raised garden beds with trellis

My husband created these lovely raised garden beds last year - with my direction, of course. :) And this year I asked him to make some trellis for my cucumbers, green beans and peas.

I think they turned out wonderful. 

He started out with a couple of lattice and trimmed them out. Then nailed them on the raised boxes.

The lattice was 8x4 so he had to cut about 2 feet off them. He probably spent about $30.

The whole project took about 2 hours to complete after the shopping trip.

Can't wait to see the plants growing up them!

julia's graduation photos

As part of the foreign exchange student experience here in Saline, Julia gets to walk with the rest of the senior class of 2015. When she got her cap and gown, I asked her if we could do pictures and she said "Sure!" Ha! She made such a fuss last time I figured no way would she let me, but she did!

This time instead of having Jackie do her makeup and hair, I told her these were pictures where she could look the way she wanted.

So she said, "Ok, I'm ready", and just threw on her cap and gown. No makeup - no hair straightener. Just Julia.

We went over to the high school and picked a few places to get some good pictures. She took her camera to get her own pictures of the school.

I like this one. She walked all over trying to find actual grass to sit on and not weeds. Even took pictures of the ground before deciding. I finally got her in front of the Saline Hornets water tower.

Julia really did love the school, going every single day no matter how badly she felt. 

There were a bunch of geese on school grounds and she was taking pictures of them as I was taking pictures of her.

This one is another one of my favorites.

By the end, she had pulled off her gown stating it was just too hot. Last shot before heading home. I love seeing the school behind her.

This year didn't count for her and she still has 2 more years of high school when she returns to Sweden, but the experiences and the friends she made will last a life time.

neewer graduated color lens filter set

Jenny is getting married in July and I get to take the pictures. I thought it might be cool to have some new lens filters. I found these and ordered them. I got them here. They were pretty inexpensive (under $20.00 with shipping) and so far .... I'm really digging them. The lenses seem like they are good quality and all the reviews were positive.

The lenses are graduated so the color on one side and gradually get clear. I got out my camera and started through the pack. They fit my Samsung NX30 perfectly. It was a cool windy day here. Kind of perfect for this kind of thing. The clouds lined up great. Just for me. 

This was the red.

Yellow

Green - thought this was cool. This one the green was on top.

The I rotated the lens so the green on the bottom, making the grass look greener.

Blue

Gray

Pink

Tea

Purple

Orange

I'm sure the pictures I take of her wedding are gonna be amazing! Can wait to try them out some more!

girls like you

Fourteen is hard....super hard. Holly is the baby out of 4 children and 14. Fourteen is hard. I can look back at my children's lives and even my own - and realize 14 is a fork in the road, a turning point. It's a struggle between becoming an adult and remaining a child. Hormones ....

Holly with her dog - Butters

Discussion in the car on the way to school turned toward the new Girls Who Code club that I want to start in the City of Saline. "Do I have to join?", she says. "Well, of course!", I replied. "It'll look great on your college application." She slowly nods in approval. "Plus" I say, "you can meet other ... girls like you."

After a few minutes, she turned to me and said, "What does that mean? Girls like me?"

"You know .... girls like you. Girls still struggling to find who they are, not sure where they fit in, struggling to find a language they can speak." "There's languages?", she asked. "Sure, so many languages - you can pick the one you like.", I said. We finished the ride in silence.

A few weeks later, she was called down the guidance counselor. I got a text from her asking me if I had prompted the meeting. "No?", I responded.

That night at the dinner table Holly brought up the Guidance Counselor visit and told us about how they thought she was a great student, somewhat concerned with one grade which we knew about. The counselor talked of a group in the high school that helps girls connect. "You know, connect with other ...girls like you.", said Holly as she lifted her head to gaze at me.

Holly - 8th grade

Those words keep echoing in my head. Girls like you. What does that mean? After thinking about it for some time, here's what I have to say about.... girls like you.

The girls who are quiet, shy and have a hard time striking up a conversation with just anyone. Girls that think everyone has made up their minds about who you are - so why bother with changing their minds. Girls with hearts as big as the moon and have the kindest souls. Girls who would give their birthday money to charity to help those in need. Girls who are creative, expressing their inner selves through art. Girls who are loyal to the friends they do finally make. Girls who are champions for animals and children. Girls who have your back and is your best ally. Girls who openly love their family and tells you, "I love you mom."

Girls that will someday make a dent in the universe.

This is the kind of girl my daughter is and why I'm so very proud of her.

not a minute wasted

I've been the President of the Saline Music Boosters for the past two years and just recently stepped down. The Boosters have a Drive 4UR School event coming up on May 16th. It's a great program sponsored by Ford and Briarwood Ford Dealership. We get up to 300 people to come out and drive a Ford and we get $20/person. In addition, we are having a bake sale and car show too. Last year we earned $7,000 for the Saline music program.

I'm also doing up some sample spirit wear so people can order them at the event. I've got quite a lot of embroidery to do still - t-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets.

My daughter Jenny's wedding is coming up in July and I'm trying to lose a few pounds. I feel super overweight and those pictures last forever. 

So I was trying to figure out my plan for the night. I needed to get some activity in but I also need to get some embroidery done. 

Originally I thought I would walk for about 30 mins and then get some embroidery done.

Then it occurred to me ..... I have to wait for the embroidery to complete - about 10 minutes per shirt. What if ..... I jumped on the treadmill while shirts were in the machine? Instead of sitting and watching TV.

It worked out really good! I got nearly 35 minutes done and 5 shirts done. It actually was a much better use of my time. Think I'll do that more often!

car seat shoulder strap covers

Matthew spent the night and I took him out to the store with me. I kept him in his car seat and put it in the shopping cart. When I took him out later, I noticed little red marks on his neck where the shoulder strap was scraping him. OMG! Poor little guy! When I laid him down for a nap I immediately got to work on some shoulder strap covers.

I had some left over terry cloth from the bibs I made for him. I cut two rectangle pieces measuring 5 inches wide and 9 1/2 inches long. The actual shoulder strap was 2 inches. 

My daughter Jackie calls him "Bruce Wayne". Since I don't want to put his actual name on things because people are sick in this world, I embroidered "Bruce Wayne".  Ha! I was doing this farily quickly or I might have made a more elaborate design.

I cut the same rectangle size in some blue cotton and sewed them right sides together, making sure to leave about 3 inches on one side to be able to turn them out. I ironed the seam allowance once turned. Then I took some Velcro and sewed it down each side like shown. 

I think it turned out nice! It was so easy to make and took about an hour. Plus, it didn't cost me anything because I already had everything I needed to make it. Now my little bundle of sweet baby is all comfy in his little seat.

Best nana ever!

first trip to the park with nana

The first beautiful Saturday of 2015 and Matthew spent the night. After his nap, we watched a little Baby First TV.

And had some lunch. The only time the boy smiles is when he's watching Baby First.

Even intense chewing for a little boy who's getting 8 teeth in right now. Such a poor little guy.

We took the stroller to the park and put him in the baby swing. He fussed loudly at first.

But then - he didn't hate it. You can't tell by these pictures - but he really didn't mind it. Kept swinging with his arm up. Wouldn't put it down.

He's never got a happy face these days. The teeth and acid re-flux makes this little guy show his sour face. I got my first kisses from him this weekend. Got two of em.

Aunt Holly went down the slide with him.

And we sat on the blanket for a little bit, before heading back. Love the sunny days of May.