what connections do you draw between these 2 articles?

Rent A pet-

Subcontracting Parenting-

Now, do you think America could be heading for a time share Child(ren)'s business?

Stories

I always love the Movie "Big Fish". I really seem to enjoy things when there is just a little bit of fantasy thrown in to reality.
Big Fish is done in a subtle, but beautiful way. If you haven't seen it, I recommend watching it.

Good stores always make me want to write. I want to weave magical elements into our daily lives and create a story that is utterly human, but somehow holds to it's own little world.

Maybe a story about raspberries that appear as you pick them, you pick one and three more pop up just behind it, until they have drawn you so far back into the forest that you are no longer sure of where you are. But instead of fear, you choose trust. You know that the forest has drawn you back there for a reason. You have always respected the forest and so it has taught you and now you are ready for the next lesson.

The lessons of the forest would then be interwoven with the struggles you are going through in the outside world. The struggles with how your work has turned into committee meetings and your creative joy has been swallowed up by frustration of the inertia of your growing company.

Not only will you seek solace in the forest. But you will find answers there. You will become part if it's magic, and will bring some of that magic out into the artificially constructed human world as well.

Welcome to my garden

6 rows of 2 feet high, 16 feet long raised beds. In the first row we have raspberries. In the second are blueberries and herbs. In the third is strawberries, watermelon and pumpkin (buried in berries, what a jam jamboree) . Then we have a whole row of tomatoes and leeks, cabbages, broccoli and cucumbers. In all, it feels rather impressive. And it makes a very nice use for the rock bed.

Ewan the Gardener

As you can see by the pic of my Ewan that he is a very good gardener. He worked very hard yesterday planting and preparing beds and watering.

We now have a mini orchard. 8 fruit trees encircle our play system. Not only will we have apples, plums, apricots and cherries, we will have some shade and wind block for the splay area.

This next pic is just some of the wild flowers that like to adorn my yard. I like wild flowers. They usually have a pleasant smell, are abundant and easy to take care.

Speaking of abundant, the raspberries are in full bloom and everyday we go pic more to eat. Today they ended up in a fruit salad. The Earth has enough and to spare if we now how to love her.

Missed one

Opps, missed a picture of Ian getting plastered in Water Wars.

4th of July

Ewan got to spend last night with Auntie Amy and then work his little cute tail off waving in her float this morning at the Pequot Parade. The rest of our family watched him.

After lunch we then partcipated in Water Wars. I don't have as many good pictures as I would like from that due to the extremes in lighting. I hvae many of the Galen, Ewan, Uncle Kevin team, but no real good ones of the Ryan, Ethan, Avery and Ian team.

After that we were more then happy to go home for naps and I talked my kids into doing s'mores, ice cream floats (in OJ) and fireworks at home tonight rather then go to Brainerd. We enjoyed our evening at home, the fireworks were a blast ($19.99 worth) and we invited Ryan, Ethan and Avery to join us. We had to take a car seat out of the car to stop Clay from walking up to the burning fireworks and trying to eat them. He enjoyed the show while being strapped in to his seat.

And the best thing of all about staying home? We got the first baby to bed before the Brainerd fireworks would have even finished.

not much

You know you have too much time on your hands when somebody asks you "So, what is new in your life?" and you reply

"Not much, today I had 2 loads of darks, a load of pinks and 1 white in laundry."

I can't ever think I will get to that point, I am much too obsessive about my floors.

Clay's Daddy

Of course, Clay's Daddy looks happy. He had strawberry steak salad for dinner (100 mile meal!) and then had banana chocolate cake with ice cream afterwards!

Clay's B-day (cont)

As you can see clay looks a little puzzled about what to do with his next gift. Galen, and Ewan (the birthday experts around here) were more then happy to show him what to do.

Clay's Birthday

Today is Clay's 2nd birthday. It is hard to believe my baby is 2. Anyways, after dinner and clean up I sent the boys outside to do sparklers and snaps, while I frosted the cake. Then Galen had to be the first to pass his present to Clay. See- what a sweet little deer Galen is.