Oscar Stew

Now that school’s out and the temperature is rising, feel free to sit back, enjoy an ice cold lemonade, grab a good book and pass the day in the lap of leisure! errrrr!!  Not at this house bucko! Welcome to Sweatshop Vocational Academy, now get to work!

We’ve been fortunate the last month to have several visitors stop in and stay a while. We used their finest skills to our advantage and spent the time they were here working, cooking, sewing and having a rockin’ good time. Just don’t ask about the game of Monopoly, it’s still a sensitive subject…ha!

The best way to start the day is with a nice sweat-drenching grind on the sweet patio set we got at a yard sale on the cheap. Way to put your back into it Scoob!

Ding! Second period: Culinary Arts. Today’s task: Divide into groups and create Banana Fudgecicles. Uncle Dan was brave enough to teach this class…all three students were enamored by his technique!

Third period: Advanced Confections, taught by Aunt Kelsey. For those with a discerning palate, we present Mango Sorbet…AKA tropical paradise in a cheap IKEA bowl.

With Kelsey’s help these little elves graduated from Culinary Arts to Advanced Confections and dove head first into creating a tasty masterpiece.

The Eclairs scored an A+ all around the board. Chocolate-y, puffy, crispy, creamy, banana-y…need I say more? And don’t you dare call them doughnuts! That’s offensive!!

There’s only one eclair left! How do we make it fair who gets the last one? How about a nice game of Hot Dice? Looks like Ryan’s luck is running out, and Elle is unimpressed… 

After lunch break it’s back to Wood Shop for Brinley. Scrape it like you mean it!

Drew moved on to interior design and painted styrofoam that the teach needed for the quilting seminar coming up later in the week.

Here’s what the semi-finished product looks like. Behold, the wall of woven wonder!

Got an owee? Dr. Dan will see you now. He cuts with precision!

 

 

 

 

This happy camper loved all the action as siblings, parents, uncle & aunts moved from one class to the next. Not to mention she was a ruthless hall monitor…

Jambalaya Jenna schooled all of us in creating flavors that were enough to make anyone drool. Care for some pesto straight out of the ground? The pesto was essential in our creamy pesto pasta dish…dangerously delicious.

 

 

How about some homemade corn-diggity-dogs and french fries? Ohhhhh yeah!

Up on the second floor the quilt shop was working overtime. Quilting [kwil-ting] -noun: Cut fabric into small shapes, sew back together in random order, deny accusations of insanity…

Kelsey the Quilter seems to have left a permanent mark on the quilting industry with her own mug printed on a square in this quilt. Or maybe she’s trapped inside the quilt? She is smiling…

Twenty minutes have gone by, how’s the baby? Well she’s the one who’s  actually in the lap of leisure!

Alright everyone, dinnertime! There should be enough chairs for everyone…

Tell her to shake it! Shake it! Shake it! Shake that healthy butt! Baby got back!

Time for night class: Bowling 101. You will now observe the master in his element:

He’s so awesome! He’s beyond awesome! He’s be-awesome!!!

 

As for the rest of us…well let’s just say we have our own “unique” style…

This tournament is about to get stepped up to the next level Ro! Hurry quick and get juiced before the judges notice!

 

Cosmic bowling is cool. That is all. Class dismissed!

 

A lot happens in an around our home when I’m at work. It’s no different for me than it is for any other dad, but it’s great to be able to have a healthy serving of Oscar stew anytime I ask Amy, “So what did you do today?” 

Good morning Daddy! My youngest child is becoming a stiff-necked one, growing a punk hairstyle and starting a tummy-time business in the living room…

When the kids wake up early they enjoy starting the day off right – with homemade Play-doh. It allows Drew some valuable play time before he zooms off to school. You may have noticed that lurking in the background are color possibilities for the kitchen. They are nice colors, but none are the winner. We are desperate to get rid of that blue!

On Drew’s last day of 1st grade, Brinley & Rowan wanted to celebrate the long days of summer ahead. How to make it official? With a banner declaring so, of course!

Despite her best efforts, Rowan could only add her creative touch down low…

Hey Mama, could I maybe get a little higher? I need to see my work from overhead! Don’t limit my creativity!

There you go! There is no denying the personal touch she scribbled all over this canvas.

Where’s the baby? Lost in a sea of polka-dots, but still happy as a clam.

The projects are nearly complete. Really?! That wall looks ridiculous! The wall isn’t one of the projects at hand. All that graffiti is leftover primer from painting the bathroom… The color for the kitchen is still undecided, so we let the kids add their own flair. Anything is better than that blue!

The Gateway to Happiness is complete! Welcome to the days of popsicles, watermelon, sprinklers, sun & fun…

 

Welcome to Summer Drew! Prepare for blast off!

It’s official! After being first times three, Drew is now second. He wouldn’t have it any other way.  

 

This is the smile that is reserved for Mama only. Such a happy little soul…

If the kids miss any winter activities, they will prove to you that they are even more fun in the summer. Stair sledding is the best! 

 

They’re building up speed, Brinley’s hair is flying, and this hill is bumpy!

Terminal velocity reached! Prepare for landing!

Wipeout! Drew is laughing. Trust me.

 

We survived Mt. Staircase. Let’s do that again!

But uh-oh! Daddy come quick! There are ice rocks falling on our house!

I like aquariums, but I didn’t know that one was included when we bought the house. A downspout clogged with golfball sized hail caused this. The water rose another 6+ inches after this picture was taken. We’ll be getting a new roof, and have to start from ground-zero with our garden. Not to mention Ryan’s car now looks like it has a severe case of cellulite long with a broken windshield. It’s a shame, but we are lucky that a tornado didn’t come and sweep us away.

That basement window didn’t do a great of a job holding back the flood outside. But Ellie thought she’d show off what does a great job holding back the flood inside!

So just how big was that hail Eleanor? It was bigger than my smile!

Where is Moses when you need him?

Those floating white things aren’t flower petals! Anyone want over 60 gallons of dirty ice water? Nice job Scoob!

Brinley figured out how to stay warm, and possibly anger PETA…Rawr!

The day after the hail storm some young entrepreneurs came by offering to clean up our front yard for a small  fee. When Amy turned them down, Drew & Brinley dug into their banks and brought me $5 so they could clean the yard themselves. Pay to work…er…play! Sounds like a sweet deal to me! 

Drew said he’d have the yard cleaned in a flash with the help of this 300hp “leaf blower”.

Brinley was less than impressed with the “leaf blower”.  If looks could kill…

What’s a hot summer day without  injuries…which one is the faker?

The hailstorm didn’t just cause destruction. There was a silver lining: New friends!

This is just one of our new buddies. Cheddar was so fond of a furry long-tailed little buddy that he ate him…

Brinley’s glorious and brilliant days as a Kindergartner are getting closer and closer. The princess is five years old! We’re so proud of Binnie and the help she’s been at home with cleaning, moving, and keeping Ro-dog and/or Elea-moose entertained while Mommy and Daddy have toiled away unpacking and organizing her castle. We are grateful servants!

The Princess wants. The Princess gets. The Princess requests pink candy on her cake. Well whaddyaknow, pink Skittles. Score!

She’s a working princess, mostly because she wants things done her way.

If pink candy wasn’t enough, the cake and frosting must also be pink. A real princess ain’t afraid to get dirty.

All this work of pink can make a princess exhausted. I command my servant Sir Drew to provide the traditional sugar rush. Proceed!

The sugar is flowing and the princess is back on shedule. Yes, schedule.

But, for good measure, let the princess have one more!

The masterpiece is almost complete, with princess-sharp perfection!

No complaints here. Think Cinderella never picked up a mop after the wedding? Think again! 

I know you want to see a pic of the cake, but you’re going to have to wait a little longer. We are enjoying apple-cinnamon pancakes with whipped cream, bananas, and pineapple, as ordered by her majesty. Maybe dis ere princess be from de island? Yah mahn!

 

Behold, the sugary gateway to happiness! How divine!

I command Daddy to ignite the beacons of beauty! All hail! The princess is five!

These beacons of beauty were the special re-igniting kind. Specifically requested of course, so that her majesty could make multiple wishes. What did she wish for? She’s not telling!