My baby turns 10 today!

How can this be?! Just the other day she was toddling around the house making us laugh with her pigtails and big smile...now she is chatting on email about boys, worrying about what products to use in her hair, and making us laugh with her silly and sometimes dramatic manner. I can't believe how time flies...my kid is in the double digits...I am not ready! She has blessed my life in more ways than I can count and continues to do so each and every day. All my love to my little munchkin on this her special day!!

Pretty pics

Just a couple of pretty pics of the famly...springtime in MN is so beautiful! I can't believe I get to say family now...it really seems to have all come together. Although still a transition, espcecially for Alix (hard time of life to be getting a step-dad), I am so happy with the way everyone is doing their part to make it work. I feel truly blessed to have such a smart and beautiful daughter who has weathered many changes in her life, yet who has still come out as such a great kid. And I feel just as blessed to have such an amazing almost-husband who is so willing to learn and grow and work at becoming the best step-dad that he can be. I'm sure the road ahead will bring many challenges, but I also know it won't be anything we can't handle together!

33 more days until our family is official!

Damn...that is unfortunate

Now I come to find out...I guess I really always knew, so I must've just been in denial...that Sangria is really Spanish (duh! Exactly the reason I chose Spain as our honeymoon destination--just another reason to drink Sangria ;) and not Mexican. So, perhaps it was a poor choice for a Cinco de Mayo celebration...wait, is there really a wrong time for Sangria?! Now that it's tradition I guess I can get away with serving Sangria at every Cinco de Mayo and not feel the least bit bad. This worked out perfectly!

I wonder what else I am in denial about?! I'm sure you all have plenty of ideas ;)

She said, "Let there be sod, and there was sod!"

Instant gratification...what more needs to be said?! It is the American way of life (good or bad). A couple of hours on one beautiful Saturday morning and our lawn goes from weedy mess to lush green and gorgeous. It is a beautiful sight...now if we can just keep from killing it ;) Steve's dad and brother were kind enough to help and even I pitched in as we rolled the green carpet into its new home. It makes a huge difference and I couldn't be happier! Later during the weekend Steve braved the almost winter weather (brrrrrr....) to put some tomato and red pepper plants, along with a few herbs, into the garden and now the backyard is looking grand!

The transformation begins
Does the garden border go here...or here...or over here?
watering the lawn...this is way better than weeding it!
I am in love with our new green goddess!

Looking better already!!

A friend of mine writes her blog through the eyes of her dog...how clever. I, being not so clever and witty, have decided to try stealing her idea and writing my blog through the eyes of Steve...because I don't have a dog ;) and I'm bored. Here is the first installment...





Finally, the damn bobcat is coming and I can be done with this crappy yardwork. I have been weeding my weed infested backyard for days now and have made no progress. At least it gets me out of the house and away from the girls...girls are crazy sometimes...I didn't realize just how crazy until I moved in here... and now I am surrounded by them. Now that I think of it, how am I going to escape the crazy ladies of the house when there are no weeds to pull anymore?! Perhaps I need to sneak some weeds back into the yard while Kristin isn't looking so I have a reason to escape. Ha, I'm sneaky ;)

Here's one of those crazy girls now hammin' it up for the camera...she's right though, it DOES look better already!
I love this dirt...and look, no weeds! Now comes the sod laying next weekend...do you think Kristin will help with that? (no...types Krisitn ;)

How could I forget...

Alix and her friend rolling in the dough as they manage the garage sale with their superior selling style!!

A work in progress...

Ah, homeownership...what a joy ;) This past weekend was a crazy one spent trying to clear out the garage so we might again be able to park in it (merging 2 households means a lot of leftover stuff!) and digging up the yard as we give into the weeds (or is it that we are overpowering the weeds) and ready the yard to be plowed under. I managed a successful garage sale (just in time to use the funds to pay for my new brakes...argggghhhhhhhhh!) Steve kept busy transplanting flowers (which have since bit the dust, but it was a nice try) before the bobcat comes to plow under the yard in preparation for sod next weekend. A successful weekend through and through!

The yard (albeit a sideways view) in progress
Steve being a manly man as he works in the yard.
well, at least the front yard looks a little better...flowers in pots/flower boxes soon to come!
Now this is what I'm talking about...soon our whole yard will look as beautiful as this!! For now we settle for one bush looking grand!

Cinco De Mayo

We needed to Break the Penz/Bellus house in somehow and we thought what better way than to invite people over to celebrate a holiday we know virtually nothing about! All I know about Cinco De Mayo is that it's a mexican holiday...and our patio is red and green bricks (the mexican colors.) Mexico is hot with little grass, but lots of dirt/weeds due to the climate, and our backyard has little grass...just weeds and lots of dirt. So it seemed like a perfect fit...that and in my world Cinco De Mayo includes guacamole and sangria which in my eyes is all it needs to be worthy of a celebration!! We were a little worried when the rain started that morning and was accompanied by gusty winds, but it cleared up just in time to sit out by the fire--and although still a bit cold and windy, with a boatload of sangria it was mostly manageable. I had a great time with great people and we got to enjoy our first wedding gift--the firepit (yay for great wedding gifts!! thanks Joe and Becky!!) Here are the pix!

A couple of the Schloo girls enjoying the early festivities
Life by a fire is always a little bit better
Steve and Jen chillin' by the fire
The sign of a good party is a nap in the backyard...right Julie?
2 handsome men!