Hermit Crabs and Ice Cream (Fair Hope Part II)

This is the continuation of my Fair Hope post from 2 posts ago.  I had too many pictures for one post so this one primarily consists of Mason showing off his bucket of crabs to the entire family. 

I couldn't help it.  I had to take 500 pictures of him carrying around the bucket and looking in the bucket, etc. etc. and then I couldn't choose between them and thus posted 40 of them.  Sorry.

There were TONS of little crabs running all around the sea wall by our doc and as soon as my brother arrived he jumped down there and scooped up a few for Mason to put in his bucket.  There were hermit crabs and spider crabs(?) and Mason was beside himself.

He had to show them off to everyone.  Here, he is showing them to BopBop.

Can you see his black eye?  He woke up early that morning and I put him in the bed with us.  He kept crawling around and fell against the iron headboard hitting his eye perfectly on the iron bar landing himself his very first shiner.  It stayed black and blue for a good week.  After that cleared up he hit is head on the coffee table.  After that cleared up he hit his head on a toy dump truck.  The cycle never ends.

   

In these photos, Mason has decided he wants to carry the buck to Na Na and show her the crabs....

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The 10 foot journey took a while...

But he finally arrived.

Rewind to earlier that morning...

When Matt and Ben went deep sea fishing, Dad, Mom, Mason, and I went to the community pier. (These pictures really go in post one but I got mixed up.)

When everyone arrived back at the cottage, Matt crashed on the couch and Mom, Dad, Ben, Mason, and I all went to dinner at Wolf Bay Lodge and then returned home for some homemade Butterfinger Ice cream. (Recipe: Mix together 1 pack of small Butterfingers crushed up, 1 container of cool whip, 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can eagle brand evaporated milk, then freeze in your ice cream maker!)  It. Is. Awesome!  P.S. Use lots of rock salt. That is the secret (thanks Dad).

Mason is a fan.

It was a quick trip but it was so much fun!  We loved Fair Hope and definitely want to go back soon!

Making Changes

Due to a runny nose, Mason has not been feeling well this afternoon so we spent some time cuddling on the couch watching t.v. (Gilmore Girls reruns -me) and youTube (Micky Mouse - Mason) and eating popcorn.  Yes, Mason likes popcorn.

Now Mason is napping and Berkley is at the groomer so it's just Pete (the dog) and me hanging out and so I get a minute to think.  

I recently read a book called "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker.  Honestly, it has completely changed the way I think about all of the possessions (including food) that I have been blessed with.  I would love to write more about it but I am having a hard time with the words.  It would probably help if someone else (I am looking at you: all of you girls I have mentioned this book to who said that they would probably read it...don't make me name names) would please read the book  so I could talk to them about it.  FOR THE LOVE, SOMEONE PLEASE READ THE BOOK! Then call me.  By that time I will have to read it again because I will forget what I thought about it in the first place.  (Ben doesn't read, I have already tried.)

                       

After reading the aforementioned book, I decided to make some changes.  I am starting small so here are my changes:  

1. Get up early (I mentioned this before) for quiet time and exercise.  This is going great and I wish I had been doing it forever.  The only set back is that I have to take this week off from running because I have been running in 4 year old (at least) tennis shoes and they have wreaked havoc on my ankles. My dad has insisted on buying me a new pair so hopefully after a week off and some new shoes, I will be good to go.  I have noticed that my day starts out so much better and I am much more productive when I get up early.  

2. Recycle - "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it." Psalm 24:1 I was really convicted about this when I read the chapter on waste.  It blows my mind just how much garbage my household/street/neighborhood produces and then multiply that by a million and think of all that trash!  Trash that just gets buried. Yuck. So, the least I can do is reuse, reduce, and recycle, right?  Pike Road doesn't have pick up for recycle so I am collecting it and then dropping it off.  Ben loves it (sarcasm) but he is recycling too.  I bought bins to put plastic and paper goods in and all this, but I haven't really gotten organized yet and milk jugs and such are collecting on the dryer and the kitchen counter.  Hmm, guess I'll go take care of that in a minute....

3. Cook more and use more local and organic (non-processed) foods.  I sort of started this before the book just because I wanted to make sure Mason was getting healthy meals.  Do yall realize how many servings of fruits and veggies we are supposed to eat per day??  An average person on a 2,000 calorie diet needs 9 servings (4.5 cups) of fruits and veggies per day.  Oh, and potatoes don't count. Boo ya!  So, to the farmer's market we go about once a week.  Farmer's market back up = Publix.  Sorry Wal-Mart. I still love you but let's be honest, Publix has better produce.  I have to add here that Mason and I LOVE organic gala apples from Publix and they make a great snack! 

Anyway, yes, I know that organic foods etc can really do some damage to your bank account so I only buy organic when it comes to most of the "dirty dozen" fruits and veggies; the ones that absorb the most chemicals.  You can google Dirty Dozen and it should pop right up.  I think they change from year to year.

 

So, there ya go.  That is my little starting point of changes I am trying to make these days.  Hopefully there will be more to come but it will take a little planning and thinking on my part.  I will keep you posted.

In other news, our house is still on the market but we are trying to decide if we should take it off or leave it on as the listing has just expired on almls.  We love our house, neighborhood, and neighbors but would like to eventually have a little more room and a little more land to go with it.

Also,  childcare has been a thorn in my side this past month.  It is causing me A LOT of anxiety.  A LOT.  This morning Kathy (Ben's mom) kept Mason for a couple of hours so that Ben and I could visit Montessori Academy.  I just don't know, yall.... I just don't know.  Please pray for us.

I would also like to request prayers for Sara Pigg Walker and her family.  I don't know her personally, but you may remember that I shared her website on here a while back.  They have stopped treatments for her cancer and her family and friends are praying for a miracle.  I learned a lot from her about savoring every moment of your life and not taking the time you are given for granted.  I will always be thankful for that and I pray that she is healed.

All the pictures from this post were taken a few weeks ago when Mason discovered bark for the first time.  He was playing in the back yard (in his pajamas) and I heard him yell, "Mama" "Mama" from behind a tree.  I went to see what he wanted and he was back there pointing at the bark.   He spent a good 10 minutes analyzing it.  However, he was not into the cicada shell we found attached to the tree.  Oh, and did you notice how dirty his little face was?   Little boys are so funny!

Fair Hope

At the end of July we took a trip to Fair Hope, AL with my parents for a little weekend getaway.  My mom had a conference nearby so she rented this quaint little cottage on the bay that was big enough for all of us.  It was small and simple and just right.

We arrived late Friday night and then woke up early on Saturday morning to pelicans diving for fish right off the dock.  

Mom, Mason, the dogs, and I all went down to the pier for a better view.  Mason liked watching the birds but was more concerned with his banana nut bread.  I should add that this was the weekend after his surgery that was on Wednesday and he was dealing with a little ulcer under his tongue that was giving him problems.  His appetite was not up to par but he did go for the nut bread (made in bulk by my grandmother). 

Pete and Berkley were infatuated with the pelicans.

After we spent most of the morning relaxing on the pier, we all got ready and went in search of a place to eat lunch.  Nothing seemed to work out the way we planned when it came to finding a restaurant.  However, we ended up at Wentzel's and it was alright.  Probably would do that over if we could.

But we did get a rare family photo in front of a really old tree in the parking lot.  After lunch it was pouring down rain and mom and I ran into Bay Candle Company real quick to pick out one (or 2) of their much loved candles.  Mom bought us all a candle there when she was in Fair Hope last summer and I am now obsessed.  I bought a HUGE one and I LOVE it.

We came back to our cottage and watched the storm roll in.

Then things got heated in a game of Monopoly.  Who plays Monopoly these days anyway?  My game piece was the thimble since I am such an avid seamstress and Ben's was the iron since he is an iron-aholic (not and not).  My favorite quote during the game came from my mother, "Katie, I will trade you both of your railroads for Larry's electric company."  Dad had just taken a drink and spit water all over the place laughing. By the end of the game we decided that property owners make all the money so we need to buy a rental property.  The End.

By the time the never-ending game of Monopoly was over, the sun was just coming back out and we spent a little time on the porch before getting ready for supper.

Poodle really enjoyed himself the whole time.  I thought he was a goner the first morning when we let him out to potty.  I could not find him anywhere. I was in near panic mode thinking he must have gotten hit by a car since he wasn't coming when I called him.  I have no idea where he went but thankfully he finally showed back up.  He is such a clown, much like this guy...

His cousin Big Charles. This one rivals Berkley in all things silly and crazy.  

We got ready for dinner and took a minute to take some photos.  Mason was cooperative and loved posing for the camera.

Matt arrived with Big Charles just in time to go eat with us!  Unfortunately the drive was too long for Cara to make for a short weekend.  We missed you Sissy!

We ate dinner at a neat little place with live music which was really loud and perfect for Mason who didn't seem to want to cooperate on any occasion.  

I guess it was due to the surgery or a coincidental little phase because he didn't want to eat anything but french fries (not normal for him) and was very stubborn when it came to whatever he wanted to do (like not sitting in his seat at meals).  Thank goodness I think we are on the upside because he is now back to his normal self eating just about everything and being more cooperative at meal times. Thank you Mason. 

I am not saying that there are never problems.  Right now he really loves to pull Berkley's ears very hard.  Hard enough to make Berkley whine.  So, we have implemented time out.  So far it works.  Sort of.  He actually sits where I tell him to and I find that amazing in itself.

Here he is trying to get my mom to take him down to the dock.  He can really work the pitiful face.  I was so thankful for that baby gate at the top of the stairs!!

Ba Ba (what Mason appears to be calling my dad these days) was able to keep him entertained with a box of Cheez its.  Cheez its are one of Mason's favorites along with granola bars.  Right, granola bars...?  He takes us to the pantry and points to them all the time trying to get us to give him one.  We are talking Oat and Honey hard granola bars.  When we ran out of those he ate the Quaker Oat chewy granola bars.  When we ran out of those he ate my Sweet and Salty granola bars.  He has eaten all of them.  He asks for one every day.  We have been out of them for several days and he is still asking.

Here he is relaxing in the car watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He loves it! When the theme song comes on his face lights up and he dances.  Then he waves at all the characters as they are introduced.

On Sunday, Matt and Ben went deep sea fishing for red snapper and Dad, Mom, Mason, and I all went to the community pier to see what we could see.

We stopped for breakfast at Old 27 Grill which sounded neat but turned out to be not so good.  But Mason had fun playing with the rocks and fake goat.  Also, I should add that my dad is doing so well!! He is now up and walking around (as you can tell from this picture) and his hip has healed!  When this picture was taken he had just started to walk again.  It sure was great to see him up and going.

Of course the trip wouldn't be complete without corn on the cob.

Mom and Dad bought Mason at least half a dozen ears of corn for his 2 day stay.  

I have more pictures from Sunday to post later so come back soon!