Summer harvest~

So you know we planted a garden in May and since Tara is out of town this week, I've been trying to take care of things. I've been over to water it a few times and I feel a little like Caroline Ingalls, ha! Tending to our crop... Except I don't have on the long skirt and there's no way my hair would go up into a bun!

Seriously, it's so fulfilling to go over and see veggies growing! It was Tara's vision. They plowed this piece of earth, bought most of the seeds and have done the vast majority of the hard work. The girls and I did help some, buying seeds and coming over to plant everything. But mostly it's been their labor of love. And I've gotten to tag along. This week, we are reaping some rewards of their effort.

Mom also brought us three bags of yummyness from my Nan's garden! Couldn't believe how big some of her tomatoes were! And the zucchini, squash, and cucumbers were much appreciated too! Check out these pics of these amazing veggies and some from our garden at Tara's.

So fun to to go out there with my girls and pick veggies! And then to come home and eat them...what a blessing and a treat! God is good!

Joel's new kicks~

So Jase is off of work on Fridays and yesterday we decided to take a day and do a little shopping. The girls needed new headphones {which they happen to need about every six months!} and I wanted to look for a new memory card for the camera {somehow I don't think 2G is going to do it for Thailand!}. We also wanted to find Joel some Keens. We just love them and thought Joel needed to have a pair too!

Seriously though, they are pricey and since we found them on clearance {holla!}, we went for it. We called Jason's brother to ask what size Riley's Keens were. He is six months younger than Joel and we kinda guessed based on him. So no worries! If they are a little big for Joel, he'll grow into them and if they are too small, we'll pass them on to Riley!

We're told that Joel won't be used to wearing shoes! And that he's probably never had on jeans or a heavy coat! ha! It's pretty warm in Bangkok year round. So our thinking was that the Keens would be easy to get on and off...they let your feet breathe....you can wear them anywhere {to run and play, to the beach/pool, etc}...and he's pretty much just got to have some! What do ya think?

So with this purchase, Kennedy is the only R child or grandchild NOT sporting some Keens! She has made it known to us that her dad, mom, sister and brother have them as well as her uncle Brent, aunt Kim, aunt Megan and cousin Riley! Laugh. Out. Loud. I'm sure we will rectify this problem asap. Here's hoping we find her some on clearance as well!

But for now, I'm stoked to see these little kicks waiting in Joel's room! In a few weeks {WEEKS!} they will be tucked away in a suitcase ready to be filled with cute little toes! Sigh. Just can't wait!

My Nan and her garden~

So last Thursday night after we officially finished HC, we headed over to my Nan's to say hello and snatch some veggies from her garden! Nan can grow anything and it was so fun to walk out there with her and let the girls pick. I had a great time watching my babies and hearing them talk with my mom and Nan about how God makes seeds grow into food! Such a blessing for my children to have relationships with not only all of their grandparents but also their great grandmother {and until March, their great grandfather~my Papaw who died}. It was such a sweet time out in the garden and we picked a lot of tasty veggies!

What yummy plunder we took home! Thanks, Nan! We love you so much!

Thrifty Thursday...Seeds

So you know my pal, Rebecca, began the Thrifty Thursday theme last week. And while I'm not sure if I'll be thrifty enough to participate every week, I'm ready today to share with you all about this week's thriftiness! My BFF, Tara, and I have dreamed for over a year about having a garden. And I was so excited when she told me that she and her hubs were gonna make it happen! They worked their tushies off last Friday and when I came home from school, we speedy quick had dinner and then headed over to their house for some plantin' fun!

The girls and I ran to the store to pick up several seed packets. All in all, we planted~broccoli, 2 green bean varieties, cantaloupe, watermelon, snow peas, 3 tomato varieties, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. We also wanted a few herbs...thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, and dill. The next day, Tara and I set out to find one last item...strawberry plants for our newly plowed patch that lays off to the side of the garden! We bought 10 strawberry plants! We may not enjoy berries until next season but we are oh, so excited about our patch! Then in late June/early July, we will add our lettuce and pumpkins in with the rest of the veggies! We are so stoked about our little not so little garden! It's amazing how cool it is to think of growing your own food {when you've never done it before!} and it's the epitome of thrifty!

Kennedy didn't have much use for our night of planting. She stayed inside and played with Tara's daughter instead. But Syd had a blast! Her shoes were off in 2.7 seconds and she was all about putting those seeds in the ground! Can't wait to see them come peeking up through the dirt...only God can do that! So fun!

All it takes
Is a little bit of water and sunshine
To make a big tree grow
And every tree
Was a little bitty seed at one time
It just takes time, you know 

And patiently they lay in hope
And God provides the rest
All we really need
Is the faith of a little seed

I never, ever saw a bird go hungry
Singin' in the breeze
And the flowers
There never was a lady on Sunday
Prettier than these

And patiently they lay in hope
And God provides the rest
All we really need
Is the faith of a little seed.

Though I'm sown in rocky places
There I will abide
Taking root in my Lord Jesus
Knowing He'll provide

And patiently I lay in hope
And God provides the rest
All we really need
Is the faith of a little seed

~Big Tent Revival

Thrifty Thursday~

I just love my bloggy buddy Rebecca! She's so stinkin' creative and smart and funny and on and on. Today she launched a new Thursday theme and I just couldn't resist. I should really be folding laundry right now but had to crank out a little post. You can visit Rebecca's blog to read all about it. But basically, I subscribe to much the same theory as my friend here. Live on less moolah, recycle what you can, and be a wise steward of the resources God has blessed you with. For our family, that means shopping at yard sales, visiting Goodwill on occasion, and buying our kids clothes mainly at places like T@rget on clearance. Among other things...

For this first Thrifty Thursday, I draw your attention to my steal of a deal, cheap furniture. A little history...when we built our home 5 years ago, I wanted to move away from the cherry, traditional tables and entertainment center that we'd had for years. But I didn't want to spend much money. I wanted the sleek, black, PB look but who can afford $400 for an end table!?! So I hit the flea market that's less than a mile from where we live. This is what I found. They were solid, heavy wood stained and had hideous drawer pulls on them. Like from the 50's! Guess what they cost? $5 stinkin' dollars for the pair!!! And I painted them up and voila!

I also found these chairs! One was $5 at a yard sale and the other we traded for! So it was FREE! Now they had awful yellow/orange-ish cusions...like Archie Bunker had! ha! I spent the day with my grandmother, Nan, and we sewed us up some covers and in total I spent less than $25! Woo Hoo! These chairs flank our fireplace and are great when company is over. My friend even borrowed them to "stage" her house when they were selling! So funny! You see who loves these chairs the most? Lucy...our spunky schnauzer!

So what about you? How have you been thrifty?