Summer Vacation

It seems like it's been a while since I have posted. Drew and I have been very busy. Drew finished with summer school on August 1st. That day we came up to my parents house and have been here ever since. We have been swimming, kayaking (when the weather permits) and helping my parents get organized.

Things worth talking about:
Kayaking at Beltzville State Park.- Emma and Benjamin had fun in the sand at the "beach" in the state park. They also enjoyed swimming in the water that was very clear for a lake. My parents tried kayaking and enjoyed it. I got a very bad sun burn on my back because I somehow forgot to put the sunscreen on it. Although, Emma didn't forget. I have a hand print and smears from where she touched my back with her sunscreen hand. It's pretty art :).



Organizing the basement- My Mom and Dad moved into their house almost 7 years ago. In the basement were lots of boxes that needed to be gone through still from when they moved. So Drew and I helped go through them, organize, condense and get rid of things. We had a last minute yard sale. The only advertising for it was through craigslist.org and signs on the roads. It wasn't a bad turn out and we made some money. So all in all we accomplished a lot.

Craigslist.org- After the yard sale we decided to put the big items on craigslist to see if we got any bites. So far we have sold my pop pop's tractor, some goblets, and some of my collectibles. I'm enjoying this and am considering doing this for some extra income. So I would be buying and selling things that I think people would be interested in.

Drew's kayaking/camping adventure- Drew is on a kayaking/camping trip right now. I dropped him off at noon and I'll pick him up sometime tomorrow. He was supposed to be going with a friend but he backed out last minute. There was another guy who was thinking about going but that fell through too. Please pray that he comes home safely. I'll let him give details on this venture of his. He is taking photos so hopefully he'll be able to share them with you soon.

Emma and Daddy camped out in the back yard one night. They stayed out all night and Emma seemed to enjoy it very much.


My awesome shopping skills- Yesterday I went out with my sister, Tracey, and her kids to the mall and other places. I was able to get really good deals on clearance items for my kids for next summer. It's the best way to shop. Since Benjamin and Emma were born in the same season I am able to have an idea of what size Benjamin may be in at different times. So that helped. Anyway, I was able to take the money that I recieved for my Pop Pop's tractor and use it for the kids. I spent about 88 dollars and I was able to get most of their wardrobe for next summer and an outfit or two for each of them now. Sears is having a sale on the clearance which is an additional 40% off of the tagged price. The most I spent at sear on one thing was 9 dollars for a light jacket for Benjamin. The most inexpensive things were about $1.50 each for a couple shirts and shorts.

My love of making charts- While being here I have been figuring out what my parents collectibles/glassware/ china are worth. By me doing that and talking about it to my nieces they decided to get their collectibles out and research how much they are selling for. So I was able to help with making a chart of the names and numbers of their things are and set them up to be able to do their research. While doing that my ister found out how much I like to make charts. So last night she came over and asked me to help with making a chore chart for her kids and herself. I had fun doing it. It's color coded and all pretty. Hopefully it will help my sister now that she may be working outside of the house. Now all I need to do is make a chart for myself and Emma so that I make sure I get my chores done at home.

Our family photo shoot- Our friend Taylor loves to take photos. He does a great job at it too. So I asked him if he would like to take photos of our family. Since Drew and I have been married we haven't had a formal family photo taken of us. Recently I spoke with Taylor. He has some ideas of what he would like to do. I am excited and surprisingly Drew has agreed to it :) We might be able to do it sometime next week or the week after. Depending on all of our schedules. This will be interesting. Emma isn't the most well behaved little girls so I hope she cooperates.

Well, I think that's enough for now. I have probably already overloaded you by now. So I'll just add in some photos and be done with it. Until next time...