Vegetable Soup

My garden is now a little over 3 weeks old & so far I haven’t managed to kill anything.  In fact, things are blooming!!!  I took this picture of our peonies this morning – isn’t it gorgeous?!

I am trying to contain my excitement because my track record is completely horrible.  But, every time I go outside, a little grin plays on my face.  It actually looks good out there!  (okay, well  maybe there are two plants that look very sad.  But, that’s because I moved them from their previous location to a new one.  So, there in shock…really in shock.  But, I’m hoping it’s nothing a little Miracle Gro & sunlight can’t cure. )

Recently, I made our first batch of pesto & it was awesome.  We also had our first strawberry.  The kids would watch as that berry got riper each day & kept on asking who would get it.  Well, the time came to pick it & I was quite tempted to eat it myself!  But, I cut that little berry into five pieces & put a dollop of whipped cream on each one.  Very sweet!

The peppers & tomatoes are finally budding & the oregano is spreading fast.  I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with all the oregano.  I’m making a chicken tonight, so I guess I’ll put some on it before I roast it.

We’re also making some indoor updates.

We just picked out tile for a kitchen backsplash.  I also picked out a new color scheme for the main level.  So, we’ll have projects to keep us busy over the next week or two.  My sister-in-law, Di, is queen of projects.  So, we have her to thank for inspiring us with our current plans!

Oh, and the kids finish school next week too!

We are sooo ready for summer!!

So, this past weekend I got to take a personal trip to Nashville, TN.

I HAD A BLAST!

One of the highlights of my trip was getting to spend time with Adam’s aunt & uncle, Leslie & Jim.

I can’t even begin to tell you how incredibly generous they are.  They treated me so kindly & I had a great time hanging with them & getting to know them better.

Jim & I traveled down the Cumberland River aboard the General Jackson Showboat.  We got to see Tim Watson & had an amazing lunch.  Lots of fun!!

The next day Leslie showed me the sites of Nashville.  We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, went shopping & also enjoyed a great lunch.  I had my first plate of fried green tomatoes – they were awesome!

Tennessee is so beautiful.  I told Adam I’m ready to go whenever he is!

Thanks Uncle Jim & Aunt Leslie for letting me stay with you & treating me like one of your own kids.  Give Liberty an extra belly rub from me!

Love you!!

Yesterday, three of our bandmates took their next step.

During the second service, as we were finishing “How Great is Our God,” I turned to Chris & said, “Keep playing.”  I just didn’t want that final note to come.

Throughout the day, I kept recalling one of the final scenes from “Stand By Me.”  The one where, we watch, as each of the boys go their separate ways after their adventure.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve cherished the adventure we’ve been on as a team.  We were a band made up of people from all different walks of life, called together to share in the united purpose of serving & glorifying our God through worship.

Greg, Chika & Tony, you are all so talented & playing with you has been an honor.  More than that though, I truly consider you family & I’m going to miss spending as much time together as we have.

Here’s the little tribute Chris, Erik & I made (aka…the three amigos).

Thank you so much for all the sweet memories.

“Chase the lion”

30!

Criminy, how can you be 30?  Weren’t we just having “lunch” with our stuffed animals the other day?  On those rockin McDonald plates of course!

So, many of my memories growing up have you in them.  We were constantly playing together!  So, what kind of adventure do you think we were going to have with the huge innertube?!  This photo makes me laugh every time I see it.  I think you’re the one trying to hold that thing up, while I’m posing!  And look at your hair!  I forgot how white it used to be.

Kevin, you are an amazing brother.  And I really mean that.  I can’t recall any time that you weren’t there for me.  And that holds true to this very day.  You are generous & caring & I am so proud of the man you’ve grown up to be.  You treat Heather like a lady & I admire the way you think of others first & the sacrifices you make to help others out.

I hope you have have a wonderful day!

I love you!!

My parents are on a cruise.

Kevin & Heather are vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.

Lindsay just sent word that it’s 95° in Texas (okay, so maybe that’s a bit hot…).

Here are my vacation plans today…

Last Friday found Grady & I in the ER…again.

This is my little guy’s third round of stitches – and he’s only two-and-a-half!

The windows in our kitchen are fairly low.  Grady was running around the table, tripped & fell face first right into the window sill.  I swear, the boy only know one speed – fast.

His had a gash on his cheekbone that was split wide open.  Luckily, both Adam & I were home at the time.  I took Grady to the hospital, while Adam stayed with Ava & Garrett.

Poor Grady was crying the whole way there.  After parking, I quickly gathered him up & brought him in.  We were entering the waiting room, when I stopped dead in my tracks.  There in the room were 32 people…all in masks.  Crap! I completely forgot about the swine flu scare.  Suddenly, I realized that this was one of the last places I wanted us in.  But, you know, I do have a child bleeding all over…

I put a mask on.  Grady absolutely refused.  They got us through pretty quickly, for which I was thankful.  While there, I requested three times for a plastic surgeon to treat Grady’s face – once when we registered, once when the nurse took Grady’s vitals & once to the attending doctor.  I was told that there was no way a plastic surgeon would come in on a Friday night at that time.  So, the doctor said he treat Grady & refer him to a plastic surgeon for follow up.

Grady ended up with eight stitches in his face & a pretty good black eye to go with it.  He screamed during the entire stitching process.  He kept calling, “Help Mommy!” and “All done Mommy!”  It was horrible.  I kept on trying to soothe him by telling him “it’s okay baby,”  “we’re almost done,” etc…  I wished I would have requested that they give him something to sedate him.  I felt like we were reliving our previous ER visit.  We were out of there in about 3 hours.  I told Grady we’d stop at McDonald’s for an ice cream cone.  Poor little guy crashed though as soon as I buckled him in his car seat.

We followed up with the plastic surgeon on Tuesday.  One of the first things he asked me was, “Did you request a plastic surgeon to treat your son?”  My voice got a little stuck in my throat as I answered, “Yes, three times.”  The doctor looked at me and said, “Nobody paged me.”  I shared with him what the staff told me at the ER.  The doctor replied, “Ma’am, I’ve been called in at 1 o’clock in the morning for injuries much less severe than this.”

I was livid.

I don’t know if I’m more upset with the hospital staff for misleading me or myself for not being more insistent.  I’m still deciding what is the best action to take to resolve this part.

Anyway, Grady has another visit with the plastic surgeon next week.  He’ll have his stitches removed & then this doctor will treat him from here on out.

You know, Ava & Garrett have never been to the ER.

I guess Graders is making up for both of them…

I had such a wonderful day Tuesday!  I was really overwhelmed by everyone who took the time to either call or drop me a note on my birthday (another reason to love facebook!).  It really meant a lot & kept me smiling all day.

So, big news:

YES, I DO GET A GARDEN!!!

Ava gave me a roma tomato plant, Garrett gave me a strawberry plant & I got peppers, basil & oregano from Grady.

This week, Adam & I will begin setting up my little flower “sanctuary,” as I like to call it.  I found a design called “Breathe Deeply.”  I have a wooden bench that we’ll surround with lilacs, peonies, lily-of-the-valley, sweet violet & other aromatic plants. I CAN’T WAIT!!!

So, I have to tell you about two little “nature” surprises I got for my birthday…

As we were potting the herbs, Ava goes, “Look, Mom!”  There, on one of the plants, was a red ladybug.  Now, that may not sound like a big deal.  But, I don’t think I’ve seen a red ladybug since I was child.  All we have around here are those darn yellow asian beetles.  So, that was a sweet moment.

as for the second surprise…

(hmmm…I think I need to set this one up a bit first)

On Monday, I mowed our lawn.  Typically, Adam takes care of all the yardwork.  But, we had a busy weekend & ran out of time.  Now, Adam & I have differing opinions on how tall the grass should be.  He takes to mow the lawn pretty low, while I prefer taller grass (I’m constantly barefoot & I find that taller grass is generally softer). Since I was doing the mowing, I decided to move the blades to their highest level.

Well, it turns out, we have a den of baby bunnies in our backyard!  Adam discovered them Tuesday.  When he showed me their den I was excited, but then my stomach dropped a bit.   Can you imagine if I left the lawnmower blades on their lowest setting?  I think I may have massacred all those baby bunnies!  I mean, seriously.  I could just see little animal loving me, mowing along, thinking I’m doing a nice thing to help Adam, all the while humming a pretty tune, when “SPLAT!” – a shower of baby bunny guts suddenly sprays up in the air.  Thankfully that wasn’t the case – whew!

The bunny den is actually pretty close to our patio.  We know there are at least two bunnies in there.   There could be more, but we don’t want to disturb the den to check.  I keep an eye on the bunnies during the day by making sure the kids & the hawks steer clear.  Ava desperately wants to give them carrots.  But, we explained to her that the mama bunny comes during the night to feed them.  So, our job is to just leave them alone.

Before closing this post out, I will say to my current resident bunny family:

“You chose wisely when selecting our yard for your den.  You typically can’t go wrong with vegetarians.  But, remember the kindness I am showing you.  When we plant my garden this week, I respectfully ask that you stay the heck away from it.  You have no idea how hard I worked for it.  I didn’t massacre you.  Don’t massacre my garden.  If you don’t heed my humble request, then unfortunately you are on your own.

And I feel it only fair to warn you…my hubby just bought a new weed whacker.

Don’t tempt him.”

**Angela, perhaps your squirroon would like to pay our bunnies a visit?

by Adam Newton

It was your birthday that kick-started our relationship way back in 1997.  The summer of Guys and Dolls was one I won’t ever forget – our first kiss, our first date, our first fight, our first show, our second fight, our first long distance relationship, and then it got really exciting!

What hasn’t been perfect in our relationship  to this point represents such a small portion of our years together.  It really has been an amazing journey.  Most everything has changed since that first summer, except you.  You are still the same genuinely caring, incredibly talented and stunningly beautiful woman that I first saw cross-stitching in the Starlight Theater audition room.

I hope this year is your best yet.  OUR best yet.  OUR FAMILY’s best yet.

So, Happy Birthday, Kelly!  We love you and hope you have a great, great day!

Steve proposed on Friday…

and Lindsay said,…

“YES!!!!”

We are so happy for you guys!  Steve, we are so excited to welcome you to our family – you are in for a fun ride (just ask Adam & Heather).

And Lindsay, thank you for asking me to be your Matron of Honor.  I was so touched (hey, at least you’ll know I’ll give a rockin’ toast…).   Oh, and Ava is already telling her friends she gets to be your flower girl.

Looking forward to Summer ‘10!

Congrats again!  We love you!!