Candi

We went to a Mud Hens game with Chase’s baseball team on the 3rd of July. They had a really nice fireworks show afterwards. It was so darn hot and it rained so hard they had to delay the game for awhile, but we still had a great time.

Ken and I had a night out without the kids a few weeks ago. First we went to Ken’s aunt and uncle’s 50th anniversary party and then we headed to a new casino not too far from us. We have gone to the casinos in Detroit a few times, but this one is closer and was actually really nice. We played for a good couple of hours and only lost $50. We never win big!

I bought the dogs new beds not too long ago and when we leave for long periods of time I make sure all the beds are in the kitchen because I don’t let them roam throughout the house anymore since we got new carpet. I find it just a little odd that there are 3 beds to pick from and the largest dog chooses the smallest bed to lay in. WEIRDO!!

This month was really hard when it came to planning meals. Ken recently hopped back onto the weight loss bandwagon and I have been trying so hard to eat healthy since I have been doing the Insanity workout. When it came to feeding the kids they either didn’t want what we were eating or they were begging for the typical crap food we used to eat all the time. One plus is I am literally addicted to McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken salad so I’ve been eating that like twice a week when the kids are craving chicken McNuggets. My goal was to still cook somewhat normal healthy dinners for everyone, but to have enough breakfast and lunch foods for the kids to fend for themselves. I made a trip to Kroger and stocked up on frozen breakfasts, croissants, single serve mac and cheese and lunchables. Maybe this seems bad, but try taking care/feeding 4 kids who all wake up at different times and get hungry at different times all while trying to work.

We had our pool liner replaced for the second time since we had our pool installed 10 years ago. The first liner was replaced 5 years ago when our neighbors swing flew into our pool and tore a huge hole into it. Then a few weeks ago we found a spot where the liner had a hole and the vermiculite was washed away and we were slowly losing water. Thank goodness for homeowners insurance! For as much as we pay it’s nice when they have to pay for something.

I thought for sure it would take days for the water to warm up, but the kids were jumping in while the pool was being filled! Brrrr…

After remodeling our kitchen and family room we had to redecorate our plant shelf in our foyer to blend more with the new decor. Previously we had various antique items on the shelf that we just had to put up in our attic because God forbid we get rid of anything that might be of value. LOL, Ken loves to SAVE things, that is all I’m saying about that. We actually have items saved for our future grandchildren. Okay, honestly I think that is sort of sweet. Think of how many times you tell your kids about certain toys and things you had as a child that you wish you had kept for them. Anyways…

We started with this idea of the large glass vase that we had seen at a restaurant. Ken picked up some rocks from a landscaping store and we found the wooden sticks at Michaels craft store. We also found the plant and plant basket at Michaels as well. Funny thing was Michaels had the exact plant with the exact basket already put together for $160. The store also carried the plant and basket separately for $100 less! We of course snatched them up, along with a bag of moss and put it together ourselves.

We made a stop at Pier One and I found this awesome basket type vase and bamboo sticks that I really liked.

I told Ken that I wanted some sort of animal, like a tall giraffe or something african looking. Pier One had an elephant that was really cool looking but wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. They did have a giraffe that was cute so we put it on hold in case we didn’t find anything else we liked. Then the salesgirl showed us a picture of another giraffe that we could order. I loved it and I loved it even more when we picked it up. It’s exactly what I had in mind.

To finish up we made a trip to Hobby Lobby for just a few more things. We weren’t sure exactly what we wanted to get but they have such a great selection I knew we would find something. We ended up purchasing the zebra chest, the african mask, and the crazy looking african dude. I think it all came together perfectly and I love my new plant shelf!