Weekend

Nothing like starting the summer off right! We celebrated two milestones with friends and family this weekend.

Friday started with a lovely visit from our friends Tammy and Paul! Tammy moved to IN to be with Paul and I miss her terribly! It was so nice to have her here in my very living room and just spend time with her. Mike had surprised me earlier in the week and had called a local restaurant in town where Tammy has a favorite drink. He asked what kind of alcohol was in the this drink and bought all the necessary ingredients. He even bought glasses (it’s a martini) so we could drink in style. She got me hooked on this drink too about a year ago and so I was looking forward to these drinks just as much!

The kids played, we visited, and it was such a great night. I so wish we lived closer to them.

Saturday started out with my nephew Matthew graduating from high school. He is on to North Dakota State University next school year and we are very proud of him.

Lisa (his mom and my sister), Matthew, and my other sister Carrie

Noah, Mitch (graduate’s brother and my nephew) and Connor

My mom and I

My dad and Carrie

The weather was cold and rainy, but it was good to see everyone and eat lots of yummy food.

Then we went to our good friend Tammy and Paul’s wedding reception. Tammy and Paul got married this past February in Indiana in a private ceremony with just them and their two girls. They held a reception in the summer so they could celebrate with family and friends.

I racked my brain to come up with the perfect gift. Originally I was going to take pictures of places in Owatonna and have them framed as a memory of home for Tammy. However, that didn’t seem like much of a present for Paul! So, then I got to thinking…..they met on a lake up in northern MN where both of their parents had cabins (one parent still does). I started to wonder if I could find a picture of that lake.

I searched and searched online for a picture. I thought I might get lucky and maybe even find a store near that lake that sold pictures of it. No luck.

So, after about a week I decided to contact some local photographers from that area. I asked them if they were interested in going to this lake and getting a few photos for me. Luckily one of them wrote me back and she was so excited to do this for me! She thought it was such a neat idea and within four days I had 8 pictures of Lake Gilmore in my hands! Granted, I had to do quite a bit of editing (this woman usually takes pictures of things for ads and newspapers so the pictures she sent me were a little bland for my taste).

Before

After

I wanted them to open them in front of me because I wanted to explain this story of how these pictures came to be and also explain that this was THEIR lake.

I didn’t need to. Paul recognized the lake immediately. I couldn’t believe it. Turns out the woman took the photos almost on the property Paul’s family used to own, Pretty darn crazy. I think they liked them. I hope they do!

 

So the weekend is over. I am exhausted. It has been such a great time, but my house and laundry are screaming my name! I am looking forward to slowing down a little but I don’t think it’s going to happen soon. Monday I have ordering/lunch with my co-workers and play group planning party in the afternoon. We also have therapy for Noah and will be running every hour-on-the-hour all day. Crazy and nuts. Can’t wait for a day to just rent movies and plop on the couch with the kids for an afternoon!

Hope you all had a super weekend.

Peace out,

LB

Speaking of Speech

Noah had his first therapy session today for his stuttering. It went very well. This pathologist is amazing. Talk about patient, caring, sweet….she is all three of these things rolled into one awesome human being. There will be sessions we have the other pathologist and we hope she’s as nice as this one. They are both named Ann so that makes life easy.

I sat in with Noah during the session. I was hoping down the road to be able to sit in the waiting room with Connor so that I wouldn’t have to find someone to watch him twice a week while Noah has these 45 minute sessions. However, after being in this session today, I think it’s good for me to be in there with him. She teaches him many things that I can help with and need to be able to remind him of and help him practice. So, we will see.

Overall, Noah learned a lot! The time went so quickly (all three of us said that) and she sent us on our way with some things to practice.

All in all, I was very happy with how everything went and Noah was too. It’s so interesting to sit and listen to him answer her questions. Good for me to hear it from his perspective. She thinks of things to ask him that I would have never thought to ask him. Of course, it’s her job to know what to ask, but still.

MckMama started this weekly post called, “Out of the Mouths of Moms”. It’s funny how reading them can tell you exactly what kind of week a mom is having!

Here are a few of my quotes heard around my house this week:

“Are you supposed to turn this sheet in? Am I supposed to time you? Did she say what we are supposed to do when we are done with it? Are you listening to me?”

“ Yeah, when you leave your baseball glove outside overnight and it rains, it gets wet and you can’t use it for practice. No, I can’t put leather in the dryer.”

“Pick out come cereal. Preferably some that comes in a bag not a box".” (call me cheap)

“That constant throat clearing may just drive me to the insane asylum, Connor. No, I haven’t been there before. At least not recently".”  (allergies have struck)

“ No we can’t go to Wisconsin Dells today. Because that costs a lot of money. I know you have $4.00.”

“Hear that squeaking? That’s your wet shoes on my newly cleaned floor.”

“Just because you’ve planned a sleep over with most of your first grade class doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”

“You had a ‘deal’ for me? But you can’t remember what it was? I will stay tuned for when it comes back to you.”

 

Hope you have a great end of the week!

LB

Yellow Contest

 

 

Yellow is my favorite color. It’s clean and fresh looking and I love it.

 

Every once in awhile the website iheartfaces.com holds a contest.

 

 

 

 

This time they are looking for photos with a yellow theme.

 

I couldn’t resist entering this photo.

 

I took it last year in the nature center on my school property. It was just sitting there, all alone, calling my name.

 

Love it.

They Grew

I don’t grow things. I don’t grow plants, I don’t grow gardens, I just don’t have any clue what I am doing. So, it just makes sense that I would just start buying plants and putting them in the ground to see what will happen, right? Right. Makes sense to me.

So bare with me, all you garden-planting, green-thumb-people. Humor me a little.

I planted a clematis against the shed last year. It was puny. TINY doesn’t even describe it. I shoved it in the ground, plunked a trellis behind it, and waved farewell as I scurried back to the couch. 

This year it kind-of came back. The dead stuff was there, but then green leaves started to appear. I watered it a few times and hoped for the best.

I check on it every day. I keep hoping for some sort of miracle. This morning I glanced over to it while watering the garden…….

I found three of these gorgeous numbers this morning! I could not believe it.

 

Last weekend I decided to do something I have wanted to do since we moved here 7 years ago……plant a peony bush.

I bought one and had Mike plant it behind the garage so I can let it get huge and I don’t have to worry about the neighbors laughing at me when it dies because they can’t see it.

Check this out…..

 

Holy Moly! There are four of these on my bush! I have inhaled so much of this plant today. Made the kids do it too.

Then there is the garden. I will admit, I had to replant a few things. Some of the romaine isn’t cooperating and a few pea plants didn’t sprout either.

But the regular leaf lettuce……

 

How do I know when to pick it?

I swear the green beans grew 4 inches from one day to the next. I am not kidding. It’s shocking.

So, life is good. Stars have aligned or something. I am diggin’ it.

******************************

 

Noah speech appointment went splendidly. He read for her, chatted with her, and explained to her what it was like having a stuttering problem. He showed her (just through his normal conversation with her and reading) the various problems he has and she took lots of notes. He will start twice-weekly therapy next week!

We are excited and hopeful. It feels good to be doing something.

Happy heat wave, people.

LB