They're back.....

Fireflies! They're back!

Evan and I were thrilled to discover very late last night that our firefly phenomenon in the back yard has returned.

It was a cool, dry evening (late--after 1 am!) and I just wondered if we had any fireflies yet. When I stepped outside our bedroom door, the night was unusually brilliant due to a bright half- moon. Taking a moment for my eyes to adjust, I then noticed tiny flashes of light in the trees. At first I thought it may be shooting stars, but could there be so many at one time? Nope! It definitely was fireflies as I noticed one rogue lightening bug on the deck. Mostly they were in the trees, instantly lighting up the night. Truly a magical scene of wonder and awe--evidence of the amazing creations of a Heavenly Father who loves us and provides us with a world full of light (literally!) and beauty.

Now I wonder about the science and the conditions where fireflies best flourish.

Go here to learn more: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/insect/firefly.htm

or to wikipedia here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly

Be prepared to be "enlightened!"

Darling Teacher Gift ideas for Future Reference

I thought you creative girls would love to store these teacher gift ideas away for the time when your kids go to school. This whole blog site has great gift ideas, but I really love these teacher gifts ideas today so I'm sharing them with you!

The kid picture embroidered is my fave but I also love the crayon initial too. Such creative people in the blog world!

Go to this site: http://creativeholidaygiftideas.blogspot.com

Decorating on a Dime

I thought you all might be interested in this video, especially you, Katie since you are recovering a dining room chair, which highlights inexpensive design ideas. There are probably better ones out there, but this was good practice for me to add a video to my post (although Chris did have to help me. Maybe next time I can do it on my own!)

Also, Kathy wants you all to guess where Michael might go on his mission. Guess a country and a state on her blog which is: tweety-rospo-show.blogspot.com

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Big-E and Nana Create BIG Surprise for Max and Cooper!

Dear Max,

We are so glad you are coming to our house later this week. Big-E has been busy creating a new SANDBOX for you to play in. Nana went to the store to buy you some fun toys for the sand. And we have a new swing set.

We can't wait to see you!

Love,
Big-E and Nana

House FINALLY Gets Fresh Paint

I thought you might want to see what a new coat of PAINT looks like at the house. The changes are happening slowly -- so many other things to do and so little time -- but I fully expect to finish painting the outside of the house before it gets too hot this summer.

First, the 11 year old house needs a good cleaning with the power washer.



There is certainly a BIG difference between white paint and NEW white paint.


A freshly painted ceiling fan and light fixture.



That's me - getting lots of ladder time.

Night at the Movies

Friday night we saw an interesting movie, The Soloist, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Fox. You probably already know the story line: Downey plays an L.A. columnist, Steve Lopez, looking for a story and happens upon a homeless, mentally-ill man, Jamie Fox, playing a two-stringed violin. The columnist is intrigued with Ayers, the homeless man after he mentions that he attended Julliard. The story tells how Lopez pursues Ayers for his column and even tries to help him, although his ex-wife, who happens to be his current editor at the paper, accuses Lopez of exploiting Ayers for the sake of his column. It is a true story and the music is beautiful. There is some language, but it's not excessive and the scenes of the L.A. ghetto and its sad population of the down and out are so realistic and tragic. I really want to read the book entitled The Soloist: a Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.

Here is the website for the trailer: http://www.soloistmovie.com/

It was vastly different from the movie we saw last week, 17 Again, but I liked that one too-- although it seemed more of a made-for-TV movie.

Here's the link for that one: http://17againmovie.com/

pack your bags