Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Baseball and Softball fun!

As many of you know I am constantly on the go to either softball or baseball and I LOVE IT!!! It is sometimes chaotic but I wouldnt have it any other way!

The below baseball pictures are just a few taken by the great Amber Wilburn. http://www.amberwilburnphotography.com/


 Here is my Park Man up to bat - he ended up getting an in the park homerun!




He's SAFE!!!!!



An this one is my favorite - I love this little guy!
I can't wait - Amber is coming back this Thursday to take more and my Park will be pitching!!!


Here are a few of my little slugger - she can really bust the ball! She has really became a great little softball player. She made 2 double plays in last weeks game!  I am so proud of her!



Check out these little cuties!!!  Go Ponytail Express!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Christian Guys & Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue - by John Crist

I came across this post on Stuff Christians Like blog - if you have never been to the site - you really missing out, it's hysterical!   http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/

John Crist was a guest blogger - he is pretty funny - check it out!
**************************************************************
 
 
Doing Crazy Things With the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue


Stuff Christians (guys) Like: Doing Crazy Things With the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue



Is it just me, or does every guy know that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue comes out in February, circa Valentines Day.


Its just me? Ok…never mind. (this is awkward…)


But seriously, I polled some of my Christian guy friends, all with varying levels of relational statii (that’s the plural of status), and they all had different reactions to the swimsuit issue. P.S. I saw the cover in a gas station this morning and there seems to be less and less swimsuits involved every year. The cover model’s name this year is Lusty McLusterson. Weird. Anyway, here’s what my friends said when I brought it up:


1. “The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue comes out in February?”

This is an obvious lie. Especially because last time I was at this guy’s house he had February 15 circled in red marker on his calendar…a sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar. Got em.



2. “I called Sports Illustrated myself and had my Swimsuit Issue cancelled!”

You know what’s weird about Christians? Everyone used to struggle with things, no one ever has any current struggles. I finally got up the nerve to tell my pastor I struggled with lust and his response was (paraphrased), “oh, yeah, I understand, I used to struggle with lust…when I was 6.” Thanks pastor…that makes me feel great. The guy that calls and has his swimsuit issue cancelled probably tried to convert the customer service rep from India too. After the call, he created tracts that looked like swimsuit issues on the outside but when people open it the realize there are no scantily clad women on the Roman Road.



3. “I get the swimsuit issue so I can review the new styles so I’ll know what to buy for my girlfriend.”

Again, I’m skeptical of this guy. To protect his identity we’ll call him Mitch. Innocent Little Mitch told me he needed to keep the Swimsuit Issue a secret from his girlfriend so the swimsuit he buys for her will be a surprise. I’m sure his girlfriend will appreciate it. How thoughtful. Right ladies?



4. “I keep the Swimsuit Issue because it reminds me to pray for the girls one by one. This way I have a face (and a body) to remember.”

He’s got Brooklyn Decker’s photo right next to the photo of his Compassion Child. I should get this guy to help co-lead my new Bible Study.



Pretty Funny!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Plants are in the ground!

We finally planted all of our plants last night - just in time for that downpour early this morning! I was actually kind of nervous they would be damaged - but they looked ok this morning!

This picture is not so fabulous - hopefully I will get a better one later


Got cilantro and tomatoes - perfect for salsa!! Yummy!
 Here is a delicious recipe for Black Bean Salsa:

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (17-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper or more lime juice as necessary. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer, or with grilled chicken breast as a meal.







I wish that you could smell this Lavender - it smells so lovely!
Check out all of these fabulous uses for Lavender - Who knew?

Lemonade: Make a tea with fresh lavender leaves and hot water. Strain the water and add it to your lemonade. Put a dollop of honey infused with fresh lavender in iced tea, or put dried lavender flowers in your sugar bowl. For an unexpected surprise, add fresh lavender flowers to a very cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The wine’s fruitiness pairs well with lavender.

Grilling: Tie fresh lavender and fresh rosemary into a bundle and place it on the grill with your favorite meat (lamb is particularly yummy with lavender).

Cooking: Add one-half teaspoon of dried lavender to your favorite sugar-cookie mix, or make fresh homemade lavender ice cream. Blend chopped lavender flowers with butter for a savory scone topping.
NOTE: Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavor of lavender, the secret is that a little goes a long way.

Carpet freshener: After the fresh lavender dries, grind it up and add it to baking soda, then sprinkle it on your carpet. When you vacuum, the whole house will smell like lavender and it’ll freshen your vacuum cleaner, too.

Dog deodorizer: Rub a clump of fresh or dried lavender into your dog’s fur.

Sleep aid: Squeeze fresh lavender flowers to release their calming oils onto your fingertips, then rub your temples. Or boil dried flowers in water and inhale the vapors.

Antiseptic: Rub lavender essential oil or fresh lavender flowers on a cut to hasten healing.
 -Cleanser/toner for skin care: (especially dry or mature skin) Blend 15 drops each of rose and lavender essential oils with 25 ml of witch hazel and 75 ml distilled water (or another flower water) and apply morning and night before moisturizing the skin.

-Moisturizing the skin: Bland 3 drops of lavender essential oil with 1 teaspoon wheat germ oil (or a moisturizing cream). Apply twice daily.
-Sunburn: Due to its excellent healing and analgesic properties, lavender can provide instant relief from heat rash or red and sore skin. It can also prevent blistering.

-Make a lotion using 12 drops of lavender essential oil in 1 tablespoon of distilled water. Dab the area gently.

Potpourri: Mix dried lavender flowers with fresh thyme, rosemary or mint leaves, ground coriander and ground cloves for an aromatic potpourri.

Bath sachet: Place 2 tablespoons of lavender and 2 tablespoons of oatmeal in a muslin bag or cheesecloth, and tie it beneath the bath spigot so water flows through it. Rub the bag on your skin while bathing. Or add 1 pound of baking soda, 7 to 10 drops of lavender essential oil and a handful of fresh lavender blossoms to a warm bath.

Mister: Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a sprayer bottle of water for a refreshing room mister or a dog deodorizer.


Run out and grab you some Lavender to plant today!!! That list makes me wonder how I have
made it so long without it!




Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Garden Update

Here is a quick update on the garden. Soil and peat moss are in now it's time to go get the fruits and veggies in the ground!



And isnt this Garden sign too cute??? I picked it up yesterday at Hobby Lobby for 50% off!!


We also purchased a strawberry plant in a hanging basket about 2 weeks ago and we now have our very first strawberry - he is so cute!!!

Just about ready to be picked!!! My kids will fight over who gets the first one so
I will probably just take it! :o)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Letterboxing in Pigeon Forge

We took a little mini trip to Pigeon Forge for a long weekend and while we were there we decided to do a little Letterboxing. I love going out finding the boxes in towns we are visiting! We decided to go out on Saturday afternoon which sounded like a good idea but it got so SUPER windy - we had to hang on to Ella, for fear of her blowing away!

We made 2 seperate stops - the first one was in a old cemetery!!! Kinda creepy but super cool! The name was Shiloh Memorial Cemetery. There were graves dating back to the early 1800's - very cool! I am so mad at myself b/c I try and take a picture at every letterbox we find - I forgot the first one!!! It was so dang COLD!!!
Here was is our second find - we had to follow clues to find it hanging in one of the bushes.

And this one was our third find, it was hidden in an old stump under some rocks.
The fourth letterbox was located in a hollowed out hole in the tree - this section was very eerie!


At the next spot we found 2 hiding by The Enloch's
I really do feel a bit funny posing by headstones!

We then hopped in the car to set out for our next hunt. This one was located on a hiking trail behind a trolley parking lot. We got a little soggy at this stop due to all the rain we had on the previous day!


We really love Letterboxing - the kids have so much fun doing it! We are getting ready to hide our first one!!! You will all have to seek out The Quad KEPT!!!!


Here are a couple more pictures that I just liked from our trip that I thought I would share!



Until next time!


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Our Busy Weekend!

Wow the weekend flew by - we had so much going on it doesnt even feel like I had one! My Saturday started with my Leadership Douglas Service Project. Our class decided to revamp the greenhouse located at Douglas County High School. The Hope Project will begin using the Greenhouse to grow and sale plants and vegetables!

Here are a couple of my LD Friends after sweating it up in the HOT, HUMID Greenhouse!

On Sunday we had the kids pictures made at my friend Nicole's house.  She has a beautiful landscaped backyard! I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out! Here are a couple that she emailed - I will get the rest on a disk tonight!!






We ended the weekend by working out in our yard - just about have our garden ready to plant - Can't wait!!

Oh and one last picture - My sweet friend TL gave me some "hand-me-up's" for Ella and we just LOVED these pj's - Had to get a picture!!



Thursday, April 7, 2011

Raised Bed Garden

I am so super excited about starting a garden. We have talked about it several years but have never taken the time to make it happen! Well as most of you know Keith lost his job about a month ago and we thought while he was at home this would be the perfect opportunity to make it happen! This week is spring break so Keith and the kids are going to build the frame today - here  is how it looks so far....



Do any of you have any secrets about gardens?? Here are the things I would like to grow and if you have any helpful hints to make them successful I would love to hear them!

Green beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatos, okra and squash

Check out this Cool Potato Tower - I really want to try this:


This is great because it takes up much less room, the potatoes grow up instead of out!

Stay tuned - I hope to document this as we go, or should I say as we GROW!!!!