Ketchup Post:: And this is the rest of the story...

Nice ketchup picture right?  That my friends is a picture of a perfectly roasted and slightly burned (just  the way I like it) Ballpark frank, which in my opinion are the best hot dogs ever.  Summer is just not summer without hot dogs roasted over an open flame...with Heinz ketchup on them of course...and again: I am not endorsing their politics just their amazing ketchup.  I am endorsing it unofficially of course because they have no idea I have ketchup (get it catch up) posts on Tuesdays.  I am sure if they did they would send me a life time supply of Heinz ketchup that I would happily accept. :)
Any way this weeks catch up post is on the rest of our 3 week vacation to NH/VT.  Here are a few pictures and  words of the rest of our trip...or at least the parts of it I remembered to take pictures of.

 We all had fun opening the  boxes from Amazon full of books and games.  It was like Christmas in July.  As I just typed July I thought it in my head like a Southern person would pronounce it.  You know...like Jew-lie.  See I am so a converted Southerner.   I read a couple of their new books while I was there and even took one home with me to finish. I am done with it and it was great.  I am putting it in the mail tomorrow Tina. :)

 We washed, sanded, and painted doors, walls and baseboards.

 Here we are getting ready to roast the hot dogs on the first camp fire at Tina and Allen's new home.  It just so happened to be Allen's birthday too.  Not a bad way to celebrate.

Tell me that doesn't look absolutely amazing.  It only would have been better if we had some of Papa Harmon's famous hot dog chilli. 

 This is a picture for Mallory, my cousin.  She has the most adorable picture of her yellow lab Dakota looking up at her while she took a picture of her in her first snow.  Mallory has reenacted the picture now that Dakota is bigger.  We had spent the previous night with Mallory, Nicole, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Gary...and of course Dakota and saw the sweet pictures again.  This is Jake's version...on a hot day in July with no snow....But if he were a dog I am almost positive he would be a yellow lab. :)

We needed a picture of us together and the only way I could hold it (along with the stuff in my other hand) and push the button, was by holding it upside down.  It is better upside down than it is right side up, so I thought I would just leave it that way.

Grampa Smith and Aunt Shelia came over to see the house and have lunch with us.  I did manage to snap a couple pictures while they were there.  I forgot to take any pictures on lots of other occasions when we saw relatives so I figured I better take some the day before we left!

 We decided to go to the local yummy pizza place for dinner on our last night and the boys were very excited that there was a TV right above us that had the Disney channel on...Looks like even Aunt Tina was enjoying Phinneus (sp?) and Ferb.

 I wanted to take a picture of the TV to show what they were so mesmerized by and talk about perfect timing!  I love that it says "Your're Watching TELEVISION".  They totally were watching TELEVISION...as if they had never watched it before.  And there was no sound so how exciting can it really be?

After that we went and had some "wicked good" ice cream.  For those who don't know: even though the rest of the nation...and possible the world, stopped using "wicked" back in 1986 New England (especially NH) never stopped and as far as I can tell don't plan on it any time soon!  I like it NH.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.  Everything else from the 80'sis coming back so I am sure wicked will too.  In fact I am going to to my personal best to get in going here in SC again!

C.S. Lewis is a genius. I know this because I read: The Screwtaper Letters and Til We Have Faces

C.S. Lewis is a genius.  Imagine me saying period at the end of the sentence not just typing the "." itself.  I can't wait to read his other books after reading this one.  Besides The Chronicles of Narnia (which are obviously amazing), The Screwtape Letters  and Til we have faces, A myth retold are the only books I have read by Lewis.

The Screwtape Letters is letters written to a brand new tempter from his uncle Screwtape.  Screwtape is leading his nephew in his new job as he tries to claim the soul of a young man for their boss The Devil.  It is so interesting and I couldn't stop reading.  Here are just a few of the quotes that I loved from the book:

"Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,"

"They anger him because he regards his times as his own and feels that it is being stolen.  You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption 'my time is my own'. Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours.  Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties.  But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright."

"The basic principle of the new education is to be that dunces and idlers must not be made to feel inferior to intelligent and industrious pupils.  That would be 'undemocratic'.  These differences between pupils-for they are obviously and nakedly individual differences-must be disguised.  This can be done on various levels.  At universities, examinations must be framed so that nearly all the students get good marks."

"Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma-Beelzebub, what a useful word!-being left behind." 

"In a word, we may reasonably hope for the virtual abolition of education when I'm as good as you has fully had its way.  All incentives to learn and all penalties for not learning will vanish.  the few who might want to learn will be prevented: who are they to overtop their fellows?"

Til We Have Faces is a myth retold.   I have never really gotten into studying Greek mythology so I hadn't heard the story prior to reading Lewis's version, so I really don't have anything to base it on...but I really enjoyed it and loved the lessons and morals it teaches.  I am not going to retell the story here but if you want more information on it Amazon gives you all the information you need.  All I can add to what they say is there is just something about the way Lewis writes that just makes you want to read, and learn, and soak it all in.  If I were to make a list of people I want to meet in Heaven C.S. Lewis would definitely be on it.

I know, I know this post doesn't exactly give a whole lot of info. but I just had to get the word out how much I enjoyed these books and I only have a few minutes!!!  I thought if I put some words from the author rather than my own you may actually be interested enough to read them!  (I had a couple quotes form Til we have faces but the book marks got pulled out.)  Just take my word for it: you will love these books!!!

Have you read any books by C.S. Lewis that you think I should put on the top of my list to read next? 

Home again, home again, jiggidy, jig, jig, jig.

My mom used to always say that when we got home.  We are home after 3 weeks of being in NH and VT.  It was fun, stressful at times, and long.  Too long to be away from home but we are already missing all our family up there. But we are happy to sleep in our beds.  Happy to see Aaron, Sadie, Nana, Papa, and now Della (we are excited to see the rest of the family but it hasn't happened yet-we just got home last night).  Jake just rode off with Della and some other kiddos on a golf cart.  Yes, we live in the kind of neighborhood that he can do that and it makes my heart so happy.  The last time we lived in a neighborhood like that he was too little to go by himself. Life is good in SC.

While we were up North my mom was telling someone that Tina's heart is up North and mine is in the South.  So true...Not just because I married a good ole' Southern boy but, because I claim the South as my own. Because I can't imagine another home.  When it is 105 with really high humidity I think I want to go back up North but I really...don't want too.  I would like to take out all the states in between there and here and stick them somewhere else so I could be closer, but I want to stay put.  In one of my favorite movies, Sweet Home Alabama, they say you can have roots and wings too.  It turns out mine are both in the South now.  My roots used to be in New Hampshire where I was born and "raised"...technically.  But I think the raised part really happened down here in the South.  It is where I found out that Jesus Christ is my Savoir.  It is where I fell in love.  It is where I had my first dog.  It is where I had my baby.  It is where I really grew up and still am.  My wings brought me here and the roots have been planted.  I am not going any where...

Jake just yelled up that he is going to Della's.  So much for the errands we were going to run.  They can wait.  Having a cousin that lives around the corner and is your best friend is more important anyway....Home again, home again, jiggidy, jig, jig, jig....

True story...

I saw this on Pinterest and instantly feel in love with this quote:

So true.  So, so, so, so true....
That's all for now.

Well...maybe one more thing:

I am excited to tell you about the books I have read on our trip...that will be coming soon.  They were all amazing.  I mentioned the two by C.S. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters, and Til We Have Faces) but I haven't mentioned the third one yet...or maybe I have...I can't remember.  But any way: it is hysterically wonderful and I highly recommend it.  It is by Christopher Healy and is called The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom.  It is a perfect family book but, I am going to do a little review of it (because I LOVE it so much) so I won't get into it too much right now.

I do think I am going to take a reading vacation where I just go some where, by myself, for 2 or 3 days (by myself) when it is rainy and cold... (by myself) and I think I want to wear a flannel nightgown (even though I don't have one so I better get one before I go on this vacation...by myself) so it should probably be in the fall or winter....Any way I am going to load my Kindle (even though mine is broken.  I will have to get a new one soon because I can not live with out it....) with a few books and eat nothing but buttered popcorn sprinkled with garlic powder and drink French vanilla hot cocoa....by myself. :)

Some more things we have been up to in NH...(and a few of my favorite things)

We have been....

*Greeting my sis and her family as they made it "home"

*Enjoying playing Lego's with cousins

*Eating creamies...and yes it was cold enough to need sweatshirts

*Enjoying the wildlife.  We have seen deer, a bear, a lynx, a raccoon, groundhogs, turkeys, and a mole

*Playing outside

*Making journals out of some of my favorite things: composition notebooks & mod podge

*Have I mentioned Lego's and...

playing outside?

*Swimming at Camp...

and fishing

...and swimming some more...

...and kayaking...

....and all other things water related that is fun.

*Enjoying a little R&R all by myself at Camp for a night (first time ever)

 *Laying in the sun (a shot of the view while a cloud went over.)

*Looking at flooring, after going to Tina's first (for this pregnancy) ultrasound.  She is 14 weeks along-Congrats!!

*Eating yummy food in our hometown...

along with a creamy topped with "jimmies".  That is what they call them up here in NH.  Not so much in VT.  I never knew it was a NH thing.

*In case you need proof that sprinkles are in deed called jimmies and yes they are so worth the extra 50 cents. :)

*Checking out L.L. Bean and it's giant backpack.  I saw a cute jersey scarf that was navy blue and white stripped and it was on sale!  I was excited until I saw that the sale price was $35.  People are crazy.

 

*Grocery shopping

*Celebrating the 4th of July.  We spent the first half of the day in NH going to a parade and then the 2nd half of the day in VT at Camp.  I didn't even take my camera out my bag at Camp but Tina did so I will post them later. 

 (make a note Aaron: I want a black Yorkiepoo.  This is full size!)

 We even knew someone in the parade! Hey Barb!  :)