Between laziness and labor.

"There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs." ~Henry Ward Beecher

The newest Mancuso grads...

Congratulations, Eddie & KC!
(and Kit & Ed!)

Havin' their cake...

I have to hand it to the kids... so far there have been no "I'm bored!!" cries since school let out. However, I have had to go with the flow with some of the things on their agendas... for example today's cake-baking scheme a la Leah & Olivia. Rather than bake a normal cake, they decided to do a rainbow layer cake, which entailed dividing the batter into 4 parts, and adding a different color gelatin to each, and baking them all separately. Then, of course, coloring the frosting blue for sky (saving some white for clouds). I have to say, they really did do everything on their own. It turned out looking much better than their gingerbread house we blogged about back in December!

The girls' verdict: the cake was... gross.

It's done!

A few months ago, John and Jack had fun ripping out the old, falling apart cabinets and broken jenn-air out on the patio. We made plans to replace the old with a new "summer kitchen" and it is finally complete! We have eaten out there every night since its completion, and even had some friends over to help break it in. Anyway, we are happy with the way it turned out, so I thought i would share some before and after shots!

Three Things You Might Not Know (But Probably Do.)

Well, Terry Tribune says I will answer, so I'd better!


1) 3 Jobs I have had in my life:
beach attendant (you got that right, Carolyn!)
deli chick
teacher

2) 3 Places that I have lived:
Westhampton
Boston
Tallahassee

3) 3 TV shows I like to watch:
LOST
The Sopranos
The Daily Show

4) 3 Places I have vacationed:
Bahamas
Florida Keys
Jamaica

5) 3 Of my favorite foods:
Sushi
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Raspberries

6) 3 Places I would rather be right now:
the beach
outside enjoying my summer kitchen that isn't done yet but was supposed to be done three weeks ago
Italy

7) 3 People I think will answer:
C by the Sea
Caleb Nation
Here on the Hill

Stick a fork in 'em...

... they're done.

Last day of school today! We attended the school's Graduation/Awards Ceremony this afternoon, and all I can say is that I wish Leah & Jack would clean up their rooms the way the cleaned up the awards!

**WARNING** BRAG ALERT**

Jack made the Honor Roll this semester, and received a computer award, art show award, reading improvement award, language arts improvement award, science award, and the handwriting award. He received two Honor pins, one Service pin, and one Athletic pin. He was nominated for the PPS Service Award and the Most Improved Athlete Award.

Leah made the Highest Honor Roll this semester, and received a music award and the Spanish improvement award. She received two Honor pins, one Service pin, and one Athletic pin. She was nominated for the PPS Service Award, the PPS Citizenship Award, the Earle R. Vaughn Scholarship Award, and the Della Page Gibbs School Spirit Award. She also received the educational excellence award from the President's Education Awards Program. And finally, Leah received the Silver Scholarship Award - given to the academic top 10% of the entire school.

So, good job, guys... enjoy your summer, you deserve it!

Uno.

Tagged by Terry Tribune...

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Relationship? yes
3. Your hair? graying
4. Work? huh?
5. Your sister? who?
6. Your favorite thing? LOST
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream car? prius
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your shoes? birks
12. Your fear? snakes
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? sane
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? mickey
15. What you’re not good at? math
16. Muffin? nah
17. One of your wish list items? peace
18. Where you grew up? NY
19. The last thing you did? L'Oreal (see #3)
20. What are you wearing? shorts
21. What aren’t you wearing? shoes
22. Your pet? doofus
23. Your computer? mac
24. Your life? right
25. Your mood? good
26. Missing? keys
27. What are you thinking about right now? traveling
28. Your car? odyssey
29. Your kitchen? waiting
30. Your summer? hot
31. Your favorite color? blue
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
33. Last time you cried? dunno
34. School? over
35. Love? yes

I officially tag Alber Zoo, Here on the Hill, and Sincerely Yours, Ashley!

Doing something different for a change!

MGM. Epcot. The Swan. Disney's Boardwalk. Stars Wars Weekend. More pix at Flicker!

Bad Blogger Plays Catch Up.

Our neighbor rescued this bird that fell out of his nest.

Not sure why this picture is posting sideways.