Remember tripping on the Third of July?

I don't know about you, but I always thought the night before a holiday was the best part. Christmas Eve, the night before Easter, last minute preps on Oct. 30th. Once the holiday arrives, it's over. All that work, and it flies by in a few hours. Thats why I love the 3rd of July celebration the Cape May Lewis Ferry throws for the neighborhood down here in North Cape May. Every year DRBA (Delaware River Bay Authority) tows a barge out into the bay behind my house. The beach drive is closed to traffic and amusement companies set up rides and carnival games. Being on the bay(right above where it meets the ocean) the sunsets here are spectacular. After the sun goes down, the sky is a rosy palette of purple and orange. As it fades to violet, the first rockets go off. They always send a couple up, and then give people about 10 minutes to walk up from their homes. People are parked and double parked up and down the streets leading to beach drive, but we just stroll around the block.Everyone along the beach block decorates their house. I live one block off the beach, lots of other people around us decorate too. Almost every house has a huge party going on, we tease each other the next day about who's party was better, based on who was out the latest. We DID NOT win this year. As soon as the beach road is closed , at around 3, we head up to check out the houses.The afternoon breeze kicks up and we stroll along greeting people we really only talk once a year.This year the walk took longer, everyone was interested in seeing the twins for the first time.It's funny how many people ask if they're identical, even though they are obviously different sexes.

I got a real late start this year, only had a day to prepare. The first job is making sure I have enough beds. This year I had 13 people crash here.My little cottage has 2 tiny bedrooms and a futon in the living room. Our solution is the bring down our camper and park it in the back yard. Then we have an extra bathroom and 8 more beds. Setting up the camper is a real bear for me, It was just me , with little O , and It was HOT. I never did get the whole lawn cut, and I was still decorating on the morning of the 3rd. I got finished in time, and was able to cook up all the food (except the brownies, K is the queen of the brownies) Finally I was ready to relax, The beach was jamming (our beach is usually deserted, it's one of those "best kept secrets")

We watched the Ferry go out one more time and then we greeted our guests.

My sister came over with her family of 4, also her stepdaughter, hubby, and her granddaughter, Avi. G's dad and some friends stopped by too. We always have a hysterical time when G's dad shows up.Dinner was simple, Fillet Mignon on the BBQ, Pot salad, Mac salad, pot skins, coleslaw, asst fruit, corn. and blueberry pie, blueberry cookies for dessert (and of course those brownies) My husband and I cracked open a magnum of White Star (our favorite champange)

We drank and ate and partied like it was the 4th of July. (but it was Independence Eve)

Here we are, enjoying our private holiday.Finally, the sun sets and we head up to the beach, laughing at the people fighting over parking spaces.

O is old enough this year to enjoy the show.There is a breeze blowing and that means NO MOSQUITOES tonight. The show is real long, even the finale is 10 minutes long.Then we get to stroll on home. Sit in the yard and party while people sit in their cars and wait till traffic thins.It was a LONGGGGGGG Day, so we didn't win the latest going party award this year. Those with kids, left by midnight. I just had to wait for a turn in the shower, I never made it. Now it is Independence Day, We'll can relax on the beach, or just hang in the yard. There's a pool next door, that we have an open invitation to. There's bikes in the shed. We'll just have dogs and burgers tonight, Easy.......plus there's plenty of left overs.I love the July 4th at my little shore house, because it's 2 days long (and I can nap during the second one) Tonight we'll head up to our now empty beach and shoot off our own fireworks over the water. Happy 4th!!!!!!Are you shooting off any rockets today???

To Clean up Poo, or not clean up poo ? That's the question.

7:30 last night, I'm dragging my rug cleaner from room to room. The upholstery attachments are slung over my shoulder. Outside the weather continues to build into huge storms, then suddenly break back into hot-humid air. I have the AC on, but I'm still feeling sweaty and miserable. Wasn't it just a couple days ago that I was crowing about how nice it was to have my family around me. Stupid family, I drag the equipment into another room(why does this stupid house have so many rooms?). I am on a quest to find a missing diaper, and I'm cleaning the poo trails along the way.

Early in the afternoon, I was happy as could be, every thing was neat, I had done 3 loads of laundry(I love doing laundry). My bookwork was all tidied up at the store, ready for the end-of-month billing(today). I had a couple chickens roasting in the oven (yeah, I know, roasting when it's 95 outside; sounds dumb but I feed 4 adult males, and they want meat.) I was actually taking a (Suduko) break, when my daughter and her fam. arrived. They were going over to the pool (at my in-laws house) I was going to stay home to finish dinner and feed the babies. Everything is going like clockwork, twins fed and rocking in their swings, dinner ready to come out of the oven, when things took a dramatic change.

The first hiccup, in this wonderful "family having dinner together scene" , was when I spilled hot grease down my arm while dogging a falling butcher knife, resulting in a nasty burn on my forearm, and grease all over the floor.(but the knife did miss my bare foot). Temperature rising,(I am Irish), deep breaths, assure O that Gam is OK, carry on.
Dinner goes fine, O(as always) stands up when he's done and he runs off to play. We sit and chat, all that fun, family dinner table stuff. When J goes to check on what her little boy is up too, all hell breaks loose.

J: " AHHHHHHH, OMG!!!!!!!"
US: "What, what happened, whats wrong?"
J: "O's diaper is missing and he pooped all over."

Now J swears she put a diaper on her son after swimming; he looked like he had a diaper under his shorts when they returned.
People being running in every direction. My husband grabs the phone and announces he has to answer the order line for the next day at the store. W(the great dad) decides this would be an excellent time to go to the office and read my blog. G decides to play the piano(to drown out the women screaming, I guess).

ME: " Where is it"?
J:" all over".
K: " eeewww, it's on the sofa and the ottoman".
J: " Where's the diaper"?
ME & K: " Where's the.......Diaper??? You can't find the diaper??"
ALL the Girls: Find the diaper !!!
J: "W, we need help, NOW"
W: "I can't hear you, I'm reading your mom's blog".
K: "G, help us look".
G: "huh...?"

The girls run to every room, but there is no diaper to be found. The best we can tell, he must of undone the tabs (cause they make him itch) and the diaper must of fallen out of his shorts(his shorts are loose because he is a beanpole). Then, when nature called, he let his masterpiece slid down his leg, onto the floor, and stepped in it; subsequently dragging it all over the house and furniture.

So, at 7:30, I'm cleaning every inch of carpet and upholstery in the house(J, did wipe down the hard surfaces with Lysol before she took her poopy family home). The burn on my right arm rubs against the handle of my Rug Doctor, I grit my teeth. After dinner is the time I unwind and catch up on e-mail. Stupid Family, stupid poo.

As I start on my office i take a quick glimpse at my inbox. There is a message I had been waiting for from a close friend that I had not heard from in a while. I am dying to see what he has to say, but the poo is still fresh and easy to find now. What to do? Sit down and I can get lost online for hours. I really want to read that letter.

At 7:31 I am dragging my rug cleaner to another room, When poo calls, you answer the call.

So, how was your day????