What's for dinner?

Lately we have been having some good food! Not to brag, I just love food.

Pesto pasta with artichoke hearts and toasted garlic bread.

Homemade pizza with smoked sausage, red bell-peppers, and lots of cheese. A good combo if you ever want to try it. Leave out the sauce and just use olive oil and sprinkle some Italian seasoning. Thanks Bouchards for the idea :)

Chicken Pot Pie :) though I realize now that the picture doesn't make it look too appetizing...oh well. Can you see the chicken? :)

Ok, so this doesn't fully count but wanted to share our healthy green smoothie: spinach, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and ginger. Actually not bad.

And for tonight...probable a grilled cheese and canned soup :) A classic.

Tidbits

On our way to get our new table and dresser we had a picnic at Strawberry Patch Park in Madison. Though do not be deceived we did not find a single strawberry or patch in the entire park. Sometimes I wonder about these Mississippians...

However, a beautiful park and a gorgeous day.

We played frisbee, and had Andy's famous egg salad sandwiches. Famous because he always "gets" to make them, and not me :)

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We also were invited to Christina's (Andy's bosses daughter) birthday party. She turned 7, and adores us, and by us I mean Andy.  But as the wife I get to come too. This is the family that gave us their old couch, and while we were there they gave us an old end table, and a jar that they found in their barn. I think Wendy Glover just spends her time thinking of what she can do for others. They are really a great family; a family with 9 kids, all home-schooled. Wow.

She thought of us when she found the jar because she know's we make candles and thought we would like it. I love how it says "fresherator" on it. So funny! I wonder what it originally held.

The end table is old, broken, beat-up, and perfect! Maybe one day I will do something with it, but its wonderful right now.

Wait a sec...Was it my birthday or Christina's? 

But seriously, it was a fun family birthday party. She had one friend so it was pretty relaxed, and her sister made homemade pizza, and an AMAZING chocolate cake with fudge icing. So good!

And for her birthday I made her some hair bows. She likes lavender and red.

Just in time

Just in time to pull out the warm winter clothes we finally found a dresser!

We found this dresser on craigslist

AND!

This adorable blue table and chair for only...

$30!!

Don't you love a good deal? We have been amazed at how the Lord has provided for us here in Jackson in so many ways. And slowly but surely Jackson, and this house is starting to feel like home.

From Arizona with Love

My parents came to visit last weekend. We went to the Old Capitol Museum, the Vicksburg Battlefield Museum, the reservoir, and just hung out at home.

Here's a few pics of the battle field museum.

Which one is the statue? (obviously the park guy could tell the difference and he got in trouble! oops!)

(sorry Dad I didn't get one of all 4 of us)

Thank you Mom and Dad for coming, it was such a blessing to have you here and for you to see our home and where we work and worship. Love you and miss you.

Before and After

I finished the table! Here it is:

Before:

After:

 I love how it turned out. For my first time painting furniture, it turned out pretty well. We still need to seal the top with something so the paint won't stain or come off. And I kind of like the dark chairs with it, so who know if and when I'll paint them.

It's too late to jump and jive!

The Fugler's came to visit, and it was lovely. We loved having them stay with us, and to get to see our adorable nieces.

The boys played disk golf, while us girls got lost in the forest.

Mom and Baby. 

Dinner at Sal and Mookies.

Bella was really excited for her food.

Until we told her to smile for the camera...

Much better.

Right, Summer?

My food wasn't great, but my free consolation dessert was divine!

We enjoyed just hanging out, playing games, playing with our nieces, and eating a lot. 

Oh and if you want to know about the title, ask Trav :)

Miss you Fugler's and can't wait to see you this Thanksgiving!

The story behind the couch.

Not this couch....

This Couch....

Did you know that we had another couch for a week? OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T! Because this couch was the bane of my existence from the moment we loaded it into our car. Here's why.

    Andy was getting a little tired of not having a couch, as was I, and I must admit I was being a little too picky. On an errand we spotted a couch at a small garage sale. 

     It was only $15, and it didn't look that bad, a few rips on the back but that's it. It's not really my taste, but as Andy said it's only $15 and at least we'll have something to sit on while we look for something better. A good argument, right? So I said yes.

     So we started negotiating with the man selling, who was very overbearing and tried to get us to buy anything he had. And I noticed his eyes. They were bright red, blood-shot. I got a little freaked out (and by a little I mean a lot), and tried to tell Andy that I changed my mind... but it was too late. This couch was ours. 

    We just bought an ugly couch from a drunk man. Oh dear. We're able to load it into our Escape keeping the back open. At our first red light I smelled it..."it" being the couch...and I wanted to cry. It smelled like a homeless man. Oh dear. 

    So the couch went on the back porch, and Andy, ever the optimistic,was determined to make it work. Reality hit the next morning, when upon closer inspection, he found an empty vodka bottle under the cushions. So now we were stuck with this couch. Then it started to rain. The couch came in. Shudder. 

     After a bottle of cleaner, another bottle of fabreeze the couch was bearable. Barely. I refused to sit on it, and occasionally, when the house was a little too warm, I could still smell "it". Ugh! After a week on craigslist, and A LOT of prayer, we sold it for $40!!!

    To Andy's credit (because this couch caused quite a bit of conflict resolution between us :)) he turned a horrible idea into a great one. And over doubling our budgeted money for furniture!

     

Why I am excited for October...

October is here and it brought cooler weather!

In addition to cooler weather October brings many things that I am excited about:

1. This month's budgeted money so I can finally start the projects I've been wanting to do, like painting the table and craigslist shopping.
2. The Fugler's are coming this Friday for the weekend! And we get to see our adorable nieces! 
3. My parents are coming!! On the 14th they are flying all the way out here to see us (and New Orleans :))
4. Friday is our Kindergartner's Donuts with Dad Day. Where I get to see our precious chitlens hangout with their dads while I indulge in donuts and coffee (don't worry the kids get juice), for the whole morning and then they go home. Easy! I love Kindergarten!
5. Monday is a holiday and there is no school! Thank you Columbus!
6. Also on the 14th is our field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, with more than necessary parents chaperons. (Have I said that I love Kindergarten)
7. October 20 is our school's Fall carnival.
8. That it is Fall! And this should be many bullet points but I'll condense: fall scents, sweaters, its no longer hot and humid and nasty outside, the store decorations, and seasonal foods and drinks.
9. This is my first year living in a place with seasons. I mean this is my first "Fall" ever!
10. And finally...(drum-roll please) we have something to sit on in October!!!!! A couch!!!!!

Just days after getting the table, Andy's boss asked us if we were still in need of a couch (more than you know!). They had a couch that they did not need anymore and thought of us! And while this couch has been through two very large home-school families (they have 7 kids!!) it's still in pretty good condition. We feel so blessed by the people we have met here in Jackson and their generosity towards us. And we thank the Lord for answering our prayers and teaching us so much in the process. And what's funny is that when we finally had enough money to get a couch, that is when we're given one! The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Table

We have a table! One of Andy's co-workers just got a new table and asked us if we wanted their old one...for free!!

Here it is with the leaf in it. And while we are so grateful for this gift, I'm even more excited about painting it! I was thinking maybe a light periwinkle. But then I googled periwinkle and I don't think periwinkle is what I think it is. Anyways, maybe a light blue or green, definitely not a dark color. There is really nothing else to worry about matching too just something to lighten up the room.

**We just went to Lowe's and this is what we got! Though it looks a lot lighter in person...oh well :) I'll post pictures after we paint. I'm just doing the table for now, and am still deciding on the chairs.