Corn-y

My garden seems to be on it's own schedule this year.  I have things that I want NEED to be doing right now and my corn has decided it wants to be picked!

Anyone who has dealt much with corn knows that it doesn't last very long once it's picked...you pretty much have to pick it, shuck it, scrape it, blanch it, and freeze it RIGHT AWAY! This would be just fine if we didn't have so much other stuff going on...
 
We are currently in the process of making the play room into Grace's bedroom...I am painting her $75 bedroom furniture black- yes, we bought adorable furniture for her room at a yard sale for SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS!
I also just inherited my grandmother's hoosier cabinet which I need to refurbish...
AND we have an entertainment cabinet that we got FOR FREE (solid oak) that we are refinishing as added pantry space in the kitchen.
On top of all that I have been dying to go to revivals...Hytop, Big Cove (where I received the HG), Toney, Rocky Branch - sorry if I've left any out.

Instead I am at home putting up corn...
What's that?
"Why don't you put those four kids you've got to work?" you ask.
Really? You don't think I've tried that?!?  It's more trouble delegating the work, not to mention my ears are tired of the whining...although in all fairness to the girls they have been helping me with the laundry.  Yeah, we still have to wear clothes so we still have to do laundry.
This morning I was teaching Grace how to cut the corn off the cob and then scrape the milk out of it using the back (not sharp) side of the knife.
She was worried and I said, "Don't worry, you're not using the sharp side so it won't cut you."

HA! Almost as soon as the words came out the knife slipped off the corn and cut me...bad...with the sharp side. OUCH!  I had to hold the tears back because I couldn't let Grace know that it was as bad as it was.  I calmly washed my hand off and asked her to get me a band aid.
Her hands were covered in corn and she said, "Mason, please get Momma (ok, I'm embellishing a little with the please part but a mother can dream, right?) a band aid...my hands are corny."  Of course we all laughed, and of course she got her feelings hurt.
Needless to say she no longer wants any part of preparing the corn for the freezer!

Any takers?

Fourth of July - on the 19th of July

So I'm a little late...is anyone surprised, really?

Trent and the boys (Mason, Kamran, Arian, and Isaac) got up early that morning...yes, they most certainly did get up early..to go canoeing.  Trent can very easily take a 2 1/2 hour canoe trip and turn it into an All-Day-Event so he had pretty strict orders...heartfelt encouragement, to try to be done by 3:00.  We were grilling out at Tyson and Nickie's and there was a good chance that they wouldn't make it back in time for even the fireworks.

Bailey came by that morning with Mallory and picked the girls and me up so we could swim at Nickie's for a while before the guys got there. Grace had, as usual, spent the night over there and when we arrived they had made an adorable sign to greet us with.

 Almost right after we got there Grace got an invite to spend the day at Chip and Tina's.  Luckily she had been swimming most of the morning so she jumped at the chance.  She washed her hair outside and then went in to get ready.

Bailey, Mallory, and KC with their "George Washington" hair.

The little girls spent most of the morning filling water balloons so they could bombard the guys when they got there.  When Bailey decided to leave to go to Hil G's the girls decided to target her... unfortunately Jessica was nearby and one deflected off of Bailey and ended up hitting Jessica...in her regular clothes!

Believe it or not the guys actually made it back from canoeing in plenty of time...must be a record or something!  They came in and quickly took over the pool.

Isaac trying to make us believe he got a real tattoo...that morning before canoeing...yeah, right!

 

 

 They all wanted to show their moves off on the diving board...even the girls got in on the fun!  

Annaliesse taking it easy  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyson trying to pull Sue into the pool...she can't swim!

 

   

 Nickie wanted to get a picture of Isaac and Mallory together.  Every shot she snapped one or both of them would make a face or act silly in.  She snapped a bunch of pictures (this wasn't even all of the ridiculous pictures she took) until she finally got one where they weren't acting stupid.

They can actually look like a cute couple!

After all that swimming, and eating - you can thank me later for not posting pics of that :) it was time for the fireworks.

yes...you saw right...no shoes on the girls while they were doing sparklers...oops!

Happy Independence Day everyone!