80 years young

This weekend we celebrated my Pawpaw's 80th birthday with a surprise party at a local seafood restaurant.  Pawpaw's three children and all of his his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there, except for one cousin's family who couldn't be there because they are missionaries overseas, and all three of my siblings.  [sigh]  Don't get me started. 

Anyway, he was surprised and it was great for everyone to get together.

My favorite part, though, was seeing my little girl sitting on Pawpaw's lap. I have no idea why that touches my heart so much.  Probably because I sat on Pawpaw's lap until I was 13 or 14 years old.

Here's me with my Pawpaw when he was 49, and me with my girls and Pawpaw when he turned 80.

I look at these pictures and think of an old Tracy Lawrence song.  "The only thing that stays the same is everything changes, everything changes...and time marches on."

The Star of the Show (in Mama's eyes)

Our local university provides continuing education in various areas during the summer, and we decided to partake this summer.  We enrolled the Bug in her first dance class. 

She has talked about going to "ballerina school" for some time now, since we pass by one on the way to Mother's Day Out.  I cannot tell you how excited this child was when these classes started.  The classes are once a week for four weeks and are an hour and a half.  This includes 30 minutes each of ballet, tap and tumbling.

Well, here is our little ballerina, at the conclusion of the four weeks:

Ballet
(She is 3rd from left)

Tumbling

Tap
(She is 3rd in line)

I know what you're thinking -- we have ourselves a dancing prodigy on our hands here.  Or future Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, at the very least.  But please don't fret... we won't let it go to her head.

In any event, when I asked her if she wanted to go back for the next session, she said, "No, tank you.  Dancing makes me so very tired."

[long exaggerated sigh while rolling eyes] I sure hope I don't turn into one of those obnoxious stage moms.

Chip off the ole' block...

Here is further evidence that I was not given the wrong baby in the hospital...

When I got up this morning, the Bug had already made her bed.  Makes a Mama proud...

My [Garden] Runneth Over

This is what I spent my morning doing. 

Handy Daddy and the Bug planted two little cucumber plants in their garden this spring, and since the summer rains arrived, the cucumbers are aplenty.  I had to figure out what to do with them, because we can't eat or give them away fast enough.

Now, I am fairly domestic, but not quite Suzy Homemaker.  So this was a bit of a challenge for me, especially since I have never done this before, or seen it done before, or have the proper tools to do it.

It is a genuine miracle I didn't end up with third degree burns on the top half of my body.

Now I have to wait 12 to 24 hours to "test" the seal on the jars, and I will then know whether or not this even worked.  The directions were a little complicated, and I was preparing lunches and feeding the baby at the same time I was doing this.  So who knows? 

If it did work, and they are as delicious as I expect them to be, I will probably be giving them away.  And then everyone will want to be my friend.  And then my front door will look something like this.

Then everyone will call me the Pickle Lady.  Sweet...