One down, More to go

IN a way I deserted my computer today, although I hovered around it for hours. With school time getting closer and closer, I was feeling the need to get my desk and computer space organized. It's amazing how many things stack up in this area. It has at times been a bit of a sore point with me that everyone uses this area; if you homeschool you know exactly what I mean. There are too many important things kept in this area, and keeping them organized and at hand is crucial.











Technically, these pictures are NOT before pictures as I had already started pulling things off the desk shelves (it would be kindof hard to type with things piled on top of my keyboard;), but it will give you an idea how much had stacked up in this area.

And after a few hours of sorting and storing

I have to point out these cute organizer thingies (I'm not sure what they're called) . I picked them up at the local Goodwill for .99 cents each. I love the brightly colored polka dots inside; it kindof makes me not want to put anything in them... but then I suppose that would be defeating the whole purpose of having them;)



I also want to remind everyone that tomorrow is Recipe Fun Friday hosted by Nikki's Notes; last week a few new people joined in, but we would definitely like to add more to the list. Just try a new recipe (simple is fine) and post it to your blog. Then stop by Nikki's and link up.

Thanksgiving for a harvest

I'm so tired right now that it's hard for me to pull my thoughts together for this post. Today was full of unexpected events that left me thanking God for providing so well for my family.

I was supposed to take care of an extra child today, but it turned out that I wasn't needed after all. I must confess this was a bit of a relief. My long list of summer projects has been sitting idle lately due to all the extra babysitting I've been doing.

However, my dear mother-in-law called me up and asked if I and the kids would like to go to great-grandma's house to pick blueberries. Now I'm embarrassed to say I had been calling around getting quotes for U-pick blueberries because I had forgotten that great-grandma had them; plus I thought now that she's in her 80's she probably was not able to up-keep them anyway... which shows what an ignorant little lady I am. Mrs.Darling set me straight on that by informing me that they take no up-keep at all. Point taken.

By the way, these blueberry bushes were planted when great-grandma was a teenager. Which makes those bushes quite elderly. Call me fanciful, but there is something special about picking berries from the same bush that your great-great-grandparents did.

But back to my story. These bushes were loaded with blueberries. Honestly, we didn't even make a dent in them. Great-grandma hadn't picked any at all. We managed to pick 40 lbs in an hour and a half.

While I was thrilled to be getting the berries, I enjoyed even more hearing my mother-in-law telling funny stories from her youth to my kids. She had them laughing so hard. As I listened to them chattering and laughing back and forth, I experienced one of those moments of feeling like this was a memory I wanted to keep forever. This is a lady whose mother died when she was 11 years old, who pretty much became mother and housekeeper of their home. I know enough to know that she could be a bitter or grouchy old lady, but instead she's one of the most positive people I've ever met. I'm truly blessed to have her as the grandma of my children.

By the way, great-grandma also had blackberry bushes! These had not been netted, so the birds had eaten quite a few of them. But I was still able to pick about 7 lbs, which are pictured here in another form.

I was a bit irritated with myself because I failed to bring my camera along for the trip. Great-grandma has a beautiful... well, I don't know what you call it exactly. There are landscaped paths (all done by her and her husband; both of whom are in their 80's) , a pond, a forest... it most closely resembles The Secret Garden of anyone's house that I have personally been to.

Oh, and it also has a burn-pile and pit that the Artist and Princess found about half-way through our visit. They were delighted to say the least. And that is where the Artist found his (and I quote) "buried treasure."

His "treasure" turned out to be these clips used to cinch a belt around the waist of a man's pants. I'm not quite sure I understand how it worked exactly;) Anyway, they and the case they were in seem to have survived whatever fires they had been through, and my son was told he could take them home. To say that he was happy about that would be a definite understatement.

So we headed home, stopping along the way for grandma to get the kids happy meals, which they rarely get so it was actually a treat.

This also happened to be the day of the month that my husband works his shift at our gleaner warehouse. Many people have a view of gleaner's programs as being where you get old, outdated items of food. I admit there are probably reasons for them thinking so, due to some of these programs being not as well run as others. Fortunately, we belong to one that is run very well, and it has been an incredible blessing to our family. It is run very similar to a Costco warehouse, with huge freezers and pallets of a variety of items. We pay $45. a month to be part of it, and each family also does two hours a month helping in the warehouse. We have a very small grocery budget, so I lean very heavily on what we get through this program. Which means it gets pretty interesting, as you don't know exactly what you'll get each week.

So hubby came home tonight with a large load of various items. It was a very good pick-up this week. But what I was really excited about was the following:

You're looking at 9 lbs of California SummerWhite Peaches. Every one of these was so perfect, I promptly informed hubby that they were too pretty to eat!

The dear man also brought home this box of Rainier cherries. I love cherries, but I consider them a luxury (have you looked at their price tag lately?) . I had to go through the box (which was too heavy for me to carry to the counter) and I would say about 3/4 of it was good. I'm planning to freeze most of them so I (I mean we) can enjoy them slowly:)

Did I mention that hubby also came home with two large boxes of Cinnabon rolls? Including one of the pecan kind, a definite weakness of this off-the-dieting-wagon girl! To be honest, I was so excited about the fruit, the cinnamon rolls just slipped into the background (temporarily I assure you).

This post has gotten longer than I planned. But I wanted to share how just when I was worried about a harvest (see my dismal garden post;), God provided one for my family. I am a person that truly believes God has a hand in days like this. So I'm compelled to give him credit and thanks for it.

Well, it's now almost 3 am; time for all jam-making, freezer-stocking mothers to go to bed. Tired, but with a good feeling that I've set in store provisions for my family's future.

I do declare, I think Mrs.Darling's starting to rub off on me;)

All about growing things

I am pretty much over my mental crisis concerning the dismal disappointment of my garden this year.

It's true that in prior years my tomatoes grew into monster plants without the use of miracle grow or fertilizer (hey, it worked). I couldn't keep up with the Zucchini or bush beans.

So maybe I'm not totally over it yet;)

My pickling cucumbers are doing fabulously however; so if famine comes, my family will have plenty of pickles canned with jalapenos and garlic to chow down on. And hopefully lots of water to combat all that saltiness:)

But enough whining (see, I can read your thoughts); here are some pictures of things that are actually growing around here.

This planter has really taken off. I love wave petunias (as you'll see in other pictures). They look so pretty trailing down the sides of planters, and anyone can grow them (yes, even me).

More wave petunias. I don't know why these grew so lop-sided; I'm sure I didn't plant them that way;) Oh well, they still look pretty.





My daughter's rose bush. This takes the least maintenance of all our flowers. Every year they bloom a different shade.

My porch planters.

This is my favorite of all my planters. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a very good picture of these due to the sun shining on them so brightly. They're a very deep hue of purple.

I will leave you with the one picture of my garden I'm not too embarrassed to post. Just ignore those little weeds that I have to get to today:)

A little quietness

It's so rare that I find myself home alone that usually my first reaction is not knowing what to do with myself.

My husband drives a church bus on Sundays that picks up kids (and many adults) for services. He's usually gone a few hours both in the morning and afternoon doing this. Both the boys go with him, which leaves just me and the Princess.

That is until recently. Lately when we've gone to say good-bye before they leave in the afternoon, she's been turning her big brown eyes on me and saying "I weally want to ride the bus."

Who could say No to that?

It's true that she comes back with her best dresses stained red and purple (ala popsicles) or with chocolate smeared down the front. I guess that's why they invented stain sticks.

And she's known for beating out the rest of the riders in eating watermelon. That I believe, here she is working on two slices at one time.

Well, my oven timer is beeping. I'm trying out a new pineapple/chile topping on chicken drumsticks today; should be interesting;)

My family will try just about anything, bless their hearts.

Recipe Fun Friday- CrockPot Tortilla Soup

I'm running behind on posting this due to my internet server shutting down for most of the day.

I made this tortilla soup by googling "crockpot tortilla soup" and combining several of the recipes that came up.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

4 Cups chicken broth

3 cooked boneless chicken breasts, shredded

2 (14 ounce) cans Mexican-style crushed tomatoes with chilies

2 cans Black beans

1 can of corn (I didn't have any frozen corn; this worked fine)

Lots of fresh garlic :) We love the stuff!

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed red peppers


I dumped it all into the crock-pot and cooked on low overnight. I didn't have any corn tortillas, which I would have sliced up and cooked in it, so we had to settle for tortilla chips in the bowl.

I also sprinkled mexican blend grated cheese on top, as well as sour cream (lowfat in my case:).

I'm not usually a fan of recipes that take a mixture of canned ingredients, but in this case it was fast and easy. And quite delicious as well.

Here's the finished product:


To join in Recipe Fun Friday, stop by Nikki's blog and link up.

Short Update

I thought I should post a short entry to say I'm still alive, just a little busier than usual.

This week our church is holding it's annual Vacation Bible school. I'm the leader of the 1st and 2nd grade group, which is numbering around 70 kids so far. It's alot of fun, but also a bit tiring.
I think the fact that we're just getting over strep throat is making it more so. I am still taking an antibiotic, so atleast I'm not contagious;)

Today I went to a girlfriend's house for lunch, and it was such a nice slow-down time. Her house is big enough that the kids get lost in it doing their various activities, and we can actually talk.

It was also the last babysitting day for me this week, so tommorrow it's just my own kids. Hopefully I'll be able to do some catch-up reading on my favorite blogs then.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week~

Hyperemesis Gravidarium - Part 2

Hyperemesis Gravidarium (HG) is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the newborn.

My prior pregnancies were not a piece of cake by any means.

I remember what a shock it was when I became severely ill with my first son. I had expected nausea, even in a funny way had looked forward to it. I wanted to experience every single symptom of being pregnant.

I had tried for 3 years to have children, and had become pregnant with the help of a low-level infertility drug. I was one of the lucky ones in that I became pregnant within three months of starting it. My first pregnancy had ended in miscarriage, but I was able to get pregnant within a few months again.

I remember heading to my local library thinking that you can find a book on any subject. I did manage to find one book there dealing with severe illness during pregnancy. Unfortunately, it was quite outdated. It discussed how they had formerly considered severe nausea to be phychological, and usually an indication of an unwanted pregnancy. They would often put such women in sanitarium-like places, where their condition would worsen until they would either lose the baby, or more often than not, die themselves. It's interesting to note that there are some people who think that Charlotte Bronte may have died due to HG complications. I pity the women in the past who would have struggled not only with the physical effects of this condition, but with the belief of others that they were bringing it upon themselves.

I made it through those first two pregnancies. Yes, it was hard. And other than my dear husband, no one really understood what I was going through. I worked very hard at eating as healthy as I could because I knew every single bite would count.

And I have good memories of those times as well. There are many women who would be willing to go through the same thing to hold a baby in their arms; I made sure I kept that in mind. The joy I felt when I held those little boys in my arms at the end of those difficult pregnancies was overwhelming. And I felt incredibly blessed.

We were crazy enough to still want to have more children. I put it that way because of all the well-meaning people who told me I should not have any more. I understand they looked at it as having to put our lives on hold for nearly nine months. The truth is, we looked at it that way as well. And nine months of just getting by seemed a very small price to pay for the end result of a child that would give us such joy for a lifetime. I guess it's all in how you look at it.

What we didn't know, was that my third pregnancy would make the other ones seem easy in comparison.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify something. Having HG goes far beyond having severe nausea and throwing up. I could easily go through that part of it. It's the slow but sure failure of your body to function as it should, and the domino effect this causes, that is the hardest to bear. I also think that it takes a heavy toll on a person mentally.

Some women who suffer it in it's worst form take the route of abortion. You may think this signifies they didn't want a child in the first place, but that is simply not true in many cases. I am unequivocally against abortion, as I believe we have a soul from the moment of our conception. But unless you have been pushed to the brink physically, mentally, and emotionally that these women are, it's best not to judge them too harshly. Many of them think they won't survive these pregnancies. There was a point I thought the same thing myself. It may sound dramatic, but an HG pregnancy can seem like a living nightmare at times. And Doctors are still in many cases slow to help in all the ways that they can.

This would prove to be true in my own experience.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum - Part 1

*This week will be busier than usual, as I will be helping with our annual Vacation Bible school. So I have prepared a few posts in advance.

This post has been a long time in coming. I have used a variety of excuses for not writing it, including the thought that it will simply be too boring for those who have never experienced it.

On the other hand, I have wondered it if might not be a help to those who are now experiencing this condition, or know someone who is.

I should also mention that while some parts of this story are easy to recall, as a whole it does take me back to one of the lowest times in my life. Which is probably my biggest reason for putting it off so long.

About 7 years ago, I remember getting up to a routine morning of feeding and clothing my 2 young sons. About midway through the process, I was siezed with incredible pain in my lower abdomen. Having had cystic ovarian disease before the birth of my sons (which of course is accompanied by cysts), I pretty much just rolled into the fetal position on the floor and waited for it to pass.

I soon realized something was different and came to the decision I would have to go to the hospital. I dragged myself into my sons room (literally) and somehow got us into the car. It may sound dramatic, but an ovarian cyst can be quite debilitating.

I knew I wouldn't be able to drive myself all the way to the hospital, so I make a closer stop to my in-laws. My father-in-law took one look at me and jumped in the car.

At the hospital they proceeded to do testing and, sure enough, it was a cyst (I could have told them that). Then they asked that all important questian: could you be pregnant?

Having had difficulty getting pregnant in the past, my answer was most likely not, followed by Please get me some painkiller!!!

As you have probably quessed, I was pregnant.

Unfortunately, before I could really digest that information, I started to go through the motions of a miscarriage. They medicated me, and put me in the holding room to await a Doctor to perform a D & C surgery.

I remember that, although I was quite drugged up at that point, I was also very worried. My first pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. I remembered how painful (physically) it was; I also remembered that it had not been like the present one. I had basically passed that first baby, after which all the physical pain had stopped. This just didn't feel the same.

I begged my mother-in-law not to let them operate until one of us discussed this with the Doctor. The nurse thought we had no idea what we were talking about; I suppose they feel they know much more about these things. And most of the time they probably do.

What I didn't know was that my Doctor had left our Women's Clinic. So I spent about 8 hours waiting for the on-call Doctor (or whoever got around to it first) to show up. By that time, the surgery had to be post-poned til the next day.

So I discussed my concerns with him. Of course, he thought I was just trying to deny what was happening, but said that he would do an ultrasound and see what showed up. So we did. There was nothing to see. But I still felt something wasn't right. So he begrudgingly said to come back in four days and we would do another ultrasound.

Four days later we did the second ultrasound. Lo and behold, there was a little sac on the screen, and it was obvious my body was gearing up for pregnancy. My (new) Doctor was quite surprised.

In an amazing way (atleast to me), losing my first baby had saved my last baby. There's no doubt I would have followed the Doctor's advice otherwise.

And that's how it all began.

Recipe Fun Friday- Strawberry Lemonade

For being such a simple drink, there are a surprising number of different recipes for lemonade. I have tried quite a few variations, this being the newest one. I found this a little on the sweet side, so I might use a 1/3 of a cup less sugar next time. But it does have a good, strong lemon taste.

6 Cups of Water

1 Cup of sugar

1/8 tsp salt (this is to prevent the lemonade from being bitter)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (*optional)

In a pan, combine water, sugar, and salt. Bring ingredients to a boil and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Chill the sugar water in the refrigerator for atleast 60 minutes.

In 2 quart pitcher, mix cooled sugar water and lemon juice together. Pour over a cup full of ice and serve.

*If making strawberry lemonade, mix strawberries with cooled lemonade. I let them defrost a little bit before adding. Sit for about 15 minutes, or long enough for the liquid to turn a light pink.

This is a simple recipe, but quite delicious on a hot summer evening.

To join in Recipe Fun Friday, stop by Nikki's blog and leave your link.

Posts worth Reading

I think the hot weather is affecting my brain lately; when I sit down to post something, I come up with a total blank. Sometimes I wonder if that's what happens when you go full speed, then come to a sudden halt (figuratively speaking).

Fortunately, there are other people who aren't having this problem. I wanted to leave a link to a guest post that Niki did recently. I happened upon Niki's original blog Minimalist Mommy when I first started seriously blogging (around 6 months ago). I was quickly hooked, and I'm so happy that she has been able to go on to bigger things with her Organizing Blog. This particular guest post is about her journey towards voluntary simplicity, and is well-worth reading.

I also wanted to mention that Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers is hosting a Canning Package Giveaway. If you're canning for the first time like me, this would be a great start towards your supplies. The contest ends tommorrow, so hurry over and leave your answers to her contest questians.

Child logic

I had the following conversation with the Princess:

Me: Mommy has to leave to go to Fred Meyer (a local super-store). You're going to stay here with daddy.

Princess: Please can I go? Someone else will take care of me.

Me: What do you mean?

Princess: They have a class there Mommy. (She thinks every time there is a group of children, it's a class).

It dawned on me that she must mean the little childcare center they have there where you can drop your children off while you shop. I've never left her there, and evidently she thought she was missing out on something.

Princess: Don't worry mom, she's pretty old. (Evidently she thought pointing that out would be in her favor).

Me: Who?

Princess: The lady who will take care of me. She's really old.

Pause. I see a frown come over her face.

Princess: But she's not going to die.

ATleast it made sense to her.

She'll love this chocolate beard and mustache picture someday, LoL.

Musings on Motherhood

I'm afraid I find myself scrambling this morning to come up with something interesting to post. If I didn't know better, I'd think my life must be somewhat boring. It's interesting I would use that word, as it is not allowed in my house. When my children are hit with temporary amnesia regarding it's use, I refresh their mind by coming up with assorted odd jobs that are guaranteed to cure boredom;) I couple this with my oft repeated stories of what I myself did during long summer days to keep from being you know what. Now that I think of it, I haven't heard that word out of my children's mouths for atleast a month:)

I find that I thrive on... lack of excitement. Which I suppose is what causes people to be, well, bored. Not to say that I don't like a little bit of excitement; if you were to check my blog on any special day or holiday, you would see that I love a celebration.

But the truth is, life is somewhat mundane; especially if you're a stay-at-home-mom. It's doing the same thing day after day. Hopefully, you throw in a little variety from time to time to spice things up. But washing dishes, doing laundry, scrubbing toilets, refereeing disagreements, changing diapers (I'm presently by-passing this one) ... are somewhat lacking in excitement.

I cannot tell you how many women tell me that they couldn't handle being home all day. This is by no means a condemnation of those who are not stay-at-home moms. I personally feel it is not my responsibility to set people straight on that issue. Rather, it's more of a wondering of what they are thinking when they make that statement. Do they think I myself have been endowed with supernatural powers of patience and forbearance? That I never feel that need to go into the nearest bathroom, lock the door, and scream??? Not that I really would do that, I just feel like it sometimes;)

The truth is, I stay home because I simply couldn't handle missing out on all those mundane things (atleast the child-related ones:). While I have those days that stretch the limits of my sanity, they are definitely out-numbered by those moments of simple enjoyment that are caused by everyday occurences: hearing my daughter sing at the top of her lungs as she swings in the back yard, watching (with trepidation) as my middle son climbs a ladder set against the big cherry tree, hearing the latest statistics (on just about anything) from my eldest son as I fold another pile of laundry.

None of these are extraordinary by any means; but they are moments that can never be retrieved. Moments I simply wouldn't want to miss.

Thinking of Homeschool

Despite my attempts to push them aside, thoughts of homeschooling are crowding my mind.

It is now halfway through our Summer vacation. It has gone by far too quickly. I think every year I appreciate this break a little bit more.

Don't misunderstand, I enjoy homeschooling my children. But it is also very challenging. The older they get, the more it tests my abilities.

Today I'll be meeting with 5 other families concerning a homeschool co-op a friend of mine is starting this fall. We plan to meet 1 day a week for 4-5 hours for assorted classes, plus have a book club for the children involved.

But I still have to figure out what curriculum I should use for this fall. And whether I should take advantage of some of the varied programs provided through different agencies. There are so many resources you can use in homeschooling, many of them free. But it does take alot of work to find them and keep it all organized.

And I have to admit that I feel just a little bit of panic; I worry that I won't do a good enough job of it. I'm actually looking forward to both of my boys doing state testing this year. Many homeschoolers really do not care for it, but I quess I need to see that they are at the level they should be at.

I appreciate your patience with a post like this; I have deliberately chosen to not make this a homeschooling blog, although I do post about it somewhat through the school year. But it's the time of year when I have to make choices concerning this, so it's very much on my mind.

I promise a more interesting post tommorrow (oh no, now the pressures on;).

Have a great day!

Recipe Challenge- Turkey Fried (Brown) Rice

I had a hard time narrowing down my choice for a recipe for today's post. The fact that I still had leftover Turkey from last week helped me to choose this recipe. I found it in Taste of Home, but since I've made a few adjustments, I'm going to list it as I made it.

Turkey Fried Rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked brown rice

2 cups cubed cooked Turkey

3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1 egg lightly beaten

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 cup of veggies: I used zuchinni, red pepper, and mushrooms

Cook brown rice according to package directions (using chicken broth); cover and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl, combine Turkey and soy sauce; cover and refrigerate. Cook and stir egg over medium heat until completely set. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute zuchinni, red pepper, and mushrooms in oil until tender (I also added garlic). Add rice and Turkey; cook and stir over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Add reserved egg; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more. Serve immediately.

This recipe had a few extra steps, but it was worth it. My husband loves these kind of dishes, and thought this one especially good. I doubled the recipe, just make sure you use a large skillet if you do so.

If you would like to join Nikki's Recipe Challenge, just drop by her blog and link up:)

Have a great Friday!

All About Anne

My favorite series of books ever has got to be the Anne of Green Gables series. I dearly loved these books as a girl, and they are still just as wonderful to read now as an adult.

I remember my sister devouring the Nancy Drew series. I actually wasn't too fond of Nancy myself, she was just too perfect. Anne's mishaps were definitely more to my liking (and it helped that I could identify with her on that level a bit;)

I love the Anne movies as well. Rarely do I feel a movie has done a classic book justice, but in this case, I think it did. It was like watching the books come alive (yes, I know some sequence of events were different). Megan Follows played Anne perfectly (3,000 girls tried out for the part). And Gilbert wasn't too bad either;)

The funny thing is that I've met other women that have totally different tastes from myself in movies and books, but we could all sit down and watch Anne together. She has such universal appeal.

All of this to say: I really, really like Anne!

And it just so happens that my Canadian blogging friend Niki lives about an hour away from the Lucy Maud Montgomery home; can you imagine? By the way, I refer to Canada as the land of Anne (I'm starting to sound adolescent here). No, I've never been there. But it's definitely on my to-do list:)

So while hunting the thrift store last week, I just couldn't resist the temptation to buy this porcelain Anne Shirley doll by Ashton-Drakes Galleries. I paid $15. for her (blush) but the little girl in me just took over. I tried to tell myself I would add it to my daughter's special doll collection (I add one each year; she should be 9 by now) but I know better.

No one is going to take this doll out of my grubby little hands.

So we'll just call it Stephenie's folly.

That's Stephenie- spelled with an E.

*DON'T FORGET...Pull out a new recipe to try for Nikki's Recipe Challenge. You can link up to her blog this Friday.

And don't forget to include pictures!

Front yard redo

Here are my before and after pictures of one of my outside projects. My main objective was to add a little color to the front of my house, as well as make it a little more attractive.

It looks quite horrible, doesn't it? I admit that during our long rainy season I don't really pay attention to whether my Summer plants are turning into monster plants as this silverdust in the planter did. Both the planter and the bench (which I bought from a local sawmill owner last year for a good price) are made out of cedar, but the rain has rendered them colorless. I stained the bench last year, but decided this year I wanted to paint it to brighten up things a bit. And the paint will hold up to our rainy season better.

The bench before:

I love this brick-red color and I'm using it on quite a few pieces of my outside wood furniture.

This transformation cost me around $20. (cushion included).

Here is my planter painted and re-planted. It's true that I could have used more colorful plants, but I went with these because I was able to get them super-cheap or on clearance. It still looks pretty to me, and I'm really looking forward to when the wave petunias trail down the sides.

I picked up this mosaic table from the thrift store last week for $12. I thought it was so pretty, and would be a great addition to my redo.

So here is the finished product. I couldn't get a close-up detailed picture without leaving something out, so this will have to suffice. As you can see, we added a few bags of fresh bark dust to the ground cover. And did major pruning of my daughters rose bush due to black spot.

All in all, I'm quite happy with the result. It cost very little, but makes a big difference to the front of the house. Perhaps all those aching muscles were worth it after all (just had to throw that in:).

I am almost through with a few other outside projects and plan to post those pictures in a few days. After I put in a few more finishing touches...;)

This and That

My posting was rather delayed this morning, due to the Princess waking up about 2 am this morning with a 103 degree fever. Last night she wasn't feeling well before church, so I let her stay home with daddy, and then sleep next to me on a mound of pillows at bedtime. Which was how I woke up thinking I had left my heating pad on; turns out it was her little body up next to mine! Poor little thing.

My husband had a two day holiday for the fourth of July, so we were able to get quite a bit of work done outside. The boys and hubby ended up being in a parade, which I wasn't able to attend because I was up to my elbows in paint! They had alot of fun. Then my neighbor invited us to sit with the Firemen for the fireworks in the evening (he shoots them off for a neighboring city).

All in all, it was a fun and busy day. Here are a few pics:

The artist and the Princess having fun with sparklers. Thank goodness they haven't outgrown these yet!

One of the two strawberry-cheesecake pies I made with my fresh strawberries. I made them between my painting and planting (I explain that to clear up any confusion for Mrs.D and Nikki's Notes;).

TOMORROWS POST: Before and After pictures of my outside redos!

God Bless America

I love our countries national anthem. It always brings the picture to my mind of Francis Scott Key waiting through what must have been a weary, frightful night to see "if our flag was still there." I have found that story thrilling since childhood. It also reminds me of all those who gave their lives to secure our freedom and our future. I am truly thankful to those people and their families for that sacrifice.

In a day when some (even in high offices) feel no need to put their hands over their hearts when our flag is raised, I do it with great pride in my heart. When a great crowd of people gather to hear our anthem, or sing it as we will this Sunday during our church's God and Country service, it never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Writing about it now has done just that.

Our flag stands for freedom, the right to choose your religion and way of life.

One nation under God. Indivisible. With Liberty and Justice for all.

Today will be filled with many activities for us. But I wanted to take time in this moment to say:

I'm proud to be an American.

May God forever bless our great Country.

Strawberries, Blueberries, and more

Yesterday I picked 15 more pounds of strawberries. Some I used to make more jam, and the rest is being saved for pies for our 4th of July celebration.

This morning the whole family (including my husband) will be heading over to Mrs.Darling's for Belgian Waffles with fresh blueberries-Yum! We'll be u-picking blueberries in a couple of weeks, and I'm really looking forward to it; It will be nice to pick something I don't have to crouch down to pick:)

Yesterday I also painted, planted, and cooked a giant Turkey my mother-in-law gave me.

It's so wonderful to have nice weather again. I actually have a hard time falling asleep at night because there are so many projects I want to accomplish, despite the fact that my whole body is aching from the picking and painting;).

I plan to post before and after pics of my outside redo (Nikki has requested them) next Monday, which means alot more work between now and then; quess I better get to it!

So little Time, So much to do

That's basically how I feel about my garden and flowers right now. Everything should have been done weeks ago, but the one thing you can't help is the weather. Someone told me yesterday that they put in a large amount of flowers the end of May, only to have them all be drenched and pretty much rotted by our large amount of rain around the beginning of June. She said she just couldn't afford to do it all over again. Which makes me glad I did wait.

I've been to around 7 garden shops in the last week looking for yellow pear tomatoe plants. We love those little things. They hardly ever make it into the house when they ripen, as we pretty much pick them and eat them right away. It doesn't appear as if anyone has them this year. Plus, I've been shopping a little veggie/flower clearance, which is hard to believe considering the huge amount of plants some stores still have. I'm guessing that's due to the late planting season as well.

Today I plan to do some painting outside, as well as put in more flowers. And something is telling me if I don't go u-pick more strawberries I will really regret it in a few months.

Our temperatures are in the 80's this week by the way. The warm weather seems here to stay (finally:). Our clouds are a little hazey; they say it's from the fires burning in California.

I wanted to mention that Kristy at Homemakers Cottage is having another giveaway. She has a lovely blog and I enjoy her thoughtful posts; plus I love giveaways;).

Have a wonderful day~