summer project // landscaping

Since moving into our house exactly two years ago, we've had a running list of projects big and small, inside and out. During our first summer, we tackled a lot of the smaller, inexpensive projects - painting, changing hardware on cabinets, adding lighting, etc. Last summer we added the deck, which we LOVE and use many evenings for supper and bird watching. This summer's big project was landscaping the front of the house. When we moved in, the landscaping looked like this:

It was completely overgrown with perennials, shrubs, and weeds. Don't mind the tub/cooler in the front lawn - we must have just gotten back from a camping trip. We knew we wanted to change it eventually, so shortly after we moved in, we tore everything out and have spent the last two years staring at a big dirt expanse in the front of our house which would inevitably fill up with small weeds during the summer. It was ugly. I'm sure our neighbors were just as excited as we were to get this project done.

Fast forward to three days ago. After getting a couple yards of dirt and rock dropped off, purchasing plants and shrubs, and hauling three car loads of landscape block, we were ready to begin. And by we, I mean Tim...while Jack and I supervised from the shade.

A couple weekends ago, we visited a local nursery to look at our plant options and ended up going with:

+ 1 lilac-colored azalea

+ 2 dwarf spruce trees

+ 2 prairie grass plants

+ 3 barberry bushes

And after 18 hours of hauling, spreading, measuring, cutting, and planting, it was complete and a BIG improvement from the overgrown daylilies/weed-invested mud hole. Tim did such a great job and along with master deck builder, he can now confidently add master landscaper to his resume. 

Other upcoming projects:
+ new landscape to the right of the front door
+ spruce up the sunroom
+ replace the front door
+ till up a garden plot

Memorial Day Weekend // the unofficial tradition

For the past several years, we have spent Memorial Day Weekend with Mike and Katie. It's almost become an unspoken/unofficial tradition. Tim and I weren't even dating when we first started this tradition. Through the years, we've spent the weekend on sections of the Superior Hiking Trail; last year we hung out in St. Cloud; and more often than not, we end up at their cabin. This year was a cabin year, and this year we added our kids into the mix. That still seems so crazy - we have kids! We ate good, spent 90% of the time outside, sat on the dock (with monitors in hand) after putting the kids to bed, and went for a hike with the babes, which I'm pretty sure Mike and Tim have been dreaming about for years. As always, it was a blast and refreshing to be around good friends.

Today I am...

Many thoughts are running through my head this morning, realizing that a lot has happened on this weekend in the past and I have much to be thankful for.

THANKFUL FOR

+ the sun that has finally come out from behind the endless rain clouds

+ friends and new babies

+ the newest edition to the Miller clan, Henry Michael

+ my mama
+ my almost 6-month-old boy who is getting so big
+ art projects and finally getting some things hung on the wall in Jack's room

REMINISCING ABOUT

+ 5 years ago - graduating from college
+ 2 years ago - preparing to move into our first house
+ 2 years ago - celebrating Mandy graduating from nursing school

+ 1 year ago - hearing Jack's heart beat for the first time

+ 1 year ago - leaving for our big Yellowstone/Grand Tetons trip and spending my *first* Mother's Day watching buffalo graze in Lamar Valley

life lessons // perspective

I am not surprised that since having a baby life has seemed to move faster than ever. Not only do the days and weeks seem to fly by, but things like eating and grocery shopping now only occur in hyper-mode since my boy's happiness trumps all. This was one of those things that everyone told me about, but you just don't really understand it until you're going through it. For the past almost-6-months, I haven't felt a sense of calm or relaxation. There are moments of rest when I feel like I can catch my breath, but the crazy far outweighs the calm. And for many weeks, I would think, "This is my life now. I will never eat my scrambled eggs in peace again. Tim and I will never have regular date nights without it being a production. I might not have a full night of sleep for years...etc. etc. etc." And then I start thinking, "And we only have one kid. It's only going to get harder and crazier from here on out!" I hate to admit this, but have even been moments when I've seen retired people having coffee at Target or working in their yard and envied them and the fact that they can take. their. time.

But God knows exactly what I need and when I need it. This past weekend, the women in our church got together for a retreat. It was a refreshing time of fellowship and God's word. It was my first time away from Jack for more than three hours, and it was just what I needed. Many people asked me if it was hard to leave him. Honestly, no. I knew he would be at home with Tim, safe and sound. And I knew I needed the time away to sit quietly, soak up the Word, and BEHOLD my Savior.

I came away with many nuggets of wisdom and things to work on (we studied the Proverbs 31 woman...hello), but one thing that I have already stuck in my Bible and want to read every morning is a passage that was shared Saturday morning. It's a version of Psalm 23.

THE LORD IS MY PACEMAKER

The Lord is my pacemaker - I shall not rush
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness,
Which restore my serenity
He leads me in the ways of efficiency
Through calmness of mind,
And His guidance is peace

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret
For His presence is here
His timelessness, His importance
Will keep me in balance

He prepares refreshment and renewal
In the midst of my activity,
By anointing my mind
With oils of tranquility
My cup of joyous energy overflows

Surely harmony and effectiveness
Shall be the fruits of my hours
For I shall walk in His house forever

Yes, my evenings of taking an hour to make an elaborate supper, mornings of sleeping in on Saturday mornings, and afternoons of reading and blogging may be over, it is only for a season. But I don't want to just merely view this as a season I have to get through. I want to enjoy this season with a joyous energy! Enjoy the fact that I'm blessed to spend everyday caring for my baby boy. Enjoy the fact that Jack hungry enough to eat two times in the middle of the night. Enjoy the fact that he weighs enough to make my back ache by the end of the day. Enjoy the fact that Tim and I now have to work as a team to get supper on the table. Enjoy the fact that when I do get a few minutes of "down time", it seems like such a huge gift. And enjoy the fact that date nights now look more like a bon fire in the backyard after Jack goes to bed. Blessings! Not just things to muddle through, but things that God has blessed me with! For I know that one day when I am retired and working in my garden, I will see a young mom pushing a stroller and wish I could get these precious, precious days back.

march :: a recap

Honestly, I'm glad March is behind us. I've just never been a fan of that "in-between" month. And even though I know April can be just as flippant with it's spring-like weather, just being able to say that it's April makes me feel better. Looking at the forecast for this week is a prime example: rain and thunderstorms yesterday, snow last night, sun tomorrow, snow on Friday, then sunny and 50s for the weekend. Talk about bi-polar.

In March…

• had a house full of family
• dedicated our baby to the Lord, which apparently really tired him out
• started cloth diapering, and so far I love it
• took Jack outside for the first time without having to bundle him up
• finally captured Jack's smile when he sees himself in a mirror
• had to dig the snow boots back out for a few days
• after weeks of a happy baby who slept through the night and take regularly scheduled naps, Jack seemed to regress to his 3-week-old self. Thought it was teeth = nope. Growth spurt = maybe. Payback for having too much pride that my baby was sleeping so well = probably.
• went home for a weekend so I could catch my breath/take some naps
• gave Jack a bath in the kitchen sink
• celebrated cousin Evie's 2nd birthday which meant bug tattoos for everyone, even the babe

Not pictured…

• Tim working/writing/studying like crazy for his grad school classes
• three stroller rides around the neighborhood for Jack on the nice days
• design projects for church and various weddings
• cleaning out my room at home and finding old high school art projects, diaries, key chains, and a jewelry box full of 2-dollar bills
• taking a nap in the sunroom for the first time this year
• watching classic Sesame Street episodes on Netflix with Jack
• chopped 10 inches off my hair
• our new evening routine after Jack is asleep: being in bed by 8:30 with mugs of hot tea, books, and Scrabble on the iPad