Lovely Quote

I get Real Simple quotes sent to my inbox ever day and 1 out of 5 quotes are good or worth keeping. Today's brought a smile to my face :) I am so happy I am married to a wonderful man.



“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”

-Martin Luther

Weekend fun :)

We had a busy weekend that consisted of working on the house, Germanfest, and working on the house and yard some more.

Saturday Ryan took down all the ceiling fans and took out the sink and bathtub. I spent most of the day tearing out trim and carpet tacking..not sure if that is the technical term but all I know is that it sucked..too many nails! I will say this, I am getting pretty good with a crowbar and a hammer :)

Sunday we were a little pooped from all the polka dancing we did so it was hard to get motivated. I mowed the yard because it was about knee high and Ryan started to tear the floor out of the first bedroom. I just wish I could snap my fingers and the floor could be level. But since I know that's not going to happen we have to do this to the both bedrooms and the bathroom.



The site of this scares me! But then I walk out the front door and see this beautiful rose bush and think about how wonderful it's going to be once we get moved in! I love the country and how peaceful it is.

I always wanted a rose bush! Thank goodness this one is really old and already there!

Plans for the weekend

Well, I should have some pictures for you on Monday. Tonight we are going to try and get the sheet rock up in the entry way, and tomorrow we are going to head to Charlie! Our goal is to get the inside completely torn out and cabinets stripped. Ryan will be working on the floors. Since Ryan has had a few snake encounters he is now NOT going back under the house. We are going to level the floors by cutting the outside edge out of each room and going in from the inside. I will not be helping with this process. His friends/co-workers will possibly be coming over next week to help him get the floors leveled!

We have a large goal set for ourselves this weekend. We'll have to see if we can get it done!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day! And these things are things I am going to TRY to consciously start doing :)

1. Bring my own bags to the grocery store. (NOT using paper or plastic) I have a ton of those recycled and cloth bags that I desperately need to start remembering to bring in the store with me!


2. Recycle alluminum cans! Don't throw them in the trash! Why?

The development of the can originated around the early 1800s. However, the use of aluminum in beverage containers did not debut until 1965. The aluminum can is the most valuable beverage container to recycle. By doing so, its recycling provides environmental and economic benefits to communities and organizations across the country.


3. When we get in our house in Charlie I plan on starting a compost pit/pile.

The how to on composting:

Start with a layer of chopped leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste like banana peels, eggshells, old lettuce leaves, apple cores, coffee grounds, and whatever else is available. Keep adding materials until you have a six-inch layer, then cover it with three to six inches of soil, manure, or finished compost.

The two basic elements that make up compost are green garden debris (grass clippings or old annuals) and brown garden derbis (dry leaves). Green ingredients are high in nitrogen and brown materials are high in carbon. Adding too many greens can make the pile smell bad. Do not add animal waste, meats, oils, dairy, diseased plants, weeds that have gone to seed, or plants treated with pesticides or herbicides to your compost.

Compost piles with a balance of one part green to two part brown materials break down fastest.

Compost also needs the correct amount of moisture to breakdown. Compost with the right moisture level should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture can cause temperatures to fall within the pile (and make it smell). Too little moisture slows down the decomposition rate and keeps the pile from heating up.Check your compost pile's moisture level once a week and adjust it if necessary by adding water to increase moisture or more browns to help dry the pile out.

Turn the pile once a week.

You should have finished compost in about two months. You'll know your compost is finished when it no longer heats up and you can't identify any of the original materials. The compost should be dark brown, moist and earthy smelling. Dig finished compost into your garden's soil. You can use partially composted material as mulch.




I know I could do a lot more but this is a start. Find a way that you can save the environment!

New perfume

I am so super excited about the new perfume I bought today! It's D&G Light Blue and it smells absolutely amazing!



I am thinking that my hunnie is going to like it too :)

And we're back :)

First off..the wedding and honeymoon was amazing..words can't express how happy we are! The ceremony and reception was more than I could of ever hoped for! A HUGE thank you to all our family and friends who attended and made our day so special!





And Thank you to Meegan Weaver, our photographer, who captured our day perfectly!

Just in case some of you haven't been reading, we went to Portland, Oregon for the honeymoon. Words or pictures can't honestly explain how pretty this place is. We had a great time and saw some wonderful places.

Japanese Garden

Tuesday was a big day for our site seeing..we rented a car (the only day out of 5 that we rented a car) and went East to see the Colombia Gorge and then we went all the way West and saw the Coast. AMAZING!!





And the coast..These was all taken in Canon Beach, OR






Now that we are back to normal..we have to do a few things around our current house before we can really get started on our Charlie house. Keep in touch, I'll be posting!

Clair

Happy Birthday to my oldest sister Clair. Clair is the wife of Russell and the mother of two amazing little boys.

Caleb (6 months) & Austin ( 2 1/2 yrs)

Clair is the nicest and sweetest person I know. She never loses her composure, she is always thinking of others, she's smart, talented and I love her very much.

Clair, me, and Jessica (my little sister) at my bridal shower.

Among her many talents is sewing. This is the quilt she made Ryan and I for our wedding present.

It's gorgeous! If only you could see it in person. I can't wait to put it to some good use in our new house!

Happy Birthday again Clair! I love you and I'll be seeing you in a few days :)

The Simmons Family

Austin, Clair, and Caleb

Austin and Russell

5 DAYS :)

Yes yes...I am getting married in 5 days! I am soooooooooooo extremely excited! This is my last week of being single!



“To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love forever is to live forever.”
― Henry Drummond


xoxo


is what I got...

Honeymoon

I can't stop thinking about how much me and Ryan need a VACA!!! We are really going to make the best of our 5 days off on our honeymoon!!

We are not giving ourselves a schedule. As of now, all we know is we are getting off the plane, heading to the hotel, relaxing, and THEN we'll decide what's next.

We are staying downtown at the Hotel DeLuxe









There are a few gorgeous gardens within walking distance of the hotel that I would like to visit.

Japanese Garden



Chinese Garden



I am also looking into places to pamper us...I'll have to post those later!