August Fields

its almost baby time!

its almost baby time!!!  i have three more weeks.
i would love to go early.
can i just say THANK YOU to all of you that have taken the time to email me words of encouragement,  inquiring of my well being, and overall awesome comments.  you are all so kind and i really appreciate it!
my lower back is super sore, but i’m not contracting regularly which is a huge answer to prayer!  the hospital bag is on the stool at the end of the bed and i’m adding things to it as i think of them.
the nursery has had a few cute updates too 🙂
we are all ready for baby #6!

i have been taking the kids to the library a lot this summer.  this is so typical of dubs….and of mama.
i didn’t realize, until we’re in the parking lot, that he was wearing huuuge tennis shoes, a total mismatched outfit and had snuck his silky into the land of books 🙂  
seriously…..is he not the cutest little 3 year old ever???  he kisses my tummy all.  the.  time.  and is super pumped to be a big brother.
i’m throwing this picture in from father’s day this year.  the kids were all giving daddy a smooch.  
we gave him a tent.  but its been so blazing hot that they have yet to camp out in the woods….
we had a family wedding last weekend!  hank was the ring bearer and the girls handed out programs.
it was wonderful.
my ankles became non existent by the end of the weekend but they have re-emerged and all is good.
me and two of my sister in laws.  i’m not going to lie, its a decent shot of my ginormous belly so i wanted to include this picture…plus i love these girls!!!!!
having never been pregnant in the summer i must admit this super hot, record breaking summer is not awesome on the energy level.   but on the other hand i really think this had been my best pregnancy yet!  i am SO thankful for a healthy baby inside me, we’re praying for a quick, healthy delivery.

window boxes and flowers

i filled my window boxes a couple of weeks ago and went a totally different route than last year.  
pink! petunias and potato vine. 

the front porch got a dose of pink too.

geraniums, diamond frost, vinca vine, spike and some fillers.

you can see the garden over the hill.  its all planted and blooming!  update on that soon.

our retaining walls have climbing hydrangeas and day lilies.

 more lilies.

boxwoods on top, climbing hydrangeas, purple coneflower and lilies.  for the past two years the dear have shown NO interest in these plants.

the back deck has pink….

and the back porch has pink!

the planters by the garage even have pink.

i had fun this year filling my pots.  i attended a class at a local greenhouse that where i brought in up to three planters and we filled them and learned tips about filling a pot.

texture, height and color.  sun or shade or both.  etc.

oh, and to be sure these all receive their adequate amounts of h2o “watering flowers” has been put on boone’s daily chore list! 🙂

super simple strawberry freezer jam

this is too easy NOT to make!

strawberries are here, in season.  and word on the street is that the season is shorter than usual due to an early warm front and late frost.

ingredients:
8 cups sugar
4 cups crushed strawberries
2 boxes of pectin (i use sure-jell.  yellow box)
1 1/2 cups water

cut your strawberries and put them in a food processor or mash them by hand.

you want to end up with 4 cups of crushed strawberries.

stir in sugar

on the stove add the two envelopes (1 envelope comes in each box) of pectin to the 1 1/2 cups of water.
stir it in until and boil for one minute….it should be dissolved.

turn off heat.  add your strawberries.

now, this is where i like to add about 5 coarsely chopped strawberries because i like my jam with some chunks.

pour into clean jars leaving a little space at the top for the jam to expand.  
leave on counter till cool then store in your freezer.  that’s it!

a little me time

after the kids go to bed, about 3 times a month, i love love love to fill the tub and soak for a bit.  
no jets please.  
i will take a lush bath bomb though.  have you ever used one of these lovely fragrance filled bombs? 

i picked some up in chicago last year and add to my collection whenever we go back.  there are fizzy bath bombs and bubble bars.  so glorious.

i usually break off  some of the bubble bar and add it to a bath bomb.

add some light reading and i’m good.  a nice 20 minute soak then i’m off to bed.

happy 11th birthday deanie.

deanie turned 11 in april and i forgot to publish this post!  
for her birthday party she decided to do black and white (for piano keys) and a little hot pink. 
instead of a cake she wanted this lemon and orange zest olive oil cake i had recently made at a cooking class.  i was a little sad that she didn’t want a dolled up cake but on the other hand am extremely grateful for the young lady she is growing up to be!

plus i really like this dessert!

the goodie bags were stamped with music notes and filled with a slap bracelet, some stickers, a small journal notebook and a few pieces of candy.  we tied music note ribbon to each one.

her favorites….strawberry licorice (NOT cherry!), strawberries, fresh pepper slices and cheeseburgers.

deanie is so content and continuously happy.  she can write a creative story or play like non other.  her determination in her piano, tennis and school work are extremely admirable to say the least….. she is a tender sister to her little brothers and helps immensely around the house.  her jokes are truly funny and she loves to go for walks in the woods.  she is smart and kind and generous.  best of all, she loves the Lord and she loves others.  
the next morning we surprised her with the nook simple touch.  the perfect gift for an avid reader.  

to keep the surprises coming….that weekend, daddy drove the whole family to the train station to send the two of us off.   deanie knew i was “sweeping her away” but had no idea where we were going or how we were getting there.

off to chicago we went for the weekend!!   this was her first train ride.

and her first cab ride!

we stayed at the whitehall hotel.  very quaint but nice.  perfect for the two of us 🙂

the price is right and the location is great.  caddy corner from the hancock building and water tower place.  

we mostly stayed around the water tower place to shop.

and of course the american girl store.  she was so sweet and wanted to make sure to buy a little something for each of her siblings with her own money.  treasures for the boys were found at the candy store and a little treasure for dancy was purchased at american girl.

the original pancake house is a MUST go to place for breakfast in chicago!  if you go at 8 you shouldn’t have to wait.  if you sleep in and go at 9 you’ll have to wait.  it is delish!

the tulips were in full bloom, unusually early, due to an early heat wave.  perfect for us because they were beautiful!

we ate dinner at the cheesecake factory.  she really wanted to go and i wanted to be the one to take her! it was delicious…the portions were so huge that we both laughed a good laugh when we were served. 🙂

it was a weekend we will both always remember with a lot of giggles and laughs and fun memories.  
i’m looking forward to “sweeeping” dancy away when she turns 11!