First word

Yard Pictures

My husband is OCD about the yard, I have probably mentioned this before. But he also does enjoy yard work and it is a bit of a hobby. He takes a lot of pride in keeping things nice. Recently he took on the task of redoing the rock beds. This is a small one around the mailbox. Bill basically moved all the rocks and restacked them. He planted these flowers as a surprise for me for Mother's Day.

This is a random picture of some new grass that he planted along the side of the driveway. Of time the soil was eroding and when we had extra top soil from the garden project he put it along the driveway and planted grass.

This bed is in the back of the yard and wasn't in too bad of shape but he again fixed up the rocks and we added fresh mulch.



Most of the back yard

This bed was in bad disarray because when we worked on the sun room project the painter knocked over a bunch of rocks and it was a mess.

See how straight the edge is and how nicely the rocks are arranged. If you are OCD you can appreciate otherwise you probably think my husband has lots of extra time on his hands (not true at all).

Bill enjoyed the project and he was amazed at how well the rocks fit together.

We have spent a lot of time and energy in the yard this spring but the results are beautiful. I think we are done with projects for a while.

What do you think?

Only for a moment...

This is a picture of my kitchen floor, why would I take this picture? So I can remember what it looks like when it is clean. I washed the kitchen, laundry room and hallway floors on my hands and knees (which is the only way I wash floors) on Saturday. Prior to washing the floor I dusted the wooden blinds, dusted the chair rail and washed all the base boards. I love the feel of no grit on my bare feet when walking on the floor. When I was finished it looked so good and I knew it wouldn't last so I took pictures.

Monday night I was making instant potatoes (I know a few of you are thinking "really, she makes instant potatoes" yes, occasionally I do.) and Griffin reached for the packet just as I open it. I was holding it as far away from him as possible but it still spilled. Oh yeah, instant mashed potato flakes all down my shirt, in bra, all over Griffin and of course on my clean kitchen floor. I handed Griffin to Bill, knocked all the flakes off him then removed undergarments and wiped all the flakes off me and got out the dust buster. I spelled like sour cream and chive potatoes until I was able to shower after getting the kids bathed and in bed. So the clean floor is very fleeting. Tuesday night Bill knocked over the pitcher of crystal light and it was all over the floor. Oh well.

Maintenance

Every home has some maintenance issues. Since we bought our house almost 5 years ago we have done a lot of work. One thing we had yet to do was any work on our sun room. Some of the boards along the bottom were starting to rot and two had holes in them, golf balls maybe? So it was time to tear down the boards and figure out what needed replaced. Bill wasn't sure if he would be able to do it all himself or not but it turns out with borrowing a few tools he completed the entire job! I didn't take any pictures before he ripped off a few boards, sorry. Here are some of the support boards exposed and some of them needed replaced.

Bill went to an old local lumbar yard and the man said he did not have any panels that would match, well Bill looked through some stuff and found two damaged pieces that were a perfect match and we were able to use parts that were in good shape to complete the job. Persistence pays.


Now all it needs is a little caulk and paint.

Fresh paint on all the inside!

Looks like a brand new room.

Once all the painting was complete Bill spent a few hours scrubbing all the screens with soapy water and washing the floor on his hands and knees. We could tell a big difference looking out the screens.

We did pay someone to do all the painting, he did a great job. Bill has had some problems with his neck lately and is in physical therapy so painting really was not a good option for him.

We are thrilled with the finished product and we have spent many evenings sitting out in the sun room even when it has not been sunny. I have sat out a few evenings with a sweat shirt and blanket and even in the rain. I love hearing the night sounds and it is a great place to read a good book with a light. This room is one of our favorite things about this house. Do you have a favorite spot at your house?

More Park Pics

A few weeks ago we went back to the elementary school playground, this time Bill was able to go along.

Of course the Parker's went with us, here is Charlie climbing on the kids picnic table

Isn't he adorable?



Kids eating lunch




Syd loves these things, whatever they are called?




Griffin and I hanging out

He is usually happy just to be outdoors, on a blanket with a few toys

Syd with bat Bill bought

Funny face, I hope she has Bill's coordination and skill, I have none

Practicing

We had a great morning at the playground

Another great video

Griffin loves his big sis and he thinks she is funny no matter what she does. So sweet.

An Adventure

A few weeks ago I went bra shopping. What an adventure. I probably needed new bras last year but then I was pregnant and I really did not see the point in buying new bras when things would be changing and then I would need nursing bras....you get the point. So now that I am no longer nursing and things have gone back to the way they were, well not really, things are the way they are after having two babies and nursing both of them, it was time to go shopping. The thoughts of walking into Victoria's Secret just cause me to shudder. I really do not care for Victoria's. To me the store is "sexified", I do not know that this is actually a word, but I am not all that comfortable going in Victoria's. So I went to Soma Intimates, they still have very flattering bras, panties and pjs but not a little more practical and classy than Victoria's. I looked around for a few minutes and then asked a lady for help. I explained that I just finished nursing my son about 1-2 months ago and I am starting to get closer to my goal weight so I think its time for new bras but I am not really sure what size I am at this point. Important to note that while I am closer to my goal weight my body is not what it used to be and may never be. After having a baby things just do not snap back into place, at least not for me. I cannot believe that I cannot remember the lady's name because by the end of my visit I wanted to give her a hug but it has been a few weeks, so lets just call her M. M takes some measurements and tells me an idea of what I may need, ask a few questions, under wire no under wire and then dashes off to get some bras to try. M tells me to go ahead and put on the first bra and then call for her and we will see how it fits. So I do just what I am told. Well she comes right in the dressing room with me and starts looking her and there, tugging a bit on the back and tells me "no this will never do." I was thinking "hmm I thought it was okay." She explains that you get 90% of your support from the band so I needed a tighter fight. Then we have this big discussion about how I do not like back fat or bulge. Remember I am still working on this body and it is no where near what I want but there are more important things in my life than "perfect body". So we continue. She comes in and approves or disapproves each bra and then dashes to get another size. In the end I had four different styles that fit excellent and so I then had to decided on two because it was buy one get one half off. I ended up with four fabulous bras. I have never felt better about a bra. I asked a few questions about laundering bras and learned a lot. Soma bras are machine washable on delicate but you are not supposed to hang them dry at all, they need to lay flat. Also when storing your bras you should not fold them in any way. I asked how often you should buy new bras and was surprised that the answer was every 9 months!! Who can afford that? Apparently there is a number of times you can wear a bra and then the support is gone, who knew? I definitely was given a bit of an education on bras. I am happy with my purchase and feel great in my new bras!

Blast from the Past

This is Sydney in her first bathing suit, which was from Aunt Rita and Uncle Jeff, so cute.

She loved the water then and still loves the water now. We are all ready for summer and all the water fun.

First...

My first tomato!!! We actually saw it this weekend but I am just getting around to downloading pics and blogging. I am so excited. All weekend I kept walking by the garden to look at it. I love gardening. I love to count the leaves on my upcoming cucumber and zucchini plants. I love to feel the texture of the leaves. Am I weird or do other gardeners do the same? I am not sure and I do not care. I think gardening whether it be flowers or veggies is amazing. You plant this tiny or big seed and you get a beautiful flower or a plant that produces vegetables or fruits or berries. Does this amaze anyone else?

Girl Day

Sydney and I had a special girl day today, no boys allowed. We dropped Griffin off at daycare and headed to her dentist appointment for a check up and cleaning. Sydney did wonderful. She laid back in our laps and let the hygienist brush and floss and then she let Dr. L take a look and paint her teeth with dental varnish. I was so proud of her, she held my hands the entire time and never even whimpered. This was a huge improvement from the last visit which included lots of tears and us begging her to open her mouth. No cavities and a great report. We shopped at a few stores looking for a new basket for toys in the living room, no luck. So Sydney picked the pace for lunch, Chick-fil-A. I wanted Panera so bad but I told her she could pick so we went and she was so cute. She ate all her lunch- nuggets, fries and chocolate milk and asked for a bite of my sandwich. Then she told me she was still hungry and had room for a brownie so we shared one! Then it was off to a few more stores to look for a basket and we found a great one at World Market. We headed over to Bumper Jumpers and had a blast. We raced down slides, hide in a maze and bounced like crazy. Unfortunately my bladder is not quite in the shape it was prior to my two babies but it was still a great time. We screamed and squealed like only girls can. What a work out, we were both so sweaty and tired after 45 minutes that was all we could handle. Then we went on over to a shopping center to look for some shorts for me and had no luck. But I did find the deal of the year! We were shopping at Ann Taylor Loft and they had the jeans on sale, I found a pair of petite jeans marked from 59.99 to 49.99 and they were an additional 40% off. I was asking the lady if I could also use my coupon for 20 % off and she said no that applied to full price items and the pants were actually 14.88 and 40% off that price!!! I went back to the rack and grabbed another pair exactly the same. So each pair of jeans cost 8.93! I am so excited. I had numerous pairs of jeans but a few are from college and maybe even before and they do not fit now and they may never fit again. I am just stuck with the last 5-10 pounds but it is mainly around the middle. Oh well the shopping over all was depressing but the jean deal was so exciting. I love a bargain. Then it was back to Asheboro to get Sydney's hair trimmed. Syd took a nap in the car and I needed one but I was driving so no nap. She did great getting her hair cut and we then picked up brother and headed for home. It was a great day. I love spending time with my girl.

Happy Boy

Wish you were here

I am sitting out in my sun porch wrapped in a blanket drinking hot Chamomile tea, listening to the rain and reading a good book. Wish so many of you were here so we could share a conversation.

Mother's Day Walk

Here are some pictures from our walk on Mother's Day. We have been going for a lot of walks lately, usually both Saturday and Sunday and any night during the week that Bill has been home early.

We walked by the big pond and I had just finished saying that we had not seen any babies this year and look what we found.....

This is Syd looking in the little pond just down from our house. What do you think she is leaning over the edge of the bridge to see?

Duck eggs! There were actually two but not right next to each other. We have been back soon and they are now closer together but have not hatched.

This is the fairway to the hole behind our house, the grass is so green and the sky was beautiful. I did NOT enhance this photo in any way.

It was a great morning walk.

My Mother's Day

The day started with sleeping in, at our house this means 630-7 o'clock. Bill got up with Syd and laid Griffin back down with me to go back to sleep. When I got up I couldn't find Bill or Syd downstairs so we started looking outside and then I went back in the house and found a note by my coffee saying they went for a walk. So I fixed Griffin his bottle and changed his diaper and then they were back. We decided to all go for a walk, and it was great. We love early morning walks around the golf course. Then we came back and showered and got ready to go to brunch at the club.

Sydney is a little crabby in this photo because she had just gotten in trouble.

We had a great meal as usual and Griffin fell asleep.

Me with my two babies. Sydney was so sweet and kept telling me "Happy Mother's day" all day.

Sometimes I really cannot believe I am the mother of two children. Wow. I am honored to be a mom and I realize how blessed I am. We had a great day.

Precious

I just love babies, especially my babies. Griffin is so sweet day and night but there is just something so sweet about a sleeping baby.

I have to check on both the kids before I go to sleep and sometimes I must get my camera and snap a picture or two. Can you blame me?

Video

Here is another video, Griffin was being very vocal and loved interacting with daddy. Sorry the video is sideways I am still working on this camera thing.

Proud

Do you notice anything different about our house in this picture?

If you said an American Flag you are correct. We have lived in our house 5 years this fall and the whole time there has been a bracket to hang a flag already on the front of the house but we are just now hanging a flag. Why now? Well because we are working on a few improvements around the house and yard and hanging a flag made the list. Also because we are proud of the country we live in.

We want the world to know that we believe in our country.

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Our country is still at war. I forget that we are at war, which is a shame. Men and Women give up their lives daily to defend our freedom and I forget we are at war. I am a visual learner so now that we are proudly displaying the US flag I am better about remembering. My brother in law Rick was just deployed and seeing the flag in front of our house has been a good reminder to pray for Rick and all the other soldiers.

"Lord, thank you for our country and for the freedom we have been granted. Thank you for the peace we can having knowing you are in control. Protect our soldiers and help them to bring our country honor. I ask that you be with the families of soldiers that are left behind, give them strength while their loved one is away, and bring our soldiers home safe it it is your will. Bring peace and hope to a world at war."

If you have a flag display it proudly and if not consider getting one, big or small, as a reminder to pray for our soldiers and country.