Landscaping

Last weekend we were able to complete a project we've been wanting to do for a while! It is amazing to me how much work is required to make and keep a house a home. Growing up my parents always made it seem so easy, but it's definitely not easy or cheap! Our landscaping has needed some TLC since we moved in. With the help of my parents, we were able to get the job done last weekend. I absolutely LOVE how everything turned out. James and I had a pretty good idea of what we wanted the end project to look like. Friday while out on a date, we stopped at Menards to pick up supplies. Our options seemed endless, there were so many possibilities! We got what we thought we needed to start the project on Saturday. We then went out to dinner and to see Toy Story 3 in 3D, which we loved. I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone! We got up early Saturday morning, and I was so disappointed because it was raining. I never thought I'd be so excited to do yard work, but I was really looking forward to getting the landscaping done. Thankfully, they rain cleared out pretty quickly and it turned out to be a dry and VERY hot and humid day.

Here was what we got Friday night at Menards... the first of MANY trips!!



We had really not done anything to our landscaping since we moved into the house, aside from pulling weeds and trimming the bushes! The following are the BEFORE pictures of our landscaping. It had gotten pretty ugly, I just could not keep up with the weeds!

I am so thankful I don't have to look at that anymore! We were so grateful to have my parents help us with this project. They are much more experienced in this area than we are. Elena even came over and helped shovel rocks. I love having a big family for so many reasons, a big one being there is always someone willing and wanting to help.

And now it's time for the AFTER pictures! I am thrilled with the outcome and it was certainly worth all of the hard work and effort. I think it seems to make our home so much more welcoming!

I am now working on decorating our front porch! I made a purchase at a garage sale on Friday which I am really excited about. I will post pictures when everything is complete!

Family

Saturday evening we had our 3 nieces and nephew over! We had pizza for dinner and then went to my parent's house to swim. It was still in the upper 80's at 6:00, so it was perfect weather for an evening swim. We played a pretty long game of "Marco Polo" which was one of my favorite pool games growing up.

Aubrey, Ashlynn, and Alexis enjoyed laying on and playing with the rafts!

Shay and Uncle James were having competitions off of the diving board!

Uncle James and I had fun watching the kids swim!

Here is all of us after we were finished swimming.


After the pool, we decided to go for a walk on the trail in Winona Lake. It is so pretty and peaceful on the trail! We saw a deer and a few other animals, which Ashlynn and Aubrey especially liked.

We came home and I made popcorn. The girls watched a movie and I we all fell asleep on the couch before it was even half over! The boys had fun playing video games.

Here is us girls on the couch before the movie started!


We got up this morning, had breakfast, and then went to church! We all had a great time, and it was fun to get a taste of what life will be for James and I a few years down the road when we have our own kids!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to save money. I have found one of the best ways to do this, is DIY (do it yourself) projects. Last August my mom and I tried a recipe for making your own liquid laundry detergent. It was easy to make, cost way less than regular detergent, and worked wonderfully. I just recently ran out of our original batch, and decided this time around I'd try making a dry detergent. Again, I have been thrilled with the outcome. If you'd like to try making your own detergent, follow these simple steps....

To start, you will need:
1 box Borax (I found it at Walmart for about $3.50)
1 box Washing Soda (I found it at Kroger and it cost $3.07)
1 box Baking Soda (I found it at Aldi's for $0.47)
1 bar of stain fighting soap (I found Fels-Naptha soap at Ace Hardware for about $1.25)
1 large bowl for mixing
1 container for storing




Once you have all of the above items, you’re ready to go!

1. Grate the bar of soap using a cheese grater.



2. Put the grated soap into a food processor and process on high for several minutes.


3. The food processor will make the soap much thinner and easier to dissolve in your washer.


4. In a large bowl combine 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Washing Soda, 1/4 cup Baking Soda, and the Fels-Naptha Soap.


5. Grab a spoon and mix well.

6. Put the mixture into a container and store until needed. Use 1 Tablespoon for each regular load. I doubled the recipe, you could even triple for large families. Happy Washing!

I have found this to be a great money saving project. Let me know what you think!

Weekend

I love the weekends! This weekend was no exception, and it was an especially busy one with lots of special events.

My sister Erika is getting married in September so we had a wedding shower for her on Saturday. On Friday the girls all spent time at my parents house and before we set up for the shower we enjoyed some great girl time. We spent the afternoon at the pool! It was a perfect summer day and we all got some good sun!

Giving it a shot

I have never been much of a writer. I've started many journals in my life, but never kept up with any of them! I much prefer talking, which I am sure does not come as a surprise to anyone! I do however, LOVE reading blogs. It has become one of my favorite addictions! I also love posting pictures and sharing my life, so I thought I'd give this blog thing a shot.

I just recently started summer vacation.(Which just happens to be one of the many reasons why I LOVE teaching!) With some extra free time, I figured now would be the perfect time to give this blog a whirl! Thanks to my lovely sister Erika and my wonderful friend Lisa, I think I am finally figuring Blogger out. Thanks so much for your help girls :)

If you're reading this, welcome! I'm glad you found my blog!