MeltDown . . .

Ok, i had somewhat of a melt down yesterday afternoon. I have never been mad/angry over my dad's death, but yesterday was a different story! My dad always had a garden and they were always perfect and did very well. He knew exactly what he was doing... how much to water, how to fertilize, how to treat the plants for insects, yada, yada, yada. Well, guess what?? I have NO CLUE what i am doing and neither does JJ. Let me take that back. We have a slight clue as to what we are doing but have no idea on how to do all of the above things that my dad always knew what to do. I need help and i need my dad's help! He is supposed to be here and be there when we need guidance on something that he has expertise in doing and he isn't. And yesterday, i just could not handle it or hold it in any longer. I should not have to ask friends to give me advice almost daily on things that he should helping me with. But, i have to if i want help. So, i cried all afternoon/evening as i was attempting to fertilize our garden and just hoped that what i was doing was right. I know it wasn't wrong but there are just so many things that go along with a garden that i don't have answers to. Oh well. I am over it and my plants aren't dead. They are growing but i expected them to get bigger quicker and it could be because i haven't fertilized them enough. It may all work out in the end. I am no longer mad/angry. Now i feel SO bad for even getting upset and for the way i was feeling...kinda feel selfish. But i love that man just as much today as i have my whole life! He is there for me, i know he is.
♥ you REP!!

Where Does the Time Go??

I cannot believe that i am about to have a baby that is turning TWO and another baby that is turning TEN! It just makes me all teary eyed sitting here thinking about it. Chayton's birthday is this Saturday and Jackson's birthday is a month away. It seems like just yesterday that i was at home on bedrest waiting on baby #1. And then again almost 8 years later, i was at home on bedrest waiting on baby #2. WOW!! My boys are growing up way faster than i ever want them to.

 Chayton at his 1st Birthday Party!

 1 year later...

 Jackson at his 9th Birthday Party!

1 year later...

These boys just amaze me with everything that they do. I am so proud of both of them in so many ways!

The Last Season with The Bowen's

One of Jackson's very special friends, Zach, is moving to Hoover, Alabama the end of next month. These 2 boys have gotten to be very close friends and always have a great time together, whether it is on the soccer field or just hanging out. They are SO much alike that they even had to have the same soccer shoes and laces! And even picked out purple and pink tie dyed soccer shirts at the last soccer tournament we went to in Jackson, TN. I absolutely adore these two boys! Amy, Zach's mom, and i were best friends in high school and continue to talk almost daily. This is a sad time for us because we will not have The Bowen's to hang out with much longer. We will definitely be making road trips to their new house in Alabama! Until then, we will make the most of our time spent together. SNIFF, SNIFF!

Jackson and Zach

~  Soccer Boys  ~

Sidney, Jackson, Zach and Desmond

Gardeners...or so we think!!

Well, well, well....it has been 19 days since i have blogged and i am so far behind. But what i am going to pick up with is the garden that we have been working on. The pics that i am gonna show you are from about 3 weeks ago but maybe after this weekend, i can update what the progress is. We decided to do 2 raised beds and ended up doing approx 4ft x 8ft beds. After we bought the plants, we realized that we needed more space. But we decided just to go with it and modify as the plants grow if needed. We used the layout of a square foot garden and all of the plants were planted according to measurements...go figure. We are OCD!! But we may have to transplant a few tomato plants elsewhere because the plants may be too large to get to for picking. But, it is our first time and we will learn as we go. Thank goodness for neighbors and coworkers, like Brad and Elizabeth, to give us all the extra information that we need on this new journey (that...it will be)!! Here are the beginning pictures. They were taken on Easter when we finished planting a few plants. (We have since planted squash and cucumbers.)

 Bed #1... We have lettuce, broccoli, cayenne peppers, bell peppers, and banana peppers

 Another view of bed #1

 Bed #2... We have roma tomatoes, regular tomatoes, onions, squash and cucumbers.

Another view of bed #2... minus the squash and cucumbers.

We are so excited about trying this. Depending on what happens this go round depends on what we try next time. Our strawberry plants are growing like weeds and are looking great. However, something is eating every one of the strawberries!! We also have a cherry tomato plant that is planted in a pot, and they are doing FABULOUS!! We have tons of tomatoes; we are just waiting for them to turn red.

Out of Touch

I am doing terrible these days with the blogging thing. I have some things from the weekend to put on here but ALL of my pictures are on JJ's computer (rather than mine) and it seems that i can never find the time to grab his computer and share those with you. So, that is why there has not been anything on here. OH WELL...maybe in the near future i will get caught up and get back to it.
I am reading a new book called "This is Why You're Fat!" Great title huh?! It is actually pretty interesting and it has information in it that i believe will be easier to follow. The basic principle is clean eating Monday-Friday and then you have a total of 2 cheat meals on Saturday and Sunday (up to 1500 calories each). That kind of plan makes it a little easier for me to follow because we are usually gone so much on the weekends. The first 2 weeks is a jump start week and she really doesn't want you to change the way you are eating; you add a few things to your diet that get you ready for the third week. I am going to try to start tomorrow if i can get back to the store today and pick up a few things. The one thing that i am already gagging over is Oatmeal!! I have tried it on a few occasions and had to stand over the sink to eat it...if you know what i mean. But, i am gonna see what i can do because it is one of the things to add.