Herb Gardening

I am letting my regular garden go dormant this year. As a result, I am hoping it yields better veggies next year. Last year we had lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes. The year before we had tomatoes, cantaloupe, and bell pepper. It is time to let the soil rest for a season.

In my potted barrels on the patio, I decided I could still do a little gardening while we let the garden area rest. Italian basil, sweet basil, flat-leaf parsley and cilantro are the plants of choice. I use herbs in lots of my cooking so this will be nice to just head outside and pick my own.

I'm 13 months old... and like to play in the dirt! 

Something New: Camera

We bought a new camera. We have been facing the modern day parenting dilemma of how best to capture every moment of your child's life for quite some time now. We went back and forth on the commitment to DSLR. We were also content with the iphone quality photos for everyday but still wanted something more. I have been using a point-and-shoot since 2010 that has been temperamental at best. It was time for an upgrade.

Keith did the research. And he did a fantastic job. He found the deal of the century on a superzoom camera . We didn't really know what a superzoom was until this process began but it is great for us... somewhere between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR. Perfect.

Keith also did side-by-side comparison on new models and old. It turned out the Canon SX50 was the best which was the older model. This was good news to me because it didn't come with new model sticker price. He also found a bundled set on Amazon that came with all kinds of goodies for the same price as buying the camera outright.

The SX50 has been fun to use and we look forward to having fun with it more and more. Here are just a few of the great photos we've gotten so far. 

What is that? Let's take a closer look...

Oh, it is just the moon 238,000 miles away. 

In the 8th month...

"This is how God showed his love among us: that He sent His one 

and only Son into the world that we might live through Him."

1 John 4:9

In the 8th month...
...at the last week's doctor visit, she weighed in at 17lbs 7 oz.
...Eva loves to move. She is crawling fast. She is working on climbing the stairs. She is getting pretty good considering she can go up four stairs by herself. Watch out!

...She is pulling herself up to standing using ANYTHING: her crib, stepstools, chairs, couches, baskets, the bathtub and even the toy piano.
...She'll eat anything, too. She loves Cheerios and applesauce but nothing is off limits. She's had yogurt, Rice Krispies, pizza crust, peanut butter cookie, scrambled eggs, raspberries, cherries, raisins, pumpkin pie, hummus, toast, pasta, crab dip, Veggie Crisps, and an onion ring (by accident).

...Eva is getting a little Mommy-clingy. She loves people and always has, but it seems that my absence shakes her up pretty well. Any advice on this?
...Thanksgiving time was shared with lots of family: Grandpa C, Grandma C, Kevin, Wrenn, Connor, Christopher, Chip, Ross, Grandma & Grandpa H.

...She didn't travel out of state this month, but made trips to the airport for arrivals/departures for Daddy and Uncle Chip. 

...Her attention span is getting better. Yes, a little better than that of a gnat. We can sit her in our lap and read a whole book to her. I just read her the Legend of the Candy Cane. (Last year's Christmas gift from Grandma C.)

...We visited Santa at both the Library and at the CCHS Sweets & Treats Shoppe. 

...We've also been to the Zoo Wildlights. 

...Ruth came to babysit while I attended CSCC Commencement. How thankful we are for the care from friends. 

...We heard great music at the Brass Band of Columbus concert at our church. 

...They say this is a fun age and it is! We have loved every stage with this girl and can't wait for what will come next. 

Hi! I'm 8 months old.

I'm 8 months old and can't wait for Christmas!

Tis the Season

We've got lots going on. Isn't that how it goes this time of year? Thanksgiving meals and travels. Keith's car is in the shop. Cookie baking and getting the Christmas cards in the mail (or ordered). I'm getting ready to give Final Exams. Decorating and shopping. We still need to go get our Christmas tree this weekend.

My women's group at church had a program this week about the "hymns" of the Bible. It was neat to look at the song of the delivered Israelites in Exodus and Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel. But during this busy time the year, I really like Zechariah's song in Luke that reminds me how John came to prepare the way for Jesus. "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins." Luke 1:75-76

Keith and I had a fairly peaceful experience taking Eva to see Santa at the Grandview Library. It was neat to see the other parents with babies and kids. I know it is just Santa but in a way he prepares an open door for conversation about why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Rosie the Comfort Dog was at the library for kids to see. She is owned by another Lutheran church in Arlington. I told Eva that Rosie knows Jesus, too.

Blog Browsing

Ah, the interweb. Such a source of endless information and know-how. What would we do without it? After browsing this week/month, I thought I would share with you what has piqued my interest. I hope you enjoy some of the stuff that is out there as much as I did.

God is with us. We are NEVER alone... SheReadsTruth

Birth Stories that make you cry - in a "Praise God" kind of way... Hannah's Joyful Life

In a small house, there is just not a lot of room. Non-toy gift ideas for kids... Nourishing Minimalism

Math as an international symbol of unity. Thank you, Fields Medal... NYTimes

Editing photos online. For free.... PicMonkey

Because our tent will be getting some use this weekend. And I love s'mores... Say Yes

This should be tried: Roasted Tomato Feta Guac... Joy the Baker

Our current household issue: ants. Buying the Borax... WikiHow

Baby Stuff

...So is this the start of the baby stuff takeover? Today our little munchkin got her first piece of mail, addressed to 'Chuck Norris Hallas' courtesy of Uncle Chip. Uncle Chip subscribed our unnamed baby to Highlights' Hello magazine for 0-2 year olds. So sweet. I read a poem aloud to her today and Keith found the items on the Find It page. 

And our little munchkin has a closet that seems ready-to-go, thanks to Larkyn's hand-me-downs and mama Stacie's generosity! Some of the cutie outfits were gifts from adoring fans who love to fill her closet. Take a look: 

Found this little sailor outfit at Target.  I resisted the purchase because I knew how full her closet already is but what a darling piece that would fit right in the soon-to-be nautical nursery. 

So speaking of the baby's room... Keith put together the crib this week. It looks fabulous.  He did a great job! We still on the hunt for the perfect dresser but in the meantime, I have been seeking online inspiration. Here are just a few images floating in my mind (& what a good place for me to store them). 

Navy is the new neutral!

Sailboat wall hangings!

What a great rug!

Simple little dresser with changing pad.

A promise for the all His children.

Mama Mimi's Halloween

Trick-or-Treat night (or Beggar's Night as it is commonly referred to here) was forecasted to be quite windy and rainy.  It was a little calmer than predicted and so 51 trick-or-treaters showed up ready for some candy.  Most of the night we spent out on our porch since it was warm enough to greet the little costumed kids out there.  Ross joined us and Keith picked up Mama Mimi's Take-'n-Bake pizza on his way home. Once the kiddos stopped "begging" for candy, we went in and played a round of Phase 10 dice game. Great night!

Mama Mimi's is so easy.  Just order, pick up it - fresh made....

... and bake for ten minutes!  Yum! 

Ready to strategize! 

Trying to get the last phase is tough. 

$4 Garden

Believe it or not I bought the plants for our garden back in May from Marc's and we are still reaping the rewards.  I purchased two pepper plants, a cantaloupe plant, and a regular tomato plant were all just a dollar each!  So my total was $4. Wow! I didn't buy any soil or MiracleGro, so the $4 was really $4. A true savings. I even had two "volunteer" cherry tomato plants show up. All the more for the bounty. 

What we yielded (as of yet... but the harvest continues):

2 Cantaloupes

170 cherry tomatoes

5 green peppers

12 regular tomatoes

And what we've made: 

Salsa (2 batches)

Guacamole (2 batches)

Spicy tomato pasta sauce

Pasta Primavera

Salad fixings

Cantaloupe Smoothies

Fruit Salad

Cantaloupe with yogurt

Salsa!! 

Cantaloupe smoothie. Mmmm. 

Jesus tells of the parable of the farmer... of which, I am not.  "And still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop -- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."   Matthew 13:3-9

Greenthumb Adventure Tip: Mom was right. Cantaloupe takes over the garden, especially a small garden! I suspect cucumbers do the same thing. 

Creativity // the circle

What does creativity mean to me?

Creativity: where something new or valuable is created.
After studying Genesis this past year, it is clear that our Creator is the ultimate source of creativity.  What a valuable world He has given us to see and explore!

How do we stay creative?  Who do we draw inspiration from?

Let me talk about the creative nature of my other half: Keith's creativity is obvious... he's a musician.  His brain is always (always!) filled with music. He writes music, thinks about music, designs shows around music.  It is the avenue of creativity that God has gifted him with.  And we are blessed that he earns his living through the gift of music.

Keith gave me an opportunity to stay creative by graciously asking me to coach the colorguard at his high school during the winter/indoor season. This was an awesome way to exercise the (minor) abilities God has given me in music, staging, dance, and writing flag work (oh, yeah, hair and make-up, too). Plus I really loved working with the high school girls every week.

All that being said, my field is math.  Math is super-creative if you don't let the rules bog you down too much.  My thinking involves angles, proof, shapes, logic, Venn-diagrams, equations, theory, and statistics. All the pieces have to fit. It is the creativity that is within completing an incomplete puzzle.

The imaginative-genius in Keith and the puzzle-maker in me makes for a pretty creative life together, whereby every project, every trip, every meal, every joke, every festival, etc. is certainly something new and something of value.

What is a creative part of me that I don't share much on our blog?

I really like to paint.  I like to paint walls in my house or even walls in other people's houses. I like to paint all sorts of things: picture frames, lamps, fireplaces, and chairs.  But I really get a kick out of painting on canvas.

There are paintings that I've painted that hang in my mom's house, in my dad's house, in my sister-in-law's house, in my brothers' apartment, and yes, in our home, too.  It may seem like a family affair... and maybe that's just because my mom has always encouraged my artsy side. My supportive family actually requests paintings from me. So I happily indulge them.  But painting on canvas takes inspiration, time and energy... all of which are often in limited supply.

(Note: it's not quite all in the family -- I remembered that my 10th grade social studies teacher actually bought a painting of mine.)

Linking up with other lovely and creative ladies:

Before & After: Patio

A side project, literally.

Before

Keith has the best ideas for projects!

The latest was inspired by needing a proper place to put the grill.  When we walk out our back door the stairs lead us beside the patio, not to the patio.  So we have to walk down the stairs, around the railing, up the step, and on to the patio ... usually with a plate full of grilled items.

The project was to replace the side mulched area with paver stones.

During

This took more of a small army as opposed to a lovely husband-and-wife team.  Keith's student teacher was recruited to go to Lowe's with him to load up the 27 paver stones needed ...and then unload them back at our house.  My brother also helped with the unloading of stones at our house.  Those things were heavy!  Glad to have strong guys to help with the heavy lifting.

Then the call was made to enlist Keith's parents to help with the project.  Boy, were they a God-send!  They drove three hours with their dog in tow and they brought all kinds of shovels, tools, brooms, levels, an ax, a tamper, and 5-gallon buckets.  Didn't know we would need all that!  They also brought an awesome work ethic so the project would actually get done in one fair-weathered weekend.  We are so thankful for them.

And it looks beautiful.  

After

Makeover March

March is our twelfth month living in our home. So we have been in our house for almost a year.  And wow... does a year move quickly.  We've had some time to do some things to our beautiful home. Let me use the month of March to share the "Befores and Afters" of the changes made this year. 

First Photo:  Sunshine in Spring 2012

Summer 2012

Autumn 2012

Snow in the Winter 2012