Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Flowers are blooming!

Look what greeted me when we returned from vacation!!


Even Riley enjoyed the blossoms!



Monday, July 30, 2012

Back from vacation

It's always nice to get away! We've just returned from a great 2-week vacation to see family. We've made this trip before, but this time was a little different -- my mother-in-law went with us. I enjoyed having her with us. It was nice to get to know one another a little better. Ha -- she may have gotten to know me better than she wanted!!! OOPS! : )

Anyway, I was a good visitor, but a terrible blogger!! I didn't post any updates at all and in fact, I took very few pictures! Oh well. We had fun and that's what counts!

We had a great time touring Amish County (Lancaster, PA)



While we were in Pennsylvania, Dave and I played golf at a gorgeous course!! We don't have all these strange things where we live.....Things like grass, hills, and trees! Oh - and that terrible humidity!


A trip into Scranton for some D-LISH philly cheesesteak - wid. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw actual Birch Beer on tap! We immediately took a picture to send back to Texas to make my brother-in-law jealous! Aren't we sweet??


Lake Winola, PA -- my dear husband's most favorite place in the entire world. It is really beautiful. So calm and peaceful! I love experiencing it with him. This time was special because I also got to share it with my sweet mother-in-law. They lived around here for a long time and it is still considered "home". 


We said good-bye to dear friends and headed south to Kentucky to spend some time with my mother and father. Just like the north-east part of PA is "home" to my husband's family, central KY is "home" to my family. It was kinda funny hearing the same kind of stories, only this time my daddy was sharing them. Guess those small town, happy memories make an impression - no matter where you live!

We spent one full day in Berea, KY. In this picture, we are eating in the famous Boone Tavern. I had my first Hot Brown - a long time KY delicacy. Yummy!



We spent another day in Shaker Town. It was very interesting. This gentleman is showing us how they make some of their wooden items. I had my first smell of sassafras!


We spent a couple of days in Kentucky and then it was time to head home. To help break up the long trip (3 days!!), we stopped in Nashville to see my granddaddy, in Arkansas to see Dave's youngest son, and in Oklahoma City to see the at the National Oklahoma City Memorial. It is powerful!! I highly recommend everyone stopping to see it.


So, after 14 days, 4000 miles, and quite a few pounds later, our vacation came to an end. As glad as I was to go, I was equally as glad to get home. I love to travel, but there's nothing like your own bed!!

Monday, July 9, 2012

1 vehicle in!!

Whoo Hoo!! After 6 months of living in our new house, we finally have 1 vehicle in the garage!
The first big step was getting the shed built and DH's shop stuff moved. It took us several weekends, but we did it.

Then, we had to do lots of cleaning!! Whew! It was crazy!

All that hard work paid off when I was able to drive in! Yippee!! I even have plenty of room to walk around my car.

Next up -- making room for the truck.

Doesn't this picture look awful?!?!? It's pretty organized, but it's hard to tell in this shot! It all makes sense to us..... garage sale items, boxes of things to give away, empty boxes for "just in case", holiday decorations, and camping gear. Believe it or not, everything has a home. We just have to get those homes ready. Looks like we'll need a few more weekends!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

I'm still here....

Gosh - it's been quite a while since I've blogged. Sorry about that. DH and I have been so super busy, that I haven't had time to write.

Since I last wrote, we've hosted several get togethers with friends and family. One of the main reasons we chose our particular floor plan was because we thought it would be great for entertaining. We were right! This layout is great! We can have lots of people and it doesn't feel crowded. (For someone with some "issues", that's really important!) I love to put a fun table together and DH loves to cook, so entertaining is fun for us.

We've also worked quite a bit on DH's new shed. He now has electical outlets, insulation, and MDF interior walls. Hooray!! We even started moving some of his tools and equipment. (Yeah - 1 more step to getting the garage emptied out!!) I'm so thankful that DH's brother came to help for a while.

DH has been out of town twice. I hate it when he's gone. I'm very selfish with my time with him and I miss him when he's gone. Still, the reunion is nice!! : )

It's been HOT here!!! Last week, every day was in the 100's! It's hard to breathe when it's that hot!!

Since it's been so hot, I haven't spent much time in my flowers. My new perennials are doing nicely. (Especially considering they are enduring this crazy dry heat!!) I've only added 1 new planting......

It's a little hard to see, so let me explain. (Don't feel bad.....I had to explain it my hubby, and he was standing right in front of it!! Ha Ha!)

I purchased this old suitcase from a thrift store for $5. I then planted 3 mini yellow roses that I bought on clearance ($1/rose). In real life, you can actually see the 3 little rose plants. Then, I put a layer of mulch and layered some marbles on top -- just for fun! I'm still not sure about the mirror. I love the look, but I'm afraid the plants will be burnt. I have the case angled away from the direct path, but we'll see..... Hopefully these tiny little roses will bust out with their bright yellow goodness!!

I have BIG plans for the backyard!! I'm trying really hard to wait until fall. Besides.....it may take that long to convince my sweet hubby that I need to dig all those new flowerbeds!! Ha Ha!!

I also have several projects either started, or wanting to get started. I just haven't had time to get them finished. This is my busiest time at work, so I haven't had extra crafting time. Yeah - things to look forward to!!

Well, that's about all of the update I can think of. Hopefully, I'll start writing a little more frequently so you won't be bored with one giant post! Thanks for sticking with me until the end!!

'Til next time.......Be Blessed!