A Welcome Surprise

A little over a week ago, I finally planted our garden. I showed you the tree stump we found after digging out the old, overgrown plants and weeds.

This is what it looks like now:

 Liriope, White Coneflower and Star Gazer Lilies

 Caladiums and Dahlias

Watermelon Gerbera Daisy 

After the Lilies bloomed

Matt and I like it because it is simple and there is room for these plants to fill out without one day being overgrown. One amazingly welcome surprise:

These Spring bloomers opened up in the Summer heat at the end of last week. Not only do they look amazing (one of my all time favorite flowers), they smell so fragrant we smell them as soon as we open the front door to leave the house and as soon as we open the car door after we return home. They smell so good!

Winning Work

One of Matt's love languages is service. It's good for me that doing things for him makes him feel loved because that is certainly what most of my day is comprised of...making sure the house is clean, straight, organized; making sure he has breakfast, lunch and dinner; cleaning and ironing his clothes. I even make a point at night of turning down the bed and setting up his coffee to start automatically in the morning. He knows I do these things to express my love for him and he often acknowledges it as such.

Although I work hard to keep everything caught up, I still fall behind on occasion. When I think of how much time will go toward caring for our children one day, Lord willing, I get a little intimidated. Over these first few months of marriage, I've wondered, will Matt feel less loved, or even unloved, when the house isn't quite so squared away? For a while I even worried.

Service is not one of my love languages, so it's not natural for me to value the constant demand of cleaning, etc. I have to work at it and determine to stay on top of it.

In our premarital counseling, a common question in our booklet was to name 3 things we would like the other person to do in this or that area of our marriage. The idea was to set the bar low for the other person to make the goal attainable, so we were encouraged to pick the three most meaningful things. Thinking about that more after reading a Christian book on marriage, I asked Matt for three things he'd like me to do around the house that would make the most difference for him.

He immediately blurted out, "Make the bed!" It took him a while to choose two more and I honestly can't remember what they were. Based on his reaction many a night after coming home, I've added "Keep a pitcher of sweet tea in the frig."  

My goal is to do the things that mean the most to him every day no matter what. I think that will help him feel loved, help me not feel overwhelmed and hopefully help me avoid criticizing myself for not doing better.

After all, I am praying for God to fill these :) 

When He does, I'll need all the helpful tips and encouragement I can get.

My Favorite Entertainer

Last night when Matt went to our room to shower before bed, I went up to read. Normally, I'm not there when he showers. When he looked over at me propped up on the bed, watching him more than focusing on my book, he warned that he'd do what he'd normally do if I wasn't there. 

He promptly turned toward the mirror and posed. Flexing muscles like a body builder. Pointing at himself through the mirror and saying, "Yeah!" Sucking in his stomach saying, "Before Kim" and letting it out saying, "After Kim." All while having the biggest grin across his face, knowing he was providing me the entertainment I'd hoped for...

In case you were wondering, we have fun around here :)

Picture Perfect, Part 1

A friend put together a prayer book using photos of everyone she wanted to pray for routinely. She sent me a text one day showing me our page in her book, saying she was praying for us. 

That inspired me to do the same (though the construction of mine is still in progress).

I find it challenging to keep up with the endless lists of specific things that need to be prayed for, so the picture idea sounded perfect for me. Each time I see a friend or family member's face, I run through what I know is going on in their lives and pray for everything that comes to mind.

This approach puts the focus on praying for the friend and all that's happening in her life rather than limiting my prayers to a specific request that may have been mentioned. It seems a much better way for me to intercede. 

Thank you, Kandice, for your prayers for us and for sharing this wonderful idea (and thanks to Kim who shared the idea with you)!

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," Ephesians 6:18 

Faux or Real

Even though I haven't finished reading the book yet, I think I may have come across my favorite part. It's a chapter about love and how to tell the difference between faux love and real love. If you know me well, you know this is a struggle I've experienced in all of my relationships.

The author talks a lot about warning signs to see if what you may have had when you married was actually faux love. He says some of those signs are: misunderstanding, conflict, separation, disunity and physical dysfunction. If a couple is struggling with these things, it is an indication there isn't a proper foundation of real love in the relationship. 

He says some couples marry because of physical attraction; some because of emotional connection; some because of cultural similarity (having similar interests and/or backgrounds); and some because of spiritual commonality. Tripp explains that faux love is when one person marries another because of what she can get out of the relationship, how she benefits, how he fits into the picture of the life she wants. 

When reality hits and she sees his sinfulness and her expectations aren't met (and vice versus), problems begin to increase. Tripp offers a solution to this problem in marriage...an all too common problem. He clarifies what real love is, encourages couples to change their perspective and challenges them to learn to love their spouses with real love. 

As I've read other Christian books on marriage, I've learned that there is a question in the heart of every woman that begs for an answer, every day. She continually asks herself, "Does he really love me?" No matter how solid of a relationship a woman has in marriage, apparently, it is "normal" for her to confront this question often. 

The blessing of this chapter in this book at this time for this analytical girl: affirmation that the relationship I think I have with my husband is the relationship we have. 

It also presents an excellent challenge to continue daily dying to self and putting his interests before my own. Spiritual challenges are so helpful...

Unpleasant Surprise

Our front flower bed needs a lot of work. I'm not sure what effort was put into it in the past, but it had developed into a shabby mess. So much so, there was no clear picture of what was purposeful plant growth and what was weeds. 

Two overgrown bushes pressed against each other and took over about a fourth of the entire garden. One of them pushed against the fence and along with some low growing ground cover underneath, hid this beauty: 

A tree stump. We found out from a neighbor that it must have been the original tree planted when the complex was built. When digging in his front flower bed, he came upon an old stump not unlike this one. He managed to dig in there and get his up...somehow. 

I have enough determination and tenacity (I am my mother's daughter) to get after this tree stump and remove it. As it is, it sticks above the soil, when it's leveled, and takes a fair amount of garden space out of use.

Even though I have dug down deeply in search of those roots, the farthest I got was to the metal arched ring they put around the tree to mark the boundary of the bed around it. It appears from that, there is at least another foot or so of digging before hitting the roots. 

Matt and I discussed options and it looks like we'll be borrowing a chain saw to cut the trunk much lower and then we'll push a foot of soil back on top. As we have ventured into this gardening project, Matt has learned projects with Powers women tend to grow. :)

Indulgences

There are a few foods on my list I must avoid (or else use great restraint) or I'll eat the whole bag in one sitting. Here are a few that stand out in my mind today: 

What are you tempted to tear through in one sitting?

Hardworking

With Matt's right hand man out on short term disability with a head injury (from a car accident) and with my recent inspiration drawn from the FlyLady, we've worked really hard this week. If you had a glimpse into our world last night and this morning, you'd have a better picture. 

Three times last night before bed, Matt reset the alarm for 30 minutes later. First, it was set for 5 a.m. Then, 5:30 and finally he said, "Who am I kidding?" and set it for 6 a.m.

This morning the alarm went off and we both hardly budged. As we continued to lay there, the coffee started perking. I finally rolled over...toward Matt and started rubbing his back, arm and shoulders trying to help him "come to" as pleasantly and gently as possible. At some point, I put my arm around him and leaned my face against his back...and fell back asleep! 

When I woke up, I remembered a dream! How on earth did I dream during that short nodding off?!?! What I dreamed was quite amusing.

I dreamed that several people showed up at the house to take a tour to see if they wanted to buy it. When I greeted them at the curb in front of the house, I apologized for not being dressed (yes, I was in my gown...outside)...and I went on to explain as I led them through the garage (which we don't have here) that I wasn't dressed as I would have liked because my husband and I got a late start to our day. For some reason, I led them through the house and into the bedroom where Matt was still in bed. As he stirred under the sheets, I remember thinking..."Well, maybe we'll sell this place...that will be a relief." That is when I woke up. 

Matt was still comfortably lingering in bed and I wasn't any more motivated to get up than he was. Usually when he rolls over, that's the first step to him popping up to get out of bed. This morning he faked me out because he rolled and settled back in twice before the final roll out. :) 

I think this may have been one of those mornings when the bed was all too inviting...for both of us...

Babycentric

This is what my Facebook News Feed looks like these days: 

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I enjoy seeing all of these sweet little faces, but it seems strange to me that I'm seeing this volume of baby pictures all of a sudden. I thought this trend would have hit my page when I was much younger. :)

As it is, the more I see these pop up on Facebook, the more I want one of my own...

FLYing

If you haven't heard of it yet, you should check out a website a friend recommended to me. It's FlyLady.net. You won't be disappointed. 

The Fly Lady website has a lot of ideas for how to break down the task of taking care of our homes. She recommends developing small habit by small habit toward turning your home from chaos to clean.

Although I've been developing habits and routines for our home naturally over time, this website gives very specific guidance that will help me focus on developing habits and routines in areas I hadn't thought about yet. The website also offers a lot of ideas for how to make a big difference in a small amount of time. [Regain control of hotspots; Declutter 15 minutes a day; Shine your sink; Get dressed to shoes; etc.]

I've just scratched the surface of what the website offers, but I'm eager to see what other ideas she has to help me. My goal is to have a good routine and reasonable goals for keeping up the home before children come along. Children are a game changer, but my hope is that I'll make a smoother adjustment once I get down some of the disciplines the Fly Lady suggests. 
 
Take a few minutes to check it out...

Burgerlicious

Although I tend to have hamburgers on the weekend as a simple meal option, sometimes it's a good option mid-week when I realize all of the meat I have in the freezer would require marinading overnight or cooking in the crock pot for several hours and I don't have enough time for either before dinner. It's especially nice when I have a few extras like ripe avocado, bacon and the ingredients for a special sauce.

When I have all of the extras, we end up with burgers that look like this:

The proportions are not distorted in this picture. The burger was about twice as tall as it was wide. It was a bit sloppy to eat, as everything wanted to ooze out of it, but boy it was good!

To replicate, you need: romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese slices, sliced tomato, avocado, red onion, bacon and campfire sauce. Matt and I particularly enjoy Red Robin's Campfire Sauce with fries, onion rings and on our burgers.

When I make a burger with bacon and avocado, I use the Campfire sauce for sure. It's a great flavor combination. Here's the recipe I found on the web: 

Red Robin’s Campfire Sauce

TIME: Prep: 5 min.

Ingredients:

·      1 cup mayonnaise , use Best Foods brand

·      1 cup barbecue sauce , use Hickory Honey Sweet Baby Ray's brand

·      1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.

Refrigerate to blend flavors and then serve as a dipping sauce for french fries, onion rings or other foods you like. Yield: 4-6 servings. 

Note: I didn't use the recommended brands. Just use real mayo and some sort of honey barbeque sauce. What I like to use is Kraft Thick and Spicy Honey Barbeque sauce.

On Fatherhood

As I've been reading The Father Connection, appreciation for my Dad has grown deeper still. One of the studies cited in the book speaks of how crucial the connection is between father and child. The author makes clear that this high importance does not negate the importance of and need for moms. What it indicates is that when mom was there being a good mom, she cannot compensate enough for the absence of the father. Realistically, there are more moms doing a good job of being a mom than there are dads doing their fathering well.

My Mom is unbelievably outstanding and I've always been tremendously blessed to have a phenomenal mom who does whatever it takes to be not just a good mom, but a great one. As great as mom has been, I still could have ended up going down the wrong road in life. I'm that kid...the one who needed not only a great mom, but a good dad as well. One who was invested in my life and who gave me attention, love and care.

I've always believed that even if Dad had not been there, my sister Tracey would have turned out just as great as she has, by the influence of Mom alone. She always was stronger emotionally than me. My suspicion has been that without my Dad being involved, without him being present and caring, I wouldn't have turned out well at all. I don't even want to think about what I'd be like if I hadn't had the love and care of either parent.

My parents raised me very well. They've both done a great job. Mom sacrificed more in the day-to-day of caring for every need. She is a special gift; a treasure. She has a special place that no one else can take...she is Mom. Dad, my Dad, is a special gift as well; one that seems to be rare as I've watched friends' dads over the years.

In honor of Father's Day (although a bit late), I want to say thank you, Dad, for being the father I've always needed. I love you!! 

Happy Father's Day!!

Dad's gift for Father's Day (If you knew him, you'd know this was the best gift
I could give him :)

Shepherd's Pie

For a while now, I've been meaning to make Matt some Shepherd's Pie for dinner. The recipe I found looked good, but it did not look simple. For this one, I had to psych myself up before making it. 

Even though it took a while to pull off, it was worth it. 

I recommend you try it. Here's the recipe: 

Shepherd's Pie

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

TIME: Prep: 45 min. Cook: 45 min.

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.
 
I used 4 large white potatoes for this recipe and only a little over a pound of lamb because of how it was packaged at the store. When I make it again, I'll probably increase the amount of lamb to a pound and a half as the recipe calls for and reduce the amount of potato to 3 large ones. That should improve the ratio of meat/veggies (Matt's favorite part) to potatoes.

Do you have a recipe for Shepherd's Pie that you like? 

Lock Out

It finally happened. I inadvertently locked myself out of the house when putting out the trash. 

We rent this townhouse. It didn't take long to figure out the latch on the front door has to be manually flipped from the inside or it stays locked from the outside. 

Matt and I have each locked ourselves out a time or two. The habit that's helped me is that I always take my keys with me when I walk out of the door...just to be sure. It has offered me a measure of security over the years even though I know there's no logical way that I might be locked out, since I leave the door open, unlocked or both when I go outside.

Since living here, that habit has blessed me greatly when I've come back only to find the door shut on it's own and was locked. When Matt has been locked out, it was easy since I was just inside. No major catastrophes...until the other day.

They've recently changed our garbage schedule and with it not only did they drop a day they used to pick up, apparently they also are coming earlier on Tuesdays to pick up. I heard the truck. I bolted up to get the bags out of the door because I only had a couple of minutes at best to get it to the curb in time. 

The only problem: I was still in my sleep clothes with no shoes. I rushed frantically and got it out just in time. 

The bad news: As soon as I turned and opened the outer glass door, the suction pulled the inner door closed...and it was locked. So there I was, wearing this: 

Short gown, sweatshirt and black rimmed glasses

There was no way you were getting to see me in it! ;)

No keys in hand. No cell phone. Not appropriately clad. No make-up. Wearing my glasses. Wearing Matt's flip flops. Hair disheveled. Let's just say I was a sight. :) 

It's a good thing my neighbor was home...and has internet service since I don't have Matt's phone number memorized. After a quick search, I made the call and he was in his office. Whew!

Does it sound like I'm telling you about my nightmare last night? I'm not. 

Fortunately, Matt came to my rescue. He was very pleasant about the whole unfortunate situation. 

As I visited with my neighbor, awaiting Matt's arrival, I learned they were going out of town the next day. Timing is everything...

Mediterranean Fare

When I browse cookbooks, food magazines or allrecipes.com, one of the things I look for are simple recipes that require less time to prepare and cook than a typical weekday meal. My plan for meals includes a couple of simpler meals over the weekend.

Depending on when Matt is home, it may be Saturday lunch; depending on evening plans/date nights, it may be Friday or Saturday night; but always on Sunday nights I plan one of these simpler meals. At this point, I limit myself to 2 meals per week of the simpler kind. 

It may be grilling hamburgers or brats with a side of fries, making grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, making deli sandwiches with chips or something else along those lines. Recently I found this recipe and thought I'd add it to the mix: 

Grilled Chicken Flatbread Pizza

TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 12 min.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed
• 1 (10 ounce) tub PHILADELPHIA Reduced Fat Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
• 1 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast, grilled, sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
• 1 cup sliced drained canned artichoke hearts
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 tablespoons KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil (Substitute 2 teaspoons dried basil)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat pizza dough into 16x12-inch rectangle on lightly floured baking sheet. Bake 10 min.

Spread crust with cooking creme; top with chicken, peppers, artichokes, basil, salt, pepper and cheeses.

Bake 10 to 12 min. or until mozzarella is melted and crust is golden brown. Top with basil. Yield: 8 servings. 

Even though artichokes are not a favorite of Matt's, he liked this. If you like Mediterranean fare, you should try it. 

Odd Source

These days I'm finding inspiration in all sorts of places; yet, I admit I'm a little surprised I found inspiration here: 

Last year, Wendy's offered a salad with strawberries and blueberries. One day when my parents were here helping me move all of Matt and my things in the house we're renting, I gave it a try. It was so good! 

Ever since then I've remembered what was in it and thought I'd have to make it at home someday. Matt and I both enjoy salads with our meals. In fact, it's a favorite side item for us. Finding good tasting salads that are unique from one another is a goal of mine.

Even though I didn't have any of the right dressing in the frig, I finally got around to making it the other night. This was the result: 

What's in it? I used Romaine lettuce (and some spinach I needed to use), strawberries, blueberries, pecans and Asiago cheese. 

The dressing I made was supposed to be a raspberry vinaigrette, but unfortunately I didn't have raspberry preserves (as I thought I did) and used blackberry preserves instead to make a sweet, smooth fruit dressing. Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try:

Red Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      1/4 cup rice vinegar (red wine vinegar would likely be good as well)

·      3 1/2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam or preserves

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, rice vinegar and raspberry jam in the container of a blender. Process until smooth. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Yield: 2-3 servings. 

Although it may have been an odd source, I was pleased with the results. The salad was delicious! 

A Joyful Heart

The other night, Matt took a page out of my book. He went up at just after 9 p.m. to shower, get ready for bed and then read until 10 p.m. before calling it a night. Before heading up to our room, he announced his plan (I liked that :). 

By the time I finished what I was doing and was ready for bed, he was already reading. I got in bed to read as well. Before reaching for my book, I couldn't help giving him some attention. He was laying on his side away from me, comfortable and focused. 

His

Hers

For those of you who know me well, it doesn't surprise you to hear that I put my arms around him and started in with some sweet words :) He gave me a sweet response, but I quickly backed up into my spot apologizing for interrupting his reading. That's when he made me laugh. Hysterically. 

He said, loudly, "Yeah, woman! I can't believe you'd interrupt me when I'm reading my marriage book...how dare you try to be close to me when I'm trying to learn how to be a better husband?! What are you thinking?!" he continued pretending to rail as I threw my head back in laughter.

I love how he makes me laugh...

"A joyful heart is good medicine..." Proverbs 17:22a

Internationally Inspired

On Saturday mornings, I like to make a big breakfast for Matt. Right before my head hit the pillow on Friday night, I realized I didn't have the ingredients to make any of my typical choices. As I brainstormed, it occurred to me to try out a couple of dishes I haven't exposed him to as of yet. 

Recently a friend taught me how to make Huevos Rancheros. Matt likes salsa, egg and cheese, so why not?! His only comment: "Next time go nuts and add some chopped ham...or chorizo." haha

He likes meat with every meal and I failed to notice this time. I rectified the situation by cooking him some bacon :)

Another friend taught me a few years ago about a common breakfast served in Austria. On one of my last trips to the grocery store I bought the ingredients to make it for myself, so on Saturday I decided to try it out on Matt. These are the ingredients for the Austrian breakfast dish: 

Whether or not you like cereal, this dish tastes great! Pour granola in your cereal bowl. Add the full container of strawberry Yoplait Whips and a little milk to smooth out the yogurt. Stir it well. If you have some fresh strawberries, cut up and add a few. That's what I did for Matt and it was a big hit!

Try it...I think you'll like it.

Rock-a-bye Baby

Have I told you? No matter if it is a car, a plane or a boat, I'm likely to nod off to sleep. Just like a baby. 

As it was over Memorial Day weekend, I was lulled to sleep in the car on our drive to Fox Lake. I was lulled to sleep in the plane on the way home. It's a wonder I wasn't lulled to sleep on the boat.

 I've always been a good sleeper :)

That's my sister's arm and hand. I was leaning on her with my pillow in the backseat on a road trip.

It was a beautiful and relaxing trip along the water. I think the only reason I held out was that it was way too interesting to draw my mind into the inactivity needed for sleep.

The reason I bring this up...I have to laugh at myself for falling asleep on the plane home. We only had 4 hours of sleep the night before. Matt said he could almost sleep on that flight (and he can never sleep during travel). I could not keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried.

Since I was in the middle seat there was nowhere to rest my head. The seat wasn't angled back enough to provide sufficient support, so my head just rolled over to the side in an awkwardly (no miserably) uncomfortable position. Twice...count it...Two Times, I woke myself up with a snorty snore. 

You know what I mean...you are breathing through your mouth as it hangs agape and all of a sudden it snarfles. Your throat gives a snorty sound; it is actually a brief snore...a throaty rattle...as you inhale. (Don't you feel better now that I've described it fully?!)

When it happened, I woke up, immediately looked at Matt (insecurely...like "did you hear that?!") and then rested my head back against my seat (satisfied). He merely looked up from his magazine briefly without a distinct reaction; however, as he turned back toward his magazine he did turn up the corner of his mouth in a slight...slightly amused...grin. Shortly thereafter, I dropped off to sleep and did it AGAIN! 

If I could have stayed awake, I would have...just to avoid repeating that again. Matt was gracious not to tease me after I'd done it twice! I sure wasn't going to tempt him with a third time, if I could help it. As it was, I had to be grateful for a husband who doesn't make fun of me (most of the time ;) and an airplane full of people who also were asleep. :)

An Indoor Baby, Getting Outdoors

Since I post an entry almost every day, you may think I write daily. That is not usually the case. Normally I write a few posts at a time to catch you up on all of the latest happenings. It's all tied to when I download the photos from my phone and camera. 

As it is right now, I'd hoped to get online and post an entry each day while in Indiana. It would have been a new approach, but there wasn't time to write enough posts in advance. With all of the activities and distractions, it only crossed my mind once.

With full days planned for the last two days of this short week, today is the only day I have to get things done at home. So far, I've washed clothes and cleaned the kitchen. Right now, I should be working in the garden. It is quite overgrown with weeds.

It is not in this state due to complete neglect. Two or three times since we've lived here, I've weeded the area. As I learned from my Aunt-In-Laws this weekend, who each have a green thumb, a garden done right from the start isn't so problematic with weeds. My deduction is that the garden here was never done right. The weeds come back way too fast.

Watching them work in the yard a bit at Aunt Amy's house over the weekend has inspired me to get in there and correct the problem. Even still, I find myself playing to my own strengths...writing posts for the blog instead. 

Responsibility is about to kick in, so watch out garden, here I come!

The Garden, "Before" (actually after I ripped out all the horrible overgrown, shabby plants :)

The Road Home

Our trip home from Indiana was not without some difficulty. We had an early morning flight out of Chicago, so we were up at 2:30 a.m. to make the drive. We returned the rental car, took a transport bus to the airport and checked in for our flight. Fortunately, we were not rushed and had plenty of time to eat breakfast as we waited to board. 

The flight out was non-stop, but the return required one stop. What I'm finding each time we fly is that no matter how short the trip, we have to take two flights either on the way or the way back to get the best price. This was the first time our stop was in Philly. The timing for the schedule was perfect. 

We had just enough time to deplane and walk to the other gate before the scheduled time for boarding the second flight. The hitch...the A/C wasn't working on the plane. Mechanics were trying to fix it so we could proceed without too much delay, but they found the problem to be more extensive.

After almost an hour of waiting, we were sent to another gate to board another plane. The flight was very short. About as soon as the plane leveled off at altitude, we began descending for our landing. 

Fortunately, even with the delay, we found ourselves leaving the airport in our car by noon. We made a quick stop for some pit beef, where I took this picture of Matt: 

If you don't know what pit beef is, Matt described it as "what Arby's tries to do." It's a heavily loaded thinly sliced roast beef sandwich. Although the sandwich does resemble Arby's Roast Beef...the difference...the beef isn't processed and the slices are thicker. :)

Since we were out of sweet tea at home and hadn't had any since the middle of last week, it was a welcome relief to see the Pit Beef stand offered Freshly Brewed Sweet Tea. We each got a mammoth cup full (that did not disappoint) and I made a mental note of all the menu options I hope to partake of in the future at this establishment (it is conveniently located 3 minutes from our house :).

I'm looking forward to the next time...

Pit Party

Over the weekend, I was introduced to a Belstra family tradition: Pit. 

Grandma and Grandpa Belstra's old set

In fact, as I was reading our photo mat signed at our wedding, I noticed Aunt Molly's message mentioned having a Pit Party the next time we visited Indiana. When I asked Matt about it, thinking it was like having a cookout ;), he mentioned and briefly described the game. It sounded so foreign to me that I wondered, asking "who made that up?" He laughed explaining that it is a game from Parker Brothers. Who knew?!

Sunday night was my initiation with the Belstra clan. Matt spent 2 or 3 minutes explaining (he really is an excellent teacher on any subject) and then we all began playing. Guess who won the first round :) Yep. Me.

They were impressed. One brief explanation from Matt. Then, I was ringing the bell to signal the round was over because I'd won. HA!

I admit. That was fun. They all looked at me in shock. 

Quickly, I explained that I have a bit of a card sharp for a mom. (And yes, it is card sharp...not card shark like most people think.) Then, I assured them that my sudden win wouldn't continue and become a streak...and it didn't. Although I managed to play reasonably well for a first timer, I ranked 5 out of 8 in the end. 

After playing, it was nice to hear them say that I've been officially initiated as a member of the family :)

A Sad State of Affairs

Culturally, it seems there are a couple of natural measuring rods for choosing a mate. One is watching the prospective spouse to see how he or she interacts with or responds to children. The other is watching how the prospective spouse interacts with or responds to dogs. 

Let me just say, it is a great thing that Matt had little time to observe me with dogs. :) I love children. If you asked me, I'd tell you I like dogs. This weekend revealed something different to me. 

This is what Matt looks like every time a dog is around: 

That's Banner with Matt at Uncle Paul and Aunt Molly's house

He stops and pays them attention immediately. He talks to them, gets closer to their level and gives them a nice hearty rub. I admit that I like seeing it. His tender heart shows through. 

I, on the other hand, withdraw from the dog and/or send him away. It is very clear to me that I don't want to be touched. No brushing of the legs with the dog's furry coat. No nuzzling of the wet nose in my hand or at my wrist. No paws on my stomach (yes, mostly these are big dogs). No licking of my legs or toes and certainly not my face. It's all bothersome to me.

Although I didn't grow up with pets and haven't had any in adulthood, I've always thought I'd enjoy having a dog especially after having children. Now, I'm questioning that. Why do I have this aversion to dogs? I think it's because they seem dirty to me. Funny, I know.

If I'm in workout clothes, I don't mind getting sweaty or dirty. If I'm dressed for work or an event; if I've just taken a shower and feel clean, the last thing I want is to feel dirty. When touched by a dog, I feel like I need another shower, a good hand washing or both. 

Over the weekend, we were asked about getting a dog more than once and I sounded way more open to it than Matt did. In fact, I told them (believing it completely) that we probably would get a black lab once we have a large yard. 

The second time we were asked, it became clear in conversation it was being offered as a good first step toward having children. That's definitely not a part of our plan. Our first step, Lord willing, will be having a baby. We may have a dog later when the children are a little older. 

It was the last time I mentioned with some confidence that we probably would have a dog once we have a large enough yard that Matt sweetly pulled me back. With an amused grin, he said something like, "We still need to talk about that some more." HA! 

After all of the times I pulled away from dogs over the weekend, he probably wondered what I was thinking. It seems clear by my actions/reactions that in my heart of hearts, I don't want a dog to enjoy for myself. It would be an annoyance and a lot of work that would not likely be worth it to me personally. Now, I realize I like the idea of having a dog for our children much more than I would actually like having a dog.

What a sad state of affairs for my dog loving husband. :-/