Another Camping Trip

     We went camping the last 3 days at Recompence Shore Campground in Freeport, Maine.  Just 4 miles from the hubub of outlet shopping is a beautiful farm called Wolfe's Neck Farm. Lots of land where they have many campsites along Casco Bay.  Dave didn't get too much fishing in but it was nice to smell the salty air and water all the same. There was a playground nearby and you know what that means...KIDS...very loud kids! Just what we don't want on our too short summer vacation.
     We DID have a good time but will plan on a different site next time we go!

     So, we left on a rainy, dreary Friday and if we were there right now, we'd be getting ready for their Maine clambake.
     Oh, and just remember how useful duct tape can be!  The kayak went right through the front covering and window of the trailer on our way out the driveway. Haven't seen Dave that mad in a LONG time!!  I suggested a little duct tape and some screening and we were on our way again...
I would never miss a camping trip!

Extreme Fun We Had

     What a light show we had last night. I've never seen so much lightening around in the sky all at once. It lit up the ground light daylight and of course Cinder was hiding and shaking in some obscure corner of the basement. Getting her white paws dirty as she does only during storms. Decided to take a break from the hot kitchen and post here. Looks like the clouds are coming back in for another storm? (But the breeze is so nice!)

Camping up in the west branch of the Penobscot was a blast! Went with the whole fam and "A". No cell phones, computers, news, robbers or rapists. Didn't even see a moose! Well, that's not fair! Just one deer and 2 speckled fawns. In fact I didn't even get a close up at that!

 There were constant buses going by on Golden Road to carry the rafters to their starting point. At one time I saw 12 rafts in front of the Big Eddy with about 9 rafters on each. That's 109 people! Whenever they went over some rapids it sounded just like an amusement park when you hear people on the roller coaster ride!

 The majestic Mount Kardigan in the background. (Hope I spelled that correctly).

               

 Rick just had to play Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when he saw his wading boots!  Grabbed a stick for a cigar, the shitter hose, and, well, he already had the beer. (Ahem.)  "Shitter's full." 
What a guy!

     The biggest fish was actually caught by Chris around 9 pm. Didn't measure the length exactly but I'm sure that will grow with time... oh, my. Don't they usually?

     
                                   

                                         And, just like a Boy Scout...Always Be Prepared!
                                                (you can never have too many rods)

     So, all in all, these pics sum it up. 

EXCEPT... when Rick was washed away on Saturday! Hailey comes running thru our site looking for her Mom. "Help! Daddy's been washed away down the river!" Kaylan and I quickly figured that Chris and Pops went downriver to rescue him while we jumped into the truck, adrenaline pumping...We sped down the road, gravel flying, looking for a break in the woods so we could see the river. No sign of anything! I'm sure we were thinking the worst since there are some substantial rapids in the area. Kaylan's knuckles were white on the steering wheel and I would have slid down ANY steep embankment to save my (@w3!&*%$) son-in-law. We look in the rearview and see Tammy pull up in Pops' truck. What the ... ! 

    "They just came outta the woods, they're all ok!" says Tammy. "I tried to stop you as you sped out but missed you!"

     Needless to say, Rick climbed into the truck with Kaylan and Hailey and we all drove back to the site. As Kaylan's adrenaline wore off (and I'm sure a few tears), she just got angry. If she was a volcano at that moment, she would have erupted!  But, we all came around and chalked it up as a memorable experience. 

     So Rick, if you're reading this, Don't Mess with The Penobscot!!

     

Crazy, crazy Summer

     Well, how many sunny days have we had so far this summer? I think I can count them on my 2 hands. Definitely a lot of wet, damp, humid, & hot days. Air conditioner has been on many nights.

The last week of June, Lauren, Larry, Sean and cute James were here for a quick weekend. We had a wonderful time and Chris, Tam & Ella were able to make it and Rick, Kaylan and Hailey also joined us! What a big group!  Ella is enjoying a s'more in the pic below. I wonder if this was her first one?

 Dad is enjoying his visitors! 

                                              Grandpa Larry is enjoying his role as a new grandpa.

 Lauren is such a good Mom and James is a real cutie-pie.

 Ella just loved James and wanted to constantly hug him and pick him up. Can't wait to see her with her new little brother who's to arrive at the end of September!

My New Organization

     OK, so here I am with my new Filofax. I've had it for about a month and have made many changes. Page design, what I want to record, how to organize it, embellies to make it fun. I'm learning more every day, especially over this April vacation. I found I wasn't checking it regularly during my work week so I had to make some changes...and vacation is a great time to accomplish that. I want a Filofax that I will check every morning and every evening before bed. I want it accessible without taking up too much time, yet, I want it FUN!
     I've started (thanks to Nadinetx) a financial side to my filo. I'll be including envelopes for current bank account amounts as well as daily expenses. I will not make a budget as of yet...until I track at least 1 month of regular expenditure. This will give me a huge picture of where my money is actually going.

     And, Yes, I need more WASHI!!!

Spring Cleaning !!

     OK, so I said that during this spring vacation I would spend the morning spring cleaning and then the afternoon for play. So far so good... except cleaning takes planning AND purchasing the newest products!! I went to Target and did just that!! over $300.00 worth! Is that going to make a clean house??  HELL, yes.
    I started in my bathroom (which is small) and washed it from ceiling to floor.  Dave painted the ceilings while I washed everything else. There is so much to cover in a little bathroom and it took several hours removing stuff then after cleaning putting it all back in. We spent the night with the bathroom completely empty. But I can say that the bath is completely clean!
 

So, this last picture is what I had waiting for me after I finished my cleaning... I worked steadily until 12:00 then put stuff away. After a half tuna sandwich, I put on the sunscreen and enjoyed the sun!!
Thanks for my followers...I'm trying to be more up to date. I love you for checking in!  :0) Aimee

 

Goodbye "ol Boy...

Well, Jagger...you have inspired me to post on my blog!  I have not been here since last summer! I will lose ALL my followers if I'm not more up-to-date. So, here I am.
      It's Easter Sunday and you've been gone since Saturday morning. You were the sweetest cat, never put a claw towards anyone! Kids could crawl all over you and you put up with it! You had the best disposition and you were a regular in the house when the kids were growing up.
I remember Chris putting you in a Shaw's shopping bag, twirling you around in circles, then letting you try to walk across the floor. You always came back for more. AND the time you were IN the birdcage and the bird was on the OUTSIDE looking in at you. I'll try to find that pic to give to the vet.
You did spend alot of time at the vet. With you heart medicine and hyperthyroidism pills. Then came the day when you just didn't find food appealing any more. I think you just met Poppie in the kitchen in the morning out of habit. Looked at your water, then walked back to bed. So, that's where you stayed until that last breath. We watched over you that last night...played some good oldies on the stereo for you and I sang you songs. We decided not to go out to dinner that night so we could be by your side.
You are loved!  Here's to you, Jags.

Aimee

Summer's Bounty

     Woke up to rain today, which we really need btw. I was going to set up my farm table today to sell some vegetables. We have so many right now that we can't keep up with. We will be heading to Bermuda in less than a week so we have to unload some of our veggies. I'm not into canning and freezing anymore, so...
     Here are some pics. Had so many cucumbers, some were too big to deal with. Zucchini is not quite ready (thank goodness!) and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. My Romas are not doing well. Dying on the vine with black tips?? Not sure what that is.
Maybe will get the farm "stand" going tomorrow. Should be interesting...

Welcome to Mid-Summer!

   I know, I know...it's been way too long. Alot has happened around here lately which I will share within the next couple of days, (I promise).
     I want to show you our latest visitor! He (or she) has been here 2 days in a row checking out our birdfeeders (which are empty). I believe someone around here is leaving a filled birdfeeder for him to enjoy. So, this is one stop while making his rounds.

   

     So, to say the least, my scraproom has been sorely neglected this summer. I AM down here today since it is a cloudy day. Cloudy days have been rare this summer. Also, Dave is away on a fishing trip to Canada. I'm here enjoying my solitude. Sending out a few Raks and organizing/cleaning. I am getting up the courage to begin my Scraprack organization system. If you have never heard of this system, I will link an introductory video below.
     I promise to keep more up to date, even if it is a short check-in. Also I want to post more YT videos but I have to get my creative juices flowing in order to do that!   So, here's to a few days of solitude and creativity!!
:0)  Aimee

     Oh, almost forgot the link!!
http://thescraprack.easystorecreator.com/ScrapRack_Videos_Articles_Instructions.asp

Easter Blessings!

     Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter with family! I picked Hailey up Friday afternoon after school. First we bought tons of scrap supplies for her at Jo-Ann's then we went to dinner in Wolfeboro. We met Poppie and Uncle Larry there. On Saturday, we spent most of the day in my scraproom creating. When she left on Saturday afternoon, Ella came over with her Mom and Dad. They stayed overnight and we spent today playing, dying eggs, cooking a wonderful dinner and finishing report cards. Now I am tired and ready to relax.
     Here are some pics of the egg dying.
Enjoy every last minute of your special Sunday, take care and have a great week ahead.
Two more weeks until vacation!

Creative Additions to my Weekend

 Well, man, this cold, flu, mono, WHATEVER it is is sure taking it's time leaving this body! I am starting to feel somewhat better after being on azithromycin for 3 days. Hoping to crawl back to school tomorrow...see how it goes...
     Did manage to squeeze crafting slots in here and there when I felt up to it. Gotta!
Sending out my first RAK as soon as I collect all the goodies and box them up. Made this card/plaque for someone that has been with me on YT since day 1. Think we joined at about the same time, yet she has twice as many subbies and videos as I do. Guess I should feel good since teaching takes alot of time and energy from my crafting and creating!! So, this is for you, Kerry ;-)

Hope you like her. I know she's from the Greeting Farm but not sure of her name.

Since I do tend to like the shabby chic look, I attempted some new flowers. No Sew! I love the tattered, frayed edge and if I don't have to pick up a needle and thread, so much the better! Tried out many different types of centers, lace and trim. Had fun with them..kind of like the frayed burlap on the back of the shabby pink ones!

 Maybe I'll post a vid of these later on in the week. Til then,
Aimee

Smooth Sailing

     I just had to do a layout of this picture of me. It is one of the few times I actually get to have the wheel of the sailboat in a decent wind!  Usually I get ousted by my husband or son. My son, Chris, hoards the wheel and never gives up to anyone else when he's out sailing with us!
    So, I was itching to do a layout again and try out some new techniques; heavy distressing along edges of layout, more layering, and utilizing circles in the composition. Love the colors and the way it came out!

     Well, our February vacation is over!! Have to head back to work tomorrow. I AM planning to create more layouts in the future. I would also like to get my Library of Memories continued...the good thing is you're never too late. Just jump in anwhere and anytime to get back on track.
     Check out Stacy Jullian's on-line class, Library of Memories. Just go to Big Picture Scrapbooking.
Have a great week ahead, everyone.