Our Get-Away (Day 2)

We were both so exhausted after our first day that we slept descent that first night.  Our pillows were old and flat, so we added buying new pillows to our list of things to do that day!  (If you didn't know, I'm a bit of a weirdo in the pillow department.  I need at least 3 a night, and I prefer my own, but because we flew, I had to leave mine at home.)

We took off early on Day 2 to head to Fort Desoto Park.  It was about an hour away from Clearwater.  My parents had gone before and found great shells there.  We wanted to get there early so we left the condo shortly after 7. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.  I had a coffee cake muffin and Kevin got a crossoint sandwich.  Our shelling dreams didn't come true at Fort Desoto Park, but the beach was beautiful and there were some historic things worth seeing that peaked Kevin's interest!

We left the park about lunch time and stopped at Chick Fil A for salads!

We headed back towards Clearwater.  There was a Christmas shop I wanted to stop at on the main highway back.  We bought an ornament and also found two cute stuffed mermaids for the girls.  We made a pit stop at Sam's Club and bought 2 new pillows too.  Kevin wanted to rent bikes for a couple hours, so we headed to the strip in Clearwater.  

Parking is a major issue around the entire beach.  There's no free parking, and all the lots/streets fill up quickly.  We found a store's parking garage with open spots.  We had to walk through the store to get out to the strip, which worked out great because neither Kevin or I packed a hat and we both wanted one.  The store was adorable!  The clothes and jewelry were all so cute and the kids clothes and toys were just as fun!  We both bought a hat and made our way out front to the bike rentals.

There were several bike styles to choose from, including one tandem bike.  We both thought it looked like fun but the saleswoman told us it feels very different to ride and encouraged us to take it for a test drive.  It was so awkward and we almost crashed on the sidewalk.  We decided to go with regular bikes and they were so much fun to ride!  We had baskets on the front so we put our waters, map, phones, and purchases in them.

We rode up and down the main strip.  Kevin suggested we take a quick break at our favorite Florida ice cream shop, Kilwins.  It was delicious.  He got vanilla, I got cookies and cream.

We wanted a snorkel set and rode our bikes over to Walgreens off the strip.  Before we headed to the check out, I told Kevin we should pick up a bottle of aloe.  The cheapest brand had three different choices.  I was trying to read one bottle, and when I grabbed it, I knocked a whole row of bottles down.  I was embarrassed and tried to fix them, and in the process knocked down a second row.  My hands were full so I asked Kevin to try.  He knocked down two more rows on his first clean up attempt.  We were both dying laughing but still felt like we needed to fix them.  So, Kevin made another attempt and knocked down two more rows.  We were in disbelief that these bottles were so hard to fix!  I convinced him to walk away before the store fell in on us and I told him we'd just tell the cashier.  Our cashier knew exactly what bottles we knocked over because he said it happens several times a day; and no one wants to fix them because they are so impossible to clean up! 

Our two hour rental flew by.  We went back to the shop we parked at and grabbed the kids a Tshirt and some souvieners. 

We went back to our condo, took quick showers and got dressed up for another dinner out.  We decided since the night before was a flop, we'd go back to the highway and eat at a chain restaurant.  Smokey Bones sounded good and it ended up being delicious.  I wish the one back home wouldn't have closed!

We ran into Target, then went back to the strip to check out the night life.  There were several bars open and Kevin wanted a Corona.  I was still disappointed by my bad piña colada the night before so I thought I'd try one more before calling it quits.  This one was perfect!

We were back at the condo by 9 and ready for bed early!

Our Get-Away (Day 1)

Last Tuesday, Kevin and I set our alarms for 1am.  We had packed our bags the night before, so we just had to make ourselves presentable and headed out the door and headed towards St. Louis's airport.  We are not frequent flyers.  In fact, this was just our third time to fly (the last time was when I was pregnant with Hayden).  We recieved an email days before our departure telling us to arrive two hours before the scheduled take off, which meant 4:25am.  I was a little nervous about getting where we were going, getting through expectedly long check in lines, figuring out parking, etc.  Kevin had researched the airports parking and knew which lot we wanted to park in.  We got turned around at the airport and maybe did 3 circles around terminal 2 trying to read signs (it was still dark outside).  Our fears of being late got the best of us, so we both agreed to just park at the lot closest to the terminal that we kept circling.  It happened to cost twice as much as the one we were looking for, but we were ok with that.

The lines that we expected to be out the doors were not.  We quickly checked our bags, immediately got through security, and found ourselves with over an hour to kill before it was time to board.  And then we both started regretting we parked in the lot we had parked in.  Too late to spend time thinking about what we should have done though.  We found a little bagel shop by our gate and ate breakfast.  I was definitely more nervous about flying (dying) than Kevin was, but our flight was pretty smooth.

We arrived in Tampa at 9:35am (they are an hour ahead of us).  This was our first time to ever rent a car but we had no problems.  Kevin convinced me to live it up and get a convertible and that's exactly what we did.  And it was so much fun!  I had joked it would probably be an old ugly model, but it was a 2016 mustang convertible!  The Enterprise employer said they trade cars every year they don't keep anything after a year.  Who knew?  

We had a short drive over to Clearwater.  We stopped at the first Walmart we saw and got sunscreen, a bucket and bleach for our shells, and bottles of water.  We wanted to find our condo and unpack, so that's what we did next.

Or condo was the upstairs of a small house.  We entered through a back staircase and it was nice, quiet, and private.  While there wasn't any view from our condo, the beach was literally steps away.

We were anxious to make the most of our time together.  We ate a quick lunch at Frenchys Cafe (not terrible, homemade chips were yum, but mostly fish on the menu).  Kevin ordered a buffalo grouper sandwich and I had a cheeseburger.

Then we went back to the condo, put on swim suits and walked down to the pier and looked for shells along the way.  It was 16 blocks from our condo, but it didn't seem that long walking along the water.  We were both feeling pretty tired once we got to the Pier and sat down... but it was only like 2 in the afternoon!  We decided to walk back to the condo but this time off the beach so we could check out the little shops on the strip.  It got hot quickly!  

We went back and got the car and took a 30 minute drive to Honeymoon Island to see what kind of shells we could find there.  I nodded off twice on the drive over but we found lots of neat shells and rocks that made the trip totally worth our while!  We also saw some big turtles on the side of the road... And a sign that said beware of rattlesnakes!

Exhaustion was setting in but we decided a dinner on the beach would be the perfect way to end our day.  We picked the first beach restaurant we came to, Palm Pavillion.  It was crowded, but it wasn't impressive.  The food was meh and I ordered a piña colada that was not drinkable.  We were seated in the direct sun on the patio and I should have asked to be moved, but I didn't.  There were pigeons on the floor (that Kevin kept feeding fries to), and seagulls that we're getting jealous of the pigeons and swooping in at our table.  We ordered chips and salsa as an appetizer and minutes after it was delivered to our table, our food came out (am I the only one that hates that?!). I ordered grilled chicken and red potatoes.  Kevin got a chicken wrap.  Our beautiful view + ok food + not so great service and a $40 tab... we knew we wouldn't be coming back!

We got back to the condo, put on our cozy plush Mom/Dad robes and sat and watched cable tv!  That was a treat since we don't normally see many of those shows :). Before we called it a night, we made some tentative plans for day 2!

Update on Sunny

A picture of her today after she just got done eating watermelon :)

 I was trying to figure out what day all this started, but I think it's been about a week!  We are lucky that Sunny has been doing so well!  She's still eating great, drinking great, and we let her outside to run the yard with her sisters once we rewrap her wing each morning.  The area of the wing the bone has come though isn't exactly getting better.  Actually it may be a little worse because we can now see two bones.  A family friend that's a retired vet said the area needed to be covered by skin for her to recover.  The problem is there isn't much skin around the area left.  BUT there is a little skin starting to grow between the bones.  I don't think the wing is broken like I originally did (she still flaps it really well - I know because I get flapped daily), but with such a big open injury, she's very susceptible to infection.

I spent many nap times looking up chicken information.   I've repeatedly told Kevin that if she was suffering, we wouldn't prolong the inevitable, but she's not suffering.  She's keeping up with her sisters, and acting perfectly healthy.   This week I joined a chicken forum to see if this had happened to anyone else and how they handled it.  I only found one instance and she had opted to have the wing amputated.  Their quality of life doesn't really change much without a wing.  Her breed can't fly anyways, so losing one wing wouldn't really change much.  But, I had no idea what that would cost.  And being practical, she's a $2 chicken and Kevin and I both agreed we couldn't fork out hundreds of dollars for surgery.  I went ahead and called two places to see if they could give me an estimate.  (BTW, it's really hard to find a clinic that will accept chickens as patients.)  The first place, in Evansville, said they had never done a wing amputation but they were estimating for a consult, xrays, and the surgery it would cost approximately $1000.  I about died.  The second clinic in Spencer County, known for being extremely affordable, said they would do it for $60!!!  I couldn't get over the price difference.

We are going to wait until next Monday and see how she's doing.  If the skin is continuing to grow over the wound, we will wait and see if she can heal on her own.  If it's getting worse, than we will spend the $60 and chance the surgery.  If you feel the need to pray for any chickens over the next week, Sunny would take the prayers!  I'll post another update next week unless something drastically changes before then.  :)

I know, I know, she's just a chicken.  But we love her and I feel a responsibility to do everything (withing a reasonable limit) to help her survive.   

Enjoying some watermelon on a hot day!

Weekly Happenings

VBS ends today and we have a busy weekend planned to prep for a busy next week!  I hardly took any pictures this week -  and that's so unlike me!  Here's some of my highs and lows from the week.

Sunshine:

*warning: graphic picture below*

My favorite chicken, Sunshine aka "Sunny", was found Tuesday with some blood on her wing.  After further inspection we noticed a bone had broken through the skin.  We aren't sure how she injured the wing, but my guess is falling off the roost (where they sleep) in the coop.  She is inside our house in a large container, we keep her wing wrapped and change the bandage 2-3 times a day.  I'm treating the area with triple antibiotic cream right now and she gets a bath daily.  We are letting her run with the flock for about an hour a day to keep them associated but I keep a close eye on her.  She's getting more attention inside than she'd probably like.  She's eating and drinking great and acting normal which makes me so torn on how to go forward with her.  I don't want to kill a chicken that isn't acting miserable, but I know I can't put her back outside with an open wound.  I'm trying to talk Kevin into letting me find someone to amputate the wing but he's not interested in spending any money on a $2 chicken.  And I can't say I disagree, I just want her fixed and I don't know how to make that happen.  I'm rambling now.  

VBS

As I mentioned above, the kids have spent all week at church.  They have loved making new friends and making crafts for me.  Poor Krissy can't really handle being away from me and had a harder week than Hayden or Allie.  Her teacher has been amazingly sweet and treats her as if she's her own, but the first two hours she says Krissy is just so sad and heart broken, but at craft time (the last hour) she really perks up and is a different girl.  I've continued to take her everyday because Kevin and I are getting ready for a 4 day kid-free getaway and I'm pretty sure that's going to be hard on her, so this week was a good way to ease her into that... Mommy guilt is kicking in!

(Crazy hair day + a sad Hayden {will explain that at the end})

Parenting Mishap:

Hayden was very excited to learn the new friend he made at VBS went to his school.  On day 3 of VBS, Hayden's teacher told me this boy's mom was waiting in the back of the sanctuary to talk to me.  I assumed she was wanting to exchange numbers and set up a play date and so I started talking about how excited Hayden was to be friends with her son and how great it was they went to the same school.  After I gave her my number and suggested we get the boys together this summer, she went on to tell me why she wanted to talk to me.  Her son came home from day 1 of VBS with a dollar Hayden gave him.  She lectured her son about how he shouldn't take money from his friends and not to accept anymore.  Well the next day Hayden gave him $21 which he accepted and said Hayden gave another boy an unknown amount of money too.  This mom seemed really troubled by this but nicely questioned me and my knowledge of all this.  I had no clue he'd taken money with him nor did I have any idea he was passing out money to "friends".  I assured her I'd talk to Hayden that afternoon and hopefully it wouldn't happen again.  I felt like she was slightly judgy about my lack of knowledge so I ended up texting her that afternoon to thank her for talking to me and to let her know I talked to Hayden... and got no response. #awkward. But Hayden and I did have a great conversation where I praised his willingness to give generously, he freely told me about giving the money to his friends, but we ended the conversation by setting up a rule that he should talk to mom or dad about giving money before he gives it.  

Sugar Cookies:

I made some amazingly delicious jumbo sugar cookies this week.  With all the chicken stress, I just wanted to bake because it'a a stress reliever for me.  And they were such a hit with the family!  I think these will be fantastic gifts for teachers and the bus driver next year :) 

Cinnamon Butter:

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I made some cinnamon honey butter to pair with my sourdough bread.  It was good but needed some tweaking so I adjusted some of the ingredient amounts this week when I made it again and it was a total success!  I'm planning to post the recipe before the end of the month so look forward to that!

Adios 4 Wheeler

Last night at 9:30pm, Kevin got a text message from someone inquiring about our 4 wheeler for sale.  The man wanted it last night for his sons 5th birthday today.  Kevin met him in Henderson at 10:15 at night and he was thrilled to get it.  It sounds like it went to the perfect family and I'm so glad the kids got a chance to ride it last night before bed.  Kevin broke the news to the kids after breakfast and Hayden was pretty upset about it (insert sad picture from a couple paragraphs ago).  He's completely out grown it but he still enjoyed it.  Maybe one day we will own another.  

Weekly Happenings

We had a non-stop weekend but it was also relaxing and productive... Don't ask me how that happened!  The kids spent time playing in the sprinkler, Hayden & Allie did a little school work, we played cards when it rained, and we stayed on top of house hold chores! (That doesn't happen most weeks!).  Here's a recap of a great week!

Memorial Day Weekend in Spencer County:

Saturday we met some family in Spencer County to decorate some family graves.  The kids actually did really well at the cemetery, but I had to correct behavior and let them know what was considered disrespectful as we went (i.e. sitting on headstones, picking up trinkets left on headstones by family members etc.). Next year we may try to go to another cemetery or two so they can hear some family history stories! :)

After we left the cemetery, we went to Huntingburg.  I love the little shops there. And I left town with only spending $1!  I found an adorable little vase that I knew would be perfect for all the little flowers my kids pick for me!

We spent the rest of the day at Christmas Lake.  The kids explored the yard and found all kinds of "treasures".

We had a deer join us during dinner!

My favorite find in the yard was discovered by Allie... It was this opened nut shell shaped like a heart!  

Mailbox Landscape:

Sunday afternoon Kevin and I were sitting outside talking about outdoor plans and what we'd like to get done.  We decided to just jump right in and tackle one project that afternoon - the mailbox.  Days earlier I sprayed the mailbox area with weed killer.  The big rocks we used were all in our backyard.  Actually 3 of those big pieces were one big rock Kevin was able to split.  The river rock was taken out of old landscape about a month ago and it's been sitting in the driveway waiting for me to use it!  It cost us nothing to do this little transformation, which was the best part.  We've had several neighbors tell us how nice it looks.  I'm anxious to get the front upgrades finished (still need plants/rocks in front of the house, we'd like to replace the porch columns, and refinish the basketball goal), but I know it all takes time (and money!).

4 Wheeler:

We decided a couple months ago to sell the kids 4 wheeler.  Kevin has had problems with the carburetor so he decided to just order a new one and replace it.  He fixed it on Monday and all the kids were so excited to ride it.  We questioned whether or not we should sell it because the kids love it so much, but it just comes down to the fact we only have the front yard for them to ride it in and it's just not worth keeping it.  So if you know anyone wanting a little 4 wheeler, send them my way!

Potty Training:

And because I'm SO proud of Austin, I have to give you a potty training update.  I know it's only been two weeks since we officially started, but he's mastered it!  And not just during the day, but nap time and night time too!  Hayden was a potty training pro, and did exactly what Austin has done - quick/easy/no accidents/just got it.  Allie wore a diaper at night all through year 3, and right before her 4th birthday was able to stop wearing them.  Krissy was staying dry during the night so this past week she's stopped wearing diapers at night too (but she's been day time potty trained for over a year).  Are we really past the diaper stage?! Holy moly!  In case you wondered what technique we used, I have the kids go bottomless and wear a long Tshirt for a couple days.  Austin wasn't a fan of bottomless so I let him wear undies.  He went pee outside a few times but never had an accident inside.  Day 3, I let him wear pants but no undies and we did that for a good week.  The middle of this week he started wearing undies and shorts.  We've gone out on shopping trips, did an overnight trip this past weekend, and still no accidents.  Ok ok, I'm done.  Just so proud of him!

Memorial Day Cookout:

We spent Monday evening at Kevin's parents house.  They grilled burgers, hot dogs, and brats for us.  There was also a yummy fruit tray that his parents sent home with us and the kids loved it.  The highlight for the kids was finding this little frog in the outdoor umbrella.

4th of July Outfits:

I went to Sams Club a couple weeks ago and loved a 4th of July outfit they had in the girls sizes.  I told myself to wait, they didn't need it, but I couldn't stop thinking about them!  I ended up giving in and getting them this week!  Actually the Evansville store only had Krissy's size when I decided to purchase them, but my dad was traveling to Terre Haute and picked up one at their Sams Club in Allie's size.  Kevin's work is hosting a family night with front row seats to the fireworks downtown on the 4th so we are looking forward to that!

We are looking forward to a low key weekend and VBS this coming week!  Hope you have a great week!

Weekly Happenings

This last full week of May brought with it some welcomed changes!  Summer break officially started for Hayden! (Insert happy dance) Kevin ended his almost 3 weeks straight of work and we are starting off the weekend with lots of family activities!  Last night one of Kevins coworkers and his family came over for dinner and we had a lovely evening with them!  My kids loved their little girl that was almost 6 months old.  Kevin grilled ribeyes and inside I made seasoned mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, fruit salad, homemade bread and cinnamon butter and for dessert I made homemade brownies and apple pie!  Definitely one of the better meals I've made lately! :))

Quick recap in pics:

Austin got stung by a bee.  He ran inside screaming, holding his toes up when he walked and I just knew he'd stung.  After a closer look I saw the stinger under his 4th toe.  I got it out, added some lavender essential oil to the sting, and the other three kids quickly took over comforting him (with snacks, drinks, ice packs and his favorite blankets!

We got to see some family and celebrate my nieces birthday last weekend.  My kids also got to meet their newest cousin!

My week wouldn't be complete without some baking.  I made strawberry cupcakes, twice, and was happy with them.  They weren't perfect, but they were good.  And I promise I don't eat batches of cupcakes every week.  I eat a couple, and so do the kids and we usually throw them away the next day. 

I also made me favorite homemade brownies for Hayden's teacher and bus driver (and funny side note:  I may have messed them up!  I made the brownies again days later and realized I probably forgot to add the oil!  Darn!)

The baby chickens moved in with the big chickens this week.  It's not been smooth sailing.  In fact it's safe to say the big sisters hate the little sisters.  The pull the feathers, peck them, but their heads, and make them slew below them on the stairs... Which also means they get pooped on!  Poor babies.  And they would rather sleep in the fence but I'm afraid they will get eaten and I make them go in the coop!

First day of school vs last day of school!

Summer break officially started!

Krissy loves to dress herself and I love seeing what she puts together in the mornings :)

Hope you have a great weekend!!!