for now.   

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