Evening Exploration

Since it's a holiday weekend, the hub was able to take me back into the area of the woods where he spends a lot of time working. Thought y'all would enjoy some pictures from our excursion: dogs riding in the truck, wild horses on the landing zone, dogs playing in a creek, and one of my favorite trees down here because it reminds me of Horton Hears a Who! ;) We also saw wild turkeys, insect moltings, a dead water mocassin, and I saved a lil minnow flopping around outside the creek :) We were surprised that the dogs were unsure of the horses, although the horses wanted to come over to check them out.

Home and Life as of Late

Beyond work, the house seems to be the primary thing on my mind as of late. My mother and granny are coming to visit in August (exciting!), which has also influenced me to have the house situated before they get here.  Luckily, our financial plan was based upon getting the new bed and sectional during these summer months.  As I've mentioned before, we've had much difficulty with delivery to our current location.  Our primary couch we ordered last summer from West Elm took an unexpected extra 3-4 weeks due to our location, and while we enjoy their style we've opted to no longer do business with them due to their unwillingness to alter delivery options. Macy's will not deliver to this side of Louisiana, but allows for scheduled furniture pickup from the Houston warehouse. Penney's guaranteed delivery within 4 weeks to any continental US location, but 2 months after ordering our sectional our delivery date had yet to be determined. We have a very modern taste that is difficult to find in most stores, but we've definitely been wishing for the ability to find a store that would allow for furniture to be purchased and picked up in the same day. 

Hence one of the reasons we decided to purchase a king bed from.....Ikea. Definitely not the most environmentally friendly option, but since Ikea is 3 hours away we were able to purchase and set up our new modern style, king bed in the same day.  Add on to that the fact that we purchased a new bed set w/ two night stands, mattress, and almost all organic bedding (I've been purchasing sales for months) for about $1000, and I'm definitely happy we decided to go this route. I have no doubt that the particle board, veneers, and new mattress are off-gassing all sorts of chemicals, but in this case the cheaper, easier method won out.  Ikea did offer a natural/somewhat organic mattress but in the end we went with the regular one.  I will tell you that the enlarged sleeping space has been amazing, although the dogs aren't too happy about being relegated back to the floor! We won't always have walk-in closets so down the road I'd like to get the matching chest of drawers also.

Also at Ikea we purchased this great picture of a lime tree that is hanging in our kitchen.  I know that reproduced big box artwork isn't exactly the greatest, but it goes with our kitchen and we both love it.

Last weekend I painted my childhood chest of drawers, shelf, and night stand in the same brown spray paint I used on the end table.  It's amazing what a new coat of paint and some new hardware can do! All of these will be used in the guest room. Our neighbors have been wanting to increase a mattress size also and will swap out our queen size mattress set for one of their full size sets.  As long as this queen set is comfortable for them then they won't have to purchase a new one, and we'll make the swap official. We also will return their extra futon that we've been using as an extra bed in our spare room.

This is the current living room lay-out after rearranging due to the TV.  If you haven't noticed, we keep ourselves occupied by rearranging furniture! ;) In this room we swapped the lay-out so the table is at the back end of the room and the sitting area is near the front.  The furniture placement will change slightly next weekend when the hub picks up the Macys sectional from the Houston warehouse. At that point our futon will move into the extra kitchen area, and people will have a more comfortable place in there to sit. In the above photo, you can see the lil' quilt that my gal's sister made-to-order for me!  Eventually we do want to find a second hand buffet/bar and a better desk option, but for the most part our furniture buying is now complete! 

Feels like a lot of purchases, but I know they're budgeted for, well researched, and are items that will serve us for years to come. We still have some special touches with art work, etc, but altogether I'm so glad with our lil' home.

We didn't take any pictures of our recent trip to Houston as I forgot the camera, but one of the things we made sure to do on this trip was to drive through part of downtown.  It reminded me a lot of Portland to be honest and was very pretty.  There are a lot of things that the hub and I would love to check out in Houston, but honestly after this next trip for the sectional I'm not sure we really want to head back due to the insane traffic we always face while there.  Traffic jams galore and crazy drivers definitely decrease our desire to explore and check out the wonderful museums and the like that are there. Houston would be a great place to check out if you direct flight into it and easily transport downtown, but I have yet to meet a single person who enjoys driving in it.

Links: May 30

What a great idea! Sippy cups w/o as much plastic! Granted I've heard from some mom's that their kids would break the glass, but a safer alternative overall and better than an open glass that will lead to spills. Mason Jar Kids' Cups by Love Made the Radish Grow.

Hitting close to "home" here in Louisiana: Gulf Spill Exclusive, Treehuggers Slide Show.

The Eco-Myth of Trader Joe's presented by Utne Reader. I've always had mixed feelings about Trader Joe's since so much of their food is processed and/or individually wrapped in plastic. Thus it was interesting to learn about this lack of transparency by Trader Joe's also.

If you're short on time and space or want an easy gardening method: Start a Quick and Easy Food Garden presented by Mother Earth News. Not overly thrilled about the plastic bag eventually breaking down, but a good short term resource and a great way to begin starts.

Something I've discussed numerous times: Babies Are Polluted at Birth New Report Says.

It can be done: Learning to Live a Self-Sufficient Life as published in Mother Earth News.

Two other notable individuals who walked across America and wrote books about it: Peter Jenkins and Peace Pilgrim. Interesting reads if you've never checked them out. And now here's another person slowing it down and taking it one step at a time: Adventurer Leaves NY Career to Walk Across US via NYT.

Mario Bros is Our Couples Therapist

I know, I know...video games.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan and it took me a long time to get on board with the whole Wii, but then I actually asked to receive a Wii from my parents for our wedding gift when we got married.  Strange maybe, but it's turned out to be a really good thing! 

In the beginning we used our Wii to play games when we had other couples over in the first few months that I was here.  I also used the Wii Fit to do some "work-outs" on some of the hottest days last summer so I could still be inside. The Wii has provided hours of competitive and fun entertainment with our friends, although I will admit that several times I'd wondered whether it was the right investment for our wedding present. (I'm really not a huge fan of the TV and video game systems overall.)

Then the TV was no longer functional and the Wii sat on the shelf for a few weeks. About a month after that our neighbors down the street had asked if they could borrow it when they had friends coming over one night, and there it lived and was used until this month when I finally broke down and agreed to let the husband get a new TV. Now the Wii is back in our house and we've been putting it to use for about an hour each evening playing Mario Bros before the hub worked his night shift.

And that's when it dawned on me that in a lot of ways Mario Bros is sort of like a great couples therapist--well at least for us. Marriage isn't perfect and we've definitely had our fair share of ups and downs in the last year. So I found it comical the night it dawned on me that this false world held in a childhood game has truly been a lil blessing in disguise in our lives for the last few weeks.

So what you might ask, does Mario Bros teach us? ;) Well growing up, my sibs and I never had a Nintendo game system, so this means that the hub has to teach me all sorts of tricks and basics on a continual basis(such as what the A button is for and that holding down 1 makes me run faster, etc). I have to count on him to teach me what I need to know, and we're both constantly having to remind me to push the right button at the right time (sometimes my brain doesn't retain lil details--haha).  Knowing that its just a game lets us not freak out about the simple mistakes, and I willingly always am Luigi and let the hub take the lead as Mario(somewhat of a miracle for this control freak). When I die 5x in a row, the hub doesn't mind but tries to get us through to the next round and praises me for trying anyway. And then he always brings me back to life for the next try. We work together as a team to get prizes and let each other know what hazards are coming up. I'm learning to let the hub go off on his exploration missions attempting to get us more goods and he's learning to let me blaze out in my own way on the screen even if it might mean the end for poor Luigi and getting in the way of poor Mario. The hub realizes that his outbursts at the TV impact me, but ironically I catch myself yelling at the bad guys sometimes now too! ;) At the end of each level/test/whatever you want to call it, we always end up giving each other a supportive word or five, because we just accomplished something together! ;) Pretty much this boils down to the following: increased appreciation, flexibility, trust, fun, and the ability for us to express ourselves individually while still working toward the same end goal. 

Who knew that Mario Bros would make such a good therapist---and without talk therapy?  All for the price of one game and part of the CPU (cost per use) of the total cost of the Wii, from the comfort of our own home.  I think we're money ahead and happier for the bargain.

So am I ready to endorse video games......uh, not exactly......but I will tell you that I'm becoming a more accepting, supportive, and compromising wife and individual---and I think that's a step in the right direction.

Demand a strong Safe Chemicals Act

As received yesterday from Oregon Environmental Council, I encourage you to sign on...

Right now, our nation has the best opportunity in decades to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to toxic chemicals. We have a real, fighting chance to make sure that everyday products are not harming our health.

When our federal lawmakers pass the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, we must get it right.
Your congressional representatives need to hear that Oregon voters care about this issue, we are following it closely, and we want to see common-sense protections included.

Sign our petition today to demand a strong Safe Chemicals Act.

Let your congressional representatives know that we won't settle for less than a law that makes sure chemicals are safe before they reach the shelves, that the most dangerous chemicals are phased out fast, and that safer alternatives replace cancer-causing and other dangerous chemicals.

Thanks for your support.

A Day In the Life

There are some bloggers who give a wonderful snap shot of their lives on a regular day each month and I always enjoy getting to peak into their lives.  It's even more wonderful when that regular day is accompanied by pictures.  While I don't have pictures, I still thought it might be interesting to get a written snap shot into what one of our regular days looks like, especially since I tend to get a lot of questions from friends and family about that very thing! :)

Disclaimer: While I trust the individuals who do frequent this blog, just in case of others trolling for prey: We lock our house at all times and have dogs....beyond being on a controlled military post.

5am hour: Give kiss goodbye to hub.
Between 6-6:30am: Roll out of bed, turn off fan, let dogs out, and start coffee on stove.
6:30-7am: Wash face, apply make-up, let cats in, put out food for all animals, turn on computer.
7am: Let dogs in, pet cats while eating breakfast/checking email/reading headlines.
7:15am-Let dogs out again. Get dressed. Grab some sort of lunch for the day.
7:30am-Let dogs back in for final time. Final touch-ups, grabbing coffee cup, etc. Head out for work.

Next 8 hours: Check email, brief small groups of soldiers, enter client notes and send welcome emails, call clients who no showed for various appointments, 30 minute lunch break onsite, answer questions and refer soldiers to various resources, answer emails, assist 1-2 clients with resumes, enter notes, chat with coworkers briefly. Head home.

5:15-6:30: Greet hub and dogs. Check mail. Change into workout clothes and precede to run and/or exercise dogs. Water container garden. Discuss dinner options with hub. Shower.

6:30-7:30: Assist hub with dinner prep and feed dogs. Eat and clean-up. Chat with hub.

7:30-9:00: Water lawn and pick up after animals. Run errands or clean up around house if needed. Ready coffee and get organized for next day. Talk with hub about day. Play Mario Cart/watch games/movies/read/blog/check email/play with dogs.

9:00: Get ready for bed. Let dogs out. Discuss tomorrow's schedule.
9:15-9:30: Let dogs in and put up. Put cats out. Go to bed.

Pretty routine, but it works! :)

Listen to Thy Body & Take Time to Heal

Yesterday I stayed home from work, which is never something I really want to do when it's because I'm not feeling well.  As a kid I was constantly battling colds, ear infections, and urinary tract infections.  I pretty much lived on over-the-counter meds and fairly frequently was on antibiotics.  Add into all that the multiple times when we (or just I) had limited health insurance, and all this may be why I became more health conscience as a teenager and got into natural healing when I was 15.  (I actually dreamed at that age of becoming a naturopath....)  I pretty much learned to heal myself via diet, exercise, and extra sleep, resorting to the doctor only when I determined it was something I couldn't fix myself. (Ironically this is also how my father discovered his symptoms for his cancer.....he diagnosed the precursor to the cancer discovery by pairing his symptoms with our medical dictionary at home.....)

For the most part I know what triggers the few health issues I do deal with on a semi-regular basis, and I know how to adjust my routines in order to prevent and/or combat those concerns.  However on Monday, even though I could feel bladder issues coming on, my usual tricks didn't work with the half-attempted effort I gave while spending most of the day at work.  Yesterday morning I woke up at 5am and instead had to face the fact that my body just needed time to heal itself.  By the time I told my boss I wasn't coming in and arranged for coverage for my morning duties, I had chugged 7 glasses of water and was just waiting for the grocery store to open for my cranberry juice run.  Chugging water and 100% cranberry juice has been my tried and true remedy for years----and sure enough by end of day yesterday my regular UTI symptoms had passed on.  I'm still chugging water and juice to continue to flush out the system and loosen any remaining bacteria that may be hanging on.  However with my current contraception method I also know that I need to watch for warning signs that the bacteria could have spread.  In that case, I will have to resign myself to the advice my coworkers had given me to begin with and go to the doctor.

I've known for years about the cranberry juice treatment & prevention for UTIs, but in my research online yesterday I was surprised to learn a few new concepts pertaining to UTI prevention.  Supposedly drinking more orange juice can raise the acidity of the urine and help the body battle the harmful bacteria.  I was surprised to read that maintaining a dairy-less diet may also decrease UTIs in individuals with high rates of recurrence.  Although when I thought about it.....the years when I was a vegan were probably some of the most energetic and healthiest of my life.  While I usually battle at least the start of a UTI on a yearly basis, I can't remember dealing with this health issue while I ate a primarily vegan diet.  Yet another positive to maintaining that diet---although I'm not necessarily heading back in that direction anytime soon.

But in my thought process about all of this natural treatment yesterday, I realized that I haven't been on antibiotics since I was 16 if my calculations are correct.  I may have taken a dose in there somewhere that I'm not recalling, but most the colds I had in college I treated with echinea, herbal teas, increased fluid intake, more sleep, and when all else failed over-the-counter medication.  I've also spent years listening to what my body tells me about the foods that it desires.  If I feel the need to eat a certain food, then I eat it, all the while firmly believing that there is something in that food that my body needs to maintain health and balance. The same concept applies to sleep, if I feel that I need more of it then I take it.  Beyond the extra fluids yesterday, I could tell my body was healing itself when I spent many additional hours napping the day away and eating all sorts of food in the hours when I was awake. 

A few more days of increased fluids, balanced diet (and avoiding alcohol and extra sugar), and decreased exercise and hopefully I'll be 100% back to good!  But I'm just so thankful for the body's capacity to heal itself given the time and patience to do so.....

Farmer's Markets, Bookstores, & Old Small Town Charm

Saturday morning: Let the dogs out, got dressed and put my "face on" (as Granny says), made my morning coffee to take in my travel Klean Kanteen with the cafe lid, loaded the dogs back in their kennels with peanut butter treats, pumped some gas into my Honda and extracted some cash from the ATM, and headed out on the road for our favorite lil town of Natchitoches hoping to discover what their farmer's market might hold! 

The highway on the way to Natchitoches this morning.  So many of the roads around here look like originals.  The morning was overcast--the first rain we've had in several weeks.

Baptist churches galore in the south.  Sometimes the husband and I count them along stretches of highway for a lil entertainment. Additional things I noticed this morning: chickens clucking in yards, growing backyard gardens, shacks and nice residences situated side by side. One funny thing we notice in the south: school busses parked in the yards of the people who drive them.  There doesn't seem to be a bus depot, so people who drive certain routes seem to drive the busses from their houses and then back again---maybe not a bad idea since I'm sure it saves on gas and back tracking!

This is an original house to Natchitoches and dates back to the 1700s.  The garden out front extends further and behind as well.  You can see the river flowing along the far side.

Since there were sprinkles, farmer's market booths were limited this morning--only three slots.  One gentleman selling jams & honey.  Another gentleman selling eggs, jam, and breads.  And a truck selling red potatoes, small yellow squash, 2 varieties of onions, snow peas, and turnips.  I purchased honey, blueberry jelly, and a loaf of blueberry bread.  I was a lil disappointed by the limited number of booths, but in conversations with the locals even on non-overcast Saturdays there are only a few more booths.  Farmer's markets here just aren't the same as back in Oregon.

After hitting up the farmer's market, I walked up from the river front to the main street going through Natchitoches (which is cobbled brick by the way). While the hub and I have been in this adorable little town at least every six weeks since moving down here (our favorite Louisiana restaurant is riverside here), I had yet to spend much time checking out the little shops.  As you can see, Natchitoches is quite the historic town--reported to be the oldest in Louisiana and the home to Northwestern University. Additionally, those trees in the pictures are magnolias, so the lighter spots are the magnolia flowers...

This is the General Store and the sign says it's the oldest general store in Louisiana.  The inside is filled with home goods and hardware.  The building dates back to the 1800s with an original skylight, elevator, and cotton scale.  Some other historical elements are included and the building has almost all of its original character.  In the very front when you walk in they have the Coke fridge below.  The white and cardboard tube to the right is available for $1 and you can get an old bottled coke.  You can see empty bottles below it.

After going through several of the other home decor stores, I realized there were a couple coffee shops, a flower shop, more restaurants, and at the very end of the row of shops there was an independent bookstore!  This was the first bookstore I'd been in while living in Louisiana and I loved it for numerous reasons. 1) The inside was charming with books laid out on tables, artwork on the front walls, available magazines up front, and two cats that greeted me.  The guy pictured below, Sam, followed me around the entire time, jumping up on book tables, and playfully chewing on my hand.  When I went to check out with two books about women in the south, I was able to chat a bit with the owner.  We talked about the farmer's market and once I mentioned that I was from Oregon he told me he wouldn't ask if I wanted a bag for my books. ;)  He happened to be wearing Tibetan prayer beads as a bracelet, was selling copies of Pollan and Kerouac in his "favorites" section and Mother Earth News in his magazines, and bonded with me over butting heads with grocery store baggers about not putting plastic in his tote bags.  I felt for a moment like I'd come home! :)  Even though I'm sure I paid much more out of pocket at this book store and to the farmer's market, there's something nice about having the opportunity to support the little man rather than line further the pockets of Wal-mart executives.  Thank God for small towns with heart!

All in all, a pretty decent way to spend a Saturday morning while the husband sleeps off working the night away! Here's another picture that you might be interested in---check out our jalapenos!

Links for Week May 9

17 Ways Exercise Sends Health Soaring


Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Chemicals in Fragrances reported by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. A great intro to this is the following as produced by Oregon Environmental Council:  Why do colognes and body sprays for teen boys contain chemicals linked to sperm damage and feminized genitals? Ironic but true: many fragrances that promise virility actually contain DEP, a chemical that may interfere with normal reproductive function. See page 21 of the Not So Sexy report.


Baby Gear: The Only Five Items You Need. I have to admit a confession here: I hate going to baby showers.  Really that reason stems from all the products and gifts that are given for the newborn that I know can off gas or directly via the skin pass on harmful toxins and chemicals.  Usually at baby showers I sit along the wall and bite my tongue, shaking my head about all the items that could produce long-term harm to babies yet are given as standard gifts.  One of my other pet peeves is the vast amount of stuff that people think they need in order to survive parenthood.  How did those original parents survive?!  Thus I find this short little list at the above link mildly rewarding.


The New York Time's The Science of a Happy Marriage.


Finding Real Wealth: From a Consumer Culture to Social Well-Being as exerpted from the new book Less is More. So incredibly well worded and a great push for a simplier, more grounded existence.  To experience the simple joy and personal connections in life rather than fill our lives with brain-numbing, short-lived "satisfactions."  Check it out....

Sat-ur-day

Something about going to bed incredibly early in the evening last night, left me very well rested and ready to get up at 630 this morning. Sometimes you just need to put yourself to bed early and without supper and that was exactly what I needed last night. This morning I woke up to Major's meows outside my bedroom window, as he's now used to being let in somewhere between 530 and 615 most mornings. Once I let him in, I just went around doing some of my usual morning routine--making coffee, checking email, reading some of the mail left over from yesterday. Then I delightfully crawled back into bed for a bit with my coffee and indulged in Eat, Pray, Love---the travel journey of Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the second time I'm reading her book, as the first time I read it I was rushed and didn't have the time to relish her experiences as much. (Plus I've got her newest book, Committed, waiting on my nightstand and I felt it would benefit me to read the first part of the story over again then.)

A few hours later, I let the dogs out of their kennels, fed them, and then changed into gear to go for a morning run. As I was putting on my running shoes, I looked out the back window and caught one of those glimpses that I love: The dogs were lounging around on the grass we do have, the trees were gently swaying, and a beautiful gray bird was staring back at me from the chain-length fence. Going outside the air was perfect--cooler and with a bit of a breeze. (Keep in mind cooler was probably high 70s since we've been in the low 90s this week.) The run/jog was a bit more trying but I made it, and sat for a bit on the back patio to cool off. Let the gals out the back gate without their leashes and led them up to the nearby empty field for them to romp around for a bit--Roxi's first taste of freedom since her spaying (stitches came out yesterday). Sometimes there's nothing as pleasing as seeing the two of them running full speed after each other...

Two loads of laundry done, the lawn watered, the rest of the mail has been gone through, the dogs have been played with, and we've entertained ourselves with the Wii. The hub's scrubbing the shower and we're both looking forward to an evening out with one of my coworkers and her fiance--who also happened to be stationed at my husband's prior duty station. We're headed to the little river town that we love that has some of the best food we've found down here.

And in these moments I've been reminding myself of all the things I do have to be thankful for:
---a note in the mail today from my cousin
---love & support of friends and family
---fabulous memories & experiences to reflect upon
---consistent employment through a job that I really enjoy
---a comfortable, relaxing home
---a flourishing mini-garden out front
---the ability to truly try to benefit the lives of others
---clear, blue skies & on other days amazing Southern thunderstorms
---goals & dreams & the motivation to achieve them
---furry critters that both drive me & love me like crazy
---squishing bugs

And some other things that I'm enjoying as of late:
--conversations & bonding with a client from OREGON!
--a Starbucks on post now
--cast iron skillets
--the beautiful handmade lil quilt that arrived via a dear pal
--non-humid days when we can still hang laundry on the line
--MLB games available on TV
--everytime I make a payment toward decreasing debt/pay day!
--my watering can making it easier to water my plants
--asparagus & spinach dip

Interesting Links for Week May 2-7

After a week of not having as many interesting links, here I've got quite a few interesting ones.

More TV for Toddlers Equals School Trouble Later. My opinion on this: I think one of the pieces of this research that stuck out most to me was the decreased attention. This is something that many educators struggle with when attempting to instruct the information age generations because kids are so used to being constantly stimulated in multiple directions. While multiple educational methods should always be used, Idon't know that I agree that it's a teacher's job to constantly make kids feel entertained. But I definitely don't think there's anything wrong with a lil TV (I mean who doesn't have a fond memory of Gilligan's Island or Mr Rogers Neighborhood), but it does concern me when I hear and meet individuals who have grown up with the TV as their baby sitter. Putting a child in front of a TV for hours on end as a means to distract them doesn't seem to create individuals who are easily ready to entertain themselves or pay attention for lengthy periods of time.


Facebook: The Evil Interface? and Facebook Glitch Brings New Privacy Worries  As a user of Facebook, I have watched the social networking site grow from a fun way to keep in touch with family and friends into a marketing corporation.  These newest attempts to barge into my private life as a way to force me to link myself to other individuals and organizations I am not interested in, only is one more strike against Facebook.  I have deactivated my account in the past and have seriously been considering doing so again (as one can never truly delete it).  For now I have deleted most my photo albums and most the information I had posted to avoid their newest push.  Oh and if you haven't checked out the site speakeo.com....you might want to in order to hide a bunch of public information about yourself available to numerous thrid parties. (Although in just checking the site, the website appears to be broken....hopefully it will stay that way.)


Are you interested in cultural comparisons?  Then you might want to check out the new Babies documentary that is coming out that looks at four infants and their how the experience of being a baby differs across the globe.  Awwww, ewww, Who's a Good Baby? is the NYT's movie review. 


How to Go Green: Easily and Cheaply by Forbes.  Twelve suggestions for how to easily live a more eco-friendly existence. 


President's Report Links Chemicals to Cancer.  All I can say about this is: FINALLY!!!


Preventing Cancer: 9 Practical Tips by Environmental Working Group.


And if the Gulf of Mexico being overtaken by oil wasn't enough for the oil companies....Here's a blurb on their desire to take over a good chunk of the Amazon and displace undisturbed tribes: Photo Released to Prove Uncontacted Tribes Exist


Thursday's New York Times used to be my favorite because of the Home & Garden and Fashion sections.  Interesting article that showed up during this week.  Fabulous concept and the home is really fashioned from local resources and artisans.  In Costa Rica, a Home Without Walls.


And one more home idea: Living Walls Go Mainstream, Hit the Home Sections.  We've seen living roofs, but now that idea is being transmitted over to walls inside of homes too. 

Fulfilling Weekend

I'm writing this post after a longer than usual weekend.  The husband had a 4 day weekend so I took Monday off, my first day off since starting the new job, in order to spend some extra time with him.  It's definitely been a busy but fulfilling weekend. 

Roxi's surgery went fine although it was weird to see her so doped up, as she's usually bouncing off the walls any other time.  Anna did pretty well in giving her the space that she needed and now a few days later, Roxi is back to being her playful self.  Although we did discover that our wash machine can manage a queen size down comforter since Roxi had an accident on it, but its nice to know we can wash almost anything we have in our own washer!

On Saturday, we got up at 530am in order to get the car to the dealership for the maintenance appointment by 8am.  It also happened to be the hub's birthday so we went out to breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants here in the south.  Yummy blackberry covered sour dough french toast!  We then ran around picking up a few other items before swinging back through for the car and driving in tandem back to our house.  The rest of Saturday we mainly just picked up around the house but we did run out to pick up a cast iron skillet for the hub as a gift.

Sunday we intended to sleep in but we're both used to getting up so early now.  By 10am we were up and out the door.  By evening we were back home and were on a major kick to re-arrange the furniture in the living room, which took until Monday afternoon to totally complete.  We purchased a new TV (don't ask) and ended up swapping the furniture lay-out of our main room.  The new lay-out is really nice and enables for better functionality for us.  It's also the first lay-out we've had in here that really just feels like a comfortable, welcoming home.  There are still a few final touches to add, but it actually feels like we have a great front room set up now!  We both seem to enjoy day dreaming about how the house should look and feel, so it's nice to see it finally take form one room at a time.

We both also went through a lot of our documents so I can take the confidential stuff to be shredded at work.  And then I went through a lot of our storage areas, reorganizing and weeding out stuff we didn't need.  There was a full recycling bin to go out and a huge bag with a few other items that I'll drop off at Goodwill in the next few weeks.  I've got a stack of other items that I need to figure out where we can recycle them--locations are limited for things like batteries and electronics around here....but that's on my to-do list.  Sometimes it feels great to go through old stuff--steamlining life and getting rid of old baggage, and passing on useful items to others who might need them.

The weekend concluded with a couple friends over to BBQ at the house and then the hub and I watched a documentary on Darfur.  Such a difficult situation---one that need(ed) much more attention than it ever got.  I will never understand how humans forget that other individuals are also flesh and blood full of emotion and life.....

I hope you each had a blessed weekend....

Garden Photos

Here you can see some pictures of the container garden in that same space out front.  In the bottom picture you can see the cut lil' piggie watering can that the hub got for me this weekend.  The top picture shows some of the tomatoes growing on our plant.  While the middle picture has our jalapeno, rosemary, and other two bell peppers. The picture I took of the two rows of bush beans didn't want to upload for some reason.  You can also see in the first picture the mugginess of the morning--hot, humid summer is arriving here in Louisiana.  To take each of these pictures I had to wipe the camera lense off each time.