Wish I could Be Better at Blogging

Day 142. I am glad that the kids finally have bicycles!

Justin, Deuce, and Margo went up to a local bike resale, and got bikes for the three older kids. (Well, technically, he got 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday before church.) I had him take off the pedals of one of the bikes so Josie and Deuce could practice balancing first. I want them to skip the training wheels stage, mainly because they're already at the age when they could learn to ride without them. However, Margo's bike does have training wheels on it since she's only four. Anyway, I'm just happy that they finally have them!

I know I also mentioned a dog walk and a clean porch. So, I guess I have to say that I took Carmen for a much-needed walk. Also, I busted my butt cleaning the front porch. I swept, vacuumed (that must've been a sight) and scrubbed our huge porch. I was so whooped when I stopped, and I didn't even finish the whole thing!

Day 143. Learning to ride a bike is exciting!

After church, I took Deuce to a school parking lot nearby to practice learning how to ride his bike. I realized later that it wasn't the best idea, because there's no "soft" place to fall. So, we moved to a nearby sidewalk, and he actually started riding without me holding on! I mean, we're talking a few seconds at a time, but he is definitely getting it.

Later I realized that the sidewalk close to our house (not the one in front of our house, because the road is too busy) is perfect for teaching bike riding, because it is a slight hill, and he doesn't have to work too hard at pedaling. I also learned that just touching his shoulder helped him to stay balanced.

Day 144. Thankful for an evening park visit

I had told the kids we would go to the park, but after realizing it was a hot afternoon, I suggested waiting until after dinner. That was definitely the right plan, because the weather was perfect! Warm, but not too warm, with a slight breeze and plenty of shade. Of course the kids had fun playing on the playground. Deuce also enjoyed watching a baseball game that was being played close by. He looked so cute sitting on the bleachers. Don't you think?


Day 145. I love Bluemel's and Konkel Park

I took the two little ones to Bluemel's to get coffee and some perennials with my friend Jackie and her girls. I have learned that shopping in a plant store without an exact plan can be dangerous. I could spend forever in there! Well, I ended up getting a couple of lamb's ear plants for the front flower beds and a handful of sedum for ground cover.

While we were there, I ran into Joy, the pastor's wife from our last church. I gave her a big hug and chatted with her briefly. Since Jackie's daughters are her granddaughters (Jackie is Joy's daughter-in-law), and we were going to go to the park afterward, she decided to join us.

Several other friends and their kiddos joined us at the park too. I love park dates when the moms can sit and chat while the little ones run off an play. We stayed until lunchtime, and then headed home.

Day 146. Making progress on the front flower beds.

We have a narrow patch of dirt (I can't even call it soil) along the south side of the porch where I planted three sedum plants. Apparently they're supposed to grow in poor soil, so we'll see. Justin had ordered a ton of cedar mulch from Bluemel's, and I spread that around the plants.

Then I did some work on the front flowerbeds. I separated the hosta plant I have, as well as planted the other two sedum plants and the lamb's ear plants. Then I spread out the mulch, which was a lot of work! But I'm happy with how the beds look so far. Eventually I'm going to plant some more hostas once I get them from my friend, Bri.


Day 147. Friends, church, friends

Thursday PM was fun, yet busy. Judy got in early (around 12:30), so I had made plans to meet a couple friends (Sarah, who I'd gone out for breakfast with recently and Kimberly, who I don't think I've mentioned before, but I met her through MOBs) for drinks at Cafe Centraal in Bay View. However, I spent too much time weeding and then moving mulch to the garden, which led to me rushing to get to Café Centraal. I enjoyed a nice glass of wine and an order of sweet potato frites, which are so yummy! We had really enjoyable conversation, talking about church, faith and future plans.

Unfortunately, I had to rush out of there, so I could run to the store for some chicken legs, which then needed to be baked before taking them to church for our weekly potluck. I have a tendency to underestimate how long something will take... and we were late for church. But it wasn't a big deal, since everyone was still sitting around eating when we got there. After the meal and communion, we had a "leadership" meeting. It was the first organization meeting that's happened, and it's exciting to be a part of the core team. We talked about administrative and logistical stuff, as well as spiritual ideas, like discipling ideas.

After the meeting, Justin and I went over to Angie and David's house for more conversation. They were going to be out of town for the weekend, so had to squeeze them in before they left (while Judy was in town). We love hanging out with them, because they are so easy to talk to and comfortable to be around. We didn't even care that David was falling asleep most of the time.

Day 148. Enjoying a day full of calories with Justin

Justin and I went out for breakfast at our new favorite spot - Mad Rooster Café. It's only open for breakfast and lunch, and it is often really busy, especially on the weekends. Thankfully, we went early enough on a Friday, and got seated right away. This time I ordered chicken and waffles, which was really tasty! Not as delicious as the crispy cinnamon French toast I had last time, but still yummy!

Then we went home, and I went to Aldi to get some grocery shopping done. After buying food, the two of us went to Kohl's to buy clothes! I ended up getting four summer dresses and a handful of shirts, which I really needed! The best part of that shopping trip was when Justin got yelled at by an elderly woman for being in the "woman's" dressing room. Although, there's no sign saying that it's for women and I requested him to be in there. It was just amusing listening to this old lady berate my husband, who often intimidates people because of his size and tattoos. Not this lady. Haha

Next, we went out for lunch at Café Centraal. I wouldn't have picked going there twice in two days, but I wasn't complaining. My turkey burger was amazing! Of course I had more sweet potato frites. We then went and picked up the kids from school before heading home for a little relaxation.

That evening we met our friends Joe and Sarah (the one who I'd met with the day before) at Movida, a Spanish tapas restaurant. We'd been there once before (with Joey and Mehgan) months ago. Everything I ate was delicious! The one thing I had that was a little adventurous was beef tenderloin tartare. I actually didn't realize that tartare is raw meat, so it took a couple bites to get over the mental hurdle. But I really enjoyed it. We ended up spending nearly three hours talking and eating with them. It was great to catch up and talk just the four of us.

Day 149. Gardening and Captain America

Yesterday I got a lot of work done in the garden. I got the whole garden covered with a nice, thick layer of mulch, and then I planted all the vegetables: zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans and butternut squash. I am hoping that the mulch covered garden really helps keep the weeds at bay.
Here's a view of the garden from the second floor balcony.

We decided to go see the new Captain America: Civil War movie that night, but I had to get caught up that afternoon with Captain America: Winter Soldier, which happened to be on TV. So we watched that, hung out for a bit, and then went to Water Street Brewery in Oak Creek for a couple appetizers before going to the movie. It was good! Tons of actions and quite a few laughs. We grabbed some Leon's (of course) on the way home.

Day 150. Sunday BBQ

Today was a very low-key church day. In fact, we didn't even have church. We just had a cookout and conversation at the church. I ended up meeting and talking with a new lady, which was nice. I also spent some time chatting with friends, getting to know them a little better.

As for the rest of the day, I've spent time alone, writing my blog. And now I'm going to see what Justin wants to do tonight!

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