...summertime fun...

Warning: Today's post is liable to be a long, rambling one so I hope that you don't get bored. Lots to report on from the Snow household this week...

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First a card. This card was inspired by a new tradition that we have implemented for the summer on Friday's. The adult version of Shake Friday...i.e. Cocktail Evenings. 

A couple of weeks ago, I received a book that is so much fun, MixShakeStir. It's a beautiful book full of recipes and gorgeous photography of cocktails. We are die-hard wine drinkers around here and rarely do anything else, so we thought that it might be fun to change things up a bit for the summer (and I am really inspired right now by all things retro...soon I may even become domestic...or maybe not...LOL) and so we have started Cocktail Fridays.

We are only 2 weeks (and 2 drinks) into the experiment and so far, haven't been bowled over by any of the drinks, but I am hoping to report some positive results for you soon.

I had these evenings in mind when I created this card this morning using Unity's new kit, Retro BBQ.  I have no idea what drink would gradiate from green to red, but I am sure there is one out there that does...LOL!

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Retro BBQ

*K&Company Raspberry Collection

*Fiskars border punch

*watercolor pencils 

*ribbon

*brads

*Bazzill Kraft paper

*StazOn Jet black inkpad

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This week has been record hot for us in the Midwest with heat indexes ranging anywhere from 105-115 degrees during the daytime. Of course, this just happened to be the week that Jacob was at Scout camp living outside with NO air conditioning. We visited him Thursday evening for Family Night and sweltered right alongside him.

Do you see that look on her face? We had just gotten to camp and he had just picked her up for the first time. I think that she missed her big brother last week!

Trying to stay cool with an ice-cold gatorade...and no, it really didn't help.

Within about 15 minutes of being there, this little one was drenched in sweat. We did not pour any water over her. That was just how truly sweaty that she was...her hair was literally dripping.

Ben took off with my camera and took this (and several other) gorgeous shots while I was chasing the 2 yo. Isn't it a beautiful photo?

For these photos, you really need to click on them to see the full impact of the photography (which is again Ben's work.) The night that we were there they had the Order of the Arrow ceremony. It was done in this little inlet of the lake with the boys lining up on one side, and the parents sitting watching on the other.

There was an Indian on a boat in the middle of the water that was helping with the narrating and then fire everywhere...a couple of bonfires (one on land and one in the middle of the lake), a path of smudgepots leading out of the woods that the boys followed. It was an absolutely gorgeous ceremony and the most exciting part of all was that Jacob was called out during it to become part of OA (a big honor in Scouts.)

Another big honor for Jacob for the week was that he won a "Golden Arrow" award for the entire camp. He won that for having the highest archery score in the camp which is saying quite a bit because this camp easily had 500-800 boys there. :o)

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Scout camp ended yesterday morning, but we weren't through with the heat yet. Late yesterday afternoon, Ben's office had a tailgate party at the Gateway Grizzlies game (our local minor league baseball team.) It was again sweltering, but a lot of fun.

Kat never has the chance to be around other kids her age and there was another 2 yo old there to play with.

Kat was so excited. She just kept petting her and hugging her. It's going to be fun in a couple of weeks when we go home and she gets to know her cousins Mia and Emily.

The kids in the stands. Kat was less excited about this part of the evening esp. since it didn't start until after her bedtime. It has been a week of late, hot evenings!

And today on the agenda we have homemade ice cream in our new ice cream maker (an anniversary gift from my parents- Thanks Mom & Dad!!!) and then if we are feeling up to another hot late night then a jazz concert in the park which sounds like so much fun, but I am not sure that any of us wants to do another late, hot night...

I hope that you all are staying cool in your area these summer days and nights!