A BUSY WEEK

It's been a B*U*S*Y two weeks....and next week doesn't look any slower!  On Saturday the little princess (Granddaughter M) starred in her first dance recital.  I know I'm prejudiced but she was absolutely precious!

This week she had CHEER  CAMP  and  SWIMMING LESSONS.  The little thing can now swim like a fish!

I've kept Grandson R every a.m. this week and he's worn me out playing game after game after game.......

He now loves SORRY  REVENGE  and  GO  FISH!

Last week we tried another recipe:

OOBLECK

Recipe:

2 cups cornstarch       1 cup water       2-4 drops food coloring

I really liked this one!  It does some cool stuff!

Another activity they invented themselves....

water play with turkey basters!

FUNNY  PUTTY  was also revisited!

Believe it or not, I DO have a life outside of grandchildren!

We were fortunate to have found a wonderful sitter who is helping out this summer, so hopefully I'll have some time to recuperate!  However, Sunday begins BIBLE SCHOOL

and, of course, I am teaching.  So my "time off" will have to wait!    Besides, the heat here is almost unbearable and whatever I find time to do will probably be inside in the AC!  The heat index today is approximately 110!

I also changed the look of my BLOG somewhat!

Hope you like it!

Around the Yard

Thanks to the gardening skills of my husband with a little help from me,  we have a yard we are proud of.  Here are just a few things around our place:

Remember this?  This is BEFORE....

This is AFTER!

These HONEYCOMB  BUTTERFLY  BUSHes were planted this year and they've grown like crazy!

This is a part of a small garden we call MANDY'S  GARDEN.

The hostas are doing well here even though they get lots of sun.

I love the little FAIRY reading her book.

My  HERB  pot is doing well.

Recently added this coleus pot.  My grandmother loved these and could grow them from just a leaf cutting.  I did NOT inherit her green thumb!

This cute little guy was bought several years ago after traveling

around the

North GA mountains.  He's a fountain that is so peaceful to listen to.

I love, love, love this little girl.  Isn't she sweet?

One of my many rabbits shares a little yard space with her.

This cute little bunny greets people at our back door.

It's gotten so hot in our neck of the woods that we don't spend as much time outside as we'd like.  But I do love to sit on my porch swing or out on the deck in the early morning or early evening and enjoy our little piece of God's creation.

A Day with Funny Putty

I'm keeping the grandkids this week and today was a busy day.  Grandson R. has a short attention span and trying to keep him entertained and away from the TV takes a lot of creativity and ingenuity on my part.  So....today we made.....

              FUNNY  PUTTY. 

I told him it was our science experiment and that aroused his curiosity.  Here's how we did it.

First you need these:

2 Tbsp. Elmer's white glue

food coloring

a little less than 1 Tbsp. liquid starch

plastic or throw-away bowl, spoons

Put 2 Tbsp. glue in bowl. 

Add NO MORE than

2 drops of food coloring (any color). 

Stir very well.

S-l-o-w-l-y add the starch.  (The recipe called for 1 Tbsp. but we found that less is better.)

Then you stir, stir, stir, stir...you'll quickly see a chemical reaction taking place.

Here we added  TOO MUCH blue food coloring...and we had blue hands the rest of the day!

The next part is the hardest....

Wait  5  minutes!

Next...remove from bowl and knead, squish, knead, squish...the more, the better.

This was our RED batch...used a little too much starch and so it was very squishy.

Now for the best part....

Play with it, experiment with it...

see what all it will do!

We finally made a batch of green (no pictures) and it was the best of all.  He played with it ALL DAY...and he thought

I was a really cool grandma for thinking of this!  But....

Granddaughter M wasn't too keen on it.  She didn't like the "yucky" feel.

Note:  be sure to store it in a plastic

baggie when finished playing and play only on a smooth surface...no carpet, no clothes, no hair!

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PS:  I haven't yet figured out how to get my words spaced correctly...they look fine on the preview, but then look differently when I publish...so please forgive the crazy way this post looks!  Any advice will be appreciated!

Spending the Day with My Hubby

The hubby decided he wanted to go to the mall today in search of a new pair of khakis.  In order to visit any decent mall we have to drive at least 70 miles.  It was a nice trip though.  He likes to travel the back roads so we were able to see the countryside as we traveled through some neighboring little towns.  I always enjoy looking at other people's yards...some give me inspiration; others make me feel proud of my own!

We found his khakis and, of course, I got to do a little shopping too.  Wanna see?
I found a few things on sale such as this cute top...

I love black & white...it looks better "on" than "off".  Wanna see what I paid for it?

I love bargains!  I almost never buy any apparell if it's not on sale.  Of course, I had to buy SHOES (my addiction).  I also got a bargain on these...BOGO (Buy One, Get One 1/2 off)! 

Which do you like best?

(I have UGLY feet!)

We also went by SAM'S and got this:

I love the green color!

And we got these....

Have you tried them?  If not, DON'T! 

They're addictive!

On the way home we stopped by a U-PICK Strawberry Patch.  It was closed but we noticed a sign that said "When closed, just fill up your bucket and leave the money in the drop box.  One gallon=$7.00"

So, even though hubby hadn't planned on picking his own, we did and don't they look yummy?

They are soooo sweet.  If we can keep our fingers out of them, maybe we'll make some homemade ice cream!

After sweating under the hot sun in the strawberry patch, we headed home.  And my sweet, darling guy fell sound asleep.  Isn't he cute?  He really is the greatest! 

Life is slow in our little part of the universe, but there's nothing like spending a day with the man I love.  I am blessed!

See my right side bar for a fun give-away!

I'm a BON on WOW

No, I'm not speaking in tongues or in a foreign language, but I am excited!  For today I am a BON (Blogger of Note) on the blog WOW (Words of Wisdom). 

http://www.ourwisdomofwords.blogspot.com/

In case you are not familiar with this wonderful blog, it's like no other I have ever read...be sure to visit.  Two great gals, Sandy & Pam, showcase other bloggers whose blogs, they say, have "great content".  And what is "great content"?     "Great content," they say, "is blog posts that are thought-provoking and/or insightful."  Now if you've been following my blog you are probably asking yourself, "Thought-provoking?  Insightful?  Cheri's Chatter?"  I agree....most of my posts aren't too thought-provoking; rather they are just some of my thoughts and sharings about family, myself, and small town life.  But I am grateful to Sandy & Pam for choosing me because I'm hoping it might bring some new blogger friends my way.        

My blog is relatively new and the more blogs I read, the more I realize I have a lot to learn about this new world I've entered...the world of blogging.  I don't really think I've found my "blogger legs" yet but I hope those of you reading this will be patient with me until I find my way.  As my profile states, I live in a small rural area where life is very slow and not much happens (see my entry on Mole Crickets below).  I am a retired primary school teacher who is still trying to come to terms with retirement and the void it has brought into my life.  I'm also a grandmother who spends lots of time with the grandkids and hopefully help to teach them life lessons that will lead them to grow into kind, loving, and compassionate people.  I feel blessed with all I've been given, yet I like to believe that there are still great blessings to come. 

I began this blog because I love learning and trying new things.  I may be an "old dog" (at 60 yrs. of age) but I can still learn "new tricks."  I hope that you will feel free to browse my little part of the internet.  You can look on the right sidebar and see my posts.  Some you might like are the ones on ATTITUDE and  PRACTICAL WAYS TO CELEBRATE LIFE.  Of course, the posts about the grandson and granddaughter are delightful, but we grandmas can tend to overdo it at times when it comes to talking about our grandkids.  If you choose to do so, I will be thrilled to have you come back and visit, but if not I really appreciate your checking me out.  And thanks to WORDS OF WISDOM (Sandy & Pam) for welcoming me to the blogging world!