Garden Fun

Just a few of the good times we had today during garden time & after.


They loved the wheel barrow...most kids do right?? LOL


She said she was going to get some sun....I think this is the redneck tanning bed??


I don't know why but the girls insisted that I wash my hands before making them something for supper. LOL


This is what happens when you leave a 6 year old outside with the sprinkler on...I didn't get a picture of the finished product...it was priceless.

Row to hoe~Part 2

After moving the box we lined the ground with some special lining that will hopefully keep grass & weeds from growing up in there.


Here they are spreading the dirt....we had 35 bags of 1 cubit feet & 5 bags of 2 cubic feet. Lots of spreading going on here.


And more spreading....look how full it's getting...


The fun begins! I've already got the tomatoes in now I'm working on the pepper plants. I put in yellow & red bell peppers, jalapenos, banana peppers, and hot cherry peppers & cayenne peppers. For the tomatoes I did 3 plants of Big Boys which yield 16oz fruits & 3 Patio grape tomatoes. Yummy!


Here it is all finished! I have Texas sweet yellow onions & red onions, Japanese eggplant, straightneck yellow squash, zucchini squash, cauliflower, cucumbers, strawberries & watermelon.

It's gonna be a great summer!

A Row to Hoe~Part 1

We came home from church, changed clothes, had a light lunch & got to work!

Lets see the fun...


Here is daddy & Chloe cutting the lumber for the raised garden box.



Safety first! She was so excited that her swim goggles matched her new gloves.



Jimbo cut the sod from the 8x4 area to transfer to the backyard.


Making sure the measurements are good for the area Jimbo has cleared for the box.


Lauren playing gymnast on the box before we move it to its permanent home on the side of the house.

Garden Time!!

We made our list and checked it twice then headed on over to Lowes for some lumber for a raised bed for our first garden & lots of great plants. We had even made a stop for a cutie pie picture with our little Bugga.


She had the best time at Lowes. There's just no other kid as great as Chloe when we need to do some shopping. She is just fun all the time.



Here we are loaded up and heading home. Tomorrow after church I'll post more pictures after we've got our raised bed built, filled with dirt, and planted. Here's what we're planting this year:

Better Boy 16oz tomatoes, Patio grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Red onions, Texas Sweet yellow onions, Straight Neck yellow squash, Zucchini squash, Red & Yellow Bell Peppers, Banana peppers, Jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, Japanese Eggplant, Cauliflower, watermelon (red & yellow), pumpkin, cantaloupe, strawberries.

Herbs in pots:
Cilantro, oregano, sweet basil, thyme, rosemary & parsley.

Wheels on the bus....

Public transportation....doesn't sound like much fun does it? I mean you imagine, cranky bus drivers, stinky, dirty buses, no air conditioning, gum on your shoes, yucky people. The list goes on and on, right?

Well, meet CART~Cleveland Area Rapid Transit! Our public transportation in Norman, Ok. We made a little visit there on Friday with our NAHE (Norman Area Home Educators) group & was guided around by our great friend, Chris.


Here Chris is telling us about all the cool facts about CART, for instance; our public transportation is owned and operated by The University of Oklahoma. All OU students ride for free! How cool is that? It's only 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for kids six years old & up, free for kids under six.


Pulic transportation is already considered a "Green" thing to do but did you know that CART vehicles are fueled by either compressed natural gas or biodiesel. How cool is that?



Here's a great group of cutie's waiting at one of the many covered bus stops in our fine city.


Chloe was very happy to be able to drop her quarter in while Mr. Al, our wonderful driver looked on.


We're ready to see the town Mr.Al!


We even stopped & picked up some REAL OU students in the heart of the campus & took them out to the National Weather Center for their next class.

It was a great adventure, we got to tour the CART offices, see the bus barn, the place where the bus drivers pick up their keys & important info before starting a shift, took a nice ride with our guide Chris & learned just how cool riding the bus can be in Norman.

We learned about 'froggy' Friday! Which means everyone should 'hop' on board the trolley for the 2nd Friday Circuit of Art! Experience live music on board the route and get off the trolley for even more art throughout Norman! 6 - 10 p.m. beginning near Republic Bank & Trust and Copelin's Office Center. There are lots of free craft make & takes for the kids & some yummy snacks to be had as well.

Also, for the next couple of Saturdays in April Ride CART for free tickets to the OU softball games at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Ride the Apartment Loop beginning at noon for the tickets. Take the whole family!

We will be attending the OU vs. TX game next Saturday! Who wants to join us?

Sew Fun!

Lauren's sparked interest in sewing has truly warmed my heart and it has encouraged me to turn to the love of it myself.


This morning I taught her about the needle, threader, measuring of thread, how to sew a button & the importance of tying knots in your thread. I remember my Nanaw teaching me these things when I was about her age. I would sit in her floor and make clothes for my Barbie. She had this big jar of buttons that I was free to use and always had a nice scrap pile for me to select from.

This morning I cut off some denim jeans for shorts & she had her seamstress "hat" on & immediately asked me if she could make a jacket for her Webkinz. Too cute!

Here's a little of her adventure:


She's concentrating really hard here so she doesn't stick herself with the needle. She has on her thimble though! Go girl!!


Here's the finish products. She made a jacket for Webkinz & a pillow for them too. Good job Sissy!


Now wait a minute....I thought that jacket was for a Webkinz....Sweet Sophie is such a good sport. We love her so much.

Suprise Party!!

Here's our beautiful Aunt Dorothy. She is 80 years young! We had a huge surpise party for her at Cimarron Steak House in OKC with tons of family & close friends. It was so much fun but it always is when Keiths family gathers together. I love them all so much!

The whole gang!


This was the "young cousins" table. As you can see, all girls!


Uncle Randy, Aunt Ann, Mom & Dad Graham (side note: Randy is dad's brother)


My yummy steak dinner~no I was NOT able to eat all of this...are you serious?!? LOL


Aunt Dorothy with her two great sons; Lynn & Larry


With her grandkids~Bailey, Angela & Steffani


With her GREAT grandkids~Colton, Cade, Chloe, Josh & Andrew


Best lookin' couple there! Saved the best for last~

Seriously??

My truck was broken into AGAIN and this time they took my brand new stereo I had for less than a month. I was so shocked & MAD! Why do people do that? This was the second break in on my truck in the last year of living in my brand new neighborhood.


Thanks to USAA though, I have a new replacement that is even better than my original system & this one came with a removable face plate so if they steal this one it will be useless without it. Yay!!!

Oh my....

It's been WEEKS since I've written anything. Uggg...


So here's what has been going on with us. I'll just post some pictures & blog about them to catch you all up.


This was one of the most happiest days in my life~ I inherited this beautiful sewing machine from my precious Nanaw, my mother's mother. I have so many cherished memories of & from this treasure. I learned how to sew on it, wore many many outfits that were lovingly made on it & I must confess, everytime I walk by it, I touch it and can just FEEL the love & connection I had with my beautiful Nanaw. Now this amazing machine will be the center of our home during our homeschooling & well, just living life. I will post pictures soon of our first outfits that will be made for summer time; DRESSES!!


This is the 100th Singer Anniversary Sewing Machine made in 1955. It was (and still is known as) the best straight stitch machine Singer ever made. It has been beautifully restored by Keith's cousin, David Bullock. I cried when he brought it back to me, I had so much pride, my heart was full & just overflowing with awe at the fact that it pretty much looks like it did the day my Nanaw brought it home. I know she was beaming with pride when she did.

Thank you David for caring so much about my machine & putting all the love & effort you did in restoring it for me.


My pride & joy!

The Featherweight 221 (222 has a free arm that makes sewing cuffs & pant legs much easier) came in a standard black model made in the U.S. Those made before World War II (and apparently a few after the war) had an attractive "Egyptian Scrollwork" pattern on the faceplate, while most of those made after the war had a simple, striated pattern of vertical stripes. They were further decorated with gold decals and the Singer name, but nowhere do they say "Featherweight" on them.

As you can see, mine has the "Egyptian Scrollwork" on it & was made after WWII.