Wow That Was A Long Break!

Since its been almost a month since my last post, I'm sure all 8 of my regular readers are wondering what we've been up to during this time. Well, I guess I should begin by telling you that for the past several years, I've wanted to refinish our kitchen table. You see, the table that we've been using is actually my first table that my parents bought me for my first apartment right before my first year of college. (Wow that's a lot of 'firsts'.) Anyway, most of you that have been in our home at one point or another know that it had cream-painted metal legs and a light wood top. Since all of our furniture is dark as well as the kitchen cabinetry in our home, I've been wanting to refinish the table top to blend in more with the other pieces. So, a few weeks ago, Bruce, Brinley and I set out to Lowe's to by sandpaper, stain, clear-coat, vinyl gloves, brushes, etc. to get my little project done.

After a couple of weeks of sanding, varnishing, and clear-coating (hmmm...don't think that's a word) nearly every evening, I am pleased to say that it is finally finished and we have a kitchen table to eat our meals at again. Being my first refinishing job its not perfect--the varnish turned out a little lighter in a few spots and the last coat of clear-coat has tiny bubbles in some areas--but overall, Bruce and I agree that it looks much better than it did and I LOVE how the dark finish seems to tie things together in the kitchen and dining area.

On another note, we've also had a little visitor around our home. A few weeks ago, a stray dog started hanging out in our front lawn. To Bruce and I, it looked as though she had puppies within the past 3-4 months so I hated the thought of not giving her food and water. (As someone that spent 20 months nursing a little one, I know that when you're nursing you're almost hungry enough to eat a horse.) So, after a few days of just letting her hang out on the front porch, we (and when I say we, I'm saying that rather loosely and really mean 'I') moved her to the backyard. I didn't want a sweet, well-behaved dog like her to fall into the wrong hands so she was put into the back while I could find another place for her. Well, fast forward two weeks to this past Saturday, Brinley and I were finishing up dinner (Bruce was having to work) and while Brinley is occupied at the table, I step out on the back porch to give the stray some dog food. I stepped back into the house to rinse out and refill her water dish and when I step back out on the back patio I immediately noticed that the stray wasn't eating. This was highly unusual for her because any other meal she had been given she would practically inhale. It wasn't five seconds later and I realize that there is something coming out of her...yes, as in a puppy! I peek through the window to make sure that Brinley is still occupied at the table in her booster seat and I quickly grab one of the towels that the dog had been using as bedding to help catch the puppy.

Puppy #1, a male born at approximately 7:30PM.

Soon after I made sure the puppy was okay and the momma dog cleaned up most of the mess, Bruce arrived home. It was one of those evenings that I really had to make a grocery run so I went to SuperTarget and when I got home that evening I found a second puppy. Thankfully, that is all that the momma dog had and both puppies and Momma dog are doing well.

Puppy #2, a female born at approximately 8PM.

...And the proud momma dog.

Now that fall is officially here, the weather has been a little more bearable than it was in the middle of summer. Our high's are still in the lower 90's and our low's at night are still in the low 70's. Rain has been sparse the past several weeks and we've been having to water the lawn to keep it somewhat green. However, within the next few days things are supposed to cool off a tad and our highs are expected to be in the mid 80's and our low's in the low 60's. Woohoo! I think if I could have one birthday wish (hint, hint) it would be to have beautiful fall-like weather the weekend of my birthday. I guess we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. :-)

A Weekend In Memphis

Brinley playing in the sprinklers at a splash pad in nearby Collierville.

Playing under the rainbow sprinkler.

~Daddy and Brinley~

Try not to get wet Bruce!

Bruce, Meagan, Greg and the boys' grandma playing a few rounds of Rummikub.

Apparently something was really funny.

Greg looks a little worried about his Grandma's move.

A'Pexi resting by her Daddy's feet while a vicious game of Rummikub is played above her.

Brinley and 'Gammaw' reading a book together.

Brinley and Uncle Greg drawing pictures together.

~Bubbles~

Daddy's blowing bubbles...

...and Brinley's trying to catch them!

~Brinley and Daddy~

Daybook:

32 Things About My Sweet Hubby

In honor of Bruce's 32nd birthday, I decided to create a list of 32 things about him--some things you may already know and some things you may not.

1. He was born in a suburb of Chicago. Yes...I know...I married a yank. I hope though, that my fellow Texans will find it somewhere in their hearts to forgive me of this sin.

2. He asked me to 'go steady' with him on April 1, 2005. Happy April Fools Day!

3. He puts up with all my weird little quirks...like having to have socks folded a certain way.

4. He loves Brinley with such a passion and shows it to her each and every day.

5. He is an amazing engineer that I am so proud of.

6. He is a classic 'meat and potatoes' kind of guy. If I left the grocery shopping up to him there would not be a single fruit or vegetable in this house.

7. Oh, and the guy loves milk. He could seriously drink about a gallon a day if we had the room in our fridge...and grocery budget.

8. He attended parochial school Kindergarten through 12th grade.

9. He is not in any way picky about beer. I love being able to go down the 'beverage' aisle and just grabbing the 6-pack that has the most appealing packaging to me on that particular day.

10. He dislikes watermelon, cantelope and sweet tea.

11. He makes a pancake breakfast for us nearly every Sunday morning...yum!

12. If he's home, he has the responsibility of giving Brinley her bath every evening...and he does a great job of it!

13. His all-time favorite sport is soccer.

14. He is such a kind, generous soul.

15. He's quite the handy man. If there is something that he doesn't know how to do, he 'Googles' it and learns how.

16. He learned what pickles are 'made out of' last weekend. (In case you're wondering, last weekend he asked me "What are pickles made out of?" I said, "What do you mean?" He went silent for a minute. I asked, "You do know that pickles are made from cucumbers, right???" He gives a blank look. Then I went into the whole spill about how certain varieties of cucumbers are used to make pickles and that the pickling process can be done to a variety of things--okra, peppers, eggs, beets and so on. Oy....

17. He enjoys outdoor activities--camping, kayaking, hiking and the like.

18. Without his bi-pap machine the man would snore so loudly that the walls would shake and the roof would cave in.

19. He does diaper changes without complaint.

20. (I think) He has been in nearly every state of the contiguous United States.

21. He loves A'Pexi...although I don't think he'd admit it if his life depended on it.

22. He can't whistle.

23. He enjoys sci-fi shows and moves--Star Trek, Stargate, Star Trek, etc.

24. He's the best snuggler.

25. He's good with computers and all that technology stuff.

26. He loves the Sour Cream Chicken dish that I make and I'll be serving it for dinner tonight.

27. He can't stand for his face to be wet. He has to have a towel close to the shower stall so that he can dry his face as it gets wet in the shower.

28. He's an Eagle Scout.

29. He blesses me and our family in more ways than I can count.

30. He has a love affair with 7-layer dip.

31. He loves our Lord and has serves Him with such an eager heart.

32. He is an amazing husband, best friend and daddy.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! You mean the world to me....and more!

Daybook: End of July...Almost

Outside My Window: ...its dark and still outside...very little breeze and right at 80 degrees. Even though it may be calm now, we did have a bit of rain/stormy weather earlier in the day. Thank goodness because we were needing the precipitation for once.

I Am Listening To: ...the hum of the refrigerator and the tapping of my fingers on the keyboard....oh, and A'Pexi snoring every once in a while.

I Am Wearing: ...pink and white pajama pants, a pink cami and white slippers.

I Am Thankful For: ...a whole day that my hubby was able to spend at home. :-) Doesn't happen too often lately so I feel blessed when it does.

I Am Pondering: "Fear is the enemy of hope." ~Dave Ramsey

I Am Reading: ...The Discipline Book by the Sears, Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski, Don't Let Me Count To Three by Ginger Plowman and The Fussy Baby Book by the Sears. Bruce and I have also started reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover together in the evenings. For those of you that are familiar with Dave, we have already completed Baby Step #1 and are looking forward to plowing through Baby Step #2 'with the intensity of a gazelle'. :-D

To Be Fit And Happy: Since it is hotter than the dickens most days, we've been trying to

limit our outside time to the evening hours unless bathing suits and water is involved. A few days a week, we go for walks around the neighborhood after dinner or let Brinley piddle

around the yard. Other than that, Bruce and I use the Wii to get the ol' tickers going.

From The Kitchen: This evening's meal consisted of t-bone steaks grilled to perfection, steamed sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon & sugar and baked zucchini halves.

I Am Thinking: ...that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Rest In Peace Mrs. Melontree.

I Am Creating: ... a less cluttered home--which amazingly enough seems to help create a less cluttered mind and a less cluttered heart. Thankfully, the Lord has continued to give me the

motivation and strength that I need to push through.

On My iPod: I've gone back to being on a KSBJ kick again...gotta love that KSBJ iPhone app!

Towards A Real Education: Oy...I'm not even going to get into this. My head has been swimming with various curricula options and home education programs. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we'll decide on something and have it ordered.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty: I can feel the summer drawing to an end--school supplies fill the bins at the office supply stores, fall clothing and school uniforms fill the racks at the clothing stores and Halloween decorations have made their way to the shelves of...well, every store inbetween. If only all of this meant that the 100+ degree heat index days would be coming to an end soon. Unfortunately not...

To Live The Liturgy: "God gave Himself to you; give yourself to God." Blessed Robert Southwell

I Am Hoping And Praying: ...that the sun will continue to shine.

In The Garden: Garden? I think its starting to resemble a jungle. Since it has been so hot

here, but the rain has continued to come, plants have gone crazy. I think if I want my flowerbed to look tame again, I'm just going to have to get out in the heat and humidity for

a day or two...yuck!

Around The House: Sticking to the basics lately. With Bruce spending last weekend out-of-town and this week and weekend working overtime, on the days he did come home I did good to get the basics done and on the day--today--that he stayed home with us, we spent our time together enjoying each others' company instead of worrying about nit-picky household chores.

On Keeping Home: Last weekend, while Bruce was in Ohio visiting family, I decided to tackle a little project that I've been meaning to do for...oh, about a year. You see, the

previous owners of our home had a white, vertical mail rack in the kitchen and I fell in love with the idea. I hate our bar area getting cluttered up with mail, keys, cell phones, etc. For a few months, I looked and looked and LOOKED for a white vertical mail rack in stores and online that I liked, but I just couldn't find one. Finally, last summer/early fall I settled on a bamboo vertical mail rack that would need to be painted white. Well, life happened, and I was finally able to tackle this little project last weekend and I have to say, every time I walk by my cute little mail rack with our keys, mail and what-not organized in the little slots and on the little hooks, I can't help but smile. Ahhh...the simple things.

One Of My Favorite Things: ...is when Brinley wants her 'nuggles' (snuggles).

Brinley Anne This Week: ...has begun pretend play. Actually it began a few weeks ago, but

since I haven't done a daybook post the past few weeks I am telling you about it now.

Anyway, Brinley has started this little 'game' I guess you can call it. Usually she does it while I'm cooking in the kitchen and she'll use the door that goes from the kitchen to the utility

room. She closes the door (not all the way) then opens it and walks through to the utility room, closes the door (again, not all the way) while she's in there, then opens it and walks

into the kitchen and says, "hewo" (hello). I'll usually say "hello" back and then she does the same thing over and over. She has also started saying, "be wite (right) back" then she runs into another room, comes back and says, "I'm home!" I'll then greet her like I haven't seen her in a week, tell her how much I missed her and how glad I am that she's back--including lots of

hugs and kisses. Then she'll say "be wite (right) back" and start the whole thing over again. I'm loving her sweet, little imagination...

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: We're hoping to get the Grand Prix to the Pontiac

dealership to get a few things checked out...nothing major. Depending on how that goes kind of determines what we do the rest of the week. Obviously if the Grand Prix is in the shop than Brinley and I will be spending our days at home.

A Picture I'm Sharing: Since I haven't shared pictures in a couple of weeks, and I didn't share any with the last daybook I posted, I am sharing several with you this go 'round. These were actually taken during the week before Fourth of July Weekend. It was an evening that we

spent out in the front yard. Bruce mowed while Brinley and I piddled around. Obviously the piddling turned into a mini, very impromptu (or else I would have picked a better shirt for

her) photo shoot. Enjoy!

She makes me look good. ;-)

Sniff, sniff...smelling our purple lantanas.

Trying to be GENTLE....because we don't pull on Mommy's pretty flowers.

Keeping an eye on her Daddy...always.

Practicing being gentle again.

Checking out the orange and yellow lantanas.

Making sure Daddy is doing a good job. ;-)

Yes...she DID take a bite of Mommy's purple lantanas. Then we had a discussion that being gentle with flowers includes not eating them. :-D

Smelling Mommy's crepe myrtle blooms.

Practicing her shapes on the sidewalk.

~Watching Daddy~

Fourth of July Weekend

Every Fourth of July since Bruce and I have been married, my parents have made the trip to visit with us for a long weekend, and last year we were blessed to have Brandon, Emma and Cole tag along. As most of you probably know our families have gone through quite a few changes over the past year including Brandon and his family moving out to West Texas, as well as Bruce and I buying our first home and moving across the Mississippi border to Alabama. With these changes, many more miles have been added between us. We are approximately 560 miles east from my parents house, while Brandon and his family are approximately 460 miles west from Mom and Dad. With these changes, we decided that it would be best for everyone to meet at Mom and Dad's for the Fourth of July weekend since it is the central location. Overall we had a wonderful weekend full of great company and amazing food. After spending this past week uploading and editing photos every. single. evening. I am finally ready to share some photos with you--predominately of the babies-- from this past weekend. Enjoy!

Brinley smelling Nana's bright, red flowers.

Cole showing Nana some of Brinley's toys.

What I wouldn't give to be able to have my feet together flat on the floor and my bottom about a millimeter off the ground for several minutes at a time.

Cole showing Nana how to put the shapes puzzle together.

Nana and Brinley putting together a numbers puzzle.

The little ones showing the big ones how its done. (Please excuse Mr. Copenhagen stuffing his cheek in the background...wink, wink.)

Nana reading a bedtime story to Cole...and Maggie. (Look for the strip of black inbetween Mom's hand and Cole's arm...ya found her!)

Brinley giving Papa a lesson on how to put together puzzles.

Papa helping Cole with his shapes puzzle.

The end. :-D

Cupcakes...Yum!