*big sigh*

Well we survived the first half of our adventure this week.  The kids and I had two great flights and made it to Nashville around 9:00pm last night.  Only bummer is that we had a 2 hour drive from there to get to a bed and we were TIRED!  Worn out and exhausted.  Thankfully, the kiddos were able to crash in their carseats!  I couldn't have asked for better flights.  The kids were busy and wired from all the sugary snacks I was distracting them with...so by the end of the night, I was beat! Still, they both were so good.  Ella listened so well and was such a great help to me!

Here we are at RDU about to leave for our first flight...

I carried Noah in this little sling thing called a "hip hammock" so that I could have my hands free.  Ella rode in a stroller.  It worked well, but I looked like a pack mule trudging through the airport..

Ella the fashionista decided to wear her necklace as a headband.  She got lots of giggles from people she met on the flight. ;)

Saying bye bye to Daddy...

I didn't realize my camera was on some funky setting when I took these...oops!

and here's a coule I took really quick tonight.  We've had a busy day and the kids are getting tired and cranky from being out of routine.  Naps have been sporadic if any at all.  We're a mess!  So tonight we settled in early for baths and cuddles in bed.  They are both clean and resting now.  Not quite asleep yet...but getting close.  Yipeee. That means I can sleep, too!

"Princess Tiana" formerly known as "Ella" all ready for bed...dressed in her best!

Leavin on a jet plane...

Huge lack of posts. Again.  Sorry about that!  

Kiddos and I are getting really excited.  We're flying out of Raleigh on Sunday afternoon and going to see my family! This should be an interesting flight now that Noah likes to move.  Should be an eventful flight!! Ella is really excited though and I am SO looking forward to getting away a little bit.  Once we get back, we will be in back to school mode, getting Ella all ready for her first day of school!  She will be going three days a week this year at St. Timothy's and she is beyond excited!

Here are some random pictures from the last week or two!

Ella was so excited to watch the special episode of Dora's Birthday Party on Nickelodeon. She got to stay up late and we made rice crispy treats :)

Also, I pulled my wedding dress out to move it into another closet.  I haven't had it preserved or anything yet, so it just keeps getting stuffed around from closet to closet.  I really need to get it wrapped up so I can put it in the attic.  But anyways, Ella wanted to look at it and try it on!  She was literally *thrilled*.  There are no words.  She couldn't believe we had a real wedding dress at our house!

And some random play time...

Besides his blonde hair...Noah is looking more and more like Daddy every day!

Garden Update!

Thought I would give a quick garden update since this post and the next one are about food from our garden.  Most of our Summer veggies have just about run their course so I have been working on pulling them out as they die off.  

Right now, we still have lots of okra coming in, a few small green peppers here and there, tomatoes (when I can get them before the caterpillars do), cucumbers, and WATERMELON.  Lots of watermelon!  I also planed some more last week.  I went to the seed store down the street and bought Sugar Pie Pumpkin seeds and also a few more zucchini.  Since the Zucchini grow and produce fast, the guy said I could replant.  (My last ones got devoured by squash bugs).  Anyways, the man that runs the place is....hmmm...kinda scatterbrained..and easily destracted..and I'm pretty sure I came home with two envelopes labeled differently, but with the same seeds.  Maybe not.  I'm really hoping not, but so far, it's not looking good!  All the sprouts look identical so that's not helping my feeling.  I think next week I will go buy some more pumpkin seeds just in case so I can get them in the ground.  If it ends up that they're all pumpkin, then I would rather that, then all zucchini that's going to die soon.  I'll keep you posted, but we are SUPER excited to possibly have lots of pumpkins for the Fall!!

Anyways, back to the garden.  

Here's some updated pics...

The watermelon vine has taken over everything!

All of the little buckets are holding up baby watermelon.  With all of the rain and watering, they have been rotting if we don't prop them up.

This big one will be next up to eat!! Yum!

The vine is even growing outside of our garden.  I was trying to throw it back into the fence, but I gave up. Now there are 3 or 4 growing out there, too!

Okra!

Green Peppers!

 and the Tomatoes!  The plants are becoming a tangled mess! We are also having a worm problem so that's no fun!

Now for the main reason for this post.  Finally.

Wednesday night, we brought in our first watermelon that actually made it to maturity!  We were beyond excited about this.  The pics will show just how happy we were!

I dont know what it is about my garden that makes everything shaped funny.  Maybe it just shows that all the picture perfect fruit and veggies we get at the store are full of weird chemicals to make it big and pretty.  This is what real-deal, au-naturale, water and sun fed veggies and fruit look like! lol

We were holding our breath while Randy chopped it open...hoping there would be "real" fruit inside..

Yay!! It was beautiful and pink inside!

And now for a taste..

It was soooo yummy and sweet!! We were so pleased and really excited that there are lots more to come out back now!  Ella gives the watermelon a thumbs up!

and so does Noah!

In a pickle!

All Summer I have been wanting to make pickles with some of the cucumbers out of our garden.  I never seemed to get around do it, but this week I noticed we had a ton of them in our crisper drawer that were going to go bad soon. So I made my first attempt at pickles!  It was way easier than I had expected!  Kinda wish I had done this back when I had bags and bags of cucumbers instead of now when my vine is just about done producing..

For this batch, I decided to do Bread and Butter pickles because they're my favorite!

Preparing the jars..

Quick wash in warm, soapy water!

Then, right before I was ready to can, I submerged the jars into some simmering water to warm them up.

Now to prepare some cucumbers!

First, I gave the cucumbers a really good cleaning!

Don't hate.  I know my cucumbers are shaped crazy.  But they taste really yummy!

Then, I sliced them all up and put them into a large bowl.

I also kept a little "reject" bowl for all of the ones that I accidentally cut too thin (like the ones on the bottom left) and I ate those later with some dressing ;)

       Once you're done chopping, you can start making the brine? broth? pickle juice!?

I cheated on this part....

In the pot, I added 5 cups of vinegar

5 cups of sugar..made it look like this..

and here's where I cheated.  I had several pickle recipes I've collected to try...but this time I was being lazy...so I dumped in a package of pre-made Bread and Butter seasoning.  Yes, I realize that this stuff is simple to put together....the keyword in the sentence before this was lazy.  I only had a short amount of time to make pickles and do my other house chorus while the kids were sleeping.  Convenient= Good!

So for this, I used the Ball Bread and Butter Seasoning

                .

Once it came to a boil, I poured it over the cucumber slices and let them cool to room temperature.

Then, using a ladle, I packed the jars full of pickles.  Then I ladled in the extra liquid leaving a half inch of space at the top.  It was basically right about the metal cap on these jars.  

Then back into the boiling water for 15 minutes.  

Then out to cool! I tried a couple out of the bowl and the seasoning was really yummy.  We'll let these sit now for a good 4 weeks before we try them.  I got 5 jars out of this batch which I was pretty pleased with since I just used left over cucumbers!

Count your blessings...

I have been having one of those frustrating weeks where it seems like it's just one stressful thing after another.  Whether it's been the financial stress of trying to make good choices with our money, or frustration with people who don't do things they say they will, or trying to balance being at home and working, to just everyday momma/wife stress!! It's really easy when you're having one of "those" kind of weeks to do the thing we ladies do best...throw a huge pitty party!  Ha!  Sounds silly, but it's so easy sometimes for my mind to hang on all of the things that aren't going the way I want..instead of thinking about all of the things that are such a blessing in my life right now.  So this week, despite the overwhelming to urge to just throw my hands up and pout..I am counting my blessings!

Here are just a few I'll share :)

*Love, joy, hope, strength, and incredible peace from a God that has never let me go without. Always been faithful to me (even when I'm not faithful to him), and provided everything I truly need right now in life including a great church that is full of amazing people.
*A husband that is amazing.  That works so hard all the time for our family.  Who makes me laugh. Alot. Is really hot.  (That's a plus! Right???) That is the best-ever daddy to my precious babies.  Someone that just makes life better. and more fun.
* Ella and Noah.  Who made my dream of becoming a mommy come true.  That love me so unconditionally! They give the best hugs and kisses.  Always know the perfect moment that I need an "I love you mommy" or a big kiss.  Gave me the best job and made it wayyyy more entertaining than any other job I've had.  They can make my day better by just being a part of it.
*A house full of material things that some people out there couldn't even imagine having.  Yet I take them for granted! Working cars.  A huge yard with toys and fun for my family.
*My job.  Balancing work and home is hard, but I'm thankful to have a place to work where I truly love being there.  With so many people out of jobs..what a blessing to have work available!!
*Family.  That are here for us whenever we need them.  That listen to my random phone calls several times a day because Randy isn't home and I have to tell someone the cute things that the kiddos did! That  aren't close by, but that are so close to our hearts!
*Great friends.  Friends that I can call just to complain or vent. That help me make decisions and give great advice.  Friends that call just because! My Stroller Shape friends that push me physically every week. That encourage me and challenge me. Helping to make me a strong, healthy, mommy!


I could go on and on!  I love counting my blessings!  It makes everything else pale in comparison!!
When's the last time you stopped and counted your blessings???