Awesome weather!

Wow, I hate to see the last time I updated my blog, makes me upset to know that I have deserted the one thing I love to do! I love reading many blogs online and finding new ideas for the house or the garden.
The weather since Friday has been awesome in the Lehigh Valley area and I have taken advantage of it. I have been off from the candy store for a few days so that left me an entire day to spring clean, a weekend of hanging out wash, a chimney cleaning and I even found time to cook out on the charcoal grill and have a fire pit. That's alot.

Tonight I'm back to the candy store with my favorite girls. Easter is on the way, so the candy must be packaged and sold for all those lucky Easter baskets.

I have to get my garden ready for spring peas, they must be in the ground by st. patricks day....that's my goal. That is also the goal of the amish as well, who I might say are also busy at work in their gardens as I witnessed this weekend. I so enjoy sitting by the side of the road and just watching them as they work, not a care in the world.

So here is my goal now, to blog at least once a week for the next month, and then to move that to twice a week and so on.......

Planning

Christmas and New Years are over....the tree is down, the bins need to go up and the Valentines need to come out....but the garden needs to be sketched out as well! This has got to be one of my favorite times of the winter. I remember last winter, we had recently moved into our new house (err...100 yr old house) but new to us none the less!
I knew that with the amount of property I had and the amount of sun light and success that Nana Schaeffer had, I could have a pretty neat garden.
I will admit that last years garden was a "I can do this just wait and see" type of garden, and I did, with over abundance and some really tart pickles to try out in the end. But this year it will be different, everyone sais that , I know, but it will, cause now the hubby is involved. He realized after everything I harvested just how much we got from our garden, that we could level up and make an even better garden. So he is planning now as well. We tore down all the vegetable beds already and we will start the sketching soon. His main objective is to have vegetable beds that we can drive the tractor around to cut the grass. This could get interesting.

Welcome 2010!

Where to begin? At the begining! What a year we left behind. I'm honestly glad that 2009 is over. You can ask my husband, but I hate odd numbers, I think they are cursed.
I enjoy opening the door to a new year and an even year at that.

Our family is looking forward to some changes in 2010. We want to eat healthier, garden alot more, spend more time with family (we can check that one off already) and just enjoy the time we have with each other. Time is so short....every moment has to be cherished.

The kids are doing awesome in school! I'm so glad for that and for the obstacles they have overcome so far.

I have started working a second job at a local candy store and have made some awesome friendships. I know I was put there for a reason.....and I'm so very glad.

First Day of School

It has arrived...with less fanfare than I had expected. Weird, I was picturing stomache aches, kids not waking up, not wanting to eat breakfast....none of it. Sure, they were a little slow, or, one of them was, but they managed to get themselves together and eat a little something before being walked to the bus stop with Mom and Dad.

There were smiles everywhere when the kids started walking up to the bus stop, lots of Hi's and "How was your summer"....one neighbor we know lost her job in June so she has been job hunting for a while.

There was no turning back when the bus arrived, my kids were the first ones on it! Hoping the day went well and anxious as ever to see them after school and find out all the details. Taking them on our traditional night out to dinner tonight to relax and talk about our day. I miss my kids.

Vacation is over

And it's time to get back to a normal routine, one that doesn't include swimming every day but that does involve yard work, revamping a garden and flower beds and getting to work on some painting that I want to have done by the Holiday's.

We started our list last night and we are preparing to begin our life following the money principals of Dave Ramsey. I could kick myself for not following what he has said for years now.

Trying to get the house and the kids rooms in order so we can start school next week. Tonight starts soccer practice already....where the time has gone I have no idea.

Maybe I can finally get the time to update my blog the way I planned when I started it...we shall see.

Vacation time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are in need of a family vacation like never before. We have put off planning this for month, hee hawed back and forth as to weather we should bite the bullet or just can it. The kids are what convinced us we needed this. When I look back to this past year and all that we have gone through, I see a family that is in need of some together time like never before. Sure, some will say "but your always with your kids" not really, I'm working most days and when I'm not were trying to get stuff done at home or driving to the pool where the kids get to enjoy being with the rest of their family. The quiet, just the four of us time is a long time coming.

Stress has been my middle name recently, from work, to personal health issues, to my kids and Scott's health, it's been a roller coaster ride of sorts and we haven't had the time to refocus and get back on track.

This week ahead we will do just that. Were heading to the beach in OC maryland tomorrow. I've got 3 books to go with me, Scott will pick up numerous papers and magazines along the way that I'm sure I'll find in our house next summer some time cause he hides em' on me. The kids will want to bring home some sort of sea creature (that I have already told them will put off the cat purchase, so they changed their mind) And hopefully mom will have some nice time to read and just sit on the beach.

We have all of our meals planned out, food for the beach is packed , kids are packed, hubby is packed, tonight mom gets to clean out the car and pack that as well.

Time to focus on us for a while, get kids familiar with what kind of routine they will have when we come home, and get them excited about school starting. Yeah right.

Is it really August?

The summer, or what we had of one, is almost near it's end. It went really fast in my opinion, in the kids as well....It's almost school time but not before we get one vacation in to relax before the nerves kick in with Jacob and Emma.

Our garden adventures have been just that, adventures! I'm amazed at the little I accomplished so far with our garden. We are still up to our ears in cucumbers, and we have our pumpkin family now making it's appearance. The sunflowers didn't take, but I also didn't nurture them so they would, so that's my fault. The tomatoes, well they are beginning to come every day, especially those pretty chocolate ones! Can't wait to try them. We harvested all of our peas, three crops total, and we still have a ton of onions and peppers. Planning some fall crops as well and Scott has his mind set on revamping the entire space so he can drive the lawn tractor through, we shall see.

Our plan to focus on the kids and our family for the summer has gone well. Of course there are always bumps in the road....you drive around them and keep moving. I'm always telling the kids, you just don't know how long your going to have your grandparents around....treasure each day and hour you have with them, soak up as much of the silly stories they will tell you and enjoy both the good and bad days.

We have already started our school shopping, supplies is really all, clothing I think my kids are set with for a while.

Jacob has been doing so incredibly well with his tutor this summer. I know it sounds just awfull to think that your child will have to do school work over the summer, but that is the best money I've spent all summer. I'm encouraged by his progression so far and I know he will do well come the start of the new school year.