I didn't realize...

how much I loved and missed Michael Jackson's music until this weekend. As a child of the 80's I grew up with his music but really haven't listened to much of it...until now.

VH-1 payed homage to the King of Pop this weekend by playing Michael Jackson videos both Saturday and Sunday. We were glued to the television. Suddenly, I was back in high school. I can remember being so excited to watch Thriller every time it came on MTV. Those same feelings came back as I watched it along with Beat It, Bad, Billie Jean, etc. I would tape his videos and my friends and I would play it back, bit by bit, learning all the dance moves to recreate for our cheer leading routines. What was cool it that my boys were lovin it too. I will definitely be downloading a bunch of my favorites on my ipod. No matter how weird he got there is no denying his music was great.

I have one last sneak of the July Kraft Girl kit. How fun is that crackle paint? Don't forget kits go on sale July 1st!

Some sneaks for you.

It is almost July 1st (Holy cow!) and you know what that means? Yep, the July Kraft Girl kit goes on sale! Here are some sneak peeks to wet your whistle while you wait!

The kit is full of beautiful papers and filled to the brim with embellishments! Seriously, I have made three layouts and a card and I still have lots left over!

Wanted to mention that Kraft Girl is having a Design Team search. You can check out all the details here. Pam runs a great kit club and is a joy to work with. The kits are always gorgeous and full of product. I have truly enjoyed every minute of my term!

The weather is really heating up in our neck of the woods. It is supposed to be near 90 degrees today. Zachary is in basketball camp all week. We will be headed to the pool for sure when I pick him up! Have a great Wednesday!

Backyard camping

We had our first backyard camp out of the summer with the boy's friends Dylan and Carter from next door. They roasted marshmellows, made smores, caught fireflies and told scary stories. They had a great time and we will be doing it again real soon. Connor has been attending baseball camp all week. He is learning a lot and having fun. Today, they had to wear their bathing suits as they were going to learn how to slide using slip and slides. I say were because it is pouring and that has forced them inside the gym. Maybe tomorrow.

I made another layout using the June Kraft Girl kit. The American Craft letters were from a previous month's kit but everything else is from June. I did add some more buttons from my stash though. This is a pic of my oldest. He was about 16 months in the photo. He is now 11. I know I say this all the time but I can't believe how quickly time flies. I remember this trip to Myrtle Beach like it was yesterday. My dad loves to take the kids on the rides. We are going to the beach this summer with my parents and I know he will take them on all the rides they can stand! Also, Pam has posted a sneak of July's kit so make sure you hope on over and check it out here. Have a great Wednesday!

Quick and Easy summer favorite

In my post the other day I mentioned Caprese salad. This is one of my favorite ways to eat all the yummy summer tomatoes we will be growing. I realized I had all the ingredients on hand to make one that night for dinner. Then I realized maybe some of you guys would like to know how to make this super simple dish. Here is what you will need. Please note I am channeling my inner Pioneer Woman with the pics. Note to self: clean the tops of your salt and pepper shakers. Yuck!

• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Basil
• salt and pepper
• Fresh Mozzarella

All you do is slice the tomato and arrange on a plate or platter if you are making a large quantity. Season with salt and pepper.Drizzle with the olive oil. Place basil on top of tomatoes. I like a lot. Slice the fresh mozzarella and place on top of basil. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. That's it. Super easy and delicious. I like to make it a little before dinner so it has time to soak up the goodness. Also, don't forget to get a good loaf of Italian bread for dipping in the oil when all the tomatoes are gone. Yum!

We are having a yard sale this weekend. I need to go finish setting up. My goal is to make enough money to buy our pool pass for the summer!

It is also my turn to post on the Kraft Girl blog today. Go check it out.

He has a green thumb

Zachary has always loved the outdoors. Digging in the dirt and finding bugs is one of his favorite things to do. He is also a great helper.

This past weekend he and I went to Home Depot to purchase some annuals. We came home with some lovely hanging baskets full of impatients. The big score of the trip were two decorative pots overflowing with three different kinds and flowers for 13.97 each! We didn't have to plant a thing. We plopped those babies on the front porch and called it a day.

We also bought some tomato plants and sweet basil. Zachary got right to work and planted everything. He did a great job and hopefully will see the fruits of his labor later this summer. Now, if only he could make fresh mozzarella we could be eating caprese salad all summer long.

Here are some pics I took when we were in NC for my dad's birthday. One of his friends gave him the "Topsy Turvy" tomato plant. You know, the thing that hangs upside down and grows tomatoes? Zachary was grandpa's helper and I hear the plant is growing like gangbusters.

I will keep you posted on our little gardens progress. Happy Wednesday!

Baseball

Last Saturday was opening day for baseball season. This is Connor's fourth year. He started with T Ball, then went to Rookie 7 where a pop up machine pitched to them, and now he has graduated to coach/kid pitch. He has pretty much played with the same group of kids but we did get a lot of new kids this year. I love this picture of him in the dugout. He is always cracking everyone up. This is the first year we play with a catcher. Yep, that's my boy behind the catcher's mask. If you are the catcher, you have to wear a cup. He thinks that is cool. If I had a dime for every time he asked me to hit him "there" I'd be rich!

Here is his first at bat.

He whacked in into the outfield.

He also played first base. New this year for him are baseball pants. You don't have to wear them but he insisted by saying, " Mom, we can slide this year and I don't want to get scratched up". You can see assistant coach Eddie in the outfield in this shot.

He also pitched an inning. (the coaches pitch for 2 innings and then the kids pitch 1 inning) I don't have any photos due to my frantic nail biting. He walked a lot of the batters but managed to get 2 strike outs.

Our second gamed got rained out. We don't have a game today but do have team pictures.

Have a great weekend everyone.