Bloomin' Cactus

I had to show you my Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom.  I planted it 2 years ago and it is finally blooming!

Bright yellow AND orange.

The blooms will turn into a fruit, which is used in jelly.

Hope your day is filled with lots of sunshine and bright colors, too!

~  Patty  ~

Show and Tell

My friends!

This is 1/3 of the home school moms in our group.  (Wish you could see a picture of all my homeschool mom friends!)

One night a month, we have Moms Night Out and each May, we go somewhere really nice to celebrate a belated Mother's Day dinner together.

It's a different group each month since we all have busy family lives to tend to.  I really hope, just ONE time, all the moms in our group could be together at the same time.

I don't know how I would get along without the amazing women in our group.  They are such an inspiration to me.

Just had to share :)

~  Patty  ~

L.I.F.E.

It happens....and sometimes, all at once, right?

Shoot!

I needed a day off from our camping trip.  Ha ha!  (And I'm not ashamed to admit it, either :)

To the lake we went!

(That's David testing out his new jet engine boat.)

I think EVERYone should live near a lake!  A great place to play hookie.

This lake is about 25 miles away,  and last Wednesday, we had the entire beach to run, splash, and play on.

*************************************

I know most moms are really busy in May.   Is it just me or does it get busier as the kids get older???

 This is what  one of my weeks recently looked like ~ (in addition to homeschooling.)

Monday

- Mass of Thanksgiving for our former pastor celebrating his 35th year as an ordained priest.

- Planning meeting for home school graduation mass for the (8) eighth graders who will be graduating at the end of the month.  (It is going to be so special and meaningful!!!  Can hardly wait!!!)

- Tae Kwon Do

- Swim team practice .


Tuesday

- Swim team photos

Wednesday

- May Crowning

Thursday

- Planning meeting for Sally who will be attending SHINE Catholic Work Camp this summer.  She is SO excited!!!

(If you have a chance, check out the website!)

Friday

- Adoration

- Prep for camping trip to Galveston Island

************************************

I had the best mother's day in a LONG time!  We did nothing, really.  Went for a swim at the pool and David grilled hamburgers.

I was able to just "be".

I look at it as a refueling period...and buckling up for the next few busy weeks that will pass by at warp speed!

Hoping you busy moms find some quiet moments in your life to just breathe and be!

~  Patty ~

Show Me Some Lovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin


Straight out of Sarah's playbook...I'm switching over to www.bloglovin.com.

I read Sarah's post this past March and Good Golly! I've finally made the switch and I love it!

I'm so delighted to find SO MANY more blog posts to read, and it is much easier to use!  (And this mama will take "easy"  when she can get it :)

~  Patty  ~

My Mom

(Taken about 10 days after Clementine was born, Mom was visiting us in Texas.)

To my mother, "...who is the map I follow with every step."

I love you so much!

~  Patty  ~

Beach Homes & Broken Bones - G.I. Camping Trip Part 2

(Sigh......One can only dream, right?)

When I grow up, I want to live in one of these beach homes.   (Insert BIG, dreamy sigh....)

I had no shame leaning out of the open van window snapping away.  Ha ha!   Aren't they beautiful though?

BUT, I am grateful for what we had ...

David built that tear drop camper and we have put a LOT of mileage on it in less than a year.

So loading up Tuesday morning brought a disaster that could have been an even bigger disaster.

David went to hitch up the camper to the van.  I had put the kids in the car and didn't realize the added weight would change the height of the hitch.  David went to manually adjust the camper's wheel jack when it completely collapsed, sandwiching his hand inside.  The whole camper hitch hit the ground hard with his poor hand right in the middle of it all.

It looked awful!

With his adrenaline, he used his left hand to pick up the camper hitch off the ground to free his right hand.  When he was freed, he released the camper hitch again and part of it landed square on my big toe.

"Miss Flip Flops" was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He ended up with a broken bone in his hand and I ended up with part of the gear drilling a hole all the way through my toe nail.

I was so sickened by his hand that my pain was nothing and my reaction was lightening fast.  I was able to pull my toe out in a flash.

As he said, it could have been a lot worse.  He could have really damaged his hand and I could have  lost a toe (if it would have been 1/4" over.)

I remember when I broke a bone in my hand, the doctor just put a cloth-like splint on for a few days.  So we stopped at a pharmacy and I purchased a hand brace for David as well as some Motrin and Tylenol for our aches and pains.

Let me tell you, he is one strong and tough guy!

After all that, we still made one more stop before heading home.

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.  (The monument stands 15' taller than the Washington Monument in D.C.)

It is here that Texas won its' independence from Mexico and became an independent sovereign nation in North America for 10 years!

Little Miss Mabel has a state history report to write at the end of this quarter.  This will really connect it all together for her, don't you think?

There were plenty of shaded picnic areas scattered across the grounds.  A good place to let Miss Clementine stretch her legs a bit.

And a good break for this little guy to get away from all the girls for awhile :)

Oh!  And remember those "love bugs" I mentioned back here....they even die together in "ecstasy"  LOL!

An up close pic of our front van fender.  (Each blob represents a pair.)


The trip to Galveston Island State Park was really needed.  A lot of work this time around, but still very needed.  A little family vacay especially since we are not taking a family vacation this summer.

Do any of you have big vacation plans for the summer?    I enjoy living vicariously through the lives of others sometimes!!

~  Patty   ~