Friday Favorite - Growth

I have really enjoyed watching the plants on my porch grow this year. Here they are freshly planted:

Now a few months later!

 It is truly amazing to watch things grow and produce "fruit." Our creator is amazing! To think we could get 5 bell peppers, a tomato and lots of basil from plants (Plus 4 new tomatoes currently growing)! AMAZING!!

Pepper Plant Progression

Tomato Plant Progression

" Tomato twins" - looked like  single tomato on the plant, turned out to be two!

Well, at least this is how they looked earlier this week. But I do have an "unfavorite".... pressure washers! Here's the results of these nasty devices:

It's a rather ugly site and it just makes me sick to look at! I have to admit we did know that the pressure washer was coming and my husband did attempt to move things out of the way to avoid the plants getting hurt. They've gotten so big its not like we could move them inside or anything! Here for hoping for a complete recovery!!! I've been babying them and talking to them ever since.

Here's the other growth I've been working on and hope to be working on till the day I die!

Hope you had a great week of growth!

Friday Favorite - hobby

PAINTING

Painting has definitely become my favorite hobby. It is so relaxing for me. There is also such a satisfaction in knowing its your creation!

Recently I've been working on some projects to sell. Every year, or at least for the past 2 years, Melody and I  have tried to sell a few items at a huge ladies conference her Mom's church goes to every year.We had thought about not doing the conference at all this year. However, when we found out it would actually be in our town, we decided we had to find SOMETHING to sell!  The first year we sold wreaths and that went okay, but not too great. Last year we tried to sell the wreaths we had left at a drastically reduced rate and we still had a hard time. I was curious to see if I could sell some of my paintings. So I made 5 or 6 small canvas' with Christmas colors and verses on them. To my great surprise they ALL sold! So this year we'll be mainly selling the paintings.

 When I look at other painters like Sara from Sara's Art House, I do wonder if I even have a chance! The good news is that if there are any left I know my husband will "buy" them. He wants to keep everything I create. So glad to have a husband that supports and loves my hobby! Anyway here's a few I've finished - we'll see how they sell!

These last two were created in the hotel on our trip to Charlottesville for our anniversary. I'm struggling with what verse or sayings to put on them...Any advice or suggestions?!?!?Any suggests on colors I should do on future paintings?!?!?

*Please excuse the messy work station picture. The first couple of sick days I had enough energy to do a little painting and I was working on this project. It abruptly got stopped as I became sicker, but I'm hoping as I start to get energy again to finish it. It's proving to be one of my favorites!

Botanical Gardens Date

I think we might get a season pass here next year. We had so much fun walking around, taking photos, and just generally enjoying God's scenery! It was a really hot day, but all the trees really helped it be more comfortable weather. Unfortunately most of the hydrangeas, my personal favorite, were past there season. I want to return when they are in season!

Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

I just had to post this, because it was delicious! I got the idea after I read a post by Amanda on KevinandAmanda.com. We changed it a little bit by adding ham and we both thought it was delicous!  Have I mentioned that I LOVE having a basil plant growing on our porch and fresh homegrown tomatoes in the refrig! Well, if I haven't before I'm saying it now! The basil plant is starting to really take off. I'm sure its loving the fact that I've been pretty much on bedrest for the last week! I can't wait till I have the energy to start cooking again!

The best part of this sandwich is that I can make it on my George Foreman! Doesn't it look great! I hope to try another favorite "panini".... ham with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple and cheddar cheese. My mouth watering just thinking about it. I already have the apple I just have to get rid of whatever this illness is so I can make it!

Saving Calculator

Even though Saving money and couponing is a huge part of my life right now, I try not to put too much of it on the blog. I don't want to bore ya'll. However,  I just had to share this. Last month I found this nifty savings excel spreadsheet on The Coupon Challenge. I say I save a lot by using coupons, but I've often wondered how much it actually saved. This was a very simple way to find out!

Yeah, it's a lot! I love looking at the list and seeing several trips where I saved over 90%!!! I'm planning on continuing this. It will be very interesting to see how I do in say 6 months or over the course of a year.

Here's a link to this VERY easy to use free downloadable spreadsheet. So go get yourself a Sunday newspaper, check out Moneysavingmom.com and start using the spreadsheet yourself. You'll be surprised at what you can do with only a little bit of time and a budget. You might also find yourself addicted to "couponing" like I am!

Oh, and I also had to share my favorite deal of the month. All this for .22 cents!

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that again.

Thankful....

For this wonderful man...

.....who has pretty much waited on me hands and food this past week. He's also washed lots of laundry, done dishes, cooked.... basically everything I normally do. (Yeah, I'm so lucky he just brought me a dish of chocolate pudding too!) No its not because he has nothing to do. Actually its completely the opposite. He has huge projects for seminary due next week and should have been reading all the time with me waiting on him hand and foot. So why has he been doing this?? Well....

   The past week I've been struggling with an illness. We really don't know what it is exactly. Last Saturday I went to Patients First with a horrible ear ache that Tylenol nor Advil seemed able to touch. It had been getting progressively worse. Of course it was at its "height", or at least I thought so at the time, on Saturday so I couldn't go to my regular doctor. The doctor there cleaned out the ear and although "it doesn't look too bad" prescribed amoxicilin for an ear infection. After three days of amoxicillin the pain had not only gotten worse, but had migrated to my other ear. AND I had no energy to do anything. I pretty much stayed either on the couch or in my bed the whole day. We decided to go to our regular doctor and see if I needed to be put on something stronger to kill the bacteria. 

   She told us that the ears looked great, but my glands were extremely swollen. She tested for both strep throat and mono. (Which I thought quite odd as my throat didn't hurt at all.) She prescribed Vicodin! (NEVER been on that before!) And she told me I should be on bed rest until next week! Yeah I really wasn't happy with that... isn't that only something pregnant women do???

   Well, both tests have now come back negative. The bed rest part, well... as much as I don't like it, I have no energy to anything other than that. While I lie down I feel like I have energy, but as soon as I get up, even to go the bathroom, I know that I'm sick! I'm just hoping it all goes away just as fast as it started!

 So as I sit here laying wondering when I'll be able to help my wonderful husband I'm wondering... Why does it take an illness to make me thankful for health, for the ability to do simple tasks, and for the Lord giving me such a giving husband? Yes, I am truly blessed much more than I'll ever deserve!