Swimming, Burgers and Basil

I started to write this post last weekend and never got around to finishing it up. Better late than never, right? We kept Sky for two nights in a row (a first) and crammed as much activity into our time with him as possible. Friday night we went to pick up Alex's "new" motorcycle from my mom and dad's. Sky was very excited to see this noisy, shiny treasure. The whole idea of Alex having a motorcycle terrifies me, and I'm honestly regretting my decision to allow him to buy my dad's bike, even if part of the regret is just selfishness. I don't want to lose my husband or see him injured! Alex went out with riding with a friend later in the evening and came home just after Sky went to bed. He went right into "Sky's bedroom", aka: my office, and kissed him goodnight. I know my husband will be a fantastic father someday. I can't wait for that day to come!

On Saturday, we took Sky to the water park. All three of us have season passes as a way to pass the time during these crazy hot weekends we've been having. Sky had a blast! He loved squirting us with his new water gun and sharing an inner tube with Uncle Alex.




When Alex tried to put Sky into the water in his own float, Sky proclaimed that the water was, "old!!!!" (he always leaves off the first consonant. Sky-to-English translation: the water was cold!)


To continue the spoiling of our nephew, a visit to McDonalds was in order, complete with more running around in the playplace. Despite the germs that must infest those jungle gyms, they are an excellent way for four year old boys to burn off some energy! Praise the Lord!



We got together with some friends Saturday night and ate homemade pizza, complete with fresh pesto made with the first basil harvest from our garden! Yum-o! Sky refused to eat it, but that only left more for me! Maybe Sky and I will try our hand at using the basil and making homemade spaghetti sauce the next time he comes to visit. He really enjoyed helping make the pizza.

For Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about my dad.

He truly is one in a million. He has listened to me share a dark secret through sobs, believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, admitted his faults and continued to try to grow stronger in his weaknesses.

He always came to my soccer and basketball games even if he could only catch part of the game while on his way to work.

He sacrificed to send me to a Christian school because I didn't want to be in public school and he wanted me to get a biblical education.

He successfully played the role of "mom" after my maternal grandmother passed away and my mom went to Florida for weeks at a time to help my grandpa settle things. We grew really close that year.

My dad lost a daughter in infancy and prayed for a second chance to have a little girl. I was his second chance and he never took that for granted. Lately, I've found myself becoming more and more like him. I'm not totally comfortable with that, but there are traits about him that I want to further develop.

Dad is so generous. He has helped out fellow church-goers, neighbors and co-workers in need when I would have been selfish. Even though he moved last year, he still comes back and visits with the elderly couple across the street on a regular basis.

Dad finds relaxation making homemade meatballs and sauce (and his recipe is better than my mom's handsdown).

It scares me to think about my dad getting older. I don't want to ever lose him. He is an amazing person and has truly taught me about unconditional love. Even though i don't always understand his "twisted" sense of humor, we share long, meaningful conversations and I know he still misses me being his little girl living at home. Now the tears are flowing, so I should end this post with this: My dad is the best dad in the whole world, and I am so proud to be his daughter.

First Harvest

Today was exciting because I picked our first cucumbers! I didn't want them to get huge and bitter, so I snatched them up when they were about 7 inches long. All the hard work is paying off!


Our beef heart tomatoes are getting HUGE, but they're still green. Alex and I aren't fond of fried green tomatoes, so it looks like these Goliaths will be staying on the vine until they are ripe. The cayenne peppers are coming right along, but the bell peppers have yet to appear. I just got some salad shears to make homemade salsa with so that the texture is fine, but not soupy. I can't wait! Now, if I could just get a fence up so the rabbits will stay out of my strawberries!

Do the Doggy Paddle

Thursdays are date nights in the Godin household. This isn't a solid routine just yet, but we're working on it. Alex and I both lack creativity when it comes to planning dates. Living in an area with little to do doesn't help, so as we were finishing up dinner, we discussed going for a walk in the 90 degree heat (nix on that!) and then it came to me. We have talked about taking Layla to the lake to swim forever, so I called a girl from work that has offered to loan us a doggy life jacket (the very idea of a doggy life jacket cracks me up). We picked up the lifejacket, let Layla play with this woman's two boxer dogs for a minute and were on our way.


At first, Layla was only willing to put her feet in and was content to just drink the icky lake water.


Now keep in mind that this dog loves to take a bath (or a shower) and loves sprinklers and hoses. She tries to stick her head in the shower and drink the water. Finally, Alex got the idea to hold her belly in deeper water where she couldn't touch bottom. As she floated, she became more comfortable.



Soon, she was swimming laps. Starting at daddy, she'd swim out, make a loop, come back to me and then proceed to shore, where she'd shake the water off. And then the process would repeat.




She loved it! We can't wait to take her again!

Things I've Learned Lately:

1. Some people never change. You just have to accept that and move on.
2. Friends speak the truth in love and don't get offended at one another when it hurts.
3. Life isn't a competition.
4. Forgiveness can be a looooooong, repeating process.
5. You have to have the victory before you have the victory. (I don't know how many times I've heard our pastor say this, but recently it finally spoke to me about a specific area in my life and I'm excited!!! Oh, the possibilities of God!)
6. Insecurities in others can bring out insecurities in yourself.

Graduation and Growing Up

My brother's girlfriend recently graduated from high school. Here's the card and envelope that I made for her:



It seems like a lifetime ago that I graduated, but it's only been six years. How is that even possible?! Even as I typed that, it seems crazy! I really didn't enjoy high school, and wouldn't go back and relive those four years for a million dollars. I love my life the way it is now, even with adult responsibilities that I didn't have back then. Growing up used to seem so scary. I remember being about 10 years old and being terrified of having a job when I was a teenager. It seemed so scary at the time. My dream job is to be a stay at home mom and raise my kids and maybe even home school them. Hopefully that dream will come true in the next year or so, but we'll see. I remember being told in high school that I needed a bigger dream than that, but what could be more important than teaching a child about the Lord and impacting their life so that they can impact others? I don't need to become the next great corporate executive with a fancy mansion and a brand new car. Nothing is better than coming home to the house where I grew up and being welcomed by my wonderful husband and our baby girl, Layla. Too bad Alex wouldn't let me quit my job to stay at home with the dog. Believe me, I asked. We've made this house our home and have already made many memories there together. Hopefully we will have many, many more years there together. All my dreams have come true. Every single one. Well, except for having children, but Lord willing, that will happen someday. Thank you, Lord for all your many blessings. They are too great to count.

Everybody Loves a Yard Sale Bargain

I have a confession: I am a yard sale addict. Maybe this isn't a new addiction, but I'm just now realizing it. There was a neighborhood yard sale a few minutes from my house yesterday and I couldn't wait to check it out. I went to every single sale and found several exciting bargains! I'm a tightwad, so I can't resist finding name brand clothes for a buck and home decor on the cheap. Lucky for me, I found two shirts, two skirts and a dress for work, a couple of sconces, a cheese ball server with glass dome (because my mother in law gave me her recipe for the world's best cheese ball, which is now a family tradition), wall art and 50 children's books for $5! Yes, just $5! Those books were the bargain of the century! My nieces are going to get a treat when they open the box from Aunt Amanda later this week. The oldest is getting into chapter books and her younger sister, who is starting kindergarten in the Fall, likes The Cat in the Hat and Clifford. Here's some of my loot:



I got these, too and actually hung them up right away. I've had a hard time figuring out where to hang pictures in our house. Now I just need to find the perfect candles to put with the sconces.


I bought a wooden floating shelf last year at a yard sale and never got around to painting it and hanging it up. I knew right where I wanted to put it and finally got the project done this weekend. I'm going for a European-ish theme in the kitchen, but there are some country accents in there as well, courtesy of another lovely yard sale. How can a girl resist such low-priced treasures? They were calling my name!

Writer's Block

I was so on board with the whole blogging thing until it seemed that my life suddenly became very uninteresting. Now I have no idea what to blog about. Hopefully I will have inspiration soon and be able to write about something worthwhile. In the meantime, I apologize for the lack of posts and will start again as soon as this writer's block passes! I'm planning on going to yard sales this weekend if the weather permits, so maybe I'll find some extra-exciting finds to share with you! There's nothing like finding a great bargain!

Pretty as a Petunia

I have hated our landscaping for the last 12 years. The twenty-something year old shrubs need to go. Unfortunately, this is a huge undertaking physically and financially. Alex and I have done little to change the situation since we bought my parents' house exactly a year ago, but tonight that all changed. I bought a hydrangea bush and some petunias on Memorial Day and began what will hopefully be a total overhaul of our landscaping. We even had extra concrete edging piled up in the back of the house so I could trim out the new flower bed. Not my first choice in edging, but it matches the edging elsewhere around the house.



I just learned that the color of a hydrangea is determined by the acidity of the soil. I absolutely love the purple-blue color that the flowers are now, so I hope my soil has the right acidity to keep them looking great!



And a little "bling" that I got at the dollar store a few months ago:


Now on the conquer the rest of the landscaping!