Simple Stories and a snake...

Hi there everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend (for those of us in the US). We certainly did. It was a whirlwind of lake fun, Mom's 60th birthday, and lots of family. Oh, and grilling too. Lots of grilling.

I've got a new layout and card to share today that just screams summertime. I used the "100 Days of Summer" line from Simple Stories, and I absolutely love it! It's warm, cheery, and makes me want to go sit by a pool all summer long! Here's the layout with LAST year's pictures (we didn't get to go tubing this weekend. But the girls and I DID have an encounter of swimming with a "snake". More on that in a bit.)

"Sweet Summertime Memories"

Supplies used: everything is Simple Stories except the blue strips of pp on the top and bottom (MME), buttons (from my stash), and adhesive (Glue Arts and American Crafts)

And just because I couldn't stop crafting last night (too many days away from the table I guess), I made this card too. It also features 100 Days of Summer.

"Relax & enjoy the day"

Twine, button, and cardstock from my stash.

And now the "snake" story....

The girls and I had just gotten in the water, barely adjusted to the freezing cold temps and were all three sitting on a raft. Caroline was facing out towards the lake, and I was looking back the other way towards the house. Then it went something like this:

C: Mama, there's something in the water.

me: It's just waves. (I tend blow off or make light of everything)

C: No mama, it's moving.

So I turn to see a head, a SNAKE'S head peering up from the water, about 15 ft. away from us.

Trying to stay calm I say, "Girls, go swim to the ladder." No one moves (we're all staring at the snake).

Again with a little more urgency I say, "Girls...GO swim to the ladder."

And then it turns its head and looks at us. I scream, "GO. TO. THE LADDER!!!" and heave them both off the raft toward the ladder.

My step-dad happen to be down there with us (admiring Grandad's new boat), and so I scream, "Jim??!! SNAAAAAKE!!!" As I watch it duck its head below the water. I BOLT to the ladder.

Panic. Sheer panic.

I beat the girls there (obviously. I can swim faster), grab the back of SK's jacket and throw her up on the dock, the turn and grab C's jacket hoisting her up behind me. We all flop on the dock panting and scared out of our minds.

We look around and there's nothing. No snake. No wake. Nothing.

Jim said he didn't see anything thing, and is chuckling to himself at our (my) ridiculousness, I mean situation.

***

Now that we've had time to think about it, we've determined that it wasn't a snake. Here are several reasons why we think that, none of which I could've rationalized at the time.

1. The "snake" was still. Real snakes wriggle (?) or slither (?) through the water. They have to stay in motion and don't tread water.
2. Where our dock is located is WAY too deep and thus the water WAY too cold for snakes.
3. Snakes generally stay close to shore. We were out about 75ft at least.
4. And the big give away is that snakes don't duck under water. They stay on top of it. They don't dive down below the surface.

But ya know what does? Turtles. Same head. Can stay stationary. Can swim out away from shore. And can duck down beneath the water and stay there for long periods of time.

It was a turtle.

But when your eye level with a turtle, no shell in sight, it most definitely looks like a snake. ;)