4 day weekend

:: Ahhhhh, what a LOVELY long weekend we have had here!!!

:: Thursday, for the 4th of July, we slept in and had a relaxing morning together. Then, at 2:00, we headed to my friend/coworkers house in the country for a 4th of July party. There were about twenty people there, and people were having fun chatting, eating, and swimming. I made a yummy new dip to share with the party goers, and it was so good! I'll put the recipe at the bottom of this post. We stayed until about 8:30 and then headed home. It had been a long day in the sun, but we really enjoyed our time there. When we got home, and one it was dark, we climbed up to the upper level of Chris' shop and watched the fireworks together. There were many people in our neighborhood setting them off, so we enjoyed a great show! And for free :) Aspen spent the night with her friend Aura...

:: Friday, we were off work!! Yippie! Chris and Neeley worked on the shop and made some great progress on the stairs to the second level. It's looking good! I had a very productive day. I preplanned 73 pages for the retreat I am hosting next weekend! That took quite awhile. Then I worked on our Israel albums. I finalized both, proofread through both, and then worked on getting all of my blog posts ready to add to the end of the album. That itself took quite a bit of time. I am ready, now, to load that all up and then I'll just have to wait for the super flat rate sales that WinkFlash has before I order them.  Aspen spent the day with Kevin, hanging out and seeing Despicable Me 2. Later that evening, me, Chris, Aspen and Neeley went to dinner at Skeets, and it was delicious!

:: Saturday, after running, Aspen and I went to a bridal shower for a girl at work, while Chris and Neeley worked on the shop. Then, she went to hang out with Ashlee; they swam and saw White House Down. I did some shopping around town. Went to Mardels and Hastings, and then spent a good amount of time at Hobby Lobby. Had to stock up on a few things for the retreat! Then on to Kmart to look for patio furniture. We are ready for a table and chairs so we can eat outside. I found a set that I like and will go back with Chris later to pick it up. I also made a strawberry sorbet that is yummy and very healthy. I'll post that recipe below, too. That evening, Chris and I had dinner at Red Robin and enjoyed our evening together.

:: Today, we went to church and then Chris and Neeley are back at it on the shop. I did chores around the house and after Aspen helped me with that, she went to spend some time with her mom and half brother. Time to get things ready for the upcoming week!

:: It will be a busy one...Tuesday, Aspen is going to Six Flags with her youth group. Tuesday evening, I'll be going to bunko. Thursday, we have the Dig Gig, which is our summer work party. Our sales managers will be in town all week and so that will up the stress level a bit. Lots going on with that. And then Saturday/Sunday, I'm hosting the retreat at our house so I will be scrapbooking all weekend long! Yay!

Alrighty, time to sign off and make some dinner. Here are those recipes!

Cake Batter Dip
1 package cake mix - any flavor (I used white)
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 cups whipped topping
Sprinkles, any color
Pretzels, fruit, graham crackers, etc for dipping

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.

Strawberry Sorbet
1 bag frozen strawberries
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup water
1/3 cup honey

Combine all in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately, or freeze for later.