When life hands you lemons, make marinade

I'm too lazy busy to write about what a fantastic time I had in New York, as I'm packing yet again for another fantastic trip this weekend. Shawn and I leave tomorrow for a quick getaway to Amelia Island to stay at this bed and breakfast . This summer has been especially awesome, as we are not usually traveling people.
Anyways, I wanted to share my favorite kebab marinade with you: it works on chicken, steak, pork, whatever... and once when I was lazy busy I just threw in some whole chicken breasts and grilled them like that.
Totally YUM!

Shish-kebab Marinade
(for about 2 lbs. of your favorite choice of meat)

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)

Directions:
1.In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground black pepper, garlic, and meat tenderizer. Mix well, and add your meat. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

It's totally delicious skewered with some onion and green pepper, as well as pineapple if that's your thing.

Harry Potterphile

Have you seen the new Harry Potter? Did you like it? I have to say that I was a little disappointed. After making the first part of #7 so awesome, I thought for sure the second part would finish strong. Not so much.
What a progression those movies have made. I can't even stand to watch 1-3 as they are so stinky. I like 4 and 5, love 6, and watch 7 part 1 at least once a week. Every once in awhile, I read through the whole series again. My favorite book is 6.
But back to this new movie... it felt disjointed. Some scenes didn't seem to flow together and I think they left a lot of stuff out. Maybe I'm just too critical because I was expecting super fantastic awesome and only got awesome? I definitely want to watch it again and see what my thoughts are the second time.

My Vacation

My Summer Vacation
by: Summer

Day 1: yummy barbeque from a local joint
Day 2: taco bell, more bbq
Day 3: bacon chili cheeseburger, fries
Day 4: schnitzel, french fries
Day 5: complete country breakfast compliments of shawn, pizza
Day 6: cheeseburger, onion rings, cheese fries, salad
Day 7: pizza

Oh... you wanted to know what we DID? Because what I remember is how horribly delicious I ate. I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds, hence starting back on South Beach diet today. Ugh. I feel like a whale.
Anyways, we had such a terrific time with my dad and my sister's family! We got to do an amazing array of activities, including eating, riding the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, going to the town of Helen (an alpine village right smack in the middle of Georgia), visiting the Cabbage Patch Kid hospital, tubing, trout fishing, shopping, and playing endless video games. Our cabin had a game room in the basement and I think my kids (and Shawn) played about 50 hours worth of Hydro Thunder and pinball.
It was wonderful, and I am trying to recover before I head off to New York to visit my friend Kelly for the weekend. I am soooooo looking forward to it!

Dog Days of Summer

Ahhh... July. This year, my favorite month. Rarely am I so happy to be so busy. We kicked off tonight with a fun cookout with some neighbor-friends and the whole family had a blast - including my mom and her husband who are visiting for the weekend. Tomorrow morning, before they go home, we're going to pick peaches. Yum - I think I've picked more fresh fruit this year than ever before!
Next weekend, we head off to Blue Ridge, Georgia for a week with my dad and my sister's family. That should be exciting - 5 adults and 8 kids all in 1 huge house!
Then when we get back, I jet off to New York City for a weekend with my friend Kelly. By myself!! I think that's a new record -- two trips by myself in three months!
THEN, the last weekend, it's our nine year wedding anniversary and Shawn and I are headed to a fabulous bed and breakfast in Amelia Island, Florida for a couple of days.
Whew! The day after we get back, Shawn has to be back at school. Can you believe school starts the first week of August this year? Yuck. Even though we're starting homeschool this year, we decided to stick to the school calendar to make it easier. We'll simply take off whatever days Shawn has off and hopefully finish out the year at the same time. I'm getting excited!
This summer has gone by quickly but I'm glad we've had so many activities to keep us busy. As the kids get older, it's so much easier to do a variety of things and travel more. And I didn't think I would be, but I'm glad. I'm a homebody and like to stay home, but we've had a great break from school and have gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family. Hooray for summer!