Victory!

I am feeling victorious! Vern and I finished weeding and prepping the flower beds and garden for planting! Woohoo!

Rainy spring almost got the jump on me! There is still much work to be done..new soil to add,starts to buy,planning,planting and than many many months of fertilizer and TLC..Oh and must I not forget the daily prayers for more sunshine and less rain. I forget that "summer" is not guaranteed when you live in Washington :P
 Vern and I had a fantastic time celebrating our anniversary. Mexican dinner,salted caramels and watching movies while snuggled up in bed with our kids. On Saturday Vern humored me while I shopped at Ben Franklin for supplies to make hair accessories for Maxi. I found the cutest beads and charms! This daughter of ours is going to have enough hair ties and barrettes to last a lifetime :)
Vern had purchased a new cold smoking tray we were anxious to try. He used apple wood sawdust to smoke cheddar,sharp white cheddar,Gouda and Havarti cheese. 4 hours later it looked and tasted de-lish! He also figured out a way to seal the pieces into small packages with the Food saver .Now we wait impatiently as we let them set for one week. One very long week. Again,I find myself bragging but wow..he's such an awesome boyfriend!

  Do you all remember when we went to Sekiu last? Mid February I think. The when we got home and I got the flu and took another day and a half off. Since then,my work schedule has been completely booked with no end in sight! Finally this week I am feeling caught up and beginning to have some free time and a lighter load. I am so grateful to have so many loyal clients but at times I admit the numbers are overwhelming! Perhaps the day will come when I feel well enough to work 5 days a week..until then I love my bonus Tuesdays off. This Tuesday I am hanging out with my 4 year old friend Maddison. We have big plans to make cupcakes and a giant cookie cake with my new cake pans! I am also hoping she and Maxine have lots of play time.That daughter of our is so full of love and energy! Perhaps by the end of the day both girls will be worn out? Two Mamas can only hope!
Off to bed,my Monfriday alarm will be sounding early enough. I pray Monday is gentle on the rest of you :)

3

3 years ago....

God answered my prayer.

He gave me the precious gift of true love.

3 years ago...

I learned to live and love like I never had before.

I owe it all to Vern.

Thank you for loving me :)

Not only with your words but also with all that you do to show me.

Thank you for making me smile  so much:)

                                                  Thank you for making me a Stepmom

                                                         and bury hidden treasure...

                                           and climb through the rainforest to find mushrooms,

                                                        did I mention laugh...and smile,

                                                                      the fun of pull tabs,

                                                              beaching and boating 101,

                                                                             kite flying,

                                                            watching a boy become a man,

Thank you.

I love you,

with all my heart and soul Vern.

Happy Anniversary!

Cheers to 3 years and many many more!

Spring Quotations

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  ~Charles Dickens

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  ~Ruth Stout

Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.  ~W. Earl Hall

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.  ~Margaret Atwood

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.  ~George Santayana

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." --Greek proverb

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."-- Abraham Lincoln

It's My Monfriday!

Monday was good to me.
I worked a light schedule and got to go home an hour early(this NEVER happens)

We threw a pan of cabbage rolls in the oven for dinner, Wah la!( I love those make ahead meals!)

With my spare time and energy I was able to catch up on dishes and floor cleaning.

2 dogs +Spring+ white linoleum= muddy paw prints

Now I can sleep in and "play" on my day off tomorrow while feeling zero guilt!

Funny thing is..I want to bake cupcakes and make soup!

IF the weather cooperates tomorrow I am going to start working in the yard.

My garden bench is a mess and my flower beds and garden need to be tilled up.

I am allowing myself to finally have Spring Fever because technically it's Spring....

somewhere out there...?

ALSO,I have wanted a carpet shampooer of my own as long as I can remember.

I was telling Vern how badly I wanted to buy one (for our 2 rooms of carpet ha ha) and he informed me that he already owns one!

Yay!
He retrieved it from his Mother's house yesterday and is getting it all fixed up for me,
I can't quite explain in words how excited this makes me!
In my defense my Mother was a frequent carpet shampooer.
I think it's hereditary.
My parents installed off white carpet when I was a teen and they still have that same perfect unstained carpet to this day.
Just sayin' ...:)
So many projects waiting to be done *sigh*
I think I will decide tomorrow after I sleep in and have some coffee
:)

Next Time It'll Be 20....

This weekend I accomplished a new personal record!

15 "Make Ahead Meals" in one day!

2 large lasagnas

3 dozen meatballs

3 meat loafs

1 large pan of cabbage rolls

3 small pans of cabbage rolls

1 large chicken enchilada casserole

1 large chicken broccoli casserole

and 1 small chicken casserole!

It was 6 hours of cooking and a TON of dishes but I admit I loved doing it :)

The pay off...

No cooking for the next month,

homemade dinner despite our busy schedules,

lots of leftovers,

no casserole dishes to clean (I used cheap aluminum pans),

saves money AND

the stress of always trying to think of what's for dinner !

I made all of this with 5 lbs of hamburger and 2 1/2 pounds of chicken,

that equals a 1/2 pound of meat per meal yet with the addition of recipe fillers like rice,beans and noodles everything had PLENTY of meat (even for these carnivores)!

:)

Blogaholic?

This evening I learned that one of the blogs I follow is coming to an end. It's a home interior blog with great photography.The blogger has decided to stop blogging because she feels it takes up too much of her time. Time she would rather spend with hobbies and loved ones. I think it's fantastic that she is doing what she needs to do to be a good wife,mother,friend etc but I am left feeling a little sad and confused. She started her blog 1 year ago as a simple way to share her love for refurbished antiques and whatnot..now she has a blog with a bazillion followers,give aways and all other sorts of blog extras. The obligation just became too much and blogging became a second job. How sad! I think blogging should be for fun and a way to share what you love! Somewhere she lost that and she admits she stressed over every photo and word in hopes of always creating a "perfect post". Whoa. This almost leaves me completely confused until I remembered my own confession weeks ago. Blogging honestly. I felt myself falling into the same trap. The pressure to blog regularly,include photos and tell a great story. And then I got real.My life isn't always a great story,or photo worthy or regular!So I sent the proverbial monkey on my back a packing and started blogging from the heart. Posting pics without editing,sharing what I think is worth typing and at my own pace.I know I don't have many followers and usually my blogs don't even have comments..but it doesn't really matter.
I blog for myself-there are just too many thoughts in my head not to share.
For Vern-the awesome boyfriend who reads because he loves me and cares about how I feel,smart man! For Grandma Ellen-Our new dear friend and the woman we adopted Maxine from. She gave us a precious gift to add to our family and only asked one thing in return,that I keep in touch and send photos. I was so happy to share the link to my blog with her and I know I have at lest ONE follower that is as crazy about her as we are :)
For Melody-the dear friend and my favorite blog to follow! The Jesus loving, stay at home Mom with 3 small kids and an awesome old house that her and her husband are renovating room by room. She tells the stories of her busy days in a way that always brings a smile to my face. Her faith is so strong,honest and true that is has become an important source of fellowship for me :) Thank you Melody!
For Jessica-my best friend. Many miles keep us apart and I am horrible at calling and emailing yet she understands and loves me anyway...and reads my blog :)
For anyone else out there who feels overwhelmed with creating a perfect blog-Stop it! Blog what you love,blog what you know but mostly just blog honestly :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday

The fun of growing out a puppy's hair..in pictures.

This is the clip we use once in awhile during her frustrating grow out stage..it makes me laugh,she growls at herself in the mirror LOL!

 Mommy playing with the retro camera app on her smart phone..

 At the Vet getting the last of her puppy shots "Get me outta here!"

One last photo of Maxine in her silly clip,it's worth it to see her pretty face!