Where have you been?!?

Scene set up:

It is a hot, humid day in September.  A Lady hangs her head down, looking shamefaced at the computer in front of her…

If you were in my kitchen right now looking at me, that is pretty much what you would find (well, and some dishes in the sink, papers on the counter…Don’t judge me…)

I have finally found my way to Butterscotch Lady after a bit of time away.  Ok, let’s be honest (because we can all check the date of my last posting), since July 23rd!!!  How did all of that time escape from me without a loud cracking sonic boom?  Shouldn’t I notice that over 7+ weeks have passed since I last sat at my computer to chat with you?

Ooohhh, wait a minute, I know what that sound was that I was hearing: waves lapping on the sand, children’s laughter in the water, “Mommy!  Watch this” over and over (and over and over…), crickets at night (ok seriously!  How loud are they?).  It was the sounds of summer and I just could not escape them (nor did I really want to)!

Baby Girl and her Posse on July 3rd

As Baby Girl would say, “This was the best summer EVER!!”  What made it so great that I was willing (and obviously able) to ignore all of you?

HB City Jr. Lifeguards!!!

Buddy, for 6 years and Baby Girl, for  her first year, continued the family tradition of spending 8 weeks at the beach participating in the “Surf City” Jr. Lifeguard program.  I was in the program from the ages of 10 to 16 and they truly were the best way to spend summers.

Living as close to the beach as we do (3 1/2 miles), we think it is important that our kids know how to respect the ocean and how to survive in it.  Anyone that has spent time in the ocean knows that it is very different from swimming in a pool.    Buddy was a Safety Aid which means that he helped with all activities that other Jr. Guards participated in.  (He earned 50 volunteer hours as a Safety Aid!)

Of  course for me, it meant I took some fantastic pics of Buddy helping Baby Girl.  Some of them just make me want to weep seeing the love and protectiveness between them (with a teen and ‘tween, it happens less often than I would like).

The “Safety Aid” and the Jr. Guard

I also made a wonderful new friend through Jr. Guard’s.  She and her son are Canadian and are living here until December before returning to Ottawa, Canada. It is such a sweet surprise at my age to feel an instant connection to someone and to know that we will be lifelong friends no matter the distance that may separate us.

 Mr. Cabana and I tried to spend and enjoy as much time with family and friends as summer would allow~ BBQ’s, Drive-In Movie nights, Girl’s nights, pool parties, a movie on the beach (it was amazing!!!), vintage swap meets…

A little Butterscotch Schnapps and Hot Tamale never hurt anyone! Cups came from Smart & Final. They are the perfect size for shots, er, um I mean for SIPPING!

Butterscotch Lady and her “Posse” at a pajama Ladies night.

I know, I know, summer has been over for a couple  of weeks so what is my excuse for still not doing a post?  My kid’s schools, soccer…You know the feeling of just resisting getting back into the regular routine of homework and practices, volunteering…I think I block out every year just how BUSY the start of school is for all of us.

Now that we are into our 2nd full week of school, I am beginning to find my sea legs again, routine wise.  Maybe I should tackle those dishes in my sink now or stop by my girlfriend’s house who has a free table I can re-finish…?

Whoops!  No time!  I have to run to pick up Baby Girl from school.

      Time really does fly by!

         See you again, very soon. I promise!!!

  Until next time,

Butterscotch Lady

PS.  Baby Girl just turned 10 yesterday and we are in the throes of party planning.  Looking forward to sharing her party with you in a couple of weeks!

Schools Out for Summer!

Welcome to Summertime!!!!

Yesterday was the official first day of summer and it was also my kid’s last day of school.  Buddy is now going to be a high school Freshman and Baby Girl will be in the fourth grade.{Don’t even get me started thinking about how fast time is going by with my kids!}

For the majority of my life I have lived according to a school calendar.  You know what I mean, September means new school cloths, Christmas (Winter) Break, Easter (Spring) Break…  So even though it has been many (many, many!) years since I have been a student, I think I get more just as excited by summer vacation as the kids.  The excitement begins when I see the first June bug of the year, which happened a couple of weeks ago (sometimes they do not show up until July).  There is something magical when you think of an entire summer and all of the possibilities it holds~ BBQ’s, the 4th of July, pool parties, Movie Nights, beach days…  90 days of fun and relaxation!

For the past five summers, Buddy has been a Jr. Guard at our local beach and this year Baby Girl will be joining him in the program.  I grew up spending 7 of my summers in Jr. Guards too and made life long friends.  Some of my favorite memories as a child took place at our beach with my “summer friends”. {Now many of our kids are in the program.}

I have to say that I love having my kids home over the summer and I dread them going back to school in September {but since it is the first day of summer vacation, I am not going to think about that!}.  I love our lazy days on the beach reading, watching dolphins play and just hanging out with them and our friends.

What do you love about summer and do you have a favorite memory?  I would love to hear about it!!!

I LOVE reading your comments!!!!  Nothing like writing an entry and hearing crickets!

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~For the “Summer Bunting” I used 5-12×12 scrapbook paper, rope, gold computer paper.

1. Find the center of the scrapbook paper, dot it with a pencil.  On a large paper-cutter, cut paper on an angle using the dot as your guide for the tip of bottom  of the flag.  Repeat on the other side of paper to create a triangle.

2. Using a hole punch, cut two holes just on the inside edge at the top of the flag.

3. Thread the rope through the holes.

4. For the words “Summer” I used WORD.  Jokewood was the font (approx. 200 size).  Print one letter per page.

5. Attach computer sheets between the flags using a stapler (You can then re-use the bunting by just removing the letters).

I found the sand buckets at Target for $1 each and the fabulous pinwheels came from Shinoda Design Center and were $4.25 each.  The flowers in the buckets have been used in many, many projects {remember the wedding gazebo?}.

 Cheers to a magical summer spent with friends and family!!!

Until next time,

Butterscotch Lady

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