Hot Weather

The last few weeks have been a good mix of work and fun. Over Memorial Day weekend we had a chance to enjoy time around the fire pit with the Patterson's. I lived with Melinda for almost two years in college and Brian and Stuart well Kappa Sig's together. Sadly we got there late and little Raegan was already in bed. On top of that I forgot to get a picture. On Memorial Day Monday we did some yard work, played with Connor, went to a pool party at our neighbors house, and cooked out with Joe and Ellen. And I once again forgot the camera...In my defense we just got the camera card back from Rach yesterday (she had used it during the wedding) but I did have a small card that I could have used. Connor loved throwing stones into the coy pond...wonder what he will find to entertain himself after we fill it in?

We have been diligently working on our deck as well. We have the floor of the deck and the roof of the patio painted a brilliant brick red color. We also moved and buried some bricks to outline one of the front flower beds. Pictures to follow in a couple of days.

We have had many 90 plus degree days lately. I've spent two of them at the pool with Anna and Ashley (roommates from the Yorkshire house). Last week we went to Planview which has an adult only pool which was very relaxing.  Today we were joined by our husbands at went to Atlantis a small waterpark with water slides and a wave pool in southern Indiana.

At Plainview, Anna is 23 weeks prego

We enjoyed having Stuart, Billy, and Nick with us.
Too bad Stuart got sunburnt despite multiple coats of sunscreen!

With Ash and Anna at Atlantis, 24 weeks for Anna

My new Sister-in-Law

As of last Friday May 20th, Rachel and I have a new sister-in-law. Then again Jacob and Brittney have been dating for years and years (7 I think, he was a junior in high school, and Stuart and I had only been together a few months). We love Brittney dearly and welcome her to the fam with open arms. It was a long few days in Beck Co but I loved every minute of it. I only wish the bride and groom lived closer (they live in Madisonville) especially since I love spending time with both of them.

With the lovely bride before the wedding

 

Rachel, Jacob, and Sara at the reception
held at Rough River Lodge

Mom with her girls... only my mom makes me feel tall

 

Enjoying a break on Stu's lap.
Notice I shed the hills for flip flops!

Birthday Fun

Over the last week I've had a fabulous time celebrating my 26th (can you believe it!) Birthday despite the fact that I worked Friday on my actual birthday and again on Saturday.

Last Wednesday Ellen had us all over for Birthday Dinner. Yummy twice baked potatoes, beef tenderloin, Italian green beans, and broccoli casserole~ But the best part was the birthday cake ice cream from the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen.

Connor enjoyed his ice cream as much as I did.
And we enjoyed the entertainment he provided!

Ellen surprised me with a yogitoes skidless mat towel. I used it for the first time yesterday and it really is a step above the other ones I have from target and 10 steps above a bath towel or beach towel that is smaller than the mat!

Stuart bought me an awesome digital food scale and a glass cake stand and topper. He's such an amazing fella! He also came home from work early on Friday to make me brunch and nap with me before work.

I spent Sunday evening with my two favorite girlies. We made a fabulous dinner. (and we found out that Anna is much more proficient at frying crab cakes than I am!)

See our amazing dinner crab cakes, asparagus with raspberry sauce, couscous, stuffed mushrooms, and marshmallow fruit salad.  This picture doesn't really show it very well but at 18weeks Anna finally has a cute little pregnant belly. We ended the evening playing Canasta and eating amazing low calorie cupcakes baked by the amazing Anna. (Who would have thought that cake mix with only diet orange soda would make amazing moist cupcakes especially when iced with fat free whipped cream, mixed with sugar free vanilla pudding, and pureed pineapple.)

Spring Surprises

I was able to catch a photo of 2 of the 3 deer behind our house a few days back. The deer are the reason I'm hesitant about putting too much money or getting too attached to my flowers this spring. From what I've been told they LOVE to eat flowers~

This is the are by the AC on the side of the house. I was almost sure these plants were weeds. Actually i'm still not completely convinced. However I'm a sucker for blooms and this are is not a landscaping priority at the moment. We are going to put a french drain in on this side of the house to help with the water issues and rebuild the wall on the side of the patio under the deck before putting in new landscaping in this area.

The azaleas in front of our house are WHITE. They are pretty but I think I like the pink/red at the Yorkshire house a little better. But then again not enough to replant. One is much healthier than the other so I hope it survives. I think it will since it was healthy enough to bloom. This is the are to the left of the front door when starting at the house. We transplanted the hostas and the three plants in the front from the back yard. We will have to wait and see what the "mystery" plants actually do, If I don't like them then I'll put in something else!

Excited to see the Iris's in the back yard are a pale purple color. These are in the area near the coy pond so they will have to be moved when we take out the coy pond and and install the french drains/move dirt around more better drainage.

Easter Decorations

So I finally got around to digging out our Easter Decorations on Wednesday (4 days before Easter) at least we will get to enjoy them for a few days.
Sometimes I feel like Stuart (and many other people) wonders what I do all day Monday to Thursday because I only work Friday and Saturday nights. I'll admit that some days I do have a lot of free time but most of the time I stay pretty busy. For example today I did 90 minutes of hot yoga, made lunch, made the bed, picked up sticks in yard, started mowing the front yard, ran out of gas and had to go buy some, made a produce run to Kroger to catch what was on sale this week, finished mowing the yard, weeded the flower bed, showered, finished picking up the house, dried my hair and got dressed up for a critical care nurses educational dinner meeting, made a snack, packed Stuart's lunch for tomorrow...and somewhere in there I managed to complete and put away three loads of laundry. So yes, I only work part time but night shift is physically taxing and I spend Monday recovering and usually need additional rest on Friday. All in all I love my job and the flexibility it provides. I love that I have done 5 hot yoga and 3 ashtanga classes this week and my body loves it also. With any luck I'll make it to hot yoga in the morning, before running to mall to pick up $10 birthday gift card (gotta love free stuff), and Costco for veges (need to restock and make a vege tray for a pitch in at work on Saturday night). So yes, I only work 2 nights a week but no I don't have any shortage of things to do!

Spring is here (well maybe)

Last week Mom and Dad helped me transplant some flowers from the back yard to the front yard. We have some major yard work to do in the back yard, later in the summer including moving quite a bit of dirt and putting in french drains to help control water runoff. Luckily it rained on Sunday and again today (as you can see from the picture) so the transplanted flowers are thriving. Last Saturday Stuart and Joe put in a long day of work on the deck-future patio. They demolished lattice work and vines below the current deck and began the process of adding additional wood and metal supports to the existing structure so that we can make a patio below the deck. They also took down the existing deck rails which we are going to replace with white vinyl railing. On Sunday afternoon Rachel, Stuart, and I made a spur of the moment visit to Breck County to see Jacob. Wish I would have gotten a picture of the three of us but you have to settle for pictures of the flowers and deck.                                                 

No more Doggies

Today was our last day dog sitting. I'm not going to lie, it seems quiet around the house tonight. I took this picture this morning just before I went to pick the dog's parents Anna and Billy up from the airport. I think Stuart the dogs more than me, I liked having them around but didn't like having to take them out to the bathroom at 5am! I'm very glad that Anna is home, I had picked up the phone to call her five or 6.six times over the last two weeks!
Not a whole lot of other happenings in our life right now. Stuart and I are trying to eat a more healthy diet. By eating tons of fresh produce, which actually tastes really good to me, we have both managed to loose a couple of pounds since last week. I've been tracking my intake and was very surprised how much sodium we are taking in on the healthy diet. It makes me realize the INSANE amounts we must have been taking in before. My goal is to be even more mindful of our sodium intake. I'm going to attempt to soak and cook a bag of chickpeas to use in a soup recipe this week instead of using cans. It shouldn't be too hard and it will be cheaper and healthier.
Well, gonna get off her and watch the National Championship Game. Go Butler! Also excited that tomorrow mom and dad are coming up to spend the night .