Some photos from Bayberry Cove, the lovely house we stayed at last week.

Cade, Connor and Quinn, when we arrived.

Playing in the pool.

Granddad and his grandsons in the morning.

Daddy, Momma and Chase at the 50th party.

Quinn playing on the deck.

A bad case of bed head - Connor and Cade.

Cade and Connor kayaking.

The house from the pier. Daddy is by the boats.

Cade, Quinn and Connor in the hot tub.

Sleeping boys.

Sean reading Harry Potter in the hammock.

Cade, Daddy, Wanda, Col and Chase enjoying crabs.

Cade and Connor eating steamed crabs.

to my little stinker! Quinn turned 7 on Saturday but since the family was in-transit, returning home from vacation, we decided to hold his party yesterday. Though the sky held the promise of thunderstorms all day, we had a pizza/pool party at my parents’ house. Quinn received a lot of nice toys, DVD’s, educational things and clothes.

Make a wish and give it wings
Dreams of bright and beautiful things
Dance through all the fun filled hours
Don’t forget to smell the flowers
Share some love and birthday cake
All life’s joys are yours to take
And when the evening comes to view
Thank your lucky stars you’re you

Happy Birthday!

We’re home safe and sound. We had such a wonderful week on the Eastern shore. Momma and Daddy’s party was wonderful. It was wonderful seeing old family friends and relatives. It was wonderful spending time with my parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. Everything was just…wonderful! Really. *smile*

Over forty years ago, my Daddy took this photo of my sister, Colleen, and me in front of a little stone house off of Richardson Road and Hudson Road (MD 343) in Cambridge, Maryland. My Daddy told me that it had been built by two spinster sisters. We wondered what had possessed them to build the house and my sister, Honey, suggested that maybe they had built it so they could always find the road to their house. *smile* The front supports have been replaced and the glass in the windows are gone but it’s been meticulously maintained throughout the years. A real Eastern Shore treasure.

and just in time!  I just finished printing out the last of the pages this morning and spent some time at Michaels this afternoon picking out a scrapbook album for it.  I purchased an 8 1/2″ x 11″, side loading sleeved one from the Martha Stewart line, however, I’m really not too pleased with the quality!  I bought two (because you never know and I didn’t want to be up the creek if something was wrong) and I’m so glad that I did because the first one I opened had a manufacturing boo-boo with the pages and the second one had a problem with the little posts in it…the screw stripped out so I had to actually use parts from both to complete one book.  It does look pretty though and I showed it to Sean’s girlfriend, Samone, this evening and she agreed.  *smile*  Our goal was to actually give my parents a finished memory book on Sunday but Col, Honey and I reconsidered and decided that we wanted to include in it the photos and written best wishes from everyone at the party too.  I’m not too sure though that we can afford to have it printed as it’s 74 pages and still counting.  *smile*

Now I need to start packing for our vacation to the Eastern shore.  Saturday, the boys and I will be sharing a nice little home on the Eastern shore with my parents, and sisters and their families.  Michael, Sean and my nephew, Cole, will only be able to be there on Sunday for my parents’ big 50th wedding anniversary party due to work and school.  There will be fishing, crabbing, swimming, boating, lazing about and of course cleaning up.  Evenings will be spent, I’m sure, eating steamed crabs, fresh tomatoes and corn, and playing cards.  I know they will be filled with the sound of our laughter.

Please Lord, bless my parents, my husband and my boys, my sisters and their families and our family and friends that will travel down to the shore to celebrate with us.

Summer brings us nice hot sun
For swimming, fishing, and lots of fun;
For finding seashells in the sand;
For sunbathing to get a tan;
To do all these things and so much more
at our little home sweet home
on the Eastern Shore!

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I was at my parents’ house yesterday evening and the cicadas have already begun their end of summer song.

colleen liposchak

Hey, our homeschool co-op, the Southeastern Baltimore Homeschool Co-op, won FIRST place for decorated vehicle in the Dundalk Parade!!!!! Way to go!! I didn’t have time to join in the planning nor decorating (because of working on Momma’s and Daddy’s Anniversary book) but was there to cheer them on in the parade.

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Momma and Daddy came over for dinner yesterday and though there was no room at the table as it is still full of old photo albums for everyone to sit down to enjoy dinner together we still had a wonderful time.  Quinn was quite the host and entertained us with his songs and little dances.  He loves watching the old Mighty Mouse and Mighty Hercules cartoons on youtube and knows most of the words to the theme songs.  *smile*  I served my old standby of pork bbq, rolls, and coleslaw with freshly baked peach and blueberry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Momma told me several times how delicious everything was…made my day!

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Colleen is supposed to drop by today for a visit to help finish up our parents’ 50th wedding anniversary…I’m really running out of time as by this time next week I will be packing for our family vacation (the party is on Sunday the 22nd) to the shore so we really need to get it done by this weekend.  Say a prayer, please, that it gets finished in time…

And since you’re praying…say another one that plans for Sean and Samone to take the twins and Quinn out to movie and dinner this evening don’t fall through.  Michael and I very rarely get any time together these days and we sort of bribed Sean and Samone to take the boys tonight for a couple of hours so we could have some alone time.  *smile*

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I took some more photos of the boys swimming yesterday and I’ll post them as soon as I remember to bring my camera upstairs with me to download them.

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SUMMER IS…

~Connor’s Mom~

warm sunny days
cool starry nights
flowers and birds
and mosquito bites
a babbling brook
through a dark green wood
watermelon and sweet corn
they taste so good
celebrating our freedom
with fireworks, so loud
at a fair or a festival
getting lost in the crowd
dog days and thunder storms
picnics and hikes
outdoor plays and concerts
and riding our bikes
leaving windows open
getting tan in the sun
time to sip lemonade
and have some fun

a beautiful photojournal, Fragments from Floyd, Virginia.

I’ve finished up 7 themes (containing 2 to 4 pages each) for Momma’s and Daddy’s book. This has really become quite an emotional endeavor for me. I sit here at my computer in the early hours of the morning, late afternoon, or evening, working, drinking endless glasses of iced tea, trying to put order to the photos, write words that convey heartfelt sentiments…crying. How quickly the time has gone by. Below are the pages on Eastern Shore, where we spent nearly twenty years of family vacations. All of the journaling on the pages are our memories.

Memories

~Allison Chambers Coxsey~

Tattered ’round the edges,
And faded now with time;
Memories that linger still,
Are what they left behind.
Like a precious package,
Kept in a secret room,
Each memory a treasure,
A family heirloom.

On rare and quiet occasions
The package opens wide;
revealing then the memories,
That nestle there inside.
Faces etched in memories
Like photos from the past;
each snapshot printed in the heart,
Are memories that last.

Worn and ragged photographs,
So faded now with time;
Yet the lasting love deep in your heart,
Is what they left behind.

We had a wonderful 4th.

The weather was on the cooler side which made it nice for the twins, who marched in the very beginning of the parade…

and for our homeschool co-op. They did a great job on decorating!!!!!

My uncle, Dan, was again in the parade on Toby’s Dinner Theatre float. He doesn’t look quite as cute as last year on his horse but…

he stopped the float right in front of us so he could hop off and give Momma a big bouquet of roses for her upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.

It was a tad bit chilly so not everyone wanted to swim but there was plenty of crabs, hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, salads and dessert (and good conversation) back at Momma’s and Daddy’s house.

The FireworksChannel.com has some pretty displays to watch.

Better Homes and Gardens offers up tasty recipes as does FabulousFoods.com.

Have a pet that is terrified of fireworks? Helping Your Pets Cope.

Star Spangled Fun from FamilyFun.com.

Fourth of July Crafts, Games and more.