garden

You Reap What You Sow

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For the past two years, Mr. Gray &  I have planted a container garden in the Spring. We did really great with the first one. We had squash, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, and I can’t remember what all else. We planted onions, but they didn’t grow (Pops tried to tell us that was going to happen). 

Last year, I don’t know what happened. Nothing grew. I felt like I did the same amount of watering, but Mr. Gray thinks I forgot them. Maybe I have selective memory about it. Who knows?

We’re trying again this year, with a scaled back garden. We have spinach, green beans, and tomatoes planted. We’ll see how we fare this go-round!
Baby Gray/family day/photos/shopping

Fabulous Finds

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Yesterday evening, Baby Gray had a mini-session with Nikki Peterson in Boerne. Mr. Gray and I decided to make a day of it shopping and eating in Boerne. We found some super cute stuff! 

This orange juice bottle (you can almost see the “label” in the photo) was our first purchase. I love it! I’ll put flowers or something in it and move it all over the house. I might even serve orange juice out of it someday. (I have my doubts this was an antique; who knows?)

We found this “T” next. I saw it and liked it, but since we don’t have anyone in our home with a “T” in their name, I walked on by. When Mr. Gray walked by with me on our way out, I showed it to him. He thought it was as cool as I did. We decided my maiden name was reason enough to buy it. It’s an old sign letter that can be lit. Maybe one day we’ll rig it up for The Ranch (I don’t know that I’ll want to part with it, though).

Perhaps my favorite item is this glass rolling pin. Yes, a glass rolling pin. I saw it from a distance and asked Mr. Gray if that’s what it was; I told him if it was we weren’t leaving without it. Sure enough, that’s what it was. The marbles are a cool added touch, but I’d have bought it empty, too. I love, love, love it! 

We had a great afternoon strolling around, and our photo session is leaving me with much anticipation! 
Photo credit: Nikki Peterson Photography
This is our preview photo from yesterday. I think it is absolutely AMAZING! I can’t wait to see the rest!
applique/Baby Gray/birthday/blessings

Happy Half-Birthday!

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Yesterday was Baby Gray’s half-birthday! I can’t believe how fast it has gone! (That’s one of those things people always tell you, “Treasure this time; it goes so quickly.” They are NOT kidding!) 


He has really gotten active the last few weeks. He is sitting up (not pulling himself to a sit yet, but it’s not for lack of trying). He can stick out his tongue (this might be the cutest thing ever; I can’t take a good photo, though, he pulls that tongue in the minute a camera hits the scene; also, please disregard whatever is all over his face in the mediocre photo). His laugh and smile are so contagious! I love to watch him scoot and wiggle to get to things. As I type, he is bouncing away in his “satellite” jumper. His talking melts my heart. He loves to explore and study things. He’ll just watch and watch before grabbing something while he plays. Baby Gray is pretty sure he is supposed to be the center of attention all the time. He’ll let you know if he thinks you’re forgetting him! 

I know this next six months will go by even faster (don’t worry, I’ve already started planning his birthday party). I’m looking forward to all the new developments as he grows and learns. I think I’m looking forward to him being able to eat snacks the most; it might stave off some of the screaming the instant he decides he’s hungry. 

I made him a super cute 1/2 shirt to wear for his half-birthday. I loved it–red and camo! It was about a size too big, but it worked. I’m so glad I learned how to applique so I can make it rather than pay for it.

Baby Gray/brain/stroller/wallet

Here, There, and Back Again

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Baby Gray and I have made a habit of walking anywhere we’re going in the proximity of our home in the afternoons. As long as we don’t have any other errands to run, I stick him in the stroller, and we go. Wednesday, we went to the craft store to get some stars for the letters I’m making for his room (this is one of the downfalls to naming your child after his or her birth: you have an infant at home and time for letter-making is scarce). 
The ladies were wonderfully helpful; they showed me how to use the Cricut and then ended up doing them for me because the paper I chose was giving the machine fits. One lady who works there is a photographer, and she showed me some new settings and tricks for my DSLR. It was a great afternoon.

The next morning, as I was headed out of town to get a pedicure, I pulled in to get a sandwich on the way. As I dug in Baby Gray’s bag, I realized my wallet wasn’t in there. At first, I panicked a little. Where could it be? Luckily I remembered before I really freaked out–it was in the stroller. I hadn’t taken Baby Gray’s whole bag in my stroller Wednesday, I just threw my wallet in it before we left. I had to tell the restaurant I’d be back and go home to get my wallet. It was a simple mistake, but for some reason I was so embarrassed. I rushed home to get my wallet so I could go back to get my sandwich. Sometimes I think pregnancy brain lasts a while longer than the actual pregnancy.
blog/design

Shout Out!

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments
My friend at A Little Slice of Life recently had her blog completely transformed by Sharla at Posh Peony Design. It looks great! I enlisted Sharla to create my awesome new signature–I love it! She also helped me get my coloring on my background situated just the way I wanted it. I don’t speak code, but I love that know I know someone who does–and does it well. If you’re in the market for a new ‘do in the blogosphere, be sure to check out Posh Peony Design!
Baby Gray/gadget/jumper/sit/stand

Just Right

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We have all sorts of gadgets in our home designed for helping Baby Gray sit, play, rest, stand, or bounce while I cook dinner, get ready, or just need a minute. When he first came home, we had the Graco Soothe and Swaddle. It was perfect for while he was tiny and stationary. Then this started to happen: 

Don’t worry, I’m not up for Mother of the Year anytime soon. 

We upgraded from the Soothe and Swaddle to the Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker. This was supposed to be perfect from newborn to toddling age. You can lock the rocker part when they start to lean forward (as seen above) and it keeps them from being able to flip out. However, it makes them lay almost completely flat, which Baby Gray hates. (I don’t have a photo of when he started sitting up in the rocker because I quit using it immediately, which has me much closer to that Mother of the Year nomination.) 

We use our Baby Einstein Music and Motion Jumper quite often, but it is bulky and hard to move around the house (and totally out of the question for traveling). Baby Gray loves it, though. It is definitely something I’m glad we have.  


He loves his “satellite” and so do I. If it were a little more portable, it would be a clear winner for this stage. Unfortunately, it’s not. He loves that he can “stand up” and see around him.
 
I wasn’t quite sure what gadget would be needed to effectively seat our little guy for the next few months until I saw the KidCo Go-Pod on a friend’s baby registry. From the minute I saw it, I knew it would work for us. It folds up to travel, has toy hooks, is lightweight, has height adjustments, and I don’t even know what all else. 
We’ve only had the Go-Pod a day, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m sure it will be just right for this phase, just as all these other gadgets were. (And, really, who am I kidding? He’s going to be all over the place here pretty soon; then it won’t matter what gadget I have, unless it’s a fence!)
bathroom/family day/home/honey-do/plumbing/shower/sink

Sweet, Sweet Honey-Do

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments
We started off this glorious day with a little trip to Home Depot. We intended to get the four items (a light bulb for our bathroom, closet rods for my closet, rug grip, and seeds for our garden) on our list and head home. As we walked through Home Depot, Mr. Gray remembered his faucet had been leaking some. We went to the plumbing aisle to find a fix for the leak and left with faucets to outfit our double vanity and shower! 

Our house was built and designed by men. Men (in general) pay little attention to the details like having all the metals in the house sort of match. From the time I first walked into our home, I noticed the faucets were chrome and the rest of the metal in the kitchen and bathrooms was a rubbed bronze-style (not all the same shade, but not bright and flashy chrome). I have been wanting to change these faucets out forever, and we did it today! It makes so much difference. Our quick trip to Home Depot turned into an all day plumbing adventure, but it was fun.

We (and by we, I mean Mr. Gray) tackled my closet first. The wooden rods in my closet have bowed over the years; so they were slipping out of the brackets, and dumping my clothes (yes, they are in a particular order, for those of you wondering) all over the closet floor. Mr. Gray got the metal rods and we waited forever for the guy to cut them to fit in aisle eight.

Unfortunately, when we got them home, they were the wrong diameter and the cut was off. Back to Home Depot my wonderful husband went. He took one of the old, bowed rods with him for the second trip and came back with better-fitting rods.




Sadly, the second set of rods were also too short, so Mr. Gray had to shim them to fit. Although I lost a couple of inches of valuable closet space, I think it’s a small price to pay for the stability that will hopefully keep my closet from looking like it vomited. I also did a little rearranging to make some of my storage more efficient. Mr. Gray started on the sinks while I finished up my closet.


He changed out both sinks without a hitch! They look so different, and I love it! The shower was a team effort, but I mostly handed him stuff. The shower looks so good, too. I am so excited about the changes! 

 
I changed the vanity light bulb while Mr. Gray finished the sinks. Then the last thing on our original list was to get the grippy stuff for under our new rug. I took care of that while Mr. Gray finished the yard. (We also got seeds to try our container garden again, but we don’t have soil just yet.) I got the grip laid under the rug, and it’s snug as can be! 

Baby Gray was our little helper for our honey-do day; then he helped by taking a nap! I love productive days, and I love that my husband doesn’t mind falling in and taking care of things on his day off. We knocked out our whole list–plus some!
blessings/books/family/friends/job

Where is Your Treasure?

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If you’re keeping tabs on the “Bookin’ It” page, you know I’ve been reading Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson. I have found myself unable to divulge totally into the book. When I am not completely enthralled in a book, I read it much more slowly than I usually would. I have been making myself sit down and read this week because I have two new paperbacks I am super excited about and a new iBook that I can’t wait to read (I don’t like to read multiple books simultaneously). 

Tonight, as I was reading, Dr. Dobson presented some statistics about women who said they felt inconvenienced by their children. The women chose to put their careers, among other things, before their children and their marriages. This is inconceivable to my feeble, family-loving mind! 

I cannot imagine a J-O-B taking precedence over Baby Gray–not now, not ever. On a similar note, I am unable to fathom putting my husband second to a job (or a career, for that matter). Family is important to me; it is the most important (earthly) thing to me. It is my prayer that those who find importance in jobs and such will realize the importance of their family. 

The following verses pretty much sum it up for me: 
Psalms 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A reward! A treasure! Children are a reward. I truly believe my child, and each moment with him, is a reward. I am so grateful that I am able to cherish each moment I am given with my husband and son; I would not trade my time with them for any job or money in the world. What is your treasure? A job? Family? Friends? Your car (probably not with gas prices)? Your treasure is where your heart is; you can’t say you treasure your child, your husband, or your family if your heart is in your job. 

Take some time this week to eat dinner with your family. Walk to the park. Walk around the block for all that matters. Love each other. Remember why you wanted to become a family to begin with.