What a Surprise

Friday morning we were out working on the fence Blake is building when I tried to convince him to take me to Louisville to go shopping.  I am still searching for matching chairs for our dinning room table and I wanted to go to the Pottery Barn were they have a table just like ours.  Blake insisted that he didn’t want to go there.  So I said the only other one was in Cincinnati.  So surprisingly he said then lets just go up there and stay the weekend with your parents.  I was a bit homesick last week so he really knew it would mean a lot to me! 

We quickly decided to let our trip be a surprise to everyone.  I couldn’t wait to see my mom’s face when we walked in.  Blake took me home to do laundry and pack while he finished working and then we left when he came home. 

We really needed a break from everything because we have been working ourselves to death.  We didn’t have much to do on the house because we are waiting for all of the doors to come in right now so it worked out well. 

When we got to my parents house my mom was so surprised she was confused.  She couldn’t figure out why I was there or how I got there.  We had a great visit with everyone and enjoyed a relaxing weekend!  Saturday my little sister and her daughter went to the outlet mall with us.  There was a Pottery Barn store there.  They had the chairs that I had seen online but we decided the were a little too casual for the table.  We ended up having a great time shopping anyway!  I got a few shirts at the Ann Taylor store for a great price and Blake got a few sports t-shirts. 

Sunday we went to church and my brother-in-law preached since the pastor was out of town.  He had a great sermon on the biblical view of abortion and homosexuality.  After church we went out to eat with my sisters and their families.  That evening we had dinner with my parents then went hiking at a local park.  It was all so much fun! 

We did a bit more chair shopping while we were there and we think we may have found one at Pier1.  We are at least hopeing it will work until we can afford something else.    

Broke Down

Our internet has not been working and it is driving me mad!  I probably won’t be posting much until I can figure out how to fix it.  It is a problem with my wireless router.  I have tons of pictures to show everyone what is going on but I guess they will all have to wait until we are up and running again. 

Little Blessings

Sorry for my short departure the past week and a half.  Our internet has been down and we just got around to fixing it. 

Over the past week God has blessed us so much.  Last Thursday we plowed up our whole yard and put down some grass seed.  Most of the yard was just dirt so we really needed to get some grass down before we move in.  We worked so hard that day and it was really hot outside.  God has blessed us almost every day since then with some rain.  I think we only had to turn on the sprinkler 2 times.  Then today just a week later we have grass sprouting!  What a great blessing!  

Another thing I am thankful for today is that Marley is doing wonderful after we had him neutered last week.  He has healed up very good.  He never even acted like he was in the least bit of pain.  He has even started walking with me this week.  We have walked 2 miles every morning this week!  Chloe and Blake are jogging 3 miles.  I am thankful that my back is healing and getting stronger each day!

What are you thankful for today?

 

We are Back

The zoo was really hot!  But we had lots of fun.  Even though it was really hot we did get to see lots of animals.  I haven’t been there in years so I felt like it was the first time there.  They have changed a few things since then.  I did happen to get a few pictures.

  We really liked to watch the Elephants.

  Here we are trying to cool off in the shade.

  More elephants!

  Sigfried and Roy’s white tigers!

  The baby giraffe exhibit just opened the day we were there.  They are supposed to come and eat right out of your hand but they were just a bit shy on opening day.  They sure were cute though!

After the Zoo we stopped by the new Ikea store.  I didn’t find any chairs there but we had fun looking at everything especially the baby furniture!  No I don’t have anything to tell anyone but maybe (hopefully) in the next year!  We have to get the house finished first. 

The rest of our trip revolved around going to my brother’s graduation on Saturday and his party on Sunday.

 

  My grandma made such a pretty and yummy cake!  She formed the roses out of sugar!

The visit was great!  Oh and how could I forget…we ordered our kitchen cabinets too.  My mother helped me design the kitchen and we bought them from my Dad’s store.  It will be about 3 or 4 weeks before they are delivered.  My parents are coming down to help us install.  I am so excited because they haven’t made the trip down before. 

 

 

Packing Our Bags

I am supposed to be packing the car and getting ready to leave in the morning.  Blake is at school and so that leaves me to do all the work.  Somehow it always works out this way whenever we go away.  So I am washing clothes and cleaning out the car…

It is weird because we are leaving the dogs behind.  I feel really bad because I know they will miss us.  I will miss Chloe so much!  I have never been away from her since we brought her home over a year ago; she is my baby!  We moved their crates in the house and Blake’s parents will let them out and feed them.  We decided to let them sleep there tonight.  It feels so weird not having them here!

BUT since we don’t have them with us this weekend we are going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo.  I am excited because we never really get to do things like that.  Also we are going to stop at the new Ikea store that was just built between Cincinnati and Dayton.  Hopefully I can find some chairs to match my new table! 

I guess I better go finish packing.  Have a great weekend! 

Spirit Song 2008

We have been wanting to go see a concert for some time now but every time one has come up that we would like to attend something has come up.  While listening to KLove the other day we heard that Spirit Song was coming up soon and so we thought we might actually get to go.  It is a concert at Kings Island that is a 3 day event.  We will just try to go on Friday because that is the day that has the groups we would like to see the most.

We really want to see Casting Crowns and Jeremy Camp!  Blake has also never been to the park before and you get admission to the park and water park with the concert ticket.  The park is not too far from my parents house so we would probably just go there and stay the night after the day there.  The concert is July 11 so hopefully we will just about be done with the house and be ready for a small vacation.  

Ohio Trip

We are leaving Friday to go to Ohio.  (One of these days maybe we will take a trip somewhere else.)  I am really looking forward to our trip!  We haven’t been up there for about a month or so.  This time we are going for my brother’s high school graduation.  I can’t believe he is graduating.  I remember when he was born, I was 8 years old.  He is graduating on Saturday and his open house is Sunday. 

  Congratulations Jerry!

We decided that we would leave the dogs behind this trip.  We have never left them before.  Blake’s parents are going to take care of them.  I just hope they behave.  I love when taking them and my family always loves seeing them but our last trip was horrible.  It was Marley’s first time going and by the time we got home we needed a vacation…from the dogs.  They were pretty good most of the trip until the last day.  We stayed our last night at my aunt’s house and she was showing us a quilt she had made and Marley peed on it.  That was just the beginning.  Right before we left we were packing the car and Chloe ate my parents dinner.  My mom was just getting ready to put a dish of enchiladas in the over and Chloe decided to eat half the pan.  My mom thought it was funny but I was so embarrassed.  Then we stopped by my grandmothers house to get some plants she was giving us.  It started pouring down rain and so we quickly loaded everything up.  We had the dogs harnessed in the 2nd row of seats so they wouldn’t get into anything.  We were saying goodbye quickly but it was just enough time for Marley to get a hold of one of the pots.  It was such a mess and he seemed happy with his self the whole 3 hours home.   

Flowers

I have spent a great deal of time trying to get the flower beds in order around here.  I love doing this sort of stuff.  The yard still has a few years before things will start looking mature but that is part of a new house. 

  This was right after I planted most of it so it has not filled out yet.

   The beds are so big I need to find more perennials to fill it out next year.

  This was right after I pruned the Crape Myrtle so it is pretty bare.  It is now getting close to blooming!

  All the Pampas Grass that we planted around the air unit either froze last year or it wasn’t hardy here.  I have to get some more now.

  I had to move this Rhododendron 2 times before it finally would bloom for me.  The small tree behind the wind chimes is a Pussy Willow.

Now I just have to landscape the entire backyard.  (Which will actually be our front yard.)  We have lots to do there even grow the grass.  I will be ready for a vacation when this is all done!

What a busy weekend!

This weekend was good but I could really use a nap now!  Friday I went to work with Blake.  He is building a fence for the same lady he built the pergola for.  I like to go so I can hang out with her while he works.  She is like a grandma to me, which is nice because all my family is in Ohio.  After we left there I talked Blake into stopping by the JCPenney scratch and dent store we have in town.  They have all sorts of furniture and some really good deals.  The deals go fast and new shipments come on Thursdays so I figured we might find something for the house.  We only need a few things and one of them is a table and chairs. 

  This is what I found!  They didn’t have any chairs but I got the table for only 100 dollars.  It retailed at 700!  It was missing one of the two leaves that were supposed to be with it and had a few scratches on one of the corners.  Nothing that can’t be touched up.  Now I just have to find some chairs! 

Saturday Blake had his EMT class.  He only has one Saturday a month but it is 8 hours long!  So I went with my adopted grandma to some junk stores.  I found I few little treasures that I would have loved to have but I wasn’t spending any money.  After a full morning of shopping we stopped at a cute little restaurant that specialized in fried green tomatoes.  I am not a fan of those but the peanut butter pie was yummy! 

Sunday we went to church then went to pick up our tile that we have been waiting on.  We came home and worked on the bathroom floor.  It is looking so good!  We will finish it up in the morning so I will post a picture after that.  Blake is studying for a test he has tomorrow but I am worn out!  I am off to bed.  I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Please go by Diana’s blog and tell her happy birthday.  Her hubby just left town for work for the next month and she had to spend her birthday without him.  She could use some good wishes from everyone!