It has been a busy summer! We started off on Memorial Day weekend joining a group of Young Marines as they placed flags at the headstones at one of our national cemeteries. It was touching to see many who were there to honor loved ones, and who graciously joined in. What a picturesque outcome.

Liberty and freedom with a cost to many.

A one year old birthday party for our great grandchild, and a belated birthday party for another grandchild took us to Colorado.

One year old! Where has the time gone!

We went to Colorado via New Mexico and went through Santa Fe and Taos, which was an enjoyable drive. My husband had never been that way, and it was a welcome change from the normal drive through the northwest part of Texas. In Santa Fe, I enjoyed shopping at the Governor’s Palace. Palace is a relative term! It is always an amazing experience shopping directly from artisans. The Native Americans at the Governor’s Palace never dissappoint with their available goods.

Native American artisans selling at the Governor’s Palace in Santa Fe, New Mexico

One particular woman told me she was 85 and lives in Arizona. She only goes to Santa Fe during summer months, as she finds the other months too cold for her liking. She works on her jewelry items all winter, and brings them to Santa Fe during the summer. I actually bought more than one piece from her. It was fun to visit with each of the artisans whose work I was interested in.

We went to Dodge City, Kansas to meet up with one of our daughters to return a grandchild who had come home with us for a few weeks. We visited the Boot Hill Museum, and enjoyed learning more about Dodge City and its history. One thing I was surprised to find was the fact they had so many brick-paved streets! That was quite a surprise. Who would have thought that the famous Dodge City western town had so many paved streets! For any of you who have ever watched Gunsmoke, you may appreciate these photos.

Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas.

Show at the saloon.

I was back in Colorado again for a grandchild’s graduation and our annual ScrapHappy reunion to meet up with some of my online scrapbook friends. This was my sixth year to meet up with them. I would have never imagined the fun it would be to make such long lasting relationships with likeminded strangers I originally met online. You can check out the ScrapHappy group and see if you’d like to join us!

Scrap Happy Reunion 2018

There was also a first time visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the annual FOREVER conference, where FOREVER’s home office is located. It was complete with a dinner and 80’s party. It was so much fun seeing people’s ’80’s costumes! Using FOREVER, we were able to make a collaborative album, giving all attendees the ability to upload their best photos, and share them! (We had also made a collaborative album for our ScrapHappy event and shared photos. I have to say, I have more photos of myself participating in an event than I have had of any other event! Certainly many of you know what I am talking about!) Many of you will remember how I dressed in the 80s, and this was not it!

Who doesn’t like an 80s party?

As for the city of Pittsburgh, I may have to go back and explore the area again. I am truly impressed by the mission, passion, and integrity of FOREVER. Protecting people’s memories and their stories for the future is such an important thing in this digital era. If you have any questions about FOREVER, let me know!

I was back at “the farm” in Colorado in time to see 3 new baby goats, and 9 new baby pigs. There is pure chaos there! Pure chaos! However, there are quiet moments.

Quiet moments at the farm. One baby loving another.

A summer update would not be complete without including the great 2018 lawn! When we first moved to Texas, we were advised that there was no need to water our lawn as it would green up at the first rain. I highly doubted this information, but considering the source (who shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent) my husband decided to give this method whirl. One dead lawn later, we tried to reseed the next year. As soon as it seemed to be doing well, it rained, and rained, and rained some more. It drowned the young grass, covered it with dirt, and then washed more dirt away. This year, summer # 3, we found out that the kind of grass needed there, can NOT be seeded, it can only be from sod or ‘plugs’ of grass planted. Lo and behold we found out how big our front yard was and how much it would cost to sod. The trees were trimmed to allow more sunlight (there is a reason I call it 7 Oaks here) and sod was put in. Let’s just say my husband says he will not ever look at nice grass again without seeing dollar signs. Please enjoy the view.

New front lawn at Seven Oaks. Yes, it really is that green right now!

Currently I am in the midst of reorganizing my scrapping and crafting inventory of items and equipment. I have added an open shelving unit to hold some of my things so that they can be more readily available for use. We also added shelving in a closet that had none, and will be much more user friendly! Too many purchases have caused the need to reign in the space things are taking up. Even though I have space that I could fill, I refuse to let my habit take over available empty rooms. They are meant to be available for friends and family, not be completely filled to the brim by craft supplies.

Enough about me and my summer. What has been your favorite part of this summer?