JULY

So normally in July for the 4th we go to Nebraska and light fireworks. This year I had the opportunity to work in the Peak Summer program so we stayed home. We watched the fireworks from a little unknown park not far from our church.

The Summer PEAK program focuses on helping the kids work on improving their reading level through providing books and teachers to read with and a way to measure their progress through taking computer reading quizes to see how well they can remember what they have read.
My phone gave me a warning that I had to many pictures on it and I should remove some. I ignored the warning and the next thing I knew my phone wouldn't work... finally we drove to the cricket store and the lady had to reset it for me BUT I never backed up my info so I lost all my numbers. SO BACK UP YOUR PHONE INFO!!!! But thank goodness she got it working again :D

Doug's nephew was in town and he lent Doug his bow tie from Graduation. Doesn't he look cute! :D

So Sierra started this month putting things in order in preparation for college. She went through her wardrobe and thinned it out. In the process she found she had quite a few tee shirts and she wanted to keep them but not wear them anymore. So she began a project!
7-7-12 Sierra cutting her tee shirts into squares for a memory quilt!

7-9-12 Planning a pattern for the quilt....

7-24-12 Sierra sews her quilt squares together...

She got the top all done. More to the quilt later!

We have known for years that the dryer would die, it started by making a small noise and as time went on it got squeakier and sqeakier until finally 1 day we put it out of its misery because we were afraid it would burn the clothes. We had avoided this PROJECT because it meant MAJOR moving of furniture and food storage items to accomplish it.

The laundry room and food storage that needs to be moved

The cabinets that have to move Thank goodness I was at work when they started... here is what I came home to.

Food storage in the front room and on the counters

The cabinets moved

Doug and Sierra unhook the dryer

While we had the room cleared we decided to re-do the floor using left over linoleum from the bathroom.

It turned out beautifully! Thanks honey!

That night we heard noises in the driveway and sure enough our RACOONS were back. Here are the pictures Doug took of them in our tree.

The Mom was out of the tree first and she stood on the sidewalk and growled and hissed at us until all her kids were safely across the street!

Sierra before their performance. Every year the youth in our Stake (which consists of our church's 7 wards, or units) get together and they plan a play and work on it all day and then perform it that night for friends and family. ( Play in a day) This year the theme was Disney movies but set in a certain time period and event. Sierra's group got the movie Rapunzel set in London during the 1880s with Sherlock Holmes.

Sierra did such a cute job...with lots of expression and humor :D

Sherlock just jumped on up Big Ben

Sherlock had to rescue her from Big Ben where the witch kept her.

They confront the witch and Sierra is about to slay her when she says wait aren't you my mom. And they lived happily ever after! Cheesy but cute :P
7-18-12 Sierra got her wisdom teeth out. I had to work but Doug waited for her until she was done and out of sedation and then he texted me when she was done and then when they were home.

She was a little swollen...

BUT that did not stop her from her planned garage sale with her friend....what a trooper!

more to come....