Memorial Day

We had this bright idea to spend our Memorial Day doing something as a family.  So, we decided to go play golf.  Our day was not without some challenges....like the ominous weather and soggy fairways, but we had a great day.  

This is supposed to be a sand trap.

Cute driver.

Tee Time

"FORE!"

Suprisingly, Ross make a great caddy when he's not running off with your ball from the putting green.

A little father-son bonding

There's nothing like kicking back with a good book.  Aren't they cute?

Confessions of a self-proclaimed cheap skate

I Love to yard sale...it is honestly one of my favorite things to do...other than crafts and spending time with my family of course.  I love to plunder through other people's trash.  I had only been to one since I have been here...until this weekend.  I thought I would share some of my new found treasure.  I'm in the process of trying to pack up my house for a move.  Is it crazy to buy someone else's junk only to add to the never ending stacks of my own junk?  I think not.  Why you ask?  Because it is treasure.  Don't misunderstand me some of what you dig through is just rubbish, but if you look closely and keep an open mind you might find treasure.  Yard sales and thrift stores are treasure troves and the treasure hunt gives me a rush (I'm strange...I know.)  

I picked up these adorable lamps at a moving sale for $3 each.

Yes, you are looking at a potty seat.  Ross picked this out at a garage sale for $1.  We are trying to start potty training, but when the trainee has no interest that makes things a little difficult.  He is perfectly happy being the designated toilet flusher.  When he started calling this "Ross' potty" I got so excited.  I hope since he picked it out and it was his idea maybe he will actually use it soon.  Oh, by the way it was very clean and I thoroughly sanitized it when we got home.  I wish I would have been fast enough with the camera to get a pic of him sitting in (not on) the potty, fully clothed with the seat around his neck.  

Our next item of the day is a charming , rustic,  star wind chime being shown by my partner in crime.  Ross had fun checking out all the stuff.   I picked up this beauty for .50.  I haven't decided if I'm going to leave it the way it is, paint it, or maybe embellish it with beads.  So many options.  What do you think?

These are hen-and-chicks (I'm not sure why the pic posted like that...sorry.  Just tilt your head to the right and you'll be able to see it better.)  These are super easy to grow and very hard to kill.  I bought a bread bag full of starts for $1.50.  The lady said there were about 10 starts in each bag.  There are easily 20.  

Check out these beautiful tomato plants.  I got these for $1 each.  I thought I better get three and hopefully at least one of them will survive my tender loving care.  If you have read my earlier post you know I have had very little luck with seeds...hopefully I can keep these established plants alive and have some scrumptious tomatoes.   I can't wait for homemade salsa and fried green tomatoes.....yum.  I really hope I don't kill these.

I have killed many plants over the years, but I am getting better.  I actually have a few house plants that have survived for more than a year now....yay!  I think plants make a house feel so cozy and they add a wonderful energy to a loving home.  I bought both of these together for $5...I thought that was reasonable since the pots alone would cost at least twice that at the garden store.

I also found a twin bed with an oak head board for $15.  I'll post a pic of it later.  I took it to storage because my house is full of boxes.  

My not-so-green thumb

In my attempt to become more self-reliant, I decided to plant some veggies.  I used seed starting potting soil and planted tomatoes, cucumbers and some herbs in these cute little peat pots....I even watered them everyday (OK...almost everyday.)  Well, I did not have a planting tray for them to sit in and they were drying out way to quick.  I just could not keep them watered enough.  I decided to put them in our sled hoping that it would hold any water that drained from the pots and keep the seedlings nicely hydrated.  Well, I waited weeks for my little sproutlets to appear....nothing to my dismay.  I was so disappointed.  I figured my seeds were duds.  They were the really cheap ones...like .20 each.  I was about to give up on this whole gardening thing when the most amazing thing happened.  It rained and rained...and rained.  I know rain is a wonderful thing.  It is like a magical tonic and it cleanses the earth.  I watered and watered for weeks and nothing.  It rains for two days and voila`... sprouts.  The sad thing is out of all the seeds I planted only three or four pots have sprouted seedlings, but that's OK.  I'll take it.  At least my effort wasn't a complete bust thanks to mother nature.

Like father like son

We are going to be moving out of our townhouse soon and into a cute old rental out on a ranch. In preparation I have brought boxes home from storage to start packing.  I still have a family to care for and I am still babysitting so there is only so much I can pack up until the very last minute.   So, I have boxes everywhere.  Anyone who knows my husband knows he loves his bike and riding ramps and jumps.  The other day Ross made his own ramp out of the boxes and was trying to ride it.  I thought he was so clever.  The boxes were stacked against the door and he started playing with them.  He quickly realized he had made a quarter pipe and began trying to ride this trike up the make-shift ramp.  I love that he wants to be like his Dada.  

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  I am so grateful to be a mother.  Even on its most grueling, disgusting, and mind boggling day motherhood is still the most rewarding job ever.  The pay is lousy,but the perks are fantastic!!  Even though I go from one extreme to another on a daily basis (minute by minute is probably more accurate) all it takes is for one of my boys to say "thanks mom" or "I love you" or "please" and I'm good.  I'm so grateful.  My family gives me purpose.  

My mother once told me the older you get the smarter your mother becomes.  Wow!  My mother is a genius.  I love her very, very much.  She is an amazing woman and had to sacrifice a lot in order to raise her child the way she saw fit.  I am very grateful to her and I honor her.  I can't think of anything more difficult than to have to raise your child alone, but she did it .... and she did it gracefully.  Thank you Mom!!  I love you.

In Relief Society my husband was part of a trio who sang a special musical number just for Mother's Day.  They were wonderful.  They successfully reduced us all to a sobbing mess.  The song they sang is called "An Angel to Watch Over Me" by Sally DeFord.

Lyrics:


She watched by my cradle through long, sleepless nights
She taught me to pray as she knelt by my side
She guarded my childhood, and all through the years
She echoed my laughter, she counted my tears
In the arms of my mother, I came to believe
That God sent an angel to watch over me

She taught me the meaning of courage and faith
She taught me to live with the Lord as my strength
She taught me to follow the pathway he marked
She guided my steps when the journey grew dark
And I know there were dangers that I could not see
But God sent an angel to watch over me

She taught me to serve with a spirit that sings
She taught me to seek after heavenly things
And because of her love and her kindness and care
Because of the place that I hold in her prayers
And because of her goodness, I still believe
That God sent an angel to watch over me 

"Row Row Row Your Boat"

This was the first weekend we have had really nice weather in quite a while.  A dear friend invited us to go canoeing......We had a wonderful time and it was an absolutely beautiful day.  Thanks Louise!!!  This was a wonderful prelude to Mother's Day.

CT results

We got the results of Ross' CT scan the other day.  Everything is perfectly normal.  We don't have to go to SLC for the EEG either.  It was all good news.  So, our course of action at this point is to watch and wait....and prevent fevers at all cost (I guess that means I'll have to dose him with Tylenol if anyone with the sniffles even looks at him)...lol.   We are very blessed and I am very grateful......and yes, I'm a little paranoid too!