Hooray!!

Well, our first vegetables of this year have been harvested! :) With many tomatoes on the vines, and more cucumbers, squash, and several zucchini already growing, it looks like our gardening efforts are starting to be seen...what a blessing to see God's faithfulness to me through our little garden!

~three cucumbers and one crookneck squash~

A New Daybook

For today, Tuesday, June 7, 2011~

Outside my window~

the sun is shining, and it's kind of cool this morning  :)

I am hearing~

my children's voices

I am thinking~

about going walking this morning

I am thankful~

for my sweet Hubbie

I am remembering~

the wonderful weekend we had with our church family...

we celebrated 30 years of ministry!

I am reading~

Psalm 62

I am hoping~

to get a summer reading "wish list" written down,

and to start the Elizabeth George book,

"A Woman that Reflects the Heart of Jesus"

On my mind~

is my sister who just moved to Indiana last week

Pondering these words~

"God's been good...in my life...I've been blessed

beyond my wildest dreams..."

From the learning rooms~

school is finished for the year, but we will continue

to work on reading skills with "D", language and math skills

with "R", and potty training for "S"

Noticing that~

I work better under pressure

I am praying~

that God will keep working on my heart

Wondering~

if we will get any green beans from our garden...

we seem to have a little visitor that likes the leaves

I am creating~

a clutter-free home this summer

Around the house~

things are put away and I love that feeling of "Ahhh"

when I get rid of stuff we don't need! :)

One of my favorite things~

is spending time with my family...and we are

making our summer plans (so fun!)

From the kitchen~

Monday~out to eat to celebrate the end of the school year

Tuesday~leftovers (roast and vegetables)

Wednesday~chef salad

Thursday~chicken enchiladas or fajitas

(using Philadelphia Cooking Creme)

Friday~bacon cheeseburgers

Saturday~tba

A few plans for the rest of the week~

Wednesday~mid-week church service

From my picture journal~

with temperatures predicted to be 99 degrees by Thursday, plus

high humidity, I think I might be wishing for

some of this! :)

I'll be joining other bloggers at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Home and Garden update...

~week four~

~tomatoes are really going strong...

watermelon (on right) is also doing well~

~week five~

Our zucchini, crookneck squash, and tomatoes all have blossoms on them...Yeah!

Some other things we've been working on are:

~freshening up the flower beds with mulch and vinca~

can you believe all this mulch was only $16?

~the kids built a fort from some branches we cut down~

 ~you can tell they are pretty excited!

(Yes, this was a few weeks ago when it was chilly)~

I'm so glad you stopped by today...have a great Wednesday!

The Counting Continues~

~Counting my Blessings #36-50~

36. a loving and forgiving Father
37. time spent with my sister
38. box fans
39. a garden that is growing well
40. times of testing

41. Beginner Choir kids :)
42. watching my nephew graduate from high school on Friday night
43. enjoying time outdoors
44. watching the hummingbirds find our feeder
45. watching the kids watch for the hummingbirds

46. friends coming to visit
47. a clean kitchen
48. new candles
49. vinca flowers that do so well in the sunshine
50. reading books by Elizabeth George

Planting...

Planting season...not that we are gardeners of acres and acres, but we are really excited about our little garden this year! The Lord has given us a great back yard, and we have been able to carve a little space for some fresh veggies! We started the garden a few weeks ago, and things are really starting to fill in and spread out. We tried some vegetables a few years ago, but they got eaten/destroyed...we are praying that this year, the critters stay out of the garden.  :) Marigolds are recommended to keep squirrels out of an area, so we added those around the perimeter of the garden.

We made raised rows (which we first saw in some gardens in Colonial Williamsburg) and planted corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, 4 varieties of peppers, cucumbers, crook-necked squash, zucchini, peas, carrots, green beans and watermelon.

~week one~

~week two~

 ~week three~

The entire family is involved in this endeavor, and it's so much fun to see the kids smiling when they look at their plants...

My First Diaper Cake

In honor of a sweet friend's baby shower, I decided to do something non-traditional. She is having her second son (actually at the hospital right now!) and had saved a lot of things from her firstborn. She did not need a lot of items...and did not register for gifts. I thought and thought about doing a diaper cake but had no idea how to assemble one.

Enter: "Google" and you know the rest of the story...oodles of pictures, videos, and I was all set! So, here's my version of a diaper cake.

Items needed:

tray (I used one that came from some take-out from Famous Dave's)

one box of small plastic hair bands (find them in the girl's section of Target or Wal-Mart)

about 60 diapers (I used some that were left over from "S")

wide ribbon (I bought two spools)

thin ribbon (1/8" or even 1/16" to coordinate with the wide ribbon)

one corsage pin

goodies for the cake

• teddy bear for the top
• pacifiers
• travel-size items (baby powder, baby soap, lotion, etc.)
• small baby bottle
• rattles

~the supplies~

~I started by rolling each diaper~ 

~from the open ends to the fold~

 ~then securing it with a plastic band~

~stand diapers on end on the tray (about 36) and tie with ribbon

around the center of the diapers~

~after you secure the diapers with ribbon and

pin it at the back of the cake,

take out a few and replace it with some

of the travel-size bottles (this picture

shows the bottle in the middle, but I ended up

using that on the top

and putting a bottle of lotion on the bottom layer)~

~the top layer is about 28 diapers, filled in with different items...

I opened the pacifiers and tied them onto the cake with ribbon~

~and the finished product~

~here he is on the table at the shower~ 

I had a lot of fun making this...thank you for stopping by today!

Birthday Blessings

~I love it!~

~Cheesecake Factory...Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake~

~Birthday Tulips from sweet Hubbie~

~delicious birthday cake from my parents~

~my sweet gifts~

~Japanese Cherry Blossom products, Who's New at the Zoo? by Janette Oke,

a new Taste of Home Cookbook, a new rustic vase,

a garden flag, Starbucks gift card,

Food Network cookbook, and several meals out~

~oreo ice cream cake for dessert~

I had a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Donna Lynn!!

"R", "D", "S", and I would like to wish you a "Happy Birthday"!! 

We hope you enjoyed yourself so far this Birthday week and enjoy the Big Day!

 



And back again, Presenting the "Gallagher Family Trio" and a tribute to Mommy!!

 We Love You!

Love,

"Hubbie," "R," "D," and "S"

It's here~well, maybe....

Yes, the colder weather has departed...at least for the day...and the kids and I have enjoyed some gorgeous spring weather! :) After a quick trip to the dentist to check on my two-year-old's front tooth, we ran a few errands, came home and played in the front yard. We chatted with our sweet neighbor, met a new neighbor family across the street, and enjoyed some warm sunshine. Tomorrow? Well, let's just say it's supposed to be near 50 degrees and raining...but that's okay. The pollen will get washed away.   ;)

As you could tell, I have been taking a little break from the blog, and it has been very nice. I hope that you have a wonderful Thursday wherever you happen to be!

The Secret

I ran across this beautiful poem just this morning...and thought I would share it. Have a wonderful Thursday!

The Secret

by Ralph Cushman

I met God in the morning

When my day was at its best,

And His Presence came like sunrise

Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered,

All day long He stayed with me,

And we sailed in perfect calmness

O'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,

Other ships were sore distressed,

But the winds that seemed to drive them

Brought to us a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,

With a keen remorse of mind,

When I, too, had loosed the moorings

With the Presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,

Learned from many a troubled way;

You must seek Him in the morning

If you want Him through the day.

A Blessing~

These pictures are a little blurry, but you can tell
what our blessing is, can't you?  ;)

~Hubbie took this picture while I was driving~

~the big "turn-over"~

we are so thankful that our Chevy

has run so well for the last 6 1/2 years!



And so, I continue~

I Thessalonians 5:18--In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Not just when times are easy, nor when times are difficult, but every. single. day. I should be looking for the many things I have to be thankful for! The verse says "in every thing"...big or small...noticed or unnoticed...important or mundane...new or old...I am to give thanks in every thing. And, so, my list continues as I join Ann and many other believers on this amazing journey...



Counting~#21-35

21. the faithfulness of my husband
22. quiet time with Jesus before the children wake up
23. a special friend for my son
24. reading to my kids before bed
25. smiling faces when I say "Daddy is on his way home!"

26. the "Night Night Book"
27. cleaning supplies
28. good health
29. coffee with peppermint mocha creamer
30. the study of Acts with my church family on Wednesday nights--I've learned so much!

31. planning for some family time
32. comfortable bed
33. warm socks on cold mornings
34. godly parents
35. my Sunday School class

Psalm 91:1-2

Psalm 91:1-2

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God; in him will I trust.

St. Patrick's Day~2011

I hope everyone had a nice Saint Patrick's Day! Did you know Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland? His story is a very fascinating one if you ever get the chance to read it. You can find his story just by typing "Saint Patrick" in your search engine.  :)

With Irish ancestry in both my family and in Hubbie's family, we usually wear green and have some sort of decorations in the house. Here's a picture of our dessert tonight. Everyone agreed~it was yummy (and it was sugar-free)!

~what's under that lid?~

~a shamrock cake, of course!~

I hope each of you has a wonderful Friday and a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by today!

Simple Joys~

Happy Wednesday! Or "Hump Day" as we used
to call it when I was in college.

This may seem a little silly, but the other day,
Hubbie and I were at Chick-Fil-A.

We went through the drive-through, and then
parked the car so we could enjoy our food.

In our bag, we found a
chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and this!

How clever is that design?

And, yes, Hubbie graciously took a picture of it before he used it.   ;)