Float on down the river...

Annual Apex Float Trip.



Every Labor Day weekend we head on up to Camp Cherry Mountain with car loads full of teenagers to take on the great Niangua River.



Our 24 hours were crammed full of

Fun





Food



and Floating




Get connected with our youth on Facebook. See the Apex Student Ministry message board on this blog at the bottom right of the page.

Savannah's First Wedding

We were invited to some friend's wedding and it was a day event so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to take our little tyke along on her first wedding adventure.

We had received the perfect dress for an occasion such as this from cousins Raymond and Ashley at a baby shower over a year ago.

A beautiful dress!

Baby's Booty

What is cuter than a clean baby's booty??



Nothing.

It's priceless...

Still Loving my Life

While its been about a month since any post of any kind - I AM ALIVE!

I was doing so well staying active with posts until that pregnancy wall smacked me so hard in the face, that it was all I could do to take care of Savannah and take a shower everyday...almost.

I'm beginning to get over that hump. Beginning is the key word.

I'm still sluggish and only sometimes nausiated. But to my surprise, oh how I missed my blogging! Weird. Coming from someone who about 3 months ago said, "I'll never understand the world of blogging. Don't these people have a diary to write in?"

All that said...

I'm BACK!

Gazpacho

Yummmmm.

The perfect summertime soup!

I made this for our Ladies Night Out and was surprised by how many people hadn't heard of this cold, summery soup.

So, per request, here's the recipe.



Shrimp Gazpacho

- 4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cucumbers, chopped
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 small jalapenos, chopped
- 1 small can tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 lb cooked shrimp (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Chill 2 hours - overnight. Serve chilled.

Etch A Sketch

Happy Birthday, Dad!

He's the hardest man, EVER, to shop for and if you ask him what he wants expect to hear,

"World Peace."

Always.

So, with the help of my mom, we realized they keep breaking wine glasses and were in much need of new ones. To add flair to a pretty boring idea and in keeping with our family's character... I decided to etch nicknames into the glasses for each member. What I loved about the outcome what that the nicknames remained subtle and kept the wine glasses classy.

I apoligize for the horrible photos, glass is impossible!


I thought it was going to be a HUGE pain, but it was so simple.

Here's how...

Step 1: gather supplies (glass to etch, etching cream, stencils, masking take, paint brush)



Step 2: place the stencil where you want it and put masking tape to overlap all around the edges.



Step 3: generously apply the etching cream with your paint brush to the area of the glass you want affected. Leave for 60 seconds and then rinse off with water. Remove all tape and stencils and then rinse again.



Step 4: Once dry, the etched portion will show up and you can admire your beautiful creation.

Lovely Ladybug

If you know me, you know its been a long time coming...

BUT FINALLY

Baby Dots has a LOVELY LADYBUG to join the collection!

Design Challenge

It's the monthly EtsyKids Design Challenge!

Take a second of your time and go here to vote for your favorite Halloween kids item.
Voting is open until Thursday, August 27th.

. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.
10.11.12.
13.14.15.
16.17.18.
19.20.21.
22.23.24.
25.26.27.
28.29.30.
31.32.33.
34.35.36.
37.38.39.
40.41.42.