watermelon baby.

so glad it's summertime.

deep in the bayou.

It's worth the three and a half hour drive, promise.
I love, love, love all of the

the oldest sibling finds the perfect--
It's always fun to have--

(and tour guide!) Thanks Jeff.

Attention!
waiting for our ride--

Amanda and I--

Sultry, sultry, sultry.

Ahoy! Permission to come aboard, sir.

In the deep of the lake, our boat was filled with colorful dragonflies. One of them landed on my shoe!
We wound around and around through the

I am in love with the

Did I say that already??
Caddo lake is dyed by the tannins in the ancient cypress trees-- it's dark brown root beer color reminded me of

Our tour guide was brave and let my oldest

He's loving that. Look at that face!

On to the...

Are we in the jungle?

What is a hike without some very...

-- and why are we notorious for always having bad hiking footwear??
Then, we rambled down the road to...

good times!

the 80 mile chicago dog hunt.

Maybe next time Weinberger's Deli, maybe next time.

a revolutionary discovery.

I think I missed the spring cleaning bandwagon, or at least got a late start this year. I'm having special visitors next weekend and I want everything to be spic-n-span, starting with the little pile next to my bed.

As I went through the camera lens boxes, math books, craft paper, shelving, and other assorted randomness, I came across a package that was sent to me by my mom a while ago. Inside were my prized Revolutionary War mugs that I found at the favorite thrift shop two Christmases ago, but never bought because of the logistics of getting them home to Texas from Arizona.

10 ultra fragile, kitchy, Revolutionary War mugs packed into my suitcase and toted around the airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year, with two small children in tow, husbandless. So, I left them on the shelf and opted for some large beaded necklaces instead.

I was excited almost a year later to receive a package in the mail with the funky white mugs tucked inside... I can't wait to pull them out this 4th of July!

my apron is one of my best friends.

Spinach and bacon pasta toss

1 pkg. linguine
3/4 cup Italian dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, salted and peppered, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 1 pt.), halved
1 pkg. fresh baby spinach leaves (4 cups)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
8 slices bacon

---------

Boil noodles as directed on package.

Fry bacon in a large pan. Remove bacon and drain fat. Add chicken and cook until done. Add tomatoes, spinach, the crumbled bacon, noodles, 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water, dressing and 1/2 the cheese. Stir fry until the veggies are heated through and the spinach wilts. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

it's official!

Today marks the last day of school!

I'm ready for excuses to eat watermelon, trips to the lake, swimming lessons, and picnics!

cleopatra is back in town.

I've always had them.

They've always been a part of my face.

They have taken on different shapes, but they are always there.

Sometimes swoopy, flat or fringy.

They've been poufy, stringy... even sweaty.

They hide my scars, they frame my eyes.

---

They are my bangs.

Today, they got a little attention. They got cleopatrasized, modernized, and urbanized.

...

But, whatever shape or size-- they are always:

...