Make Merry Gift Swap

I'm taking part in the Make Merry Gift Swap being hosted by Mama at Kingdom Twindom this year. My contribution is a couple of these four-sided placemats.

New Floors

On Monday of this week, our old floors (carpet and linoleum) started coming up and on Tuesday, our new wooden floors started going down. The crew that did the project (four different rooms) worked efficiently and very well - even aside from the fact that they're related to my brother-in-law. ;)

Our main floors rooms have really gotten a face-lift. So exciting! And here soon, our new counter tops will be installed in the kitchen. Hopefully, we'll be able to get all the household projects finished before Lindsey and Joe's move (which is very likely now)!

BEFORE:
DURING:
AFTER:

Yesterday's BBQ

Yesterday, we had approximately 50 people over for a BBQ get-together. Thankfully, we were blessed with unbelievably beautiful weather! I had such a good time! It was a phenomenal group of friends, which made for a simply marvelous day.

Guests started showing up around 3 PM and the party broke up around 12:15 AM (11:15 PM after falling back). We consumed almost seven whole chickens, eleven of the twelve racks of ribs that were cooked, all of the three types of cole slaw, about half of the baked beans, almost seven pounds of corn (not on the cob), and close to 100 5-inch cookies!
We haven't had a big get-together like that in years and it was long overdue! We decided to do it this weekend, because Lindsey and Joe were going to be in town, Dad had promised some buddies that he'd have them over for ribs, and Joey had wanted to have some friends over. The time change was a bonus!
We're hoping to do this kind of thing again before too long.

I am so grateful for such a fantastic group of friends (and family)! Good times...

Chloe Visits

Chloe is fast approaching 19-months-old and we are truly enjoying every bit of her and her mommy's visit!

Cuteness Personified

Does it get any cuter than this?! :)

Apple Pie and Rainbows

visiting friends near Denver, Colorado ~ August 6, 2009

Seven Quick Takes (vol 5)

~one~I've been a little scarce around the Blogosphere lately... I've been really busy! To delve into the nitty gritty, although I'm slated for 20 hours a week, I've been able to pick up a few extra hours here and there and have worked closer to 50 than to 40 hours this pay period. Additionally, I've been working in my spare time on tying up loose ends for the old clinic. And I've started taking Spanish two nights a week. (And there's my Holy Hour once a week as well.) It seems like all I can do just to stay on top of routine chores, much less additional demands... I've been a little overwhelmed this week, to say the least. Thankfully, I'm feeling a little more sane now.

~two~Independence Day was lots of fun for me! It was a day devoted almost entirely to relaxation and socializing - an occurrence that is entirely too rare. :) In the morning, we went to 9 o'clock Mass and ate a late breakfast. I made Jell-O and did some ironing, but all in a casual, I've-got-all-the-time-in-the-world manner. (I feel like I'm always running, running, running, so that was great. No pressure!) After lunch, we watched four episodes of a really silly, but funny, TV show.
That evening, AB and I went party-hopping. We spent two hours at the first place, visiting with good friends and eating dinner. About an hour passed at the second get-together was there was live music and I got to visit with old friends that I hadn't talked to in quite a while. Our last stop of the evening was a three hour stay at a family's house, where we did lots of great fireworks and got a kick out of their kids. :) We tumbled, exhausted, into bed about midnight.
~three~Our garden is coming along really well so far. I'm generally QUITE happy with it. Our tomatoes haven't really started to turn red yet, but hopefully that will happen here soon. Our strawberries continue to produce steadily. And our peach trees are bearing a few small fruits... the likes of which I have never tasted. They are the sweetest, most flavorful peaches EVER!! Our okra plants have begun to produce as well. The green bean bushes are fairly prolific and our beets are so yummy! I can't wait 'til the leeks are ready to harvest in October. And I hope to get a fall crop of carrots, radishes, and maybe more beets in the ground here pretty soon.
~four~In my previous post, I mentioned that they would be demolishing the bell tower today. That is scheduled for 2 PM. I doubt that I need to reassure you that I'll be there, camera in hand! ;)

~five~I was recently directed to Johnson Farms' website. They are located in far western Missouri and currently offer pick-your-own green beans for $1 a pound. That sounds like a great opportunity and I hope to go sometime this summer! It sounds reminiscent of Gary's Berries which is another place I'd really like to visit.

~six~Monday will mark one year since my first date with AB! "Happy Anniversary" to us! :)

~seven~Well, I started this post late Thursday night and now that it is 11:50 on Friday night, I'd better wrap it up! Since I began drafting it, they have attempted again to fell the bell tower of the Immaculata... without success! They tried twice this afternoon (after MUCH effort to get the cables in place) to pull the tower down, or at least the top of it as a start. On the second attempt, the $1500, 1.5" cable that they were using snapped! I don't know what their next step from here will be... But it's safe to say that we're all very well impressed by the prowess of the Jesuits' architecture skills 100 years ago!
An action shot... (Note the falling debris visible in the opening of the belfry.)

Out with the Old

July 5, 2009
At noon today, we got a call that the demolition of our decrepit, but historic, church (which burned in 1978 and hasn't been used since) had reached the point where they were going to be taking down the steeple. The steeple/belfry was put on in the early '90's when restorations efforts were begun (without lasting success). It has been a focal point and a well-known, much-beloved monument in our town for years. So it caused a stir when we heard that this was the day it was going to come down.

I grabbed my camera and ran out the door with AB and Dad. A small crowd had gathered and there were reporters and cameras from channels 13 and 49 present. After 30 or 40 minutes, word came that they weren't going to take the steeple down today after all! I'm not sure exactly why, but it will be coming down tomorrow instead.

Oh well! It was still exciting and I got some pictures of the demolition action. Hopefully, I will be free to return tomorrow when they do take down the tower...!

I found it fascinating to watch such a giant machine doing a job that is both forceful and delicate, large-scale and precise! If you'd like to watch too, don't miss the web cam which gives you a great real-time view of the proceedings.



It's a long road to a new church, but it's morale-boosting to see the process getting underway.

Hope You All Had a Happy 4th!

Mine was filled with relaxing, socializing, good food, good friends, lots of fun, and lots of explosives! :)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On Tuesday, Aaron and I went to our first ballgame of the season. (It seemed a long time in coming!) The Twins played at "the K" - and won 2-1. Very enjoyable and the weather was perfect!