Whoooooo doesn't want cooler weather?

Whooooooo doesn't want some cooler weather????  We have had a heat wave like no other in SD....in the high 80's and low 90's....sometimes I can't believe I grew up in Phoenix, altho, it is true...it is a DRY heat and not the humid action we have been seeing.....

The boys have been keeping cool on their tree swings.....

....and Kristen (my recycling wonder) has kept me busy with indoor mommy projects - sort by color and  print....with all the intensity at work, I love mindless projects like this....

We made an overnight turn around trip to Mesquite (106+) to take my mom and her dog to meet my sister half way to drive her home....I love Mesquite as I am not a big gambler and the hotels are a cool 60 degrees and pet friendly and it has 'Old Vegas' food and prices....I had his yummy prime rib dinner for $5.99!

 Steve went for the club..... the next morning we had the ham and egg breakfast for $2.99 - unreal people I tell ya!

I found a buy on a riding toy for the boys - the love it!  It has a 12volt battery and has a little zip to it!

and I found these 'good-boned' but ugly painted owls at the dollar store.....

 So I took one home and painted it sage green.....

 and painted a clear glass cake plate with some inexpensive brown paint.....

 ....and created this little 'hope for fall weather' shrine to visualize and meditate on cooler weather!  If I create it....it will come....

Hope you are chill where you are!

Cranky~~Attracted to Red~~A Theory

The week started out so calm and innocently......a nice lunch outside at the Bay.....

 Finishing up a few sewing projects......

 Trying a new pesto, goat cheese, phyllo dough appetizer......

 Then on or around August 5th....the heat was on.....we had the AC cranking and fans everywhere....

 My mom persevered and baked - chocolate cupcakes and pumpkin pie on the hottest days of the year for her little charmer.....

 We tried cooking outside for some relief!  Sacrificial chicken on beer can.....

 ....and then it worsened......Rocky was zapped like kryptonite hit him.....

Red things appeared everywhere.....our Christmas plant bloomed in August.....

 Everything I bought was red.....this red velvet smocked dress for a friends daughter.....

 This red radio flyer for the boys.....

 and I got Cranky....very Cranky.....first I thought it was because my mom has been here 31 days and we have had big dinners with friends and family for 27 of those days.....but I believe the more the merrier...
.....then I thought it was because when I wrote out my Things to Do list I realized I would have to live to 140 to complete it.....but I like being busy.....
then at work I was asked to drop what I am working on to take on more critical projects 3 times in one week....but my job is always like that.....
then I thought  it was that if I don't take my allergy medicine I have itchy eyes and I sneeze non-stop and if I take it I am a low functioning Zombie....but that is August in SD...
then I thought it was because I was facilitating a meeting in my office on my land line, while on my cell phone attending another meeting with incoming txt and 3 instant messages going off at once....but that is also what I call Tuesday.....
Then it really hit me when my high strung husband appeared to be the calm one next to me....so I thought and thought and gathered evidence and enjoyed Dylan showing my mom our secret treasure - the giant trains at the nursery we go to.....

 and I got lost in these big brown eyes eating some corn on the cob.....

 and then it hit me.....all the bad JuJu started when Curosity landed on Mars (the RED planet)!

Some things are better left alone!

Gone to the Dogs

Once when I was a freshman in high school I went to a concert at the Phoenix Coliseum (to see Jim Morrison and the Doors!).  It was way before cell phones and pagers and I was suppose to be home at 12...well the concert ran late and I tried to call home and lost my dime...then when we left the concert we hit the train at 6 points at Grand Avenue and it went on forever....I knew I was going to be in trouble as it was past 1....so as my date drove us about 3 blocks from home we came upon my sister who was out in the car driving around looking for me at my mom's direction (did they expect to find me wandering the streets?)....I tried to explain to her as she made me get out of my date's car and into hers and she said 'You have just gone to the dogs'....and I was devastated at that seething remark!  However, that was the least of the thrashing I got when I got home and for the next weeks being grounded.....they did not believe that Jim Morrison shot out wine from the stage from a bota bag and it got on my pants!  True Dat!

 Speaking of dogs, we moved the living room around and Rocky found a new perch to supervise us from!

 My mom and her dog Mitzi are still here and she is constantly by her side which means she is mostly in the kitchen.  She has warmed up to the rest of us and is such a sweet (and spoiled) dog.

 Cosby (my grand-dog) celebrated his 5th birthday and we had a little dinner party for him.

 4 dogs in my teeny tiny kitchen.....

 Rocky was worn out from a close call to death...he got his collar caught on some shrubs and tried to work free and got his arm and shoulder in his collar and almost apysixiated until I came to his rescue and cut the collar off him just in time....he was shook up, I was shook up and I bought him a break away cat collar to wear!

 Adam worked hard on his relocation and fixing mommy's router so she will be in great shape when he moves on.....

 Lots of kitchen activity with mom around.....we had lamb chops and couscous salad.....

 Berry Cobbler with strawberry, raspberries and blackberries....yum

 Fried Pork chops with mashed potatoes and carrots....

 This lady is at home in the kitchen.....I buy whatever she wants and turn her loose....I could never make gravy so when she does I lap it up

 Steve make us a yummy grilled steak dinner....

 I opened a coconut to get fresh coconut meat....

 it was a long process

 long and slow....

 long and slow and painful

 long and slow and painful and so totally not worth it - next time I buy a package for $1.29!

 Brody shows us his new game for Speech Class - Go Fish!

 Fish for a card and pronounce the p's the 'new way'....he is doing great!

My handsome boy had his first day in 1st grade....so precious!

 And Friday night sleepover we had game night - Dominos is Brody's favorite

 Yeah - I win!

 Dylan is the shark in CandyLand and the sweet boy he is let his little brother win (some of the time)

 However, the kitchen is very interesting when GreatGrandma is around!

After a good nights sleep.....she makes him a 'PaPa' breakfast in the morning....eggs, hash browns and bacon....Little PaPa and yes  very interested dogs!

Finally, 'Gone to the Dogs' is a good thing!