Ordinary Life

I love it when family comes to the island. Rye & Kayden catch up over ice cream.  Kayden is my younger cousin Corey's son (on momma's side.) This is his baby sister Coralyn. She's one of those babies I was privileged to help  pray into the world ;) Before the day was over, they were positively pirates!

HAPPY 4th of JULY ! We spent the day @ the Plantation.  Lunch @ Marchet Burrette   Live Music all day.  Meandering around the shops and grounds  Shuttle to and from Fireworks. It was a grand, relaxing day. Please enjoy this short story by O. Henry: The Fourth In Salvador

Some days we go on an adventure for lunch...  St. Mary Alligator Bench~ our oft visited friend:  Menus? No, we're only here for the sugar packets :o/  (An end was put to this as soon as all necessary photos had been obtained ;) 

We found it on the clearance rack @ Academy Sports. She had to have it. She called it her Farmer Annie hat. (Little Einsteins) 

We have convinced Riley that the pet store is a small zoo.  (I tried to convince her to pet the fish, but she  didn't take the bait. ) On this particular visit, we were there so that the children could close out their virtual photography class. I am so glad we had a camera (or two) out and ready when this lady walked in.  We were watching the cockatiel (I have always wanted a cockatiel... I gravitate towards their cages) when she strolled up.  She told us her name is Nancy.  She had brought her own pet cockatiel into the store to visit with the store's bird. Apparently, the store had only recently acquired their feathered friend and he's been a little glum.  So, Nancy brought him a little company.  Wait. Stop. Hold It. I should explain that I am using 'him' as a default pronoun. As Nancy explained, there's really no telling if the birds are male or female without a very expensive test or trial and error until eggs appear. This was not that kind of visi...

Sometimes we like to hang out in Saint Marys . While we're there, we like to eat chocolate chip pancakes the size of our head.  (Oh, and have some of the pita...it's fresh) Chocolate Chip Pancake pairs well with a chocolate milk, served chilled.  We walk across to the park to watch boats and use up some of that pancake fuel.  Shaky bridges aren't fun... ever.  Would you DRIVE over a bridge built like this?  Asserted Independence  Take a good look at this smile because when we try to leave in 15 minutes, there will be no traces whatsoever. 

We stopped by the library for the first time in a long while the other day. While inside, rediscovering the joys of the library's "All You Can Read...and for FREE" buffet it began to rain... so we just took our time.  Books were read, magazines too.  Blocks were stacked. Puppets emerged.  Hours passed.  G.K. is one of my all time favorites... in the whole wide world. This is a children's title, but it is also a metaphor... check it out ;)  When we were at the Circulation Desk signing up for Summer Reading, a couple asked us if they could take our photo for some library promo materials. Though I usually put up a fuss about being in photos, I was put on the spot and agreed so as to be, well... agreeable.  So, we did what we could to help the library... these shots, we were informed, would go to make PSA Style posters to promote the library and her various reading programs (Great, I didn't even consult a mirror and they're going to make these photos poster siz...

Everyone had gone to the truck, except Riley and myself. We seem to always be the last two in the car. There are a host of reasons, from finding a lost shoe to re-packing an understocked diaper bag. We've recently added "Load Rye's purse" to that list. That was one of the reasons we were lagging on this day. We took the elevator down one whole flight...18 steps worth of space... to the parking lot ; not because it is faster, rather because it is a safer means of travel for those of us with both hands and a foot full. As we exited the elevator, Riley spied her shadow in a shaft of sunlight. She and her newfound friend commenced a dance promptly.

Logan's Twelfth Birthday Cake After watching Wreck It Ralph, Lo asked for a candy covered cake A Candy Cart ~MAKE A WISH~ ~BIRTHDAY LUNCH ~ ~ Enjoying The Restaurant Birthday Song ~

While looking at shoes during our Saturday Evening Outing , Rye found a pair or two that she liked:

Strawberry Milkshake  On Saturday, after spending all day making flowers with the Big Girl , I took Little Girl out to run a few quick errands. And the thing is, they were truly quick errands... we were finished with daylight to spare... so we grabbed a bite to eat and had a make shift Mommy Date:  Sweet Potato Fries in Browned Sugar Butter from Tasty's Little Girl, Big Drink The best time for gazing at this castle (What Rye calls it) ...I mean church, is when the sun begins to sink... even better if you step inside, where all the stained glass glows. A little sriacha mayo & browned sugar butter were all that remained.... ...even the sun was gone by the time we'd finished.  A phone call from home told us that The Bigs were accompanying their dad on a baseball errand, so we didn't hurry home. Rather, we went 'browsing'. It's like shopping, only without spending money ;) Rye picked a pair of shoes out on her own. She tried them on and declared "They Fit!...