pests

i don't know if it is the age of our house, the lack of care it had before we bought it, or maybe the huge field behind us...but we have had more than our fair share of pests lately.

it all started with these little rascals:

(spotted five of these guys headed into my garden at dusk one evening)

have you ever seen the movie elf? i was picturing this scene as justin ran TOWARDS the raccoons (of course i ran in the opposite direction).

then one afternoon watering my roses i came across these nasties:

(aphids all over my roses, sick!)

but don't worry i showed these bugs a thing or two...

what will i discover next?

did you ever think life'd be this good?

justin and i were sitting outside eating dinner a few nights ago and he asked me, "did you ever think life'd be this good?"

i shook my head no and smiled. he can be soooo mushy! i love it!!

but his words rang in my ears this evening, even though he is hundreds of miles away at camp. i opened up his computer and got lost for a minute staring at this picture of our little girl (above). he has it life size on his computer screen background. i looked at her chocolate brown eyes, the wet ringlets, her gap-toothed smile, and her golden skin. (i also noticed the little boogey). i started crying. yes, it is probably the pregnancy hormones coursing through my veins but tears none the less. justin was exactly right, this life we have...even with its hardships and stresses, is so much more beautiful than anything i could have dreamed up. 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us to him be the glory..." Eph 3:20

potty

so we bought mackenzie a potty. not just any potty, an elmo potty. i hate giving into the whole marketing thing, but the truth is mackenzie is crazy about elmo. this specific potty cheers you on when you give it five. elmo's little voice gives out little encouragements like, "you're using the potty" and "elmo is so proud of you". 

when we bought it mackenzie insisted on riding home with the potty on her lap. and when we got home and unwrapped it she sat right down on it. and sat. and sat. so far no potty. 

she also grabbed the owners manual and did a little potty reading. mommy showed her exactly what to do. mommy showed her on the big potty and on the elmo potty. she laughed. oh dear....this is going to be a long road.

hot date

my mom is in town. she is watching kenze while justin and i work this week. i know i am a teacher and it is summer so i shouldn't be working. ever heard of a little thing called "summer school"? so we took advantage of nana and went out on a hot date. it was a surprise. i love surprises. 

(cellphone pictures, my apologies)

(first stop, portland art museum)

(checked out r. crumb's comic book illustrated genesis. he did all 50 chapters. it was incredible)

(than we hit up urban farmer in the nines hotel. this was our cheese plate. it was so perfect.)

let me explain for a minute about urban farmer. justin and i had not been for dinner before, although i had hit it up with the girls in the past for dessert and a bachelorette party. we ordered off the happy hour menu. it was cheap. it was good. then on a whim we asked for the cheese cart. a lovely lady explained the twelve different cheeses in great depth, and we chose three. we had a blue cheese, an aged cheddar, and a goat cheese with truffles. yum! 

lovely company, great date, amazing food, perfect night. thanks love. 

we're having a baby!

that's right. we are having a baby, due January 26th. we are thrilled. mackenzie ... well, i am not sure how she feels about the whole thing, check out the picture below.  stay tuned...i will be sure to blog my progress.

better than expected

i love to make things. however, many a homemade item has been unraveled, recycled, thrown out, or started over by me. i am my own worst enemy when it comes to creating something. the perfectionist in me sees all the little goof ups and pretty soon that is all i can notice.

justin also loves to create things, so when we work on something together he tends to even out my craziness and we come out with a decent product. i had this great idea of making a patio table out of a door. we have been wanting a larger table for entertaining and i thought a door would be the perfect size, not just any door i might add, a metal door. i love the industrial look. and somehow everything fell right into place today, from the finds to the assembly everything went smooth. this is a DIY project that i am lovin'.

first stop the rebuilding center: metal door 15 dollars. (SCORE!!!!)

 (pastel blue and dirty...eeek)

next up, city liquidators: hair pin legs in vintage teal 30 dollars (plus four additional chairs to match the ones we bought last season)

(i am loving that vintage blue color and the bottoms adjust to uneven surfaces, perfect for our cracked patio)

 (the chairs)

final destination, ace hardware: heat flange (to go where the doorknob was) and screws for about a buck fifty.

 (to fill in the doorknob hole)

the process:

 (remove old hardware)

attach new awesome legs

add crazy harsh non-earth friendly chemicals to remove old paint

scrape(gently)old paint off. we had to go back and spot check

drum roll please.....

taaaa daaaa! 

we added some candles from ikea

justin also is adding a protective coat to the top to keep the metal nice. 

we also are on the search for some sweet 50's tablecloths as the table will sear your skin right off in the heat of the day.

homemade

if you were returning home after a long absences what is the first thing you'd do? isn't that a great question? i learned a lot about what is important to me within the first 24 hours of returning home. the top of my list? my bed. i could not wait to sleep in my own bed, and it did not disappoint, i slept like a rock. 

today our little fam strolled to farmer's market (i love that i am walking distance) and purchased our weight in fresh berries. we also purchased an air conditioning unit (praise jesus), played in the sprinkler, and justin strung up lights over the patio. our backyard is beginning to resemble my perfect oasis. to top off the homecoming, we ate a delicious dinner of bbq'd pork and fresh salad from my garden. then on a whim justin ran off to the store to by all the fixin's for homemade ice cream. cheers to being home, and enjoying all that we work so hard to create in a home. 

 justin preparing the ingredients

 ready to add ice and salt and get to cranking

 justin did 98% of the labor..i just enjoyed the view 

my turn

ready to dig in and enjoy. best thing i ever tasted.

home

i am beginning to count down the days until we go home(5). it's not that this camp life is not amazing, it really is, but in the words of dorothy, "there is no place like home". 

 here are some things i am excited for:

• bbq. it doesn't quite feel like summer without it.
• drinking coffee in my chair, looking out to my garden.
• my bed
• my friends
• mackenzie having her own room.

some camp life i am taking with me:

• eating lots of dessert
• walking everywhere
• drinking water bottle after water bottle
• praying for lost kids
• playing theme songs when i enter a room, i'm thinking "foxy lady" but am up for suggestions. 

isn't that the beauty of a change of pace? it makes you grateful for your everyday life. it is like i got to take a timeout and am now ready to jump back in. well, almost ready. give me 5 days.

 

sawing logs

mackenzie has croup. for the last two nights she has bunked with us. she wakes up coughing and straining to breathe. i don't know who it scares more, her or me. this little clip was taken at nap time today. you can imagine how we are all a little sleep deprived after having this in our ears the last few nights.

the good news is that there are docs here at camp. after going down the list of home remedies they gave us (cold air, cold steam) they hooked us up with the good stuff. hopefully tonight we will all sleep a little sweeter.