victory garden phase 1

so, this is what phase 1 looks like...i planted almost everything

last saturday...and so far - everything is still living! hooray!!

i typically kill anything green.

we have strawberries, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli,

cucumbers & spearmint. i am going to add some more herbs

this week...cilantro, basil & lemon balm. if you have some suggestions,

please leave a comment! i am a rookie and need all the help i can get!

this is my gnome.

ben got him for me to protect my little

victory garden from deer, rabbits, raccoons and our dog, indigo.

once the sun goes down, he lights up! how fantastic is that?

i'll have to shoot him at night so you can see him in his element.

victory garden

i submit to this feed by heath brockwell from real simple on gardening.
in 1 week - i have learned more about gardening than i thought possible.
i had to do a lot of research due to my '07 garden that took a huge
plunge by mid-summer.

i might have over-watered it.
the only plants that survived were my strawberries.

you've got to love those little red jems!

they are the ones that gave

me the hope to start again.

so, heath got me thinking about victory gardens...

during world war I & II, victory gardens were cultivated by average citizens

in the united states to reduce pressure on the public food supply

brought on by the war efforts.

so this is my victory garden . . .

or, at least the start of it!

i thought i would add some before pics and

keep you posted on my progress!

this is just the beginning.

spring break

this is my lu lu.

she adored the ocean

and her seashell...

we met my sister and ellie down in sarasota

and spent the week with them!

it was the most fun...to see our girls playing, having tea parties,

and going on new "ventures" together.

and what would vacation be without mac dog & dora?

grab your backpack!

The Big Give

this was an incredible moment!

so many of you pitched in for the romey family

and made the big give something larger

than we could imagine!

in total...you gave $795.00 to go towards an

account for main dish kitchen.

and $475.00 was given for travel expenses.

the family is going in october to georgia

to pick up callie's canine assistant.

ryan, tabby & the kids were completely surprised by your generousity. they really were unsure of what was happening.

they were so grateful and very touched by all who were involved.

the next day, tabby called... she kept saying, we didn't know how to respond...we were just SO surprised! more than anything...she thanked you for "getting it"...for understanding.

my heart was moved most by their children.

i believe that they knew what this gift meant.

it meant more time with their family -

it meant that a couple of burdens were

lightened for the time being.

literally - you could see it in their faces, hear it in their laughter...and feel it in their hugs.

and, even though callie isn't able to communicate through verbal words...just one look into her eyes...truly is a window into this child's soul. she said everything to me with one simple look into her eyes. it was amazing - and i was, and am humbled to get to be a part of this

big, big give.

a night away....

ben & i were able to get away to the jw marriott ...a new hotel

downtown grand rapids. what a great escape - we aren't taking

any personal vacations this year...so, we decided to take quarterly

mini-trips. this one just happened to be in our own city.

it's amazing how you can feel like a tourist in your own town.

asking questions like,

"how long has this restaurant been here?"

instantly labels you an "out-of towner".

we dined at gill's fish house in the b.o.b. - after dinner,

we went to z's partypantry store in hopes of getting a

lucky lotto ticket-or two (: - and then went to z's for a night cap

and to scratch off our $1.00 lottos. we were living large!

i think we won $3.00-enough to tip the valet in the morning.

we stayed up watching a late-night movie...eating snacks we purchased at the party store.

the next morning we enjoyed a fantastic work-out and then cashed in our complimentary breakfast vouchers at six.one.six - the restaurant in the hotel.

eating guilt-free thanks to our work-out...we enjoyed fresh o.j. - omlets/waffles/fresh fruit & yogurt...truly anything you would want was served at this breakfast buffet! we didn't have to check out until 2 p.m. we enjoyed every minute we were away!

we both feel so refreshed...it is so good to get away!

kiss me i'm irish!

i made my friend heidi snag this shot!

way to go heid!! maybe they will use this

next year to promote the race. (: