Summer Adventure:

Miss Allison took Mason and Clive to the Farmer's Market in Duluth yesterday. Does anyone have any idea what this is?

July 4th, 2010: A day in history

Yes, every day is considered a day in history. Perhaps better verbiage might be, "July 4, 2010: A day in Fleske history." As you can see, Mason got his first driving lesson over the long weekend.

While we were waiting for darkness to fall at the maintenance shop, my usually confident 7-year old made a rather meek request to drive a golf cart. "Ask your father," I replied, as it's not my liability if a 7-year old drives a club-owned golf cart into the side of the maintenance shop.

I fully expected a chuckle and an emphatic "no" to accompany the request. Instead, I heard, "Sure, but after I get the oil changed in my truck." I'm sure I did a double-take.

I must admit that he did rather well for a rookie driver and off they all rode into the sunset. Child, man and dog. Scary stuff.

The birthday fairies were good to me this year! I got one of the coolest gadgets from my parents-in-law. I will be posting more about that at a later time. For now, I want to talk about the gift Brian got me!

I'm a camera geek. No, really. Even though I don't always have the latest and greatest camera gear, adding a waterproof camera to my repertoire has been on my radar for quite some time.

I am accident prone and my clumsiness has been detrimental to several of our point-and-shoot cameras in the past. I thought having a waterproof camera would be handy, not only for the fact that we CAN take it into the pool, but because if I dropped it into the pool on accident, it wouldn't matter.

Besides, who doesn't need a photo of their kid under water?

Super fun AND super handy, yes?

Brian's True Love...

Yes, I may be his wife and Mason may be his son, but Callie is definitely the love of Brian's life. I can't really say that I blame him. She provides unconditional love and affection, follows him anywhere he goes, obeys his every wish and never talks back. You know, things a wife and son would never do. What more could a man really ask for?

The Useful Pickle Jar...

I recall visiting my in-law's family farm several years ago and, in search of a cup or bowl, opened a cabinet full of leftover glass containers of all shapes and sizes. At the time, it never occurred to me why one would keep glass containers or what they could be used for. I, however, have never had my hands in the daily goings on of a farm, nor had I grown up on a farm. The idea of hanging on to something that seemed to only take up space was a foreign idea.

Looking back, I now realize the importance of keeping various containers of all different shapes and sizes. It seems that, in her infinite wisdom, my mother-in-law had opened my eyes to the wonderful world of motherhood. Subtle, right? Over the years, Mason has utilized many of the oddities I have tucked away in drawers and cabinets for various art projects or mischievous childhood games. It pleased me greatly that, when he requested glass jars for he and his friends to capture fireflies, I was able to oblige. I was suddenly transported back to my childhood while watching the neighborhood kids running around laughing and having fun. It's difficult to think of anything that brings back fonder memories of childhood than catching fireflies in a pickle jar!

Eating a Watermelon 101:

Start with a watermelon you've obliterated with a melon-baller. If you're a melon slice kind of person, disregard all information listed below and go to The Pioneer Woman's website and browse around for a good laugh or a useful cooking tip or recipe.

Next, give your offspring said melon-baller and shoo them out the back door; this is messy business. It's very helpful to have something comfortable to sit on, but if you only have a stoop, it will do nicely. It appears that no instructions are necessary after handing over half of the watermelon and the melon-baller. They seem to know how to put 2 and 2 together when food is involved.

There's a lot of juicy goodness in the middle of a scooped watermelon. Don't let it go to waste!

I knew those straws would come in handy for something other than craft projects.

When your husband asks you why the offspring got half of a watermelon and he didn't, kindly remind him that there are 2 halves and hand him the other when you're finished obliterating it with a melon-baller.

Obama and My Hometown:

President Obama visited the humble town of Macon, Missouri this afternoon. In 2000, Macon built an ethanol plant that creates biofuels. Pretty revolutionary stuff considering when I lived in Macon, we were a coal mining community. Check out the video here:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Photo Booth....

I've photographed many weddings and photographed many weddings that also had a photo booth. I've never set up a photo booth at one of my own events, but I was photographing my friends' wedding and she wanted a booth. I don't have the entire setup for a booth, but was able to piece together an impromptu booth. It did the job...a little ghetto, but the results were just as fun:

Thanks to Jeremy and Cona, this proved to be a worthwhile venture!

Happy Belated Earth Day!

It's hard to believe that we have lived in our house for 9 months now! We are avid recyclers, but the bins we used before we moved just weren't efficient and quite ugly. Ever since we moved from Norcross, I have been searching for a stylish recycling center for our stylish new pad.


These are made from a composite plastic material. I love the colors and the details of these bins. Easy to clean and easy on the eyes.

These arrived in the mail on Earth Day. What a great way to let the Earth know we are going to do our part in keeping her beautiful!

Please...

...leave a comment. My lack of bloggage is often due to lack of feedback. How else am I to know you're visiting?

Important Life Lesson Learned at Camp #4:

Patience is one of many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to being a good leader. There were opportunities abound for exhibiting patience at camp:

1.) Patience to not put the keys into the ignition of the car when you're waiting for your mother to leave after signing you in at camp.

2.) I imagine getting 100+ campers in belt order formation is not a quick task early in the morning.

3.) Likewise, I'm certain that waiting your turn to get into a canoe would take some patience – especially for a 7-year old.

4.) Waiting in line for food at the canteen cannot be easy when you've been working out and playing all day.

5.) Anxiously awaiting the time to come when your mom finally rescues you from Taekwondo camp. Okay, maybe not.

Important Life Lesson Learned at Camp #3:

An emphasis is placed on making good choices in all aspects of our lives. In life, making good choices often means rewards. Conversely, making poor choices often means being punished. Campers had many opportunities to make good choices and it's nice to see Mason with a plate full of a good choice.

Important Life Lesson Learned at Camp #2:

Taekwondo isn't usually considered a team sport, but many aspects of training, and even some demonstrations, rely on teamwork. Each camper was given the opportunity to hop into a canoe with a partner, or two. I was pleasantly surprised, while sifting through the hundreds of photos taken, that Mason ventured into a canoe and was able to maneuver it with a camper around his age. Great teamwork!

Important Life Lesson Learned at Camp #1:

Self control is an important, acquired personality trait that is emphasized heavily in the martial arts. Taekwondo is no exception. While at Camp Strong Rock, Mason and his fellow campers were given many opportunities to exhibit leadership qualities including self control. Oh, the agony!

Fruits of Our Labor...

Okay, so we didn't exactly labor over these, but I'm still excited about it! At our closing, the sellers let us know that there was a fig tree and a peach tree in our back yard. They knew the peach tree had fruited, but they weren't sure about the fig tree.

Check it out! It's budding! Granted there are only a handful of buds, but it's budding!

The peach tree, on the other hand, is covered in fruit buds. Oh my....fresh Georgia peaches....from my back yard! Excuse me, I'm drooling.

The 1st Beach Trip of the Season...

Mason and I drove to Dothan, Alabama to spend one last weekend with my sister before her move to Iowa. She's northward bound to do her residency for the next 5 years and she wanted one last hoorah at the beach before slipping into the depths of perpetual cold up north.

Mason was showing off his Taekwondo moves in the soft sand. We'll post this one at his school on the bulletin board labeled "Kicks Around the World". Panama City isn't considered an exotic location in Georgia; but to us Kansans, it's exciting to be on the beach...no matter which one!

It was cool on the beach...too cool and windy for this gal to get down to only a bathing suit. We had a great time flying the kite, picking shells, avoiding the freezing water and visiting Tiffani. Oddly, despite the chill, Mason and I managed to get terribly sunburned. Ouch!

I'm saddened that Tiffani is no longer a mere 4 hours away, but grateful she has received the opportunity to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a doctor. Now, if only she could come up with a cure for sunburns!

My Friend's Dog...

Mackenzie is an amazing dog! She does more tricks than any other dog I know and recognizes as many commands as my 7-year old – only she actually follows the commands. Amazing! She wasn't sure about the camera...

...but warmed up to the idea with a little help from a squeaky toy and a command from Mack, her owner. Mack, will you take Callie and train her? Amazing dog. Amazing.

Birthday Wishes...

Another year has come, and gone, and my baby is no longer a baby. We celebrated his 7th birthday a little more low-key than his 6th. I did something I thought I would never do – I purchased his birthday cake. The days leading up to his birthday were quite hectic and this little guy called out to me in the bakery section of Publix. Too cute!

Brian had the honor of creating the fire hazard...

...and Mason anxiously waited to blow out the candles.

He wouldn't tell us what he wished for. I suppose tradition dictates that he not tell us what he wished for anyway. I hope it came true.

Brian wanted the cake all for himself, but Mason fought him off!

Mason raked in the loot this year. Grandma and Grandpa sent a Nintendo DSi and a game. He LOVES it! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Each year that passes, I find it more difficult to imagine Mason growing up, but every year his birthday is a hard reminder that childhood is a precious thing. Although we celebrate occasions with cake and presents, we try to celebrate each day as it comes and goes. Happy birthday, baby!

Happy 7th Birthday!

Seven years ago at 5:45 am, you barged into our lives, stirred up some trouble and stole our hearts. Happy 7th birthday to our baby.

Hiiiiiyah!

Mason participated in an intra-school tournament this past weekend and ten schools from around the Atlanta area competed. The juniors were divided into groups according to their age and belt rank. The form Mason learned for the tournament, and his upcoming belt testing, is called Choong Jung #1. You can see a video of it here (click).

There are 44 moves in Choong Jung #1 and it is the form brown belts must learn to move on to the next belt during testing. This is a very difficult form for a purple belt, but Mason handled it very well.

So well, in fact, that he placed first among 11 other students competing! This is the first time he had earned a medal at a tournament.

He received a bye in the first round of sparring, won his second match and lost the third. That was enough for him to secure 3rd place in sparring. Not too shabby for a little guy!

Brian and I are beaming with pride. Can you see my glow?

The boys compared their medals (which, oddly, are identical except for the lanyard).

I think he's hooked on tournaments now that he's done well and earned medals.

Mason discovered that, if you work hard, you are rewarded. Give yourself, and your competitors, a round of applause!