Monday, August 30, 2010

Canned Peaches

For the past year Billy has been encouraging me to start canning. It seemed like a lot of work and quite honestly, I wasn't interested. But now that we have a little boy that eats as much as I do in one day - and he's 6 months old - I've got to keep an eye on that grocery bill of ours, and I genuinely want him to have fresh, healthy food on a regular basis. So, last week since I was late to Yoga and got locked out (crazy strict rules, apparently...) I went ahead to the Farmer's Market since I had a couple hours to kill without a baby on my hip. Out of curiosity, I asked a lady at a peach stand if she had any "seconds." She pointed to a huge flat of peaches and I was able to get about 60 peaches for $4!!! They weren't the prettiest and a few had bruises, but what a steal!

So, on Saturday my dad came over to hangout with Luke while Billy and I dove into the world of canning. We had a fun time and learned a LOT. We canned 10 quarts of peaches, and 9 out of 10 actually sealed. Here are a few pictures of our canning adventure...we now have a pantry full of peaches and I actually want to do it again!

My $4 peaches!

Boiling the jars

Peeling and slicing the peaches

Soaking in water to prevent browning

Into the jars they go

Waiting to be processed

Final product..10 quarts of peaches

The real hero of the day - thanks, Dad!






Thursday, August 26, 2010

A Day in the Life of Luke

Here are a few of our favorite videos that capture a typical day in the life of Luke. Enjoy :)

Luke Eats



Luke Scoots




Luke Stands





Luke Takes a Bath
*For those of you that know me, know that I get very excited and very animated when I'm excited. I think this video pretty much sums up what Luke gets from me :)



Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Little Update

Had a fantastic Dr's appointment today and my hematoma is now just 2x1 cm. That's pretty impressive considering the starting point...8x13 - yikes! Thankfully I don't feel a thing and haven't noticed it for about 3 months. I'm a little bummed that I don't go back for another visit for 3 whole months...Atrium is kind of like my 2nd home ;)

Billy had a fantastic interview in Philadelphia with the cofounders, Director of Clinical studies and Attorney at the company he would LOVE to work for. The CEO e-mailed twice after the interview saying that they're convinced he would be a great hire and that they would love to make him a formal offer between now and mid-September (depending on new clients...). That is great news, but I am impatient and ready for my hubby to come home. For good. So, you can join us in praying for perfect timing of the position, an appropriate offer, and for my heart as the Lord teaches me so much through my loneliness and frustration of being a single mom during the week while he is away.

I went through a funk last week of not wanting to anything after Luke went to bed so I pretty much just stayed on my couch until it was my bedtime. This week I've perked up a little and I'm back to crafting fun things on a budget for the boy :) I picked up some inexpensive winter onsies at Walmart and have been "boying" them up a bit with appliques made out of scrap fabric from some of Billy's old shirts...one of a dinosaur, one with an owl on a branch, a fish with bubbles and an "L." Will post pictures once they're done. I've also begun updating the living room (also on a budget) and getting ready to buy some fun, inexpensive fabrics on etsy to recover the pillows. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures of that as well.

That's all for now friends.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A sneak peak of Luke's 6 month photos


Despite Luke flipping on his head out of the bucket, a few leaves and dirt in the mouth, and crazy mosquito bites for mom and dad + a bee sting...I say these turned out pretty well for home photos :)









6 Months Already???


My little boy turned 6 months old yesterday. I can't BELIEVE it. What is even harder to believe is that in 6 months I will have a 1 year old! We are blessed beyond belief with the amazing gift of our son, Luke. We are humbled daily as we continue to walk out this journey called Parenthood.

The past two weeks have been fun, and busy of course :) Billy and I went to Chapel Hill for a night away to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. It was such a treat, and Billy's parents did a great job watching Luke. Luke loves them so much and we are SO grateful to have family close by that will watch Luke in a heartbeat. Then we went to see our awesome sister and brother in Gainesville, Georgia. What a great time of relaxing and fellowship it was. Billy's sister, Sarah, is 10 weeks pregnant! I am so excited for her and it was fun to chat it up about pregnancy stuff. On that note, maybe I should mention that we ... HAH. Totally kidding. Let's work on paying the first one off.... Anyways, back to Georgia. We spent the day in Atlanta at the Coke Factory. Very fun. We also spent time on the lake, also lots of fun. Ray and Sarah are naturals with Luke and put up with his extreme fussiness due to lack of sleep...bless them.

Then we journeyed into the mountains with my mom's extended family. We all stayed in cabins scattered throughout Vogel State Park. I grew up going to this state park yearly with my family and extended. While we were there I had a lot of time of reflection on all God has done in my life the past 10 years. He taught me about heritage and more importantly He reminded me of all that He saved and protected me from. It was VERY relaxing and beautiful weather. We were tucked away in a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we took hikes to the waterfalls, took lots of naps, tootled around town to random country stores, and ate some gooooood southern food with my biiiiiiig southern family. There was one night that I totaled up the number of butter sticks used in our meal that night. 8 sticks of butter for 12 people. Shew! Billy and I were very blessed to spend time with my great uncle & aunt, Larry and Rita. What a beautiful couple they are and such a sweet example of a marriage that sticks it out through it all! Through various diseases, financial hardships, business deals (good and bad), they are more in love than anyone I've ever met. They were a real treat to be around!

Herbalife is going great! Not only are other people trying it out and seeing great benefits to their health, but Billy and I are both noticing changes regularly! Billy lost 5 pounds, his milk allergy is gone, and his allergic reaction to a glass of beer is gone as well. I also stopped loosing all my hair (after Luke was born, my hair was falling out in mass quantities...a little scary!). We've had fun coming up with delicious recipes for our shakes...so yummy and so good for you.

Here's a few snapshots:

2 Year Anniversary :)

Luke stands!

Family shot at Vogel State Park before hiking to the water falls
Luke & Aunt Sarah!
Billy, Luke & Uncle Ray at the Coke Factory
Luke & Billy down by the waterfalls in Georgia