You're such a peach.

Caught you little Mister! ....You can imagine how much fun he had playing in the peaches.
They smelled so good. They looked so good. They tasted so good.

Thirty one jars of canned peach butter and a few freezer bags later...they're gone.
Well, in the freezer gone and up on the shelf gone....a few stragglers still left in the fridge.

If anyone wants to come over for a piece of toast or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, feel free!
XxOo

We threw away precious time...because of a parking spot?

What started out as a perfectly, perfect morning was ruined because of The Doughnut Vault.
{I know I keep inserting this name into my posts, but...you need to go!
and I need join their marketing team.}

Okay, it's not really ALL the Doughnut Vault's fault,
there was a lack of coffee, rain, two - one way streets and a tight schedule to blame....
....or maybe it was just selfishness, quick tempers and lack of patience with one another...Ha!

At any rate, what started out as something fun, WE turned into a two hour argument.
 ...over a parking spot and choice of location.

Why on earth did we spoil precious time we had together by fighting over something so, so silly?
Simple, we both wanted what we wanted, and we both thought we were in the right.

Of course we apologized to one another for acting like fools...{two hours later}
....we kissed, made up, talked about how great it is to be in love and how perfect the doughnuts were.

But the time wasted...the time bickering and giving each other the silent treatment,
that time could have been spent enjoying each other's company.

We threw away two hours of our marriage! Two precious hours.

If you knew your spouse was going to die tomorrow...two extra hours would mean everything, right?
I thought about how many "two hours" we have thrown away in the past....
...I really don't want to know the answer, I'm sure they'd add up to days and it would make me sick.

There are many lonely people in this world who would give anything to have a companion,
a best friend, someone to end the day with, lie down next to at night....
..Yet we, who have all of those things, don't appreciate them as much as we should.

We let petty things get in the way of each other.
We argue over things that won't matter at all in eternity.

Marriage is a gift...it is such a gift.
But it's there in our lives all of the time, like oxygen..
..and we selfishly condition ourselves to take it for granted.

The number of days in our lives are unknown and numbered.
The number of days left with our spouses are unknown...we only have so many.
Don't throw them away arguing. Yes arguments are going to happen, but keep them short.
Solve them quickly....because honestly, it's not worth it.

...and when you finally make a trip to the Doughnut Vault, don't worry about parking spots or rain...
...just jump out of the car, get a doughnut and give your husband/wife a big kiss.

Think of something special to do for your significant other right now and do it. Today.
Bring home flowers, make something great for dinner, buy them a coffee, send a text...Anything!!!
Anything to say..I love you and you mean the world to me.
Enjoy your marriage....Everyday!

XxOo

The Re-Entry. The bad thing about good weekends...

....they end!

It was a great weekend. The kids were at my parents, Jeff and I were alone.
{...with the exception of Frankie...which is funny, because we weren't really alone, right?
But that's a story for another time....}

I was running around Chicago visiting Farmer's Markets and Jeff was my personal driver.
{Have I told you how much I love my job?}

Saturday evening we had some free time and it was so nice to be together...
talking, walking, eating...without interruption! Okay, maybe there were interruptions.
{but they were baby details...those are a piece of cake}

The Re-Entry: We coined this term a few years ago.
What is The Re-Entry? ...The transition from pure bliss to real life.
The entering into a new week after a perfect weekend. It is the most depressing of days.
Saying good bye to each other Monday morning is just....Blah!

I started following Heritage Bicycles on Instagram a while back...I really liked their pictures.
I've been wanting to visit their little shop...since we were in the neighborhood on Saturday, we did.

If I lived down the block, I think I'd spend a lot of time eating doughnuts and drinking coffee
at one of their rustic tables. The shop is so creative, we just loved it! Even Frankie loved it.

Hope your week was off to a great start.
XxOo

He's the newest...at least for the next few weeks.

Today my sister Stephanie and her husband Charleton had a baby.
Grandchild #19 on our side, #1 on Charleton's side...so exciting for them.

It's their very first baby and they are adorable and elated and just the cutest new parents!

And little baby Clint Channing....Oh, well, we are all just in love.
He's perfect and tiny...and you should smell him. Is there anything better than new baby smell?

Here are a few pictures from the baby shower at my parent's house a couple of weeks ago....

Finally, Clint is in the arms of his favorite aunt....no matter what my sisters say, I'm his favorite.
He told me.

Now we're just waiting for my sister Dana to have her baby next month, where once again,
I will be the baby's favorite aunt.
So many new little people being born...our family is very blessed.

Happy Sunday Evening.
XxOo

It's the end of the week.

....ahhh, Friday, the weekend.
The weekdays are filled with dishes and laundry and cooking and busy.
As a mom, most weekends are usually filled with the same...Ha!
...but the weekends are always better because Jeff is around.

But this weekend...my wonderful parents have the kids {minus Frankie, he'll be with us}
overnight while Jeff and I hop around the city visiting Farmer's Markets.

This past week as I complained about petty first world problems...
...this was happening on the other side of the planet.
Make sure you read the stories under the pictures with the lady in the yellow dress...Wow, just wow.

A sweet song for your Friday.

Have a wonderful weekend!
XxOo

While everyone is "Back to School"....

We will be...
making forts. swimming. sleeping in tents. working in the garden.
eating ice cream cones. taking bike rides. swinging on our swings....
...and all the other summer stuff we've been doing since June.

We are taking in all of summer...making it last as long as we can.

I love homeschooling. I love making our own schedule.
I love starting school in September...it feels better.

I am blessed to be able to do it.
Homeschooling our kids is a commitment Jeff and I made a long time ago.
I am thankful we did and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Happy last days of summer....enjoy them while they last.

I love you...

I love you Chicago.
You're so friendly and pretty and provide such incredible food.
{I will not talk about the Doughnut Vault in this post...I promise..but really, you need to go.}

I love you public transportation..you make things so much easier sometimes.

I love you High School reunions and old friends!

Gia and I have been friends since forever. ^^^ She is the sweetest. You will not find a kinder heart.
You know, even our Grandpas were friends.
You should hear the jokes they played on one another...Such pranksters!

Alicia and Lisa are my bestest old friends...Lots of memories.  I love having them in my life.
(even if you guys fell asleep on me during the train ride home...I have pictures, just so you know ;)

I love you Blood Orange San Pellegrino....I like you more in a glass bottle, but I'll settle for a can.
Since it was Frankie's first ever Festa Italiana, we had no choice but to let him try.
All we have is this blurry picture....it works.

I love you cute t-shirts...{Frankie's shirt says The Godfather}...
...and Uncle Charlie for carrying him when my arms went numb from his heavy, heavy, sleeping little body at the fest.

I love you SOOO much Jeff!!! for being you and being the best person ever...
..I am glad I get to spend my life being married to you.
{even if you take bad selfies of us on hot days on rooftops}


XxOo

How can a boy eat THAT much corn dog?

This week is the County Fair.... My kids most favorite-est part of summer.
The funnel cakes, the corn dogs, the rides, the face painting...how could you not love it?

Walking around we ran into {almost} my whole family. It's nice to live close to each other.
We met up with some friends too....and look at my sister! ^^^ She's having a baby reeeeally soon!!!
I can't wait to hold my {he'll be here soon!!!} new little nephew. I'm already his favorite aunt. :)

Frankie liked the horses so much. He liked ALL the animals so much.
Having a baby around again is the best! Everything is new and exciting...it's so sweet.

Stand Back Folks...he's armed with an over sized corn dog!
How he downed the whole thing I have no idea...that's way to much "fried" for me.
Although I did eat not one, but two doughnuts...but they were hot and fresh and smelled SO good.
I really had no choice, right?

What are you guys up to this weekend?
I have my HS Class Reunion tonight! I'm so excited to see old friends...
...old as in I've known them for a long time, not old as in we're getting old...
...we're all still super young after (blank) years! Ha! ;)

Happy Friday.
XxOo

If you feel bad about your backyard.....

Don't. It could look like our backyard this week.
...and there I sit in the midst of it all eating corn pie.

So when you see pictures posted on The Twin Garden Farms Blog, {like the one above}
you will know what a mess the rest of the yard looked like that evening. ;)

Happy Tuesday to you.
XxOo

How much do you tip?

I remember the first time I ever took a cab by myself in Chicago...
... the ride cost around $4.00, I gave the driver a $5.00 tip.
Ha! A cab rookie....I gave more for the tip than the ride.

We are {usually} generous tippers..{not as big as my first cab ride percentage wise}...
...but in restaurants, with haircuts and anything else we tip for.

Jeff and I both waited tables in our early years of adulthood...
...so we know how much a big tip can mean to someone.

Restaurants are starting to ban tipping...I am not really in favor of this.
I think tips are a good motivator and they encourage workers to do a better job, keep a smile on their face! and give better service to the people they are serving.
Their pay depends upon it.

Also...restaurants that are banning tips are raising prices by 20%...so don't think you're saving money!
In fact, if you're a tightwad, you'll actually be spending a little more. ;)

We had a party at our house and all the women were having a discussion about tipping...
..I was surprised to find out how much people tip who and when and where.....

So my question for you is ~ How much do you usually tip?
Do you tip more in restaurants than for a hair cut?
How about cab drivers...do you tip your cab drivers?

Do you think tips should be banned?

If you're a hair dresser, do you expect a tip or just the cost of the cut?

If you're a server, what do you think about new tipping bans?

XxOo

We eat doughnuts, love corn and are always late for the train!

Yesterday morning pretty much topped off the theme of our week....Crazy.

...Woke up late.

Forgot my baby wrap at home...
...which is a huge NO if I'm going to be walking around the city all day.

Missed the express train...hello extra hour, hello millions of stops.

Forgot a binky AND the sippy cup. {Everyone on the train loved us the last 20 minutes!}

We did stop at the Doughnut Vault which makes even the worst day better!
Mocha Coconut doughnut..I'm sure we will be eating these for breakfast in Heaven.

We made it to two Farmer's Markets and spent the rest of the afternoon in the city before
rapidly walking/jogging a little under 2 miles to not miss our train home.
The girls were troopers and kept up the whole time.
...AND we still had 11 seconds to spare as we boarded before the train took off!
{Do you see a pattern here?}


So what are you up to this weekend?
We have a friend's wedding tonight, Farmer's Markets tomorrow and
my sister's baby shower Sunday after church! A full but fun weekend.

Also...

Check out this video Jeff, the kids and I put together for the farm.
We had so much fun..we laughed pretty much the whole time.
Because it really is funny? or maybe just because he's our baby..at any rate, watch.

Have a Fabulous weekend!
XxOo

This week so far....

...Frankie's been swinging away in his {new to him, old to our neighbor} swing. 

....my lovely sister Dana turned 30 Monday,
the whole family pulled together a little shindig in our backyard....
....she was surprised.

.......I've picked 12,000 green, purple and yellow beans.

....we've been swimming..and one little person even did a little skinny dipping.

Have a lovely evening.
XxOo