Car Wash

Today seemed like a great day to wash the car. It was still, sunny, and no warnings of rain for the weekend. Me and my cute little sundress took my Civic to one of those do-it-yourself car washing/car vacuuming/scent infusing places that only takes quarters. In preparation for this, I made sure to break my ten dollar bill buying a magazine earlier in the day so I could have some ones to exchange for quarters at the car wash. As you know, do-it-yourself car washing takes some planning ahead.


I plugged a few quarters into the machine and started the high pressure soap. One problem - there was a slight leak between the hose and the nozzle and a steady stream of water was drenching my feet. No biggie, I could endure getting my flip flops wet. However, the nozzle leak steadily worsened. It started to spray my legs, then it was misting my dress. By the time I'd soaped half the car, it was blasting more soapy water at my head than at the car and I gave up. 


I walked in the oil and lube place next door that had the same name as the car wash, assuming someone there could help me. My soaked dress dripping soapy water all over the floor, and the attendant chuckled at my soaked-ness (I'm declaring that a new word) while explaining that they didn't own the car wash, so they couldn't do anything. Oh well. I moved my soapy car to a new stall, and just as I finished the wash I heard screaming from my previous stall. I peeked around the corner to see an elderly woman in a very nice pants suit being assaulted by the evil nozzle. Whoops. If I had been paying attention I could have warned her not to use that stall...


She took one look at me and laughed. "It got you too, huh?"






Moral of the story: Do NOT use the car wash on Colorado by the mall. Or if you must, wear a bathing suit. 

Top 10 Favorite Things About Mom

Today is Mothers Day. It's a special one this year, because I have 2 new mothers that I didn't have before and my mom also has a new son. I thought I'd take a moment and share a list with you of my top 10 favorite things about my mom:

1. She loves Jesus. Since before I can remember I've woken up to find my mom daily studying the Word. She is a rock-solid woman of God and I learned how to long for Christ from her. 

2. She loves my father. I am beyond blessed to have parents that are not only still married, but set an example for me and Jeremy in our marriage. My mother faithfully loves, serves, and respects my father and that has made a HUGE impact on my childhood. 

3. She loves her children. Growing up I watched my mother give up things she desired to take care of us and provide for our needs and wants. We often took this for granted and made it even harder for her to find time for herself. I am so grateful for my mom's selfless spirit - I hope that when I am a mother this trait carries on in me.

4. She loves to laugh and be silly. I have countless memories of two-stepping in the kitchen while making dinner, playing cards, and laughing over life with my mom. 

5. She gives wise advice. I know I can run to my mom with anything and be met with a wise Biblical response. She has helped me walk through so many sticky situations with grace and respect.

6. She raised us to be thankful for what we have. I wasn't handed a new car when I got my license. I wasn't given a credit card for shopping sprees. My parents made me learn to value money and budget for things I needed and desired. I was so proud of the '92 Dodge Shadow with the peeling paint job that I drove in high school because I saved and saved for it. I'm so thankful for this training, because it carries over to my marriage. Jeremy and I can use our money and resources wisely and effectively because our parents showed us by example.  

7. She has a heart for people. My mother is constantly giving of herself to lift others up. This is evident in her choice of job, the causes she chooses to be a part of, her friendships and her hobbies.  

8. She can't make it through a whole movie without falling asleep on the couch. I don't know if I've ever seen her stay up through a whole movie started after 7 pm. I can't make too much fun though, because I've inherited this same trait :) 

9. She is so stinking clean and organized. Another trait passed on to me. Hopefully I can maintain the organized house she did through the madness of kids and school and moving and working. 

10. My kids will get to see all of this in their grandmother. I can't wait to see her love on our kids.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Love -

K

Garden Update

It's now officially May and the garden is beginning to flourish. All the tender loving care I put into those little seedlings has (for the most part) paid off - and I've learned what plants do great from seeds (squash, beans, peas, carrots, etc.) and what you're better off just buying from seedlings (tomatoes and strawberries). 

Our little row of beans and peas are shooting up so fast!

First pea pod of the season...

Bean fingers. One of my favorite things ever. Who knows if that's what they're really called, but that's what I call them. If you tether the little "finger" shooter to the pole with a plant tie, it's wrapped itself around the pole this much in a day or two. Incredible!

The tops of our potatoes - they're mounded up about 6 inches, it's just hard to tell because the greenery has exploded so much!

The beginning of our first tomato - my favorite produce from the garden ;) We've got about 6 or 7 tomato vines this year, so hopefully I'll have plenty to spare!

We're going greener (and cheaper!) this year. This is our first rain barrel. Denise and I went to a "Build Your Own Rain Barrel" workshop in Frisco (Thanks Melody!) and Denise let me take our first labor of love to our house. The Powers will have one for their brand new house soon!

So far it's rained once since we installed the barrel and I've watered the garden for nearly two weeks with the water in the barrel. Hello lower water bill!!

A bit ghetto-rigged, but I'll fix that soon and try my hand at painting it to make it a little less "blue" - so consider this the before picture. After pics to follow. 

My pretty little Dragon Wing Begonia - brightens my day when I'm stuck inside grading papers.

Happy spring everyone! Enjoy it while it lasts... Before we bake all summer in a 95 degree oven...

Love-

K