Magic

M has been reading Never Fairy stories to E. As she was finishing up the chapter yesterday, E said, "HOW did you DO that?"

M: "Do what? I'm just reading to you."

E: "You made the story APPEAR!"

M: "Mom, I think E just discovered her imagination."

P & I, who are Inkheart fans, think we might have a Silvertounge on our hands...

The Girls Got Crabby

Yep, Mom caved. The girls each got a hermit crab tonight. Someone from freecycle.org gave us a cage, so that helped. I have to admit that I am surprised at how active they are. M was adamant that we HAD to put them on the blog TONIGHT. She named hers "Snapper" and E's is "Bella Bun."

Easy Chicken Recipe

I don't know about you, but I'm always on the lookout for easy yet delish recipes. We tried this one from my new subscription to Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine. We're off to a good start! I can totally see this being served at a place like Applebee's for $9.99. :)

Monterey Barbequed Chicken

4 bacon strips (I saved even more effort & fat grams by using Hormel Bacon Bits - real, not immitation)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
1 T butter
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese.

Cut bacon strips in half widthwise. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; keep warm.

Drain drippings from skillet; cook chicken in butter over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Top each chicken breast half with BBQ sauce, green onions, tomato, and two reserved bacon pieces; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

YUM-O!

Tall Ships Tacoma

On Saturday, we went to Tall Ships Tacoma, and unfortunately, my family thought it was a tall yawn. We just didn't time it right to get to go on the bigger ships, as they were out cruising. I thought it was all ok, but my family was less impressed. I don't think we'll be returning next year.


Here's a look at what we did (minus the complaining..."I'm thirsty" doesn't always translate into a good picture):(

In these pics, the girls are playing in the Captain Kidd village. The first one is "Bat a Rat," where they were to hit a rat into a bucket, and the other was a "pirate ring toss."

















Here are the tall ships themselves. The only one we could have gone on was the USCG vessel, but the line was atrociously long and we were towards the end of our day, so we just looked from the dock.
















This little black one was a replica of the Nina, as in Christopher Columbus.














I expected to see (and get to go on) more ships like this one. Maybe these are like the ones we could have gone on, if only they had been docked.








Final thoughts: We were a little surprised at just how many "pirates" there were at this thing...who knew so many grown ups adored pirates that much?!

The highlight of the whole thing, the picture I really should have taken, was E's face as we got to ride a school bus shuttle to and from the parking lot to the event. She was so excited!

Fourth of July - p.m.

In the evening, we went over to some friend's house for a BBQ and the best home fireworks show my kids have ever seen. When she invited us, Maria said, "Let's just combine our fireworks and put on a great show." To which I said, "Um...we're happy to bring our sparklers..." We clearly got the better end of the deal, and M made sure everyone knew that b/c her parents are so old and boring, they have never let her get any of those kinds of amazing fireworks. Both girls really enjoyed themselves! And we did, too, even though we're old and boring.

Here are the standard sparkler shots:











They had a great swing outside that was the perfect (safe) distance away from the projectile sparks. I was hoping to be sneaky and get a pic of the rapture on their faces w/o them noticing I was there, but leave it to E to sense a camera pointing at her! :) M was too cool to sit w/the little kids and found herself a large rock to perch on. It was quite a distance, so I had to zoom in and so this pic isn't the best, but it does show how taken, she, too, was with Jason's fireworks show!

















One more cheesy sister pic...


We headed home around 9pm and readied ourselves to walk over to the lake for the fireworks there. We have heard that the homeowners around the lake put on quite a show, and wow - it was amazing. It wasn't choreographed or anything, but it was a steady stream of various explosions from 9:15-10:20, with the most impressive ones being from 10-10:20. We left at 10:30 and they were still going. Fireworks aren't illegal in our town, and there's obviously a great deal of money and pride involved amongst these lake side homeowners. Works out just dandy for us! We gave them lots of ooohs and aahhhs and clapping, so I hope they felt appreciated enough to do it again next year! Here's my little clan as the fireworks were just starting. Doesn't P look a little menacing with that big flashlight? We were pleasantly surprised how not overcrowded it was, and how many people weren't smoking, drinking, or being otherwise obnoxious. There were some crazy children swimming in the lake, and some guys playing bongos and guitars, but really, I anticipated a much rowdier, annoying crowd. We were surprised at how long the fireworks around town went...we heard them until well after midnight, and again last night. Do people really have this much money to (literally) burn?! Well, I guess I'm pretty glad they do b/c we were treated to a pretty impressive show...and we didn't even have to drive anywhere!

Poll: Should M Get Some Hermit Crabs?

We're taking a highly scientific poll of our blogging friends and family. Do you think M should get some hermit crabs? She wants them b/c fish are boring and she can't have a dog in our smallish condo and her mom and dad say that furry creatures (guinea pigs, gerbils, etc) smell too much. Hermit crabs are the only interesting pets she thinks she has a good shot at getting. So, we thought we'd take it to the people and let you weigh in.

We'd also be interested to hear if any of you had ever had hermit crabs as pets before, and any advice you have from your experiences.

Fourth of July - a.m.

Our ward had a 4th of July pancake breakfast and "bicycle parade" this morning. P had to work, but the girls & I enjoyed ourselves! Do you like the centerpieces? Thanks! I made them (with the help of a very creative and resourceful friend, Colleen)!

More pics to follow after our fireworks tonight, I'm sure!
Happy Fourth of July, everybody!