Dead Crabs and What Not

It’s a busy busy life at our house these days.  We have been babysitting a guinea pig, eating donuts, and cooking with wine.

And don’t forget the golfing, complete with new golf shoes and a new golf skirt for myself. 

Golfing is all about fashion.  Just ask my husband and his Gorton’s fisherman hat.

Abbey got her braces this week.

Allie is growing out her hair.

Amber made a dinosaur out of clay, tape, and tinfoil.

Actually, Amber had a rough week.  Moo Moo the hermit crab passed out of this world and she had a little funeral.

As for me, I had a girls night out with my culture club and took pictures of sake, beer, and the sink in the bathroom.  Don’t ask me why.

In just two days it is off to America I fly without the kiddos and the husband.  It’s been two years since I have stepped into a Target.  I am peeing my pants with excitement!

What have you been up to this week?

4th of July and Cooler Stuff

I am love, love, LOVIN’,  my camera phone.  Just having it with me all the time and being able to take pictures of whatever is soooo fun!  My girls tell me, “Mom, that’s so random.”  It doesn’t matter.  I totally fascinate myself.  For instance, I found a butt chair at a thrift shop.  Who could resist a picture like this?

Then I found some aliens outside of a gift shop.  I think they have been married for a long time.  Aren’t they sweet?

Seriously though, I am just having fun documenting our family during day to day life.  Abbey and Amber finished two weeks of dance camp.  I think my baby Amber looks so grown up in this picture it makes me want to hyperventilate.

All three girls finished their golf clinic with Kyoko…..the most fabulous coach!

We had great 4^th of July…..complete with patriotic crackle nails.

Amber and Allie each entered a contest that had them building boats out of cardboard and racing across the pool.  Amber and her friend Audrey, made it safely across!

Allie’s team…. didn't fare quiet as well!

Brian and I took Abbey to the golf course for some Goofy golf…

You could only use two clubs and had to tee off with only a putter.   I think we all know who was the goofiest.

We ended the day with a fun barbeque with friends and fireworks.  We love that we can celebrate America even though we are so far away!  Amber said it best and wrote it on her cardboard boat….. “God bless America the beautiful!”

Summer Bucket Lists

I like to make lists.  Things to do, stuff I need, or maybe something like 101 goals I have.  I guess it makes me feel good to accomplish something and then check it off the list.  “Look what I did world!”, I can say….and then everyone thinks I’m awesome….or so I want to believe.

Lists work for me.  I accomplish things with them, and I feel good when I get things done.  It goes without saying then, that I think my three girlies should make lists too.  You know, have some goals…..get them done…..feel good about themselves.  So, we tried……

This is how you do it:

-Buy some nice, big, white, poster board.  A plain old piece of paper won’t do.  These bucket lists are a BIG DEAL.  Remember, this will be a, “Look what I did world!” moment for them.  It needs to be written on something nice and big.

-Buy the kids some new markers or crayons.  There is something about a new palette of markers that makes kids want to do their best.  What kid wants scummy old peely crayons that they have been using all year at school, when they can open a brand new box of shiny new markers?  It’s inspiring!

-Give them a lecture.  Tell your kids WHAT a bucket list is, WHY people want to make them, and HOW you are going to help them accomplish what they want to do this summer.  Help them make their goals reachable.  For example, you son may have one of his goals as, “I want to go to the moon this summer.”  Okay…..probably not going to happen.  But, you can visit a planetarium, stick glow in the dark planet stickers on his bedroom ceiling, go camping with a telescope…..ANYTHING.

-When their posters are finished stick them up in a visible area so you can look at them all the time.  A list doesn’t help much when you don’t look at it and remember, these are a BIG DEAL.  The kiddos will be happy to know that you think of their goals as important!

-Lastly, make a list for yourself.  Stay-at-home-mom……working mom…….whatever.  Can you come up with 10 things to accomplish by the time school starts?  I bet you can.

Here’s a little re-cap of our summer bucket list adventure!  I am so excited these turned out as well as they did.

Abbey is my artist and set her goals pretty high.  My favorites include, learning how to play a song on the guitar, making a fabulous new dessert (YUM), and taking a new picture every day and making a collage.

Allie’s goals were full of energy.  A few of them were things like, do 50 sit-ups a day, watch every single episode of MLP (My Little Pony), and pull an all-nighter. (Not sure what I think about that.)

Amber wrote hers all in cursive very carefully.  She wants to draw a cool picture and make a robot.  But my two favorite goals of hers were to be nice and have fun!

I hope my girlies really do have fun trying to check off goals from their summer bucket lists.  I think they just might!

Grilled Garlic Butter Salmon

Really…..this is soooooo easy.  Hello summer grilling.

Line a grill basket with some foil, and lay some lemon slices inside the foil.

Lay about 12 to 16 ounces of salmon on top of the lemons.

Schmear the salmon with a mixture of butter and crushed garlic. 

I used about 1/3 cup butter and 3 or 4 garlic cloves.  Go ahead.  Butter it up good.  You will be glad you did because most of it’s slides off while grilling.

Lightly salt and pepper if desired.  Add sprigs of fresh rosemary or other seasonings.

Grill for about 7 to 9 minutes over low heat, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

Super easy and delish!

First Week of Summer....A Photo Re-cap

First full week of summer break for the girlies and I.  We are bachelorettes because Daddy is golfing in Guam and drinking gourmet espressos every morning.  Lucky duck.

We have been keeping busy though.  Android FINALLY has the Instagram app., so you can say I have went a little phone picture crazy.

Allie and I have golfed almost every day this week.  She pared a hole and it was a special moment.

Amber and Abbey are in dance camp.  Leave it to Amber to get a little crazy while practicing.

I was in charge of making centerpieces for a women’s conference at church.  I turned these……

Into these.  (Pretty crafty eh?)

On Wednesday, typhoon Guchol hit Japan.  We were ready.

The storm left us with cool skies…..

And some nasty bunkers at the golf course.

Now it’s time to sit on the porch and relax with my favorite glass of something…….

While listening to C-130’s take off and land.

What have you been doing this week?

We Have The Bestest Daddy!

It is typhoon season here in Japan.  Know what that means?  Rain.  Rain.  And more rain.  Oddly though, it is only enough rain to keep my kids inside all day, but not enough rain to keep my husband from golfing.  What’s up with that???

So yesterday, with the three girlies trapped inside and my husband out on the course, we got a bit crafty with paper, tape, markers, and stickers.

I HIGHLY recommend heading down to your local craft store and letting the kiddos pick out a pack of stickers….the nice 3D kind like Jolee’s Boutique, with a cute theme……and letting them create little masterpieces for Daddy.  Yes, it is probably more expensive than a Hallmark card, but it will be so unique and special.

Amber picked out a ‘farm themed set’.

“A treasure you find in the farm?”, she wrote.  “Unscramble this….aFhtre.”

Allie went with a tropical theme.  (I know.  We have brown carpet.  Gag.)

I LOVE the end of her poem…..And even though you’re obsessed with golf, And are on the course all the time, I still respect and love you, And golf isn’t a crime.  Bahahahaha.

Abbey did her card up fancy with a classy ‘theater’ themed card, telling daddy that she looks up to him and that he makes her proud.  I think he got a little choked up with this one.

Finally, not to be outdone by my girls, I actually made a golf bag with tape, a paper plate, and a poster board.  Yeah I did.

Complete with bubble gum golf clubs and a chocolate play book.

My husband’s wife is so awesome!