weekend things

The weather this weekend was so beautiful! The sunshine felt so wonderful!

I made spaghetti and meatballs on Friday.  I had picked up a couple loaves of garlic bread at Tops- it was buy one get one free... I was so irritated when I sliced into the first piping hot loaf to discover somehow we were totally jipped! No butter or garlic! So thankful I had a back up loaf! :D

We tackled our front flower bed. It was so satisfying when it was all done!  Mikayla and I want to make a butterfly garden on the other side, currently researching that project.  Maybe this is finally the year I will have nice flower beds.

Logged more miles! I'm up to 12/310 for the challenge as of this morning.  I decided to count walking the dogs etc.  My legs can not take running 3 miles every day at this point.  But hopefully will be getting stronger.  Saturday's "run" was rough. But moved forward for 3 miles... and ordered myself new wireless earbuds as a reward. ;-) They will be staying in my bag when not in use- so they don't get swiped. Or broken. Or chewed.

I finished this book- a pretty good mystery read.

This cracked me up, I walked in the kitchen to see Ryan and Hannah playing cards.  I asked what they were playing... solitaire. They were each playing their own game of solitaire. 

Sunday Church service... I can not wait to go back to "real" church.

Bad Run/Good Run

Spoiler alert: I lost my J O Y this weekend. But I found it again this morning.

 Saturday started a little rough- I over slept. Which is not a bad thing on a Saturday I guess. I got up at 5 am with the pup but then he and I sacked out on the couch until almost 8:30! At which point we decided to head out for a run. It was awful! Chance only wanted to sniff everything like every 6 feet. I have not exercised what so ever for the last week (or more!)- which made for a miserable run.  The couple times we actually ran for any stretch at a time, I thought I was going to puke. It was also already much hotter out than I had realized.  So mostly we walked and I had plenty of time to ponder all the ways I am failing at life.

Back home I got cleaned up and the younger two and I headed out for my niece's softball game.  I had yet to eat anything or have coffee- so we hit dunkin' on the way. My LARGE iced blueberry coffee helped to improve my mood a little- I texted the below picture to my best friend- we have a Starbucks vs Dunkin' rivalry going on...
 

She responded with this-

 

The rest of my weekend I spent doing a lot of this-

 

I finished the book yesterday afternoon.  I loved it! And it felt so good to spend some serious time reading. I picked up the next one on my shelf CrossRoads- I think a gift from 2 Christmases ago.

 

Last night Mom's Connect had a little get together. It felt good to just sit around and chat with friends.  The kids also had another great night at Youth Group.  My sister-in-law and I commiserated about our lack of running- resolving to get back out there more this week!

Today I again struggled to get out of bed, despite having set all my running gear out last night.  I finally got moving and started packing lunches and brewed my coffee (ahem, Dunkin' at home, Jess). I figured I had missed my chance for a run. But as I let Chance out the road was calling to me. Ryan was ready for school. Lunches were packed.  Hannah was up, and very conscientious about minding the time and getting herself ready once she is awake. Mikayla already gone for Senior Tail-gate at school and then their trip to Darien Lake.  Why not?? I could squeeze in a run before work- and so we did. =)

It was something like two miles- I accidentally turned my watch off, it turns out. But we got out there, enjoyed the morning- here's hoping it inspires me to actually get up when my alarm goes off tomorrow morning :P

Post Run

Then I read my Jesus Calling- reminding me He is with me and wants to make this a good day- no matter what the circumstances. When I checked me email there was a devo there on JOY as well. ;-)

 

Tonight- eye appointment for Ryan after work- he's hoping to get contacts.  Dinner is in the crockpot for when we get home. Pulled pork. YUM! Thinking about stopping and buying some flowers for our front garden on our way home.  We pulled some weeds on Saturday night.  There are two perennials Grammy gave me from her garden blooming and a few more getting close.  But we need more! Maybe this will be the year I can have a successful flower bed! I have sunflowers sprouted, almost ready for planting around the deck.

Full ;~)

Today my heart is full. Thankful.  Happy.

There is so much to be thankful for.

Last week was a week full of road trips.  Starting on Monday with bringing Mikayla to camp.  I am thankful we have a van now.  I was able to help bring a couple other kids down as well. 

Wednesday we had to take a trip up the to Adirondacks to fix and retrieve the Mister's truck.  Its about a three hour drive.  Took him about ten minutes to fix.  But it was a wonderful family day.  The drive up was beautiful.  We picnicked by the lake and stopped to play miniature golf on the way home.

Friday we were on the road again, this time to pick up Mikayla.  Once again I was able to take a friend to pick up her son as well.  It was great having her along. 

Saturday we hit the road again.  Down to PA for my cousin's baby shower.  Thankful I did not have to drive this one.  Mom did. :D My sister was along as well.  The shower was great.  A fun time.  A time of much laughter and joy.  I can hardly wait to meet her sweet little boy in the fall. <3

Kelly, my beautiful cousin and Mommy-to-be

All the girl cousins who were there. :)  Erin also has a lil peanut due in November! This one is a girl!

In less than 24 hours we were back on the road and headed home.  One of our shortest trips ever to Grammy's.  But we arrived home safely.  For that I am truly thankful.

Today is our two year  anniversary in our home.  It is perfect and wonderful and there isn't a day that goes by I am not incredibly grateful for it!

My black eyed Susan's are finally in full bloom! I love flowers so much!

And hopefully soon my sun flowers might bloom as well.  I hope. I hope, One looks like its getting close.  Last week I as so upset when I came home from church and noticed the ones in my garden looked strange.  going to investigate I saw that a deer {I am guessing} had eaten off all the leaves. :/ But today I saw the resilient plants had put forth lots of new growth! :D Maybe I will get to see them yet.  It has not been a good year for sunflowers at my house...you can still see the spikes were the perpetrator nibbled off the first set of leaves...

Picked my first cuke from the garden today! And am excited at the number of little green tomatoes which will hopefully be plump and red! :-D

this & that

One of the things on Hannah's Christmas List was her own garden. As soon as she requested it I knew the perfect gift to fit the request. It was a little greenhouse kit I had looked at many, many time at Joann Fabrics, thinking how much Hannah would love it. This was just the occasion to finally give in and purchase it.



Today we finally took the time to plant it...




There were 4 different seed packets included in the kit, Thyme, Clover, Evening Star and Great Blue Lobelia


Freshly planted garden... the box boasts that it shall sprout in a week or so! :)


The great amaryllis race continues-- day 10



Also continuing on my 21 day challenge, I cleaned my Tupperware shelf yesterday, and my linen closet today...tomorrow is to be under the kitchen sink... yikes-- one of my least favorite places...

Before and After

I have way too many washcloths, Hannah is the only one who really uses them, a few I use for cleaning rags. Don't really use hand towels much either. And Hannah has recently decided that she is too big for the cute hooded towels (we have a ducky, butterfly and ladybug). She requested just to use "regular" ones. :( So those things may be purged soon, freeing up another shelf.

Not terribly exciting but making progress I guess. :)

Still working on my list of resolutions or intentions or goals for the New Year. I decided today that my focus for the year was to be Gratitude.

pickles

One thing I have gotten so far from my haphazard garden is cucumbers. We took great delight in harvesting and tasting.

So far I have made one smallish batch of Refrigerator Pickles. Which have already been devoured. ;)

It seems the best place to grow cucumbers is my front flower bed, the two plants I put there are flourishing and taking over. The couple I planted in the backyard have yet to produce anything and are a fraction of the size. Barely growing at all since they were placed in the ground. :(






I used this really easy recipe I found on allrecipes.com

Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

7 cups cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups white sugar

1 cup diced red onion 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup cider vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seed

Directions:

1.	Mix the cucumbers and salt and let sit for one hour. Do not drain mixture and follow by adding the sugar, onions, bell pepper, cider vinegar and celery seed. Mix well, cover and refrigerate.

**I did not use any green peppers, only because I didn't have any on hand, also used a regular yellow onion instead of red, again because that is what I had.


Yum!

The past couple years my mom has made some really awesome refrigerator dill pickles. Which I intended to make as soon as I can get my hands on some fresh dill. :)

how does your garden grow

I am an amateur gardener, at best. But it makes me so happy. This is the first Spring we have had a yard of our very own! It gave me such delight to see the bulbs I planted in the fall spring to life, along with the flowers I planted last summer returning.

This morning while Hannah was in school I wandered the gardening section of Walmart. I had a gift card to put to use, the gift giver had intended to buy gardening goods but my birthday was too early in the season apparently. I left with a greenhouse tray and oodles of seed packets. Four of the packets were different varities of sunflowers! And also a pretty blue ceramic pot which maybe destined for my african violet. I have not decided for sure, but it was my favorite color and too pretty to pass up!!

the earth laughs in flowers.
~ e. e. cummings