{happy birthday, happy boy!}

God knew just what we needed when He placed this little guy in our lives...



{precious layne asher- 1 yr.}

Layne has been an absolute blessing to us... He has spent hardly a moment of his little life fussing or grouching. He has been full of smiles starting at just 2.5 weeks old. He laughed- a big ole full laugh- at 8 weeks... {At his older brother, no less.} He has been sweet, adaptable, cuddly, funny, and SO happy since he was born just a year ago today!  He also has a very stubborn and contankerous side, but that's neither here nor there... Because today, we are just going to celebrate the life that has been given to us! We love you, Layne Asher! We cannot imagine our life without you!



{its only the beginning. the best is yet to come.}

{little boy adventures.}

My days have been busy, and time is flying by. Just like everyone else, I've been busy with gardening/canning/freezing. Our garden is pretty much done now, for which I am thankful. I was also thankful for the garden, too, but its good that gardening is a seasonal activity in my opinion. I go so overboard in the spring when I go to buy seeds and sometimes I plant things that I later wonder why on earth I would have planted that. Fall squash, for example. It seemed like a fabulous idea at the time! So I bought not one, but two kinds of fall squash. I don't even LIKE fall squash! Oh well, waste not, want not, right? It will get eaten. But it might just be the baby of the family who consumes it in squished up form. He seems to love squash. He's probably the reason I planted it. See! I knew there was a reason.

Our weekends have been packed with activities, too. There has been no resting around here! This past weekend, we did finally have a whole Saturday to just be at home and catch-up and work outside. This was the first in many Saturdays. We spent the day together just doing our chores and enjoying each other's company... And in the evening, we went to Bob Evan's for supper and then went golfing with Matt. It was so, so, so fun! I wish I had taken the camera, but I wasn't sure I could manage an ecstatic Miles, a curious Layne, a golf cart, AND a camera. It was one of those evenings that will be forever remembered and cherished. I'm pretty sure we have a golfer on our hands- Miles had the time of his life. At every little stop, he was out with a club whacking the ball! After the first few holes, he started telling me "Jest stand back, 'kay? Lemme hill {hit} it. Stay back." And after a few unsuccessful whacks, he would finally make contact and off the ball would go! It was a beautiful early fall evening with such a simple activity- and so far, one of my most treasured memories with our precious little boys. Except for when Layne fell off of the golf cart. The moving golf cart. That was more traumatic than treasured.

We went to Holmes County with my Dad & Mom a few weekends back... I actually TOOK the camera on that excursion but did not take a single picture. If I was a die-hard blogger, I would have taken a hundred shots and had at LEAST a thousand word essay to attach with glamorous photos. But I have neither. It was a really fun weekend, though, all 24 hours that we were there! Miles loved the "clop-clops" and being in "Counties". He had a great time swimming at the hotel and pretty much tuckered himself out. Layne was a sport although he's kinda at that age where he doesn't really seem to understand what all the commotion is about... He'd prefer his naps and definitely his meals on time. He didn't fuss one time though, and had as much fun as he possibly could! Such a trooper! Love them boys!

Miles has recently discovered pockets in his shorts and is quite taken with them. Before I get him dressed in the morning, he has to inspect the shorts to make sure they have pockets. If there are no pockets, the shorts are not going on him. No siree! Saturday, he found a frog... and with his recent obsession with pockets... you can only imagine...

{getting mr. frog into the pocket proved to be a difficult task. a task that required lots and lots of effort.}

Here's Miles wanting me to take a picture of  Mr. Frog...

{100% boy.}

Layne has been teething like crazy lately. It's been hard on the poor lil guy... and hard on his Momma, too. He has been cranky and sensitive... but that's to be expected out of a little guy whose getting somewhere around TWELVE teeth!!! He only has 2 currently, but his little mouth is full of bumps and gum blisters all over. I feel terrible for him! He still has plenty of time to get into just about everything, time to practice taking steps by holding onto things, and certainly time to charm the camera.



{i cannot turn my back to him for a second without turning back around and finding something similar to this...}





{sweet boy!}



{miles is quite taken with bike riding right now... we have no toddler seats for our bikes, so this is the most conventional way we have come up with. toddler bike seats are definitely on the Christmas list already.}

And just this morning, a cool, rainy, early fall morning... As I was folding laundry on our bed...

{what better place to read amelia bedelia?}

I leave you with this thought that I read this recently:

One thing scientists have discovered is that often praised children become more intelligent than often blamed ones. There's a creative element in praise. 

Lets praise our children for good behavior, for listening, for good manners, for smiling, just for being them! Our children should NOT hear us degrading them in any WAY to any ONE! Let's influence the future in a positive way and direct willing hearts to Jesus!

{a local event}

 A local event. A complete phenomenon for someone feeling mildly displaced in life. Maybe feeling a "part" of the community is not a big deal to you. Maybe you don't care if you don't know your neighbors. Maybe you don't care if you don't know anyone besides those you go to church with and socialize with on a regular basis. I do, however, care. I like to go into town and see a random person that I would not otherwise know except for some connection by way of a business transaction or the such like. It helps one to feel a part of the community. And I like community. I like familiar. Since our move in the Fall of 2009, it's been an adjustment. A big one. It seemed like in Washington, we knew lots of community people. Matt had lots of customers, one of whom was the Mayor of our town, and all of her neighbors on that same street. I worked for a family in Washington for a couple of months and that ONE connection has brought me so much joy... That first fabulous family introduced me to another fabulous family who I proceeded to work for for a couple of years... In which time I also kept working for Fabulous Family #1 {medical transcribing} all the while strengthening my bonds with Fabulous Family #2 and transporting their kids to and from school and activities therefore getting to know people at their school and places of activity, which in turn {yes, I'm going somewhere with this rambling sentence} led me to know lots of people in the community! And on and on it goes. I loved that. And to think- I STILL work for Fabulous Family #1. What a blessing a little connection can be.

A few weeks back, my Mom's business {Forest Hill Gardens} which I am actively a part of, was invited to be a part of a local event. {http://www.gatheringatgarst.com/} We spent much time thinking and planning our booth... dreaming and scheming how to be an attractive vendor... We loaded the truck and the trailer, not once, but twice, and hauled our wares to Greenville. We spent many hours setting up the display in the sweltering heat and I even made the comment to my Mom... "I would have been so happy to have just stayed home today."... We were completely unsure of what to expect as this was the first year for this event... and was all our hard work and sweat going to be labor in vain?!
Saturday morning rolled around... and what turned out to be a VERY fun day was off to a great start with the sale of a stone table and chair set she has had for quite some time. Matt was able to sell {2} of his fabulous reclaimed lumber picnic tables for a nice price, and also 2 other pieces he had built out of reclaimed lumber. {I am still bemoaning the source of the reclaimed lumber- an old pool deck here on our property. Yes, we could have had a pool, but rather we are the source of reclaimed lumber picnic tables.} The community came and went all day and acquaintances and small connections were made. Neighbors of ours were met and the feeling of "local" was strengthened. Neighbors I already knew came by and wondered if we had any extra tomatoes in our garden... I love that. As a matter of fact, next year, I might just garden for the entire neighborhood so that I can get better acquainted with them. People in this area are very nostalgic, I decided. When trying to "place" one, they ask where you live. When I tell them we "bought the old White Springs Garden Center place and are restoring it" they light up like the fourth of July. People remember a beautiful property that was let go for many years and many people are excited to see it being revived... which in turn, excites me that someone is actually noticing the heaps and loads of efforts we dump into our property to try to fix what others neglected.
It may seem like such a trivial thing to you, this community thing. But really, at the end of the day, it isn't such a small thing to be "community". I really think that God intended for us to love our neighbors when He gave us that command. How can we do that if we are not reaching out even if it IS by way of business transaction? It's really just as simple as the Bible says.

So. Here are some pictures of our local event. The one that has me totally inspired about living in Darke County, Ohio.

{from the front. *note* my fabulous hubby's hand-built table. pretty stylish for a picnic table, eh?}





{the side view.}



{another piece of my husbands crafty craftmanship. i can, however, take credit for the planting.}

{my moms handiwork. amazing if i must say so myself. she's amazing.}

{another of matt's tables with forest hill gardens loot. the combination makes for scrumptious appeal. don't you think?}

{regardless of my cheap camera... this is such a gorgeous photo. it helps that i love this succulent planting anyways.}



{campo de' fiori pottery. its italian. and it is absolutely the best thing. ever. a must collect collection.}

{an attractive little display, in my opinion.}

{the stone table and chairs that sold first thing.}

In other news:

{layne asher. this sweet, squishy little boy is getting into just about everything.}

{they are enamored with each other. and with boy things. its so amazing to me. and so heart-warming. really. nothing has probably ever touched me more than my 2 littles loving each others presence.}

{and there is no one as famous as daddy. not to be taken lightly- they do have the best daddy. ever.}



My days have been filled with gardening and canning. I have so far canned one batch of those dreadful 14-day pickles that Matt loves. I got about 30 qt. of green beans. And since I have slews {is that a word?} of bell peppers, I'm soon going to start chopping them and freezing them. I still have alot of "gardening" ahead of me: apples, pears, peaches, tomatoes...

I leave you with this thought in regards to my rant on community: see if you can find someone who is NOT in your church, NOT in your workplace, and NOT on your normal beaten path to bless this week. And I bet you'll be blessed.

{a little taste of summer at my house}

I'm a flower fanatic. Annuals especially. I suppose my Mom is to blame in part. She does have that fabulous greenhouse, afterall. And then, there's my husband...who, after we've planted flats and flats and flats {and flats} of impatiens wonders... What can we plant next?! Let's buy a new container or make a new bed because THIS IS FUN! Sigh.* I truly don't stand a chance. It's a good thing I love it.
I don't just love any old flowers. I'm especially partial to Proven Winners. It's a "breed" of flowers- superior to any other- in my opinion. You might pay more for a Proven Winner plant at the local nursery, but you are going to a.) get what you pay for b.) pay for the name {royalties!} c.) get something that will endure all scorching summer. There IS a difference between those Wal-Mart petunia 6-packs and a 4-inch Proven Winner petunia.
I always insist on doing a theme. It certainly helps to rope in Matt when we go to pick out our flowers. Otherwise, we'd have all colors of the rainbow. Which is fine, too, right? I think that's what we're going to do next year. For a change. {The only stipulaton I put on next years plan is- no purple.} This year, it's purple. Now, that doesn't mean it's limited to PURPLE. That means you use lavender, light purple, medium purple, bright purple, dark purple, some whites, and black leafed plants. Here's a little glimpse into my fanatical "container gardening"... Trust me... you don't want to see pictures of those impatiens I mentioned earlier... THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. O, a couple things... a.) make sure and notice the humidity hanging in the background of some of these pictures... b.) I have a very cheap camera... c.) worse than the cheap camera, I have no photography skills whatsoever.





{this Eugenia anchors my unattractive kitchen entryway. in my opinion, this entryway is the first outside thing that needs fixed when we get to the outside fixing-up. matt says painting the barn is more important. really?! phooey. but- this beauty certainly helps things look a little, uh, better.}



{this is the front entry. it needs some help, too, but for now it's content with keeping company with these lovely companions!}

{these girls... ah, my favorite. they anchor the corners of our home. they do a great job, but they do tend to show off.}

{larger combination planter, of course starring purple, flanked by 2 "monoculture" pots. classic.}

{she is the star of my patio. truly. she's full of life, balance, and grace. o, and purple.}

{who says "blinds" are for hunting? this "blind" quite nicely hides the collection of apparatus that finds itself situated in the midst of our front lawn.}

{this is a type of euphorbia. for some of you reading in a little warmer climate zones, this can be used as a shrub. i love this plant! notice the humidity looming in the background. it was taken at about 6 AM... you see how steamy it already was. i actually think it looks really neat. in the picture, that is.}

And now... Just for fun! A little DIY! Mine doesn't look so well due to our recent humidity, but... this is a great outdoor centerpiece idea! My Mom came up with this a few years back and I have planted one every summer "just in case". Grab a pot, any old terra cotta pot will do, as long as it's not too tall. Fill it with dirt up to within 4 inches of the top. Center an old cup or candle jar in the center of the pot. Plant moss {scotch or irish} around the cup. Leave the cup in the pot and allow the moss to grow around it. When you are having last minute company and need to appear glam , whip the cup out, insert a pillar candle, and light it! Easy centerpiece! All you have to do is keep it watered for its big moment. Use your imagination- I'm sure baby tears, ajuga, or other creeping, mounding plants would work too!

{just 2 days before i took this picture, there was not a speck of brown to be seen in this moss. shows you what a little humidity will do to one.}

And lastly, I leave you with a few light-hearted moments in my life of late...

{i found these fat little cutie-patooties running through our yard the other morning! i love them! they'd be my adopted third and fourth child by now if i had any say in it. i got the sinking feeling that by the look of the lower ones eyes and ears, they didn't care to even be acquaintances. and i haven't seen them since. the feelings were definitely not mutual.}

{o, the concentration that it takes! golfer in training! and his dad couldn't be more thrilled!}

independence day 2011 and other random thoughts.

I've had writers block for over a week now, so I'm convinced blogging is truly not my friend and I should just return to the safety of Facebook which I can always count on to produce valuable inspiration. But my conscience, being the better person that it is, is winning and I'm not returning to Facebook. Yet. My pergatory sentencing is just not over.


 Our life has been crazy, chaotic, and wonderful these last 10 days or so. We had a great 4-day weekend- meaning that Matt was home 4 days. We had a little fourth of July party at our house on Sunday evening which was fun, but I was too busy fretting to remember to take pictures. Of course. But, on Monday- the actual "4th of July", I did manage to take some pictures of the littles in their festive clothes.



<>

<>                                 And the photo shoot began... 

Miles really wanted to "huggeem" {a.k.a. "hug him"}





We did finally get a good shot... Aren't they precious?

And then it was hard to decide which shot was best... They're just too cute!

The glasses that one thought were "pretty neat" proved to be a distraction...



We ate supper at Arby's {very fun and random} and went to my Dad & Mom's for homeade raspberry ice cream on the front porch and sparklers... The perfect ending to a lovely weekend...



Sitting on the porch swing...



This picture turned out blurry... but you get the idea...

The sparklers were a hit to say the least...

I think Independence Day is a very underrated holiday. Sure, everyone loves fireworks and by my pre-weekend shopping trip to the grocery store, I could tell that they sell more beer and Doritos than any other weekend out of the year... But to truly be thankful for the country we live in, the freedom we enjoy on a daily basis, the liberty we have to worship God, and the abundance we enjoy ALWAYS... And we celebrate this day by getting a paid holiday, enjoying fireworks, bbq's, and whatever else we do.... While millions of people around the world do not know freedom. Truly, we should be so thankful for what God has blessed us with and not only our natural blessings... but the blessing of spiritual freedom through HIM!

We've been enjoying all the fresh fruits and veggies...

We've been doing some "fwimmin'"... with or without water, either way will do... 

Matt and I have been discussing moving to "the south"... As to raise our children on the "ways and gentle kindness" of the South... This is our "pipe dream", so to speak... We discovered by looking at real estate online that finding a house would definitely NOT be a problem. Now just for a job, right? :) If you hear of us in Savannah, Georgia... You'll know I wasn't, in fact, kidding.

It seems the grass is always greener on the other side... and we did come to the conclusion that we can raise our children good ole' Southern style right here in our home in the Midwest...

But we do like to dream. And I love having someone to dream with. :)

for the haters.

This post is for those of my friends {you know who you are.} who constantly are lecturing me on the importance of answering my phone. I've had all kinds of voicemails left on my poor phone over the last several years including phone calls of a certain friend {you definitely know who you are.} singing "Let me be your hero, baby..." {the reason why eludes me to this day.}, friendship threats that sound something like this "If you do not call me back SOON, I'm going to call your Mom just to make sure your among the living and aren't camped out in a cave.", and messages that sound a little like this "I know you hate to talk on the phone, but..."
This is for you, my friends. Believe it or not, there are actually reasons I {never} make it to my phone. Believe it or not, there JUST MIGHT BE someone who needs me more than you do. {I know you find that hard to believe.} I decided today, for some crazy reason, that during lunch time, with 2 toddlers, it would be a good time to answer a phone call from a friend who had been trying to reach me. I was quickly reminded why I do not answer the phone. EVER. You never know what might happen when you do. THIS scene, that you find pictured below, is what happened on this day. Layne decided to help himself to his applesauce. The applesauce that I feed him. With a baby spoon. The applesauce that I usually so very carefully keep out of reach of his chubby little hands.

{we might as well skip a few steps... and just let him feed himself. why bother spoon training?}

{no mess involved at all. let's do this again.}

 So. The next time you think about harrassing me for unreturned calls, unanswered calls, and missed calls that have gone unlooked at... Consider what I might be doing.

{You know I love you - you know who you are - just the same and what would a day be without at least ONE resentful voicemail to listen to?!}

wirick family multi-purpose gathering.

How does life get so busy that a {small} family cannot manage to get together for Mothers Day, 2 birthdays, and Fathers Day until 1-8 weeks after the actual date of these events? Somehow, it obviously happens. Yesterday, we had my little Wirick family over to celebrate all of the above mentioned. It was

a super fun day with perfect weather! 



<>

The family {minus Layne and Elliot who were both snoozing}.





For lunch, I tried a new recipe which was fabulous. You should try it. Really. 

Garlic rosemary chicken wrapped in bacon. And grilled. Amazing.

Recipe:
4 chicken breast
4 tsp. garlic powder
S & P to taste
4 generous sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 slices of good bacon
4 toothpicks
Cover each breast top and bottom with 1 tsp. garlic powder. {Yes, one tsp. EACH} and S & P to taste. Lay sprig of rosemary on top of breast, wrap bacon around it, and secure with a toothpick. Grill about 20 minutes. Or till done.

The afternoon was spent relaxing and having fun! Miles adores his cousins... so in his book, it was the best day he's had in a LONG time!!



He was very careful at first...



He asked Cline to hold his hand...

He even convinced Mammaw Gaga to come "fwimmin'"...

This adventure was so taxing and it was just time for a drink...

 My beautiful, virtuous momma holding my littlest adorable little who had an unfortunate reaction to his sunscreen... if you can see his poor eyes are all red...

In other news:  

Layne Asher is 9 months!!!

Pulling up and standing up! 

Layne statistics and things he's doing:

He weighs almost 23 pounds! {Solid boy.} 

He's very long. {I forget how long.} 

He's wearing mostly 18-24 months clothes.

He has one, lonely bottom toofer. 

He is the happiest baby, truly, that I have ever seen. 

He shakes his head "no". {Neat.}

He "drags" himself everywhere... No actual "crawling".

He pulls himself up whenever he can. {Where's the 'delay' button when you need it?!}

He is an absolute JOY and DELIGHT to have around! What would we do without this giggly, ticklish, hilarious little boy? God knew he was just what we needed. And we thank Him for this little OFTEN! {And the other little, too!}