Mother's Day Edition

Y'all, I've got 5 days until summer vacation! The struggle is real. However, I think I'm going to make it. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Here's a "better late than never" Mother's Day post.

Things my mama taught me:

Always lend a helping hand.

Smile! :)

WORK.

Any time is a good time for a Diet Coke.

Blare music while cleaning the house.

Pray and go to church.

Exercise- it's good for the body and soul.

Light a candle when company's coming.

Popcorn is perfectly fine for dinner.

I'm still learning how to perfect her carrot cake recipe.

Push your cuticles back and wear lipstick.

I wouldn't have happened without her and July 20th, 2013 certainly wouldn't have happened without her.

She is the cornerstone of our family, my best friend, and I'll never stop learning from her.

Keep dancing, Mom.


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On July 20th, I got another mama! I love my mother-in-law, and July 20th couldn't have happened without her either!

We share a love of Diet Coke, local discount stores, and do-it-yourself projects.

I'm already learning so much from her.

She raised the man of my dreams and has welcomed me into her family with open arms.

Mrs. Betty is the best!

I plan on uploading our official wedding photos to the blog over the summer. It's one of my MANY projects. Stay tuned!

5 days.

***Photo cred: the amazing Masa Kathryn Hensley at Masa Kathryn Photography in Columbus, MS. 

Do One Thing A Day That Scares You

I want to go camping every weekend from now on.

Friday we packed up and headed to Heber Springs, AR.

Not without a list first, of course.

We got there barely in time to get a spot at John F. Kennedy Recreation Area & Campground which is along the Little Red River. It was "at capacity." The Little Red River begins at the dam of Greers Ferry Lake. Fun history fact: officially opening Greers Ferry Dam was JFK's last major appearance before his assassination.

 Before the sun went down we had everything set up, and Trey had started a fire.

 Yes, we had electricity to which Daddy-d said "wasn't camping", but we only used the outlet to blow-up the air mattress and for the lights. Globe-string lights are the best investment I've made. They make me happy : )

 Smores also make me happy.

After a delicious dinner of hot dogs and smores, we played with "the big camera" as I call it. It is a Nixon D60 which I am learning how to use better. 

Night-time is not the best time to learn. Obviously, not enough light which results in a very slow shutter speed. I also thought after dinner would be good time to confess to Trey that I don't think I have ever slept outside in a tent. Sure I've been camping- in a RV, but not a tent! He didn't seem too surprised by my news.

 I liked this one of the tent and lights.

Case in point of slow shutter speed: see above picture. The streak of light behind me is a car's headlights. 

The temp dropped A LOT on Friday night. Thankful I packed extra blankets. I think it got into the 30's. I didn't mind the cold while falling asleep to the sound of the river rustling. That sound was better than any sound machine.

Glorious morning came, and this is when I realized how much I was really enjoying camping. Have you ever been awakened outside by birds singing the sweetest songs? 

I'm convinced birds were God's original alarm clocks.

This noise, however, is the most unnatural thing to wake up to. That sign should read "Danger: When  Horn Sounds Beware of Loud, Obnoxious Blaring at 5:50am."

This little bridge made me smile every time I crossed it. That little brick building is the restroom. Trey says this picture should be titled "When Nature Calls."

Besides waking us up at 5:50am the horn has another purpose. It lets you know they are releasing water from the lake into the river resulting in a very high water level; therefore, we couldn't fish. T was such a good sport about it!

So we hopped in the truck and went to Petit Jean! 

I could hardly believe these views were in Arkansas!

That's the Arkansas River.

Petit Jean means "Little John" in French. 300 year old legend has it that boy and girl fell in love in France. Boy was sent by the King of France to explore America. Girl did not want him to leave, so she dressed up like a boy, "Little John", and sailed on his ship to America. They crossed the Atlantic, came up the Mississippi River, veered off onto the Arkansas River, and finally stopped at this rock formation/semi-mountain. Girl became sick, and they finally figured out she was a girl. She died here, and that's why they named it Petit Jean. True story, well, true legend.

This structure was at one time some sort of meeting house or school. 

Really pretty stone.

This is was a huge rock cave on the mountain called "Rock House Cave." If I would have been an Indian I would have wanted to be in the tribe who got to call this place home. Hmm... wonder what my Indian name would have been?

After exploring Petit Jean, we came back to camp and checked out a little creek that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are trying to make into stocked creek for kids 16 and under like Dry Run Creek. Places like this are stocked with HUGE fish for children to easily catch. Trey has come so close to "borrowing" a kid for a day at Dry Run Creek.

We didn't see any fish in there, so we think maybe they are still working on it. 

Just like I am still working on some of my fears. Jumping across a creek. It sounds simple, but I was scared to death when it came time to jump. I bet Petit Jean was terrified of the journey to America in disguise too. Love makes us do some pretty brave things. 

Awhile back, Trey and I adopted a motto, "Do one thing a day that scares you." So when I get scared I think about the motto, or we say it to each other. Then I think, think, think, think, and THHHIIINNNKK about it....  

And just jump. And every time I've been scared but "jumped" anyway or gone through with what scared me, it's turned out ok. And I look back and think how silly I was for being scared. Just like I'm looking back at these pictures and laughing at how embarrassingly small that jump looks. 

Have you done anything today that scares you?

Grow Where You're Planted

This post has been several weeks in the making. 

Confession: I am not very good with potted plants/flowers. However, I do have experience with vegetable gardens! I planted a small one right after college, and it did good. My grandparents always have one, so I was around them growing up. To me vegetable gardens seem a little more self-sustaining than small, potted flowers. We have been saying since the end of last summer that we wanted to plant a vegetable garden this spring! So we did it. 

About a month ago, my sweet husband built the raised bed. 

Our yard slants upward, so the garden is on a slight incline. 

However, this raised bed is exceptionally level! Trey is a master leveler. Pictures, shelves, the TV, or  anything being built or put on a wall gets measured two/three times for levelness. Reason #12, 232 why I love him.  I love how it's dug in to the ground on the right side. :)  

The next step was soil. After visiting two different garden centers, we found the right dirt- half Cotton Burr and half ProMix. We bought two yards. Yeah, I have no idea how they measure it or what "two yards" equals. All I know is that the dirt filled the back of T's truck TWICE! And my job was to shovel the dirt out of the truck into the wheelbarrow. #talkaboutanarmworkout 

After the dirt went in, it was time to wait until after Easter because that's the old wives' tale, "You don't plant your garden until after Easter." Said who originally? Who knows, but we followed the old adage. This past weekend we went to our favorite nursery and picked out our little veggie plants!

 

The cast of characters (from left to right):

Celebrity tomato, sweet-n-neat cherry tomato, beef master tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, CARROTS, and bell peppers for a grand total of $19.15. My money is on the sweet-n-neat tomatoes, and I'm pretty pumped about the carrots! Trey is rooting for the celebrity tomato and okra. 

 After sticking them in the dirt (I secretly love getting dirt all over my hands and under my nails), we gave them a good drink of water.

Lastly, after watering them, we placed pine straw all around them. I am so glad we did this because of the torrential rain we got this past Sunday and Monday. We were lucky to not have any damage from the storms, but my heart goes out to friends in Louisville. I can't wait to get down there and help out. 

I love the way it looks all filled up! And it brings to mind the verse, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven... A time to plant and a time to harvest." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. We had so much fun doing this together, and we will just have to wait approximately 60 days to see if there will be anything to harvest!

Creepy Jenny is doing well and creeping all through this planter! I'll update you on the garden in 30 days! Meanwhile, I'm putting on my rubber boots to go water it.