Ahh Summer

Check out our growing garden!! We picked our first batch of peas the other night and MAN did they taste good. I don't know how much produce we'll get to put up, but just to have it to munch on is fantastic.



He was totally terrified of the carousel.




Miles is LOVING the splash park lately

Extreme Corner Makeover

I'm not a big fan of Ty Pennington, he's super annoying in my opinion. However, every time I watch "Extreme Home Makeover" I still end up crying. We have a little entry way in our apartment and ever since we've moved in, it's been a work in progress. I'm still not completely satisfied, but it's so much better than it was. We used to park our stroller and high chair there and that was it. Later on, we found this table at the DI, rearranged some knick-knacks and spruced up the corner a little bit.



Later on I painted the table and Richie helped me paint the entry way. I found a bowl at wal mart for $2 and once again rearranged some knick-knacks. Corner take 2. So much better.



But it was still pretty bare for such a relatively large space. I know bikes like this and silhouettes are pretty trendy right now. But I just can't help it...I like them! So I found the bike printable for free online, did a tiny bit of research on how to make the silhouettes (actually very easy, even for someone who has literally NEVER used photoshop), found 3 matching frames at DI and 1 bigger one for the bike and did some painting, and hung those paper puffs. Remember the wreath I made? I had lots of book pages left over, so I utilized them this way. The little hangers in between are things I found at antique shops before I got married. They were just in a box and I had forgotten all about them! So, it's still not exactly what I was picturing in my mind, but on a tight budget and no picture to go off, I'm pretty pleased. For now anyway.




"I guess there's just one thing left to say. Welcome home Garner family, welcome home."

South Carolina!

I'll try not to make this post too long since I need to save some juicy details for my diary ;) but Miles and I just got back from SC the other day and it was such a great experience.
I traveled with my cousin-in-law and her little boy who is about the same age. They drove me to SLC and we did all the plane traveling together. Her bro-in-law also came with us on the plane rides back and was a complete life saver! Miles traveled about as good as you could expect a wiggly 1.5 year old who has to sit on your crammed lap for 5 hours to do. Does that paint an adequate picture? He actually did better than I thought he would thanks to Mr. Benadryl. I was always surprised at bumping into such kind-hearted people. We had plenty of strangers stop to help us with our bags etc etc. We even ran into the head of audio visual for the church and I think he saved my sanity on the ride home. He forfeited sitting next to his wife to sit next to me and talk to me. He would adjust my seat, fix my head set, pick up something if Miles threw it etc etc. Just totally changed my night.
All traveling aside, the trip was fantastic. I got to stay one night at G&G Garner's home and it was just full of love and memories and southern charm, complete with screened in porch. We spent the majority of the reunion in Ashville North Carolina where we stayed at a ski resort lodge place which was absolutely beautiful, the accommodations and scenery. We went on a small hike on the Appalachian trail which runs from Georgia to Maine and did a little rafting on the French Broad River. But my favorite parts of reunions are just sitting around and talking. I got to know many family members much better, meeting some for the first time. It's such a treat to be a part of a family which reminds me so much of my own. I have no problem feeling comfortable or asking for help. Everyone was willing to help me!! I couldn't have done it without everyone else's help. Heck, I wouldn't have even gone if it wasn't for them!
The south is fantastic. I've never been to that part of the country and it's beautiful. I never did get over how many trees there are and how green it is. It's just what a pictured; people saying "ya'll" and country style homes with gardens, humidity and bugs, and more ethnicity than I usually see in a year! :) I definitely did NOT get enough pictures, but here are a few. Miles is in almost all of them, go figure. I guess I'm one proud mamma! This is the longest amount of time Richie and I have ever been away from each other, not counting our engagement, so that was super hard for me. Someone tried to make us feel better by saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder, to which Richie replied, "Whoever said that is crazy. Absence stinks!" Semi-true, but man was I happy to see his beautiful face at the airport.

Wish Me Luck!

This trip has snuck (if that's a word) up on me so quickly! But today Miles and I are hitchin a ride with family to SLC, and then tomorrow it's off to South Carolina! In preparation for the trip, I made these in hopes to keep Miles occupied. We'll see how that goes. I thought they turned out cute anyway. I found the idea for finger puppets on "The idea room" blog that I have a link to on the side.



We also celebrated Richie's birthday this weekend! The big 2-5! I wanted to do something special since he took me to SG for my birthday. But I guess there's no way to top that. Nothing I planned seemed to go accordingly, but I think he still had a fun weekend. It started off poorly when I went to take him his birthday lunch and realized I had a flat tire. We had to replace it with a new one. Ouch! On the up-side, I learned how to change a tire! We celebrated by having a hot dog roast, playing frisbee golf, and feeding the fish with the Christensen's, going on a bike ride, indulging in some divine sushi from the grill thanks to Richie's work, lots of LOST watching and I got him a drill. He's gotta start his manly tool collection some time right? He thinks I have ulterior (sp?) motives, and I may. Just because I want him to build us furniture doesn't mean I wouldn't have gotten him a drill someday. :)

No pictures, but lots of words

I have this problem where even when my body is tired, I lay awake at night and my mind just races. Last night was worse than some, and I thought, "Why don't I just go blog about it and get it all out of my head." Luckily I fell asleep, but the thoughts are all still here. Here you go, you lucky dog you.

*Why do I find the need to go to places like garage sales and the DI and convince myself that I NEED this person's old junk? I don't know. But I did find another awesome
suitcase at DI yesterday. It's picture worthy, so I'll post one eventually. Richie is a little bit scared that I might be on the show "Hoarders" one day. I convinced him I wouldn't....Then I came home with another suitcase. It followed me home???

*I found a really cool way to use up some of the parsley I am growing in abundance. You cut about a half cup of parsley, put in a bowl, pour 1 C boiling water over it and let cool. Then take the parsley out and you are left with an all natural facial toner!! Crazy huh? I just bought a little plastic bottle at Wal mart for .99 and if you keep it in the fridge it will last for about a month. I'll let you know if my blackheads go away. Either way my face smells awesome after I use it, not like carrots, like Richie says.

*I also found a yummy recipe for Popsicle in Family Fun magazine this month, so I went and bought some long over due Popsicle molds. (Did you know you must capitalize "Popsicle" I just found that out thanks to spell check. Go ahead try it for yourself) 1 ripe banana, 1/2 C coconut milk, 8 oz crushed pineapple. Blend and freeze. Pina Colada Popsicles! Yum!

*Miles is starting to try and say words. It's so cool. Yesterday we played with Play-dough (talk about a good smell) and after I told him the color he'd try and repeat it. Purple= Poh Poh Orange =Ach Yellow = lelelele (no possible way to type what it sounds like) Blue= Boo!

*As I was reading my scriptures today, I found one of those pearls that you find even after you've read the BoM more than once. Alma 44: 5 Moroni refers to the support that wives and children give their husbands as sacred. Pretty inspiring

*Is it possible to be "nesting" when you're not pregnant? One of those things keeping me up last night was how to rearrange furniture and where should I hang those cool plates I found at the DI, and modge podge and chalk board paint, and yellow walls...on and on and on.... Richie noticed me sitting almost straight up staring at a wall and he asked if I was okay and what I was thinking about. I said, "plates." He looked irritated, and went back to bed. :)

* I am officially a seamstress. (I typed 'sewer' and then realized it looks like the place where the toilet flushes go. Maybe that's why they invented the word 'seamstress') You may think just because I got a sewing machine, that I was automatically a seamstress, but no. I now know how to do all the threading preparation etc (thanks to you tube and trial and error and the users manual) You would think I could remember something as easy as that. After all I've sewn before....Anyway, I knew I needed a simple first project. So I used some of Miles well worn, cheap fabric receiving blankets, some old batting and made doggie beds. It was originally going to be a bed for Clarece, but we all know how that story ends. Miles and I are planning on taking them to the animal shelter here. After all, dogs and cats won't care if the stitching isn't correct.