Summer Lovin'

Summer lovin' had me a blast...We built a raised vegetable bed! Hooray! I bought some good stuff to mix with the dirt so I can hopefully grow some yummy vegetables this year. The Bug loved helping. Actually, I think he'd love a little sandbox someday. It was so easy to build the bed! Although, Mr. Fixit is quite handy with his power tools...I think he'd make a good carpenter! Check out www.thepioneerwoman.com for tips on how to build a raised bed.

And what could beat having Bath time after a long day outside?

hmm...sleep time!

It's Back!

I am so thrilled that spring has sprung! My perennials are coming back from last year. This may not sound blog worthy, but it is to me! Many plants have gone before me- prematurely, long before they were due to expire. I've spent 3 years trying to get plants to grow in front of the house, but the house faces north. To make matters worse, the roof extends over the rock garden. Our good friends gave it a shot last year and planted some salvia and a few bushes. They all seem to be doing well! Look, they live on...another year! I was about to pull out the landscaping and make a front porch if the plants didn't survive. Oh, by the way, the middle plant was my indoor plant that I just had to experiment with!

Our landscaper, E, has been hard at work pulling up another flower bed. She said it went faster than she thought, so we may get more work done this summer than we originally planned! I know Mr. Fixit has a growing list for this weekend, but I'm going to see if he might love me enough to help me build my raised bed for the vegetable garden. Should be pretty simple to do.

We enjoyed company with our friends tonight. The boys went to the park, and the girls made supper.

Memorial Day 2009

I was reading a little bit about Memorial Day and happened upon these photos from www.usmemorialday.org. Photos were taken by Daniel J. Wood. In the pain and dreariness of these photos, there is much beauty. I'll never forget somberness I felt when visiting Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Vietnam Memorial, etc. I am so thankful and have a deep respect to the Americans who have gone before us to fight for and preserve our freedom. Thank you for your sacrifices. It reminded me of a beautiful song by Casting Crowns, and I have listed the lyrics below.

Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall
music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining.
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm.
And I will lift my hands.
For You are who You are,
no matter where I am.
And every tear I've cried,
You hold in your hand.
You never left my side.
And though my heart is torn,
I will praise You in this storm.


I remember when I stumbled in the wind.
You heard my cry to You,
and raised me up again.
My strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You?
And as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Chorus

Delicious!

I think I may have just had the best cup of coffee ever! And the best part? I didn't even go to Starbucks...I made it in the comfort of my own home. I made some nice strong organic caribou coffee (no, I don't HAVE to have organic coffee), then I added White Chocolate Coconut creamer. It is divine! Can you smell it? I might just drink coffee all day today and neglect the caffeine tremors and calories.

Want to know what else is delicious? Bug napping! I love it! Now, I just need a good book to read while I enjoy my 3rd cup of coffee. I must confess, I've read the Twilight series, and I don't think I'll ever enjoy a book as much as I enjoyed those. Weird, huh? I think my husband is a little worried about me. I never thought that I would so much enjoy a high-school-girl, vampire-love, werewolf-protecting book so much. Well, in my defense, I was not really into the werewolf story line. Any good books out there that you've read lately?

MOD walk

Saturday we walked in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk. It was a beautiful morning, just a little chilly to start off with. My sister and friend joined us!

The mission for March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. It's a wonderful cause. We were very proud to have our Bug with us this year for the walk. We are so very grateful to the wonderful care he received by his Angels at the Birth Center/NICU last year when he was born 6 weeks premature. MOD has done so much for babies born prematurely- development of NICUs, PKU screenings, and surfactant therapy are just a few to mention. Here was the Birthcenter One/NICU team this year.

We're Still Alive! (Barely)

Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged. Mr. Fixit's eye surgery went great. He's 20/20 now. He was pretty out of it for the whole day after his surgery. My sister just spent the better part of last week with us. We had a great time. Lot's of butter (yes, we did make 12 hour monkey bread), laughing, shopping, and fun. I'm hoping that she lands an internship in our town so she can come stay with us again for a longer period of time! And the Bug...oh, the Bug. He's had a rough couple of days. Teething seems to have got the better of him. He's been drooling like a maniac. Today was full of many interesting events. He was supposed to be in a photoshot at church this morning. Wouldn't you know, on the way to church, he coughed a little too hard and puked all over his cute little jacket. So, no big deal. THEN, he went to the nursery, and I'm not quite sure what happened, but when Mr. Fixit went to pick him up, he was wearing ONLY his sweater vest! No onesie. No pants. Just his little argyle sweater vest and a nappy. I thought maybe he had a blowout, but he was in the same nappy...so I'm thinking either he puked again, or there was more than I thought after the first round. Anyway, thanks to his buddy Ben, he landed himself a pair of shorts. I'm saddened to say, my camera was not with me during this time. Mr. Fixit's words are ringing in my ears "You are the mother of a 1 year old...you need to have your camera with you at all times." We worked on outside in the yard on this beautiful Sunday. The bug and I started out by watering the plants. He made a tumble on the sidewalk and ended up with this nice shiner. Ouch!
Then, while I was mowing the backyard, the following events took place. (Yes, the Bug's father was in charge!!)

Think about this, long and hard...

Dont' do it. It's not worth it...

It's Friday!!

Ooooh, I'm so excited it's Friday. You would think that I didn't have much to be excited about- I'm working 12 hour nights all weekend. BUT, it is Friday. The bug is at the babysitter's. My house is getting cleaned. I'm gearing up for a yard sale, so all my junk is getting moved outside!

Mr. Fixit is having Lasik eye surgery on Monday. We are going to stay with my dear friend Rachelle! I'm so happy for both of these activities. I'm glad Mr. Fixit will not have to worry about contacts and glasses and dry eyes and...whatever else goes along with having not perfect vision. And it's the perfect reason to visit with my best friend, see her little guy, and see how big her tummy is getting (she's having a baby in August!).

Are you longing for a summer treat, but don't want to take in a lot of calories? I just discovered a yummy snack. Tastes kind of like a Skinny Cow. Just take a graham cracker and break it in half (so you have 2 squares together). Put a little fat free cool whip (or light, whichever you choose) in the middle to make a sandwich. Freeze. Eat. Enjoy all 85 calories of it!!

Before you know it, your legs could look like this...