Just Dandy

Mums the Word

When we were preparing the land for our new home last year one thing we were both dead set on was keeping this tree you see below. It sits perfectly in the center of our circular driveway and from the very beginning I knew I wanted to build a little garden around it. We weren't able to get it done last fall after moving in but knew this summer we'd make it one of our projects. I did a little research and got information about building a circular garden around a tree....I certainly didn't want to harm it in any way and wanted to make sure we were doing everything right.

We first started by putting a barrier around the tree with cinder blocks. We plan on filling the center with small garden rocks so when it rains the water is still able to get to it. We then decided on how big we wanted the garden to be and figured out how many blocks we'd need.

After the circle was finished we filled it with soil and then came the time to choose and plant the flowers. I chose mums...perfect for this time of year and so colorful!! I'm so happy with how it turned out and will enjoy seeing it there every time I pull in the driveway!!

4th of July weekend...

Hi there! How are you all doing? It's been a little while since my last post so I thought I'd hop on and catch up.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here but the past couple of days have been sooo hot that we are either spending the days by the pool or inside where the air conditioning is. I hope you are all staying as cool as you can wherever you are!

We went away over the 4th and enjoyed some time with family. My grandparents have a home up in the northern part of Maine and we were all able to go up and spend the holiday with them. Growing up it was just a camp...no running water and no electricity. Because it was just a camp it was only used in the summer time and then closed up for winter. Every year we would go up over the 4th and spend our time there. Lots of great memories! After many years of going up in the summer my grandparents decided to make it a year round home. They remodeled it completely and lived there year round for many, many years. Now that they are older and have health problems they are back to using it just in the summer again.

I thought I'd share a few pictures from our weekend...

The kiddos enjoying some time by the shore!

 

The first thing in the morning the water is always so calm and peaceful. The only thing you can hear are the loons. Just behind the chair on the left you can see an area of dirt. Underneath that was dinner for that evening....bean hole beans!! YUM!

Whitewater rafting is HUGE up where we stayed. HUGE!! My cousin and her husband are both whitewater rafting guides and asked Kacey if she wanted to go with them on Sunday, the 4th of July.  She said she did. I don't know how many times I asked her if she was sure...I was a bit nervous about her going but completely trusted Sara & Josh.  In order for us to see her go down the rapids we had to walk to a certain spot on the river which was a bit trecherous. Through the woods, uphill, downhill, muddy, buggy and then a steep walk down some rocks to get to the point where she would be going by.  They told us a rough time, about 11:30-12:00, that they should be passing that area. We were told that it was about 3/4 of a mile walk in so we left around 10:30 thinking that would give us plenty of time. Unfortunately, because of how rough the trail was it took us much longer than we had planned and missed Kace going by. I was so upset but we'll know for next time to give ourselves more time or maybe take another trail...one not so rough. We did get to see a video of her once we got back to the rafting company. She did SO good! So very proud of her for wanting to try it! Much braver than her Mom, that's for sure! She said she almost fell out once...she flew up in the air and landed in the middle of the raft on her knees! Phew!

We were able to snap some shots of other rafters coming down the river and this is by far my favorite. This gentleman must have been in his 70's. Just seeing him and the flag waving behind him brought tears to my eyes!!

A couple more groups coming down.

 

Kacey asked me if I'd go with her next time and I told her I would if she wanted me to. But looking at this picture makes me want to rethink my answer!

On our way back home...Murphy was exhausted! There were 4 other dogs at camp with us and he had a ball with them! The minute we put him in the truck for the long ride home this is where he stayed!

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share our weekend with you! I hope you all enjoy your day!  

 

They call it puppy love

 

Just had to share a few more pics of our first few days with Murph!
 

Meet Murphy

 

I wanted to pop on and share a picture of our sweet boy, Murphy!  We brought him home early this afternoon and couldn't be more happy!

A few tidbits...

Isn't it the little things in life that make us happy! Truly, I could not be more happy today. The window is in and looks A-MAZING! And the sun is shining brightly...couldn't have picked a more perfect day to install it! I did snap a few photos and will hopefully get those uploaded tomorrow morning!

Remember this post? So hard to believe it's been 5 years that have passed since that day!  During this time every year R and I find ourselves going back and reflecting on everything that has happened since then. It's been such a journey and still continues to be...everyday, but we're hanging in there...he's hanging in there. I so wish I could change the way things are, his hurt and pain, but I can't unfortunately!

And I miss this guy...

 
Before R left for Iraq the first time we decided to get K a puppy. She is such an animal lover!! We surprised her and brought Tucker home and she was beyond excited. He was such a cute little guy and such a good puppy. While R was deployed he became my buddy...followed me everywhere and slept at my feet every night. I just loved him and so did K. To make an extremely long story short...with all that we had going on in our life we had to find him a new home. It was an extremely hard decision for me....I cried for days and still miss him. He has been living with a family here in Maine for the past 2+ years with lots of room to run and play and is very happy. We told K that after we were settled into our new home and things got back to normal (somewhat) that we would look and find another lab puppy to add to our family. So that's what we're doing! We're hoping to add one within the next few months and couldn't be more excited about it. She already has a name picked out and it just makes me smile knowing that she is going to love this pup with all her heart!!

Peace

I'm sorry I have been MIA the past week++! I wish I could say it was due to the hustle and bustle of the holidays but unfortunately it wasn't. My sweet Grammie Bev, who has been battling cancer for the past 4 years, lost her fight early Friday morning. Her funeral service was held yesterday and it was just beautiful. Lots and lots of tears were shed but also lots of laughter! She was a wonderful, strong, loving, sweet, funny woman and will be missed more than words can say!! Love you lots, Grammie!

{my dad, grampie, me & grammie on my wedding day in 1993} 

In my last post (which was last Monday) I think I mentioned hopping off the computer and getting all the kids presents wrapped while they were in school. Well, that is exactly what I had intended to do. I got all of their presents together (on the kitchen table) and then headed up to carry down the wrapping paper, boxes, bows etc. I loaded it all up in my arms and headed downstairs but didn't make it down gracefully! My right foot ended up slipping from under me and I went flying. Exactly like you see in the movies...foot slips, your body goes flying up in the air and you land HARD! I landed on the edge of the stairs right in the center of my back. First reaction, I was SO mad at myself! Instead of taking more than one trip upstairs to get all I needed to wrap I took the lazy way out and thought I could do it in one trip. I should mention that this isn't the first time I have done this. When we were living in military housing in TN I was carrying laundry downstairs (laundry room was on the first floor) and again thinking I could carry it all started my descent down the stairs. I took two steps and then went flying and this time landed on my right butt cheek. The stairs were hard wood, not carpet! I had a wicked bruise on my butt for the longest time. OK- so I definitely should have learned my lesson by now. NO MORE lazy man loads!! So needless to say my back has been very, very sore! I did go to the doctors finally last Friday(after much convincing from my family) and had it checked. All was ok...the dr thinks I just bruised it pretty badly.  I didn't get the wrapping done that day and still haven't. R is planning on taking the kiddos to the movies today so I can get it done!

We've already had our Christmas parties so the rest of the Christmas season will be spent quietly at home. Our parents will be coming over tomorrow for an early dinner and then we'll have Christmas brunch after the kids have opened their gifts Christmas morning. Other than that it's going to be relatively quiet, which I like. Looking forward to spending time with my kids while they are on vacation!

If I don't get the chance to hop back on here before Christmas arrives I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your families, hug them and tell them how very much you love them! It's never too late to show them how much you care! And if you could say a little prayer for my grandfather....that he can find peace during this difficult time, especially during this holiday season! Thank you!

Happy Holidays, my friends!!!

((((HUGS))))

  

A couple little things

Hey everyone! Just popping on to share a few pics with you all tonight!

 

First a shot of our backyard from this past weekend. Isn't it pretty?! We had about 6 inches on the ground Friday morning but it didn't last. The past few days the temps have been in the high 50's, low 60's so it's all melted away. Crazy weather, I tell ya! The weatherman said just a dusting so we didn't expect to wake up to any accumulation but it really was a nice sight first thing in the morning!

 

As you all know from my recent posts I've been painting like a mad women. I still haven't finished the foyer yet...been procrastinating about that one, plus I've had a few other things I need to get accomplished before I tackle that again. I did get all the walls painted except for the tall one though and this is the shot of above our foyer coat closet. So, so happy with it. Willow Leaf is the name and I just LOVE it!! I don't know how many paint swatches I brought home and looked through before I chose this one...I know it was A LOT!! Whoever says picking paint colors is an easy task is so wrong. And what about our name decal above the door...one of my new favorites in the house. I had been waiting to finish the foyer before ordering it and I was finally able to. The shop, Vinyl Letting, on Etsy is where I found it. I plan on purchasing a few more different ones for around the house. I love that they aren't permanent and can be taken down super easy!!

Before I share this next picture I have to give a little shout out to my friend, Wendy. Before meeting her I had never heard of anyone calling their half-bath a 'powder room'...maybe in the movies but never in person or from anyone I knew. Wendy always, always called her half-bath a powder room and I think I chuckled everytime I heard her say it. It just sounded so ritzy to me, like we should be sipping tea out of fine china with fancy white gloves and nibbling on crumpets...then we excuse ourselves to use the powder room. And now look at me...I have a half-bath and I'm calling it the same. I'm just going to have to find myself another vinyl decal ....this one saying 'THE POWDER ROOM'.  

It was so hard to get a good shot of the room due to the lighting but you get the idea. Jamaica Bay was the color of this one. I was a bit leary when I first started painting...it was a lot darker than I had thought it would be but it turned out great! Very cheery and bright!

That wraps it up for tonight! Need to get dinner in the overn...homemade pizzas! MMM

Til next time....

My new BFF

One of the reasons for me being so quiet the past few weeks is my new little sidekick....my new BFF if you will! A lot of you have asked if I had started the pump yet and the answer is YES (thanks for thinking of me btw)! I started the middle of last month and have been learning all the ins and outs of it ever since. Between being at home and teaching myself and traveling the 3 hours to my diabetes educator every week it's taken up quite a bit of my time. It's been quite a challenge but I'm getting there....figuring out and remembering all the settings, finding the perfect place to wear it not only during the day but during the night when I'm sleeping, finding the perfect, most comfortable spot to insert the infusion set...along with many other things. But as challenging as it has been it is also so, so worth it! The fact that I haven't had to take an injection by syringe in the past 3 weeks is AWESOME! 29 years of that was enough.

Thank you to all of you who have left comments and sent e-mails of concern asking about my pump. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!! I would love to hear from my fellow pump wearing cyber friends about your pump experiences....what you love most about it, least? And mostly where do you wear yours? When I first started the pump I was wearing it on my belt (like in the picture) but I have since moved it and clipped it on my pocket. Still not sure it's the perfect spot...seems like I'm always banging it against something and infact have scratched the face of it a few times already. Is there really any other place to wear it....maybe one I'm not thinking of!?

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Checkin' in

Hey all! Just poppin' in to say hi and let you all know I'm still around. Things have been rather hectic with our big move coming up. I've had no time to sit and create or post and I've been missing it...squeezing in a little time for that today. Here are just some of the things we've been doing over the long weekend....

• built a set of stairs for the back entry way
• spread a bag and a 1/2 of grass seed and 30 bales of hay for our lawn (still have about 25 more to spread)
• installed 4 ceiling fans
• installed shelving in 1 closet (still have 3 more closets to do)
• dug a 4 foot hole for our mailbox post (Rodney & Dad are over there finishing that up as I type this)
• Monday + Tuesday morning were spent watching Brody play baseball...so cute!
• bought 7 gallons of paint (still have more to buy if I can just decide on colors...such a hard decision)
• I don't know how many trips we've taken to Home Depot...I know it's been A LOT!!

I know there is more to add to the list but can't think of them at the moment and I'm sure the list will keep growing and growing until we are in and completely settled. Once you cross one thing off another always seems to pop up. We are just about ready to move in though. We met with our contractor this morning and we are now just waiting on the final inspection from the bank before we can start hauling our things in. Actually, after we get the OK I'm going to go ahead and get all my rooms painted and then move everything in. So exciting!

My postings will be sporadic til we get somewhat settled! I hope you are all doing well!!

((HUGS))

Sort, organize, purge

I'm pooped! It's been a busy two days.... a good busy....house busy which makes me oh so happy. It's looking like *maybe* next weekend will be our big move into our new home. Since all the workers were gone we decided to take a ride over after dinner tonight so the kids could see the progress. They were running circles in the living room ....they were very excited. Usually when we are over there it's a madhouse...people working everywhere, big trucks coming in and out. They usually end up staying in the truck and either listen to music, read or play their DS's. Thank Goodness they are patient kids!

Another reason for my being pooped....

 

This may not look like a huge mess to anyone but me but this is how I spent most of my afternoon and evening yesterday. With every move we've ever made I have always felt the need to sort, organize, purge... start anew. Don't ask me why...I have always been this way! I like a fresh start. So after posting my last post about using up all the drawers full of emellishments that I have (had) I had to laugh at myself....who the helk am I kidding. I've had those drawers full of stuff for years...if I haven't used them buy now I'm NEVER going to. And this is only about 1/2 of my stamping/scrapping supplies...the other 1/2 is tucked away in storage just waiting for me to go through it once we move in. It'll feel like Christmas...I forget what I have in there!

 

Atleast I made a dent with this 1/2. This baby is all going in a yard sale and will hopefully find new homes.

 

I always feel so good after reorganizing something! A nice fresh start for my new studio! The last 9 months I have been using my old bedroom at my parents house and been sharing it with the computer, sofa and another desk which is why I couldn't have all of my supplies out...there was no room left. You have all been wondering just where my new studio will be....

 

Here it is! Yup, it is a complete disaster right now. Makes it completely hard to invision a nice brightly colored, well organized, well lit space, doesn't it? 1/2 being my studio and 1/2 being a rec room for the kids. A nice L shaped desk in the corner....bright walls for a cheerful welcome downstairs....superb lighting (that is a MUST). All kinds of ideas floating around in this head of mine.

A few studios that totally inspire me...

 

 

  

  

 

I love little bits and pieces from each of them! Definitely going with white furniture and storage and an L shaped desk for the corner but as far as colors....still working on that one! It will be a work in progress but I am super excited about making it MINE...just the way I want it. I've dreamed of this for a long, long time!! I will officially be joining the basement stampers group!

Alrighty, I'm heading to bed. Up bright and early...stove and fridge are being delivered tomorrow!! :-)

More pics to come! Have a good one all!