This is Shiloh.  I don't know that I've introduced y'all.  Shiloh is half lab and half pointer.  Shiloh is an OUTSIDE dog.  At least he is now.  Shiloh is super sweet, but he could not get potty trained.  Shiloh is going to be HUGE.  We've had him about six weeks and he has doubled in size.  This is Shiloh climbing on top of my bistro table on the front deck and peering in through the window.  Creepy?  He just wants in so badly, but I am sticking to my guns on this one.  It doesn't bother me a bit to pull the curtains closed!

 

I bought my nameless niecy-poo this cute little onesie.  "I'm pretty like my aunt!"  Just couldn't pass it up!  Sweet baby, your aunt is much prettier now that she had about eight inches cut off her hair : )

Evenings on the deck are awesome!  The first picture is of a plant hanger Jamie made me.  Cool, huh?  I bought the last hanging basket WalMart had and it looked pitiful.  Jamie asked me how much I spent on it and when I told him $6.98 he remarked that it should have been free.  I sort of thought the same thing, but it perked right up after a good drenching and even had blooms on it the next morning. 

 

Speaking of evenings on the deck, we had a good rain last Thursday.  Actually, we had a downright storm.  It was wonderful!  We sat outside and watched the clouds roll in.  This shot is of a nervous Lilah (we were caught in a microburst a couple of Saturdays ago -- another story) and now she's not too fond of rain and wind.  Ignore me.  This is a rare photo of mahself (I am not picking my nose), but I just love Lilah's face so it made the blog.  And, yes.  She's topless.  The girl despises clothes and she told my mom she just really likes being in her panties.  So, that's the Lilah you're likely to find if you drop by unannounced : )

Let's revisit the beauty thing for a second.  The big girls and I had hair appointments last week.  Parker and I had gone round and round about her wanting to do something with her color.  I was so very strongly opposed to it, but I had to finally ask myself, "Why?"  Hair grows.  She didn't want to chop it off into a mowhawk; she just wanted something fun.  The new look these days is called "ombre" -- for those of you who aren't on Pinterest.  That's what she got.  The picture doesn't show the blonde all that well, but there's blonde on the bottom underneath her hair and a few streaks in her bangs.  I love it!  She loves it!  It really looks fun and trendy and I'm glad I took a chance and allowed her to do it.  I'm also very proud of PJB for splitting (well, 1/3ing) the cost with me.  She's done a great job of managing the babysitting money she's earned this summer.

That's about it for pictures.  I'm sorry they're small.  Maybe I should use a real camera. 

I return to school two weeks from tomorrow, so the lazy days of summer are coming to an end.  I'll tell you I have two little girls who are READY!  Lilah is so ready for kindergarten, but Molly is also ready for 7th grade.  She has been so bored at home this summer.  She's too young to get to do a lot of what Parker does and she's too old to be very interested in what Lilah's doing although she is very sweet to her (most days).   Anyway, I've got a workshop tomorrow, Molly's doc appointment in Little Rock Thursday, and Chapter 3 due by next Tuesday.  That's a lot to cram in to my last two weeks.  I've also got to find some time to shop on multiple days as there's no way I am taking all three girls back to school shopping together.  No way.  Again, NO. WAY. 



One of these days I'll post a blog that has some sort of point.  My friend Erin recently posted about what we need to learn from the shooting in Aurora.  I have deep thoughts, too.  They're just really supressed right now because I don't have a lot of time to explore this deep thinking!  But, just a thought here -- I 've been thinking (almost daily!) about how glad I am that social networking as we know it today didn't exist when I was in my 20s.  We didn't have a perfect marriage; I struggled with going from one child to managing two -- a baby and a preschooler; and we didn't buy lots of expensive stuff.  It seems to me like a lot of the posting I see from people in that demographic is about how absolutely perfect and wonderful life is and maybe it really is that way for some people.  But, I'm also sure that there are those who struggle in learning how to be a good wife and who question their ability to handle life as a mom of two or three and who have messed up their finances.  I'm not saying post all your struggles and secrets, but be real.  And, of course, I have people in that demographic whom I LOVE and ADORE and who really are carving out nice places in the world for themselves, but they're real and I suppose I know that because I know them, not their social media persona.  Does that make any kind of sense?  That's just been on my heart lately. I hope we're not making it harder for women who struggle by boasting about our "blessings" all over Facebook.  That sounds a little bitter (which I'm not).  I'm just sensitive to this particular thought.  So, there!  Evidence that I do think about things other than nails and hair!  If you KNOW me, you know that's funny because I'm pretty low maintenance.  Good thing I'm naturally so pretty : )  Ha! 

So, until next time when I post more deep thinking that I just can't suppress...  Have a great end of July!