Rum Sump Pump Punch

Hello readers,

  Let me tell you a little bit about why I am sore.  I put a sump pump in yesterday.  Yep, me.  I did.  Well, I helped.  My "plumber" (okay, fiance) made me do all of the heavy lifting though!  I had to dig out all of the concrete chunks after he pounded the crap out of it with the sledgehammer.  Really that's the only reason I'm sore; from squatting for an intense amount of time.  (I clearly need to work out.)  I was very nervous for my basement floor once he started pounding on it, but it looks pretty good now.  AND hopefully there will be no more opportunities for pictures like the one I posted in my previous blog (us vacuuming all of the stupid trespassing water out of the carpet).

Anyway, moving on.  For those of you who don't know, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays.  I just love spending time in the sun with friends and/or family.  The last few years we've celebrated with Jack's family but this year we are celebrating with one of Jack's friends from high school and his girlfriend.  I just made a ton of food/drinks (Rum Punch that is AMAZING & some jello shots!  Hello alcohol!).  Yummers!  I've decided that I like being a hostess.  I like prepping for shindigs and whatnot... I think that just comes from my liking to organize in general.  Maybe I should be a party planner!  Anyway, the cool thing about tonight is that we are not getting together at our place.  This means I get to do the cooking and planning and then I get to take it all elsewhere and I don't have to deal with the part of hostess that means that I have to show everybody where everything is!  YAY!  (Plus I don't have to clean up for the event!)

Nothing exciting today, I know.  Here's a picture to make it all better.  Okay, so I know the picture turned out kind of dark but Kaiah moves anytime she catches me trying to take a picture of her when she sits here.  We have that little bench in our front yard and she seriously will go out there and just perch on the bench like it's her own personal throne.  She's too funny.

Birthdays, Floods, & Mating Maxwells

So, it has been a while since I've blogged.  10 days.  That's kind of a lot for me!  I've been working more lately, so I think that accounts for some of it.  Some. 

I had an interesting weekend.  Friday night Jack & I went to see Grown-Ups.  It was pretty funny... mostly in a clean way, which I usually like better than dirty humor.  I think anyone can tell a dirty joke and be funny, but it actually takes TALENT to be funny in a "clean" way.  Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  It was a good movie; not something that I would say is a favorite, but I'm glad I watched it.

In other news, I went back to Maquoketa for the annual birthday bash of one Ms. Martha Schwartz.  She turned 90 on Friday!  CRAZY!  This picture is from Memorial Day weekend 'cause for whatever reason I didn't take a new one of us at her birthday party!  I love her!  She is the one who gave me my wonderful cooking abilities.  I must also add that I have found in recent years that I think I may have developed some of my sharp wit from her.  She must have withheld that from me when I was a child, but she sure doesn't hold back her sauciness anymore!

While I was home I also gave Destiny and Easton their birthday presents since I don't think that I will get to see them again before their birthdays.  Here is Little Man speeding away from the mess he made while opening up his presents.  LOVES himself some wrapping paper!

Easton & Destiny also liked jamming out to Destiny's new Justin Bieber cd.  Yes, I actually bought that for her, as much as I might be against the J. Bieb's.

We went to Bluff Lake for Grandma's birthday dinner, just like we do every other year.  I had to post the picture below because I can not figure out what Preston, Destiny Matt & Kim are all staring at!  They look like they are concentrating really hard on something.  Too funny.

If you can't tell, I love my family!  Now, let me tell you what I don't love.  My basement flooding.  Jack called me at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning (while I was in Maquoketa) to let me know that our (finished) basement was flooded.  NOT cool.  My house now smells musty and gross and we are still (2 days later) trying to shop vac. all of the water out of the carpet.  I'm pretty sure that we are going to have to replace it.  We didn't have any issues last year or this year yet, but this last rain must have been the straw that broke the camel's back.  We are supposed to have a whole week of sunshine!  Why couldn't it last through one more rain spell?  LAME.

In other news, we got a free load of firewood tonight!  That is a good thing!  I was not looking forward to paying for firewood this fall, but I HAVE to have fires.  LOVE them.  (Anybody know a good chimney sweep in the area?  I need one before this fall!  I want someone similar to Dick Van Dyke if at all possible...)

Lastly, the book challenge starts in 2 days!  Check it out.  I hope you all will be cheering me on!  I lack motivation people!  If you know me at all, you know this much to be true, so I need you!

Oh wait!  One more thing!  I saw a partnerless Mating Maxwell today in lieu of one Ms. Kate Bowman's birthday!  It may not have had a partner, but it still made me think it was just there to celebrate for Kate!  (If you don't understand the paragraph, then you don't need to.  I  mean that in the most polite way possible.)     :)  It was an amazing bluish tealy color.  LOVED it.  So did Kaiah.