eureka, i found it!

I have found the secret to getting my little boy to eat his finger foods... (aka green beans, broccili, cheese, anything he is bored with...) All you have to do is add spaghetti sauce! He loves spaghetti and really anything tomato based (ah, a boy after my own heart... that must be the italian in us. i am almost a quarter you know!). Yup, he just pushed his green beans around and spit them out. And then I smothered them in tomato mushroom spaghetti sauce and voila - he ate them all! Thanks Safeway for making my day!

flooring and porches and beams, oh my!

We have been off and running the last few weeks on the house. Probably because we've had a lot of folks here helping us out! We were home this weekend so I actually had time to help out a bit - installing can lights, vacuming, vacuming, vacuming.... cleaning the showers/tub. It was nice to actually feel like I am getting to work on the inside instead of just designing and supervising. And of course I am in charge of landscaping just because I love it. So anyway, below are a few pictures of our progress. Aren't the beams on the front and back porch beautiful!

Front porch -- perfect for a table and two chairs and hanging baskets of flowers

Gorgeous. We used the old chicken coop wood for the roof as you can see.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the color variations!

Back porch off our master bedroom

Life in the dustbowl

Reason No. 1 why I am super excited to have our washer, dryer, and shower hooked up soon!

A letter to a dear friend...

To my dear friend Joanna,

I didn't get to make a toast at your wedding, but I have been thinking for weeks of what I would have wanted to say if the opportunity had arisen. I even went as far as writing it all out on paper and then practicing it in the car on my way to Seattle that weekend... just in case :) After the rehearsal and wedding were over and you were off on your honeymoon to BC, I thought I would just write it in a card to you. But as I was sitting here ready to post a bit about the wedding and show some of the lovely Kate's photos, I thought - why not just write to you here! Then everyone else can see why I love ya.

I remember (vagely) meeting you during the first week of novice crew practice. I remember you had on boxer pj's and a t-shirt for workout clothes - super casual - my kind of gal. At the time I was still thinking I might row and hadn't swung over to the coxswain train yet, so we didn't get to talking a whole lot those first few weeks. Well the year flew by, and by the end of it we were fellow coxswains, friends, and looking forward to seeing each other next season when I returned for my 3rd year with SPU crew, and you returned for your second.

That second year we became "workout buddies" for erging (I kicked your butt), running (you kicked my butt) and lifting (we were STRONG for our size!). Sometimes we skipped workouts (don't tell coach) and just had coffee in the SUB and talked. And talked... and talked... and became fast friends. I always think it is crazy how similar we were (are) and how awesome it was that we had the chance to experience this part of our lives together!

You know you have made a good friend when she's the first person you call when your boyfriend breaks up with you (thanks Steve) because you know she'll know just what to say, when you need retail therapy (and HELP with fashion advice), when you want to go climbing at the gym (Yay Stone Gardens!), go for a run or walk through Fremont, Wallingford, or Queen Anne, hit up Trader Joe's... Maybe mix a few drinks :) That was my Joanna. We made became FAST friends that year at school, and decided the next two years - hey, we should be roommates!

You know you have a good friend when you can co-exist in a room the size of a walk-in closet and survive. Not only that, we actually enjoyed one another's company! Enjoyed sharing clothes, chats, meals... enjoying life together.

Joanna - we have been asked if we were sisters how many times? 10? No. 20? No. I don't know, but my guess is somewhere around 75 times. Actually, I got asked a few times at your wedding if I was your sister! What a compliment. Perhaps because of our shared petiteness (though I sometimes feel like a giant around you)... but I like to think that it was because people can see that we share a special bond, like the ones that sisters share!

I remember chatting about the boys we wanted to someday marry -- you had such a high standard for this man -- someone who could match wits and energy with you, keep up in an argument or discussion (not easy), obviously a very good looking man, kind, intelligent, motivated, with shared interest such as running/hiking/boating and of course a love of dogs. And honestly Jo, I had to wonder -- did this man even exist?

And then I got this call after you were in Sarah's wedding... About this boy you met who was a groomsman... who was SO cute. Nice. Funny. Smart. Good looking. the list went on. It was Lee! And it was so fun to hear about your friendship over the next few years. Which turned into a relationship. Vacations and traveling, marathon phone calls, shared interests... love. Plain and simple. And I LOVED hearing about it. So of course when I FINALLY got to meet Lee, I had super high expectations... and luckily he was awesome. I felt at ease at once with him! (Could be because we are both a little nerdy... civil engineering and all...) What a blessing. I am SO glad that you went from "we'll see..." to "we're engaged!"

I felt so blessed and priveledged to be one of your Matrons of Honor and get to share your special day with you. Jo -- I know we both have wonderful sisters who we love and cherish dearly (Kirsten, Kendra, Gina) but I want you to know that I think of you as another sister of mine because of the bond we share. And I am so happy to welcome Lee as a brother. You two are fantastic together. I can't WAIT to visit you in Las Vegas!

Love you dear Joanna.
Love,
Jenn

P.S. I had to post a few of your lovely pictures -- you are SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks to the lovely Kate McElwee for letting me take these off her website and post here. Also you should check out the slideshow... it is amazing... not gonna lie - I cried. Again.

Mr. and Mrs. Turcotte

The Bridal Party

Dancing with her daddy-o

Gina and Jenn have too much fun with props in the photo booth. And yes, I know my boob is huge in this picture.

productivity

Things I did today:

Slept till 5:30.
Enjoyed a cup of coffee with Steven.
Balanced joint checking account.
Paid 4 bills.
Sorted baby clothes and shoes.
Moved "full sun" pots into full sun. Blocked ugly recycle can (partial block). Trying to bring a little beauty to our 5th wheel.

Hung out in side yard with Oly and the doggies while Steve stained the trim.
Put together (huge) full shade pot with hosta, dogwood, sword ferns, moss, and some other things which Shannon gave me, that I have no idea what they are. (Which goes against my summer rule of learning the names of each plant which I put in the ground or a pot... well, I have the little tags outside so I still plan to learn them.)
Ate cheerios with Olaf and Serenity.
Mowed the side yard.
Planted some impatiens.
Played with the effects on the Mac (sepia, vintage, b&w)...


That was all before lunch. At 3:00, I went over to Mountain Springs and Jaimi and I PLANTED OUR GARDEN!!! Well really it is mostly she and her dad's garden... but in exchange for helping plant, weed, water and harvest I get a good share in all the veggies. I think that's the way to go - sharing a garden. More folks to lend a hand, more veggies produced, and more fun time to spend with eachother.
All in all a LOVELY Monday.

giveaway!

Not mine though...

My friend Aubrey over at Blush has a great giveaway going right now. For those friends and family who read this who don't know what a giveway is, I will tell you my understanding of them in the blog world. Some bloggers are nice. Very nice. And they want to give things away to the folks that faithfully read their blogs! For instance, crafty people who blog about crafts may give away a hand made item, design bloggers may give away home decor items, etc. etc... And all you have to do to win the contest is leave a comment on the blog owner's page, or maybe follow their blog to win it! (winners drawn at random). So ANYWAY, I encourage you to check out this fun giveaway because A. it is COOL and B. You might find that you really enjoy reading her blog and looking at her design ideas!

Someday when I have time perhaps I'll do a giveaway.... or perhaps I will just continue to enter other folks' giveaways :) Who knows.

looking like a whole different house...

Wow, crazy different eh? If you didn't know how different it looked in the beginning, you might just think we popped up some new construction instead of an insane remodel. Here are some additional spring sights around our home!

Steve and John working on the cedar fascia (did I spell that right?)

Look -- my hostas (which I separated from Mom's and planted last fall) are starting to come up in the corner of the side yard. Notice the stone pathway behind which I am busy uncovering one stone at a time - it is currently covered in way overgrown grass and weeds. Slowly, but slowly...

My potting shed -- getting ready to put all that in the pot. Thanks to Shannon and Plain Hardware for helping me pick out plants! I will post a picture of the finished pot if I ever get around to taking one... perhaps tomorrow?