Sherbet Chairs

The chairs are done!!! I am going to paint the table legs the same green as the pot but it will have to wait until next week. I painted several pots the lime green and all have petunias growing in them now. They are placed all around the yard. You know when you have a project that you think will be quick and easy? It took a little longer and a lot more paint than I thought. I truly love sitting out there and it is so fun to drive into the driveway and see them. Lydia asked if we could keep these colors for winter too. I told her it was a definite possibility.

Shhh....don't tell her

Kayla and her family are coming on Wednesday!!!! We are all so very very excited to finally meet them in real life. I created this adorable mermaid doll for Kayla. We know her birthday is this week. Lydia wanted something special for her so we made a real pearl necklace for the mermaid to wear. The hair isn't as grey as it seems in the picture. We chose a lovely loden green to match the sea. Of course Lydia wants me to make her one too but I am not sure I have time before then. Our house still needs a little cleaning. We just can't wait until Wednesday!

Shawna called and asked if I knew that you were supposed to use spray paint in a well-ventilated area. She says my last several posts are making her a little worried about me. Here is a teaser peek at one of the chairs. It is more of a mango/salmon color that the picture shows. I can not even begin to tell you how much these colorful chairs are lifting my spirits. It is so much fun to walk out to my front yard in the morning and just see happiness.

Chaiya took the good camera up with her to NAU this week. We are left with the lovely smoke and mirrors broken one. I went to grab it this evening to take a picture of a special little mermaid doll that I needle felted for a pen pal. This special pen pal is showing up at our home next Wednesday. Lydia is so thrilled that she will met Kayla in person!

I did get a picture off of the card, of this butterfly that Lydia and I made for a gift on Tuesday. She had an activity where she needed to bring a white elephant present. It turned out pretty big. The butterfly went to a little girl that raced around making it fly everywhere, which was just perfect.

Thayne has stolen the batteries out of the camera! I can't find them. I took the SD card out to see "where" the camera has been. He and Lydia have been taking all kinds of silly pictures and trying out the video setting. I was going to post one or two but I still would like their grandparents to believe that they are angelic children.

Chaiya will be back tomorrow if I can't find the batteries. I really can't wait to show you the mermaid doll.

At this point I am convince it would only take the police to press on the index finger to see how sore it is to convict some one of a graffiti crime. My chairs are still not finished and I can't even type with my index finger. Maybe one develops a callus if you tag enough.

Tagging

I considered this color for my new job but alas....... My husband called today and told me that he had been fired. He lied.....they just moved him to another department. I had a small heart attack at first.
Then I went out and bought 5 cans of spray paint.
I considered vandalism but with five children it is probably not the best occupation, so I changed my mind.

Instead I started a project that I have been mulling around in my mind for a few weeks now.
We were given a patio table and chairs a couple of months ago by a family that we helped when they were moving to a new place out of state.
The chairs are that lovely patio taupe color. YUCK! The paint is starting to peel and I have wanted to repaint.
At first I was going to go with a lovely bronze metallic. Being over 40 gives you a certain freedom, part of you just doesn't care what anyone really thinks. So........................
All my chairs are being given a delightful different color!
So far I have got the pink and purple ones finished. The yellow chair has one coat on it. I have learned that not all spray paints are created equal. Tomorrow I will be returning two of the cans to get a different brand.
The Krylon Outdoor Spaces paint in satin is fabulous!!!! It went on smooth and only took one coat. After I get them all done I will post a pic. I also am painting pots for flowers too! My yard is going to be very colorful. It will be perfect for summer and I don't care what my neighbors think.
Oh and by the way...we believe the house on west side of us is going into foreclosure, if anyone wants to live by us I am sure you could get a good deal! You could look out your windows and see a rainbow everyday.

Peavine Trail

If you travel fifteen minutes in the opposite direction of Lynx Lake, you will find Watson Lake. The Peavine trail is part of the Rails to Trails program and it runs along the back of Watson Lake and through Granite Dells. Yesterday Michael had the day off and had this wonderful vision of a family bike ride through the Dells via the Peavine trail.

We loaded all the bikes and Lydia's wheelchair, some water bottles and we were off! Needless to say expectations and reality sometimes are very far apart.

So we started off really well, the older kids zoomed off on their bikes. Thayne and Chaiya were headed down the trail and I was with Lydia.

Now if you stay focused on the west side of the trail every thing is beautiful!

The wildlife is out enjoying the day. The squirrels were frolicking around in the trees and bull frogs were sunning in the water.



Even the weeds have blooms that you can admire.


Then you look to the right..........


The dump, police and fire training areas are all right there for your enjoyment too.


The landscape around Prescott is so diverse, so magical and amazing. I love how ever changing this place is. The trail is a great place to be.

Our family bike ride did not go quite how Michael expected. Thayne chose to ride in Lydia's wheelchair at the end because he just couldn't go on. LOL We all took turns hauling his bike back to the truck. Lydia was a good sport about it all. Quayde, Maliea and Chaiya all had a great time riding back and forth to see how well we were coming down the trail.


It really was a very pleasant afternoon with the weather being perfect. I think it might take a little more planning and maybe a child seat on the back of a bike or two, to make it truly a family ride.

Thank you for potty training

To Chaiya, Quayde and Maliea.....
Thank you for using a toilet. I am sooooo sick of dirty diapers today. They were beyond gross. Having three children to change today (had Baby M) and all of them having excessive amount of poop was just well.....not fun.
So to my older children, I am so happy that I no longer have to change or wipe your bums!
Love, your Mum

Happy Birthday Thayne!

Yesterday June 14th our little boy turned four years old! I can't believe that the time has gone by so fast. He is so much fun and makes our family so complete.

We actually had to celebrate his birthday today because Daddy had to work yesterday. Thayne was insistent that we "play park" for his birthday so to Granite Creek park we went to celebrate.

We learned that silver foil wrapping paper is very hard to unwrap for a little man. It doesn't tear and Chaiya used a lot of tape. Daddy had to help start unwrapping most of his gifts to let him uncover his treasures.
Thayne wanted a robot cake, he called it his rocket man. I think he made good wishes!

Thayne and I have this little game we have been playing almost every night. After the sun goes down and it gets dark, we sneak out in the front yard and pretend there is a tiger after us. Then we hurry as fast as we can back to the front porch. Thayne knows some of William Blake's poem that starts out, "Tyger, Tyger burning bright". He repeats it over and over when we are out in the dark. When I found this flashlight I just knew it would be perfect for our little game. It growls too!

What is that??

Could that really, really be for me?

A Cool Boy Bike!!!

Happy Birthday my precious boy!!!

I hope you have lots of fun on your new boy bike. No more of your sister's princess thing. You will now look so cool riding around the neighborhood.
To say that he was thrilled would be putting it mildly. He spent the rest of the time riding and riding around the sidewalks of the park. I don't think the training wheels will be on very long. He didn't want any cake or much of anything else once he got on his bike. A very happy little guy we have tonight.

Here we go 'round the mulberry bush

Michael was delivering some extra bread to our neighbor and our neighbor showed him a surprise that has grown in his yard.Did you know that mulberry trees/bushes had the most delicious berries on them? I had no idea that these tiny things were so tasty. Apparently this just showed up in their rose bushes. They have been cutting it back for a few years but decided to let it grow. I am so happy they did.

He invited us to come pick some this afternoon. We gathered enough that I was able to make 6 jars of jam this evening. My hands are completely stained but oh how yummy it tastes! I can't wait to gift them with a few jars tomorrow. This will be "special occasion" jam as it took quite a lot of work to cut off the stems. We gathered a huge bowl and all those tiny berries cooked down quite a bit.
His tree should produce a great many more throughout the next couple of weeks. I think he thought we picked them all but there were lots of red ones still left.

discovery

Thayne comes running to me this afternoon with his newest discovery..... a caterpillar! So after looking through three different field guide books and not finding what we wanted, we came inside and looked it up on the web. I found this fantastic site called Discover Life. It let us just check the boxes which looked like our caterpillar and just like magic there was a picture matching the above one of our little guy. Only problem is the map provided says he has not been reported in our state. I used to see these little guys all the time when I was a kid so I think their map is wrong.

His official name is Lophocampa maculata or the Spotted tussock moth. He is more attractive now than what he will be.
I just love seeing the wonder in my little boy's eyes when he is finding things for the first time.

Camp Geronimo

As a mom you always hope your children are going to be on their best behavior when they are out in the world. Quayde left for Camp Geronimo last Saturday and will not return home until this coming Saturday.
Michael drove up , the camp is 2 1/2 hours away, on Monday to be a leader. The men are taking turns sharing time with the boys.

This is an amazing camp! Archery, horseback riding, Olympic swimming pool are just a few of the many, many activities.
Quayde is taking classes in space exploration, archeology, indian lore and canoeing. Once he gets these badges I'll have 12 to sew on his sash. I'm a little behind in the sewing area.
Michael returned home last night with hours of stories about how much fun it has been and other stories too. Quayde's trip to the emergency room was detoured and his eye is okay for anyone who found out about the accident.

So apparently, my normally well-behaved son has turned into a 'Lord of the Flies' boy. I am trying to figure out the best plan of discipline here. "What goes on at camp, stays at camp", can't apply in one of these situations. Even though one of the leaders and Michael have taken care of the immediate problem and everything is resolved.
I am having a SERIOUS problem with what I hear was the attitude exhibited and it involved a knife. He has lost his certification card and the knife and has been disciplined in that manner.
So.....I am incredibly disappointed in him and I am not sure what else needs to be done.
Part of me is feeling a little MAD because he so knows better than to pull that kind of crap.

He returns home Saturday afternoon and I am thinking of tying him to the back tree , pouring honey all over him and letting the red ants attack. Any better ideas?

For Shawna

The word of the day is FABULOUS!!!!!

Our 'peaceful' Sunday afternoon

We made the choice to head out this afternoon to enjoy the delightful weather and each other's company. Lynx Lake is one of five lakes that are within about a 15 minute drive from our home. I never liked this lake as a child but it has grown on me as I share the area with my kiddos. It still isn't my favorite but it has its beauty.

There were these incredible flowers hanging from bushes everywhere. I have no idea what they are so I am off to research them this evening.

As we drove down to the lakeside area, there were seven deer just watching us and waiting to see what we were up to. With all the rain we have had in the last month everything is so green; plenty for them to graze on.
Our walk leads us to the top end of the lake where the creek joins and flows into it.

Once we are back by the top of the lake, the hunt for perfect rocks is on!
Skipping rocks across the lake is a skill that is coveted by all. Chaiya, Maliea and Michael are all very intense on finding the best ones.
I just love this amazing amount of concentration on my sweet husband's face as he watches his rock skitter across the water.
Thayne and I were having a good time. He placed a little tiny stick so he could cross the stream and not get wet. That was until his daddy made him mad!

Michael started teasing him and throwing big rocks in the water to make splashes right where Thayne was. This picture is Thayne doing his best to tell his dad how not fair that was. It was all over from that point on.


Thayne jumped in just far enough that none of us could reach him. He dove and splashed. He said he was a dolphin.
Chaiya acted like she was going to join him. The water is NOT warm and the sun was going down. It took us about 30 minutes to convince him to get out of the water!

As the smart mom I am, I did have extra clothes for him in the van. We then wrapped him in an extra one of Chaiya's shirts, His Needs, and my red wrap. He was still freezing! Maybe it will deter him from jumping in again but I doubt it.

Plan C

Lydia and I headed out at 4:30am this morning to journey down to Phoenix Children's Hospital for another surgery. The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking and I felt it was a gift to help ease us into the day. We arrived at 7:00 and then finally made it into surgery at 9:10, only ten minutes after when she was scheduled. Not bad , they are getting faster with their computer system!
Lydia had a dream of an anesthesiologist that did EVERYTHING I asked!! Oh happy day.
One part of this surgery was to determine which route to take to start the reconstructive work on Lydia's trachea.
You know how you have it in your mind and heart the choices that might need to be made. I was prepared for those choices. Even though it meant up to 6 weeks in the hospital, I had researched it and was okay with those.
Then comes Plan C, which might(?????) be better than the first two plans but I so wasn't prepared for what Plan C will take.

Dr. Raines does not want to reconstruct her trachea.

New plan means less sleep for me from now until mid-August. Constant monitoring and vigilance of her oxygen levels saturations and lung capacity is part of this. IF..... things go well with this, he will try to decannulate then.
I really, really hate the color blue so say a little prayer for her and one for my sanity.
I've only had three hours of sleep so let it all begin.

Murals

All along the walls outside our library the Mural Mice group is painting these amazing murals. They depict part of the history of our fair town and lots of wonderful fantasy parts too. It is entitled, " Beyond Words". Here are just a few panels that we love. This is where I took the picture for my new blog header. The dragon is underneath the stairs behind some bushes with jeweled stepping stones to find him. I think he is my favorite. He almost looks 3-D with the rocks on the ground that they painted to match underneath him. So much fun!

Thayne just had to get in one of the pictures! He is always such a ham. This is his favorite panel because it has a robot in it. Gosh I love that silly boy.

There are lots more panels that they are still painting. It will be simply amazing when it is all finished. Lots of businesses around town have donated money to help this be created. It is indicative of what is best about Prescott.

It is here!

As far as the Callihan family is concerned, Summer has begun! Our local library shows free movies on the lawn every Tuesday night throughout the summer. It has been our family tradition to go to every show. Tonight we camped out (temporarily)with our blanket and pillows. We usually bring our dinner and kick back and enjoy the show. Tonight's feature was Horton Hears a Who. Please come join us next Tuesday night 7:30pm, we will save a spot for you!

Fathers and Sons

Every May our boys and their dads from our church go on a Father and Son's campout. This year it was held up on beautiful Mingus Mt. The men cooked a "yummy" pancake breakfast the next morning. I hear that it had to be mixed up in the bottom of a cooler because someone forgot the mixing bowl.
Quayde and Quint are completely enjoying the pancakes and eggs.

Zack and his dad brought lots of steak for their dinner the night before.

See that happy face? Zack really was having a great time.Thayne and Dad found a horned toad. He held it for the longest time and was really okay with playing around until it climbed up his sleeve to his neck.

I think Michael wanted to bring it home but luckily it got away.

Marshmallows were the hit! Thayne liked to cook them until they were on the burnt side. Michael sad he ate about 20 of them. Obviously I wasn't with them.I got a call about 9:30 on Friday night with a little voice saying "mommy.. I love you. Will you sing to me? I miss you" So I sang him a song and told him I loved him and he then went to sleep quite well in the tent. I bet next year he does just fine without a call because he had so much fun this time. The boys arrived home late Saturday afternoon dirty and tired but full of memories.