This and That

Last weekend we tried our hand a fishing. Once again we caught NO fish :(Oh well, we had a nice picnic. Cade has been dying to get a Venus fly trap and he finally got one! Of course who had to save the day by catching a suitable bug?? ME! While I was busy trying to get a photo, I missed the action of the leaf actually trapping the bug. It was pretty awesome according to Cade. Not only that but I didn't even get Cade's full smile OR the plant. Oh well, I'm sure there will be more chances.









I'm trying really hard to do better with our grocery budget. We thought maybe a good way to do that would be to plan our menus out and then buy ONLY those ingredients. Our first week went well menu-wise, but not so much money wise. Now we're going to try and do one left over day during the week, too. Cross your fingers. We NEED to do better :(

What could be more fun than...

...Legos?!

Even Clarence loves them!

:) :) :)

Have you ever started your day in a bad mood? What about a good mood? Do you even notice if the start of your day sets the tone for the rest of the day? I’ve been trying to practice positive thinking lately. I want to start out each day by being intentionally, happy, joyful, optimistic, relaxed, kind, quick to smile, quick to laugh. I’ve felt recently that I don’t laugh often enough. I don’t dwell on the good things long enough. I don’t take time to stop and smell the roses. Starting today-staring RIGHT NOW-I’m going to TRY to be this new Terri. I don’t want to let the little annoying things bother me for too long. Sure, it’s REALLY hot in the house. Uncomfortable, even. So what?! Go outside and enjoy the pond and plants and pergola! I don’t really want to go to work today. (or ever.) Oh well, hopefully I’ll get to see my friend Stace! Maybe I’ll get some sun at lunch time. Maybe I’ll learn something new or solve a problem. Maybe I’ll help someone! Did you know people can HEAR a smile in your voice? Try smiling at everyone you meet and talk to today. I bet we’ll be happier and have more energy if we do this J When something negative, sad, frustrating, annoying, aggravating happens, I’m going to do my best to acknowledge it, but then move on!

I read this today: “If [your smile is] not activated, you tend to be more negative, discouraged, or even depressed. Take it from a professional observer of people, you are probably not a fun person to spend time with. Here is a great tip for a life-changing outcome. This is a scientifically proven way to activate this ‘feel good’ area of your brain. Try to smile until you get crinkles around your eyes. Force yourself in the beginning to do this. Hopefully, it will come more natural to you the more you do it. This will physically turn on this portion of your brain. Not only will you feel better - but you will get more positive responses from the people around you! Another way to trigger this part of your brain and get that smile going is to have a really good laugh. Watch more funny movies and enjoy a good joke and laugh out loud, even if you are alone. Especially if you are alone!”
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Smiling_Can_Change_Your_Life.html.

Check out these quotes for some inspiration!

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure, but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~English essayist Joseph Addison.

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. ~Voltaire

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious. ~Bill Meyer

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1893

There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes. ~William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues (ooh, this is a good one for me!)

Want to test out this smile theory with me? Let’s do it! It certainly can’t hurt?

Conscientious Living

My conscience dilemma. In the past couple of years I’ve become more and more aware of how the things we eat, use and what we do affect our bodies, health and planet. Being the crazy bleeding heart liberal that I am, I try to use that knowledge to better my life, my families life and everything around us. It can be very overwhelming at times. At times I want to ignore it all. Especially when it comes to money. Let me tell you, living green, eating healthy, these are not cheap options. It’s hard enough to stay under budget with just 2 of us, but when Cade is here, too, and it’s summer time, time to play and have fun, it is next to impossible. I find myself sacrificing my money for a desire to be true to my conscience. I don’t want to use this post as a pedestal to wave my organic flag, I just wanted to share that when you decide to take a step in one direction, you might find that it’s even harder than you thought and it makes me wonder if I should ever have taken that first step. Should I be more responsible with my money? Yes. But can I eat eggs coming from sad, sick, beekless, dirty chickens? Should I spend less on basic food staples like pasta, bread, cheese, etc? Yes. But can I buy food from other countries meaning tons of fuel has to be used to get it to little old me, food from farms where the employees are not paid a fair wage and are exposed to toxins day in and day out? Food provided by animals who are mistreated, abused, neglected and used for “our” purpose and enjoyment? Can I buy soaps that spill chemicals and toxins into the air and water around us? How do I balance these things? How do I try to leave a smaller footprint on the Earth, feed my family healthy choices, do my part to make sure I’m not contributing to the mistreatment of animals, plants or fellow humans while at the same time not throwing money around as if it grows on trees and at the expense of other needs and wants in our lives? I admit, Whole Foods often has great sales and sometimes even their basic brand is as affordable as a regular grocery, but not all the time. Sometimes even their offerings are less than perfect for my conscience. Is doing a little good enough? What are the most important sacrifices? What are the most necessary products/foods? What are the least? If I had more money would it be easier? Or would I then find more and more things to change that cost more and more money? If I had less money would it be easier because then I would just not be able to shop/eat/live according to conscience? Should I then just act as though I don’t have enough money? (at this point it’s not an act, it’s becoming reality!) Can I be less conscious of my conscience?

And we're off!

Cade has been here for a week now and we have sure CRAMMED in the fun! We hung out with my parents last weekend, my parents and brother and sis-in-law this weekend and had a visit from Jeff's parents and niece and nephew mid week. It has been great fun so far!

Dad snuck a picture of Jeff-but of course he still managed to look away!


Scott, Grandma and Cade playing an intense game of Jenga while Brandy observes.


Scott and Brandy


Under the finished pergola with the almost finished planters!


The guys chatting about something guyish I'm sure ;)


More Jenga


A random view of the house from the street


Working on a bird restaurant to hang in the back!


When Conner and Kylie were here we bought some fish for the pond. (we haven't seen them since they entered the pond. we're hoping they are alive. Jeff is working on clearing the water, so stay tuned...)




Trying to see the bottom with Cade's home made water periscope thing. Vacuum attachments and a jelly jar!


Enjoying a meal together (Jeff, Patsy, Jim, Kylie, Cade and Conner)




Oh, I forgot to mention we celebrated Cade's 12th bday! (May 20th for real, but we celebrate when he gets here in the summers.)


Bishops Castle. This very opinionated man has been building this castle by hand for 40 years. It was awesome, strange, scary, weird, cool, impressive and scary all at once.


Mom and Dad looking down from above






The day Cade got here we also had tadpoles, snails and water plants delivered that we ordered online. Cade is welcoming them to their new home.






And that's all for now, folks. Plenty more excitement to come, I'm sure!

Backyard Bliss

We, well Jeff, has been hard at work on our house AND yard! We moved in 11 months ago and the whole place has been pretty much transformed. Just wait until the plants are full grown, the pond has fish and the pergola has vines all over it. An Oasis! How lucky I am to have such a talented hubby.

Here is a pictures of our yard right when we moved in.


Now we have a pond, pergola and gorgeous plants! Even the kitties love it :)


















Here is a friend and neighbor Nicole and little Jackson over to see the pergola.

NYC teaser

We had a BLAST in NYC! I have so many photos and I'm waiting for Steph to send me all of hers, too. Then comes the business of editing and figuring out which ones to keep. But in the meantime, enjoy just a few :)

Brooklyn Bridge


Times Square


View of Manhattan from the Ferry


Lady Liberty

St Patricks Cathedral

The Stone Bridge in Central Park

Steph in one of many shots of light posts

Stay tuned!