Kumquats and such

After our big weekend away in Winston-Salem and Raleigh visiting friends, we woke up on Sunday morning at went to Bob Evans with Colleen, Keith and Max, and Colleen's parents, Jill and Tom. Jill treated us to a lovely breakfast and then we headed back to Colleen's house to pack the car and watch a bit of soccer before hitting the road.  Every time we leave their house, I beg Jason to stop at the Raleigh Farmer's Market. It's HUGE and WONDERFUL! But every time we pass by the exit, Reagan is sleeping and we don't want to risk disturbing her nap and ending up with a screamer for 2 hours...so we don't stop. Well, in honor of Mother's Day, Jason ignored our sleepy girl and dropped me off to do a bit of shopping. I scored two containers of dried pears (which I cannot find anywhere else!) and some fresh fruit. I could have spent hours there, but decided to call it good and found him sitting in the backseat with Reagan who was now awake. Source The mark...

My dear friend, Lynsey  and her husband Brian, are expecting their second child next month! They already have sweet Mason, and they will be adding Caroline within a matter of weeks, so we wanted to celebrate their family with a sprinkle. Now most people I told about this had never even heard of a sprinkle. To be honest, I hadn't either until some of our playgroup friends hosted one. It's basically a small shower where no one brings big gifts, just diapers or other small things, to celebrate the upcoming birth of a second child. On Friday afternoon, Jason, Reagan, Tommy and I headed to Raleigh. We arrived at Colleen & Keith's house and got the kids fed and then packed up Keith's Jeep to drive to Winston-Salem. Colleen, Max, Reagan and I arrived at Lynsey's house around 9:30 and we got the kiddos to bed within the hour. Then the three of us drove to the grocery store to get supplies for the sprinkle, leaving Brian in charge of the sleeping babes. We returned ho...

Several of my friends from Stroller Warriors have embarked on an intriguing journey. Really, it's not so much a journey, but a year long challenge to BUY NOTHING NEW! As families, they have each established guidelines to govern this next year as they do their best to meet their goals. It's an impressive mission to say the least. While the Goodale Family isn't hopping on board with this Buy Nothing New Challenge, it has gotten me thinking. So last week, as Mother's Day was rapidly approaching, instead of buying those wonderful Hallmark cards with the beautiful sayings, we decided to break out the paint and make our own! Pre-Reagan, I used to make lots of cards myself. I have an entire stockpile of card-making supplies. Post-Reagan, I've let that hobby slide to the back burner in exchange for playing with blocks and dolls. And because we're getting ready to move, those supplies are boxed up and in a closet for the rest of our time in NC. At first, Reagan used ...

When we moved into our home nearly 3 years ago, we had one type bushes on one side and a different type in front of the porch that were frequent sightings throughout the neighborhood. Here are a couple pics that have them in the background: When I trimmed these bushes back, the bottoms were totally brown and gross looking! The 3 of the ones behind Reagan and Max had developed some sort of fungus, turning the leaves a slight brownish color. Also gross! So, as we've begun attempting to beautify the house and yard in preparation for our move (in hopes of renting it!), we decided to pull out the ugly bushes and replace them with new ones. We selected 4 gardenias for the left side (facing the house), and 3 hydrangeas for the right side (in front of the porch). The gardenias popped this week and we LOVE our new front yard: These flowers change color based on the acidity of the soil. How cool is that?! 

On Friday afternoon, Jason mentioned to me that he'd like to have some people over to watch the Kentucky Derby and celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We both went through our phones and sent out a few random text messages to invite everyone we could think of to our last minute get together. We had a decent turn out and a lot of fun! We served beergaritas (Corona Light, Tequila, and limeade concentrate), beef tacos, chicken tacos with a spicy chipotles in adobo and lime sour cream, and these beautiful tomato stacks with refried black beans, fresh jalapenos, cilantro and a sour cream sauce. Everyone quickly filled their plates and we made it upstairs just in time to watch the Derby. The Chaplain from 1/9 was in attendance and he selected the winning horse from our "Derby hat". All in all, it was a fun day. Plus, Jason got to snuggle with our friend's cute little 5-week old baby girl! Here are a few pictures: Little Maddie! Isn't she a doll?!

On Wednesday, May 2nd, Reagan and I headed across town to Deppe Park to meet our fellow Stroller Warriors for a non-running event...a PICNIC! We arrived around 11:15 with watermelon and a veggie tray in hand. As soon as we stepped out of the car, I covered Reagan in sunscreen and applied some on my own arms - it was a hot day. I deposited the food in the picnic table area, and then we to the park (devoid of any source of shade) and played a bit before the bulk of SWs arrived. Reagan is at a great age right now. She's discovering all these new things she can climb on, but each unsure step takes time. Therefore, any chance we get to play with a small crowd is welcome. After the older kiddos take over, it's a free-for-all and I'm stuck watching every move Reagan makes and ensuring she doesn't get stepped on:) About 20-25 ladies and their kiddos showed up and brought WAY TOO MUCH food, but that's never a problem for us! We took a lunch break and then went back to the ...

(We went to the beach last week and the winds were 25 MPH!) Reagan lasted about 2 minutes, but she sure looks cute in her new bathing suit from Grandma and Grandpa!)