Week in Review...

This week has literally been like Christmas in July!
Danced around the house to Frosty the Snowman and various other Christmas songs while nannying...all of Zoe's favorites! She wanted to play it...
And now...to add to the feel of 'Christmas' I have come down with a slight cold which started off as a terrible sore throat. The cold isn't too bad, but I feel like it is taking a lot out of me. I'm not supposed to get sick until at least fall! :( Boo.
However, I think this cold could be a symptom of my continued lack of balance...
My life has went from this:

Too much work...
To this:

Too much fun... Always on the go.
In a lot of ways I was thinking that to have balance meant to make time for relationships in my life. But now that I have made time for relationships, they have overtaken my life to some extent and not left any time for me and for rest and relaxation.

Instead of taking time to relax and bring balance to my life, I have been filling my schedule with country music...baseball games...and time with family and friends.
My view of the stage at Country Jam last weekend.

Even had a "Social Networking Hot Spot" Seriously!?! Can't people leave their computers for even a few hours!? Wow. That was funny and I had to document it :)

This past Wednesday I made a trip back to Wisconsin and went to an Eau Claire Express Baseball game...learned a thing or 2 about the game even!
My family...

The Express players warming up with some little t-ball players...or maybe little league players?

Me and my mommy-o

Cute little bat boys!

Lesson learned...the "Ks" hanging on the fence are not from some fans representing the Ku Klucs Klan with an extra "Ku" .... The K stands for the strike outs...the number of batters the team's pitcher has struck out during the game. NOT the number of players on that team that have been struck out. Good thing to learn! ha ha

Despite all my busyness, my garden has been doing great and bringing in 'slow moments' to my life.
My peas have arrived! :)

And my tomatoes are getting red! I'm thinking tacos this week to use up a few...


I only have a handful so far...

Goal for this week - rest more. play less. and still work hard. :)

Sunshine and Summertime...Dresses!

It is weird to think....but summer is almost over!!! :( It feels like it just started. Maybe it really isn't that close to being over, but my "Summertime Fun" list has almost been completed:

+Jonna's Wedding. Check.
+Sara's Wedding. Check.
+Amanda and Isaac's Wedding. Check.
+Stanley Rodeo. Check.
+Spooner Rodeo. Check.
+Hamel Rodeo. Check.
+Summer walks with Danielle and Blake. Check. But hopefully more to come!
+Joe Nichol's at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair with Amy. Check.
+Tubing with Small Group girls. Check.
+Country Jam with Jim. Check.

All that's left is:
+Express Baseball game with the fam in EC
+Laurel and Erik's wedding
+Minnesota State Fair


So far, it has been a darn good summer! Couldn't have asked for more. And I have been livin' it up in cute sundresses! :) Love it! So cool in this heat we have had too. And by 'livin' it up' I also mean I have been living at the beach...no I haven't yet taken up residency there, but I'm pretty sure "my spot" is on reserve ;) Gettin' my tan on that's for sure!

Almost time for fall, though, now....time to start my fall list! What fun fall activities do I want to make sure to get in??? Let the brainstorming begin!

Who's the King of the Jungle??

Who? Who?
Who's the King of the Sea?
Bubble, Bubble
Who's the King of the Universe? And Who's the King of me?!

Just taking a little trip back to my VBS days and my favorite camp song :)

But literally...my porch garden is starting to look like a jungle!!!

My tomato plants are growing out of the planter they are getting so big. And not just that, but they are as tall as the deck railing! I think I must not be pruning them up right to get them to stop growing. However, there are several little bunches of tomatoes growing! Most of which look like this:

Now, just for them to ripen up :)

My experiment growing sugar snap peas is also still in progress. I haven't been able to successfully get them to "climb" and grow up the deck railing....but they are growing and are starting to get a few flowers, so maybe peas will be here soon!


My basil is also growing like crazy! And....note to self for next year...one basil plant would probably suffice for this single lady. It grows so fast I can't keep up with using it! So far I have only added it to some pasta sauce for a chicken dish I made. Need to research some more ways to use basil.

I am now on my second crop of lettuce. Ate up the first little bunches already...at least what had been surviving the heat and rain. Another note to self: plant more lettuce next year. I also think I might arrange the plants differently in my planter next year.

Planter 1:
Peas by the railing (grow straight from seeds in planter)
1 green pepper (start seeds early)
tomato plant in the middle (start seeds early)
basil (start seeds early)
1 green pepper (start seeds early)

Planter 2:
Lots of lettuce (start seeds early)
flowers in middle (buy as plants)
tomato plant on side (start seeds early)

And there you have it! My lessons learned in gardening thus far! :)

What is the chief end of man?

I am currently doing a Bible Study with some girls titled Duty or Delight? It is all about how much our relationship with God is a duty or whether we allow it to be the delight that God desires for it to be. Doing the study, so far, has definitely been such a delight for me! It is very refreshing. Because I joined the study late, I'm still working to catch up with the rest of the ladies. Today, I'm being challenged to Eat More Bread and fill my deep hunger with satisfaction in my relationship with Christ. However, I also find myself challenged by a statement quoted in the study from the Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1674 asking "What is the chief end of man?" The world would tell us something quite different than what God wants us to know. God wants us to know that our chief end, the reason He created us, is to glorify Him [God] and enjoy Him forever! How freeing is that!? If you would believe this to be true, would you live your life differently? I know I would. And I am challenged by this today. My prayer is that we would all live lives that allow us to enjoy God and bring him glory...not just to enjoy ourselves and bring ourselves glory. We are missing out on so much when we overlook God.

Check out Tammie Head's study. I definitely recommend it!!


You can buy the study at Lifeway Christian Stores. Copy and paste the link below to order it online:
http://www.lifeway.com/Keyword/duty+or+delight+knowing+where+you+stand+with+god+member+book

God Bless!

Rise and Shine!

It's Morning Time!!

I think I heard this EVERY morning growing up. Followed by my shades flying up, letting in the bright sun. Oh and of course right after my mom told me to "rise and shine", she would begin singing this lovely song:

Rise! and Shine! And give God the glory, glory!
Rise! and Shine! And give God the glory, glory!
Rise! And Shine! And..give God the glory, glory children, of the Lord.

At time this generally would annoy me enough to get out of bed so that my mom would stop singing. But looking back, this honestly is one of my favorite and most special memories of my childhood :)

I'm still not sure that I could be considered a morning person. But one thing is for sure, there are definitely a few things I LOVE about mornings...especially in the summer!

1. Waking up on my own :)

2. Sitting on my deck with a glass of iced coffee and my Bible

3. Ending it all with a nice little run

It's gonna be a great day! Headed to the fireworks tonight at Mystic Lake Casino! There is going to be a free Diamond Rio concert before the fireworks start too!! So excited!


Hope you get to see some of these tonight :)
HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!
I can't believe July is already here....

I was at Target yesterday looking for a folding lawn chair, and guess what!? The summer stuff was getting packed up already and they were bringing out....the BACK TO SCHOOL DISPLAYS!!!! WHAT?!?! I just finished school for the summer ... :( Crazy!