Go, Go, Goers!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is August 1.  It seems like we were just heading up north to celebrate the 4th of July.  I don't understand why time is flying by so quickly...  I know I've said before that I'd like more than 24 hours in a day, just to get more "stuff" done.  Not even fun stuff, just ...stuff.  So, this weekend we had plans to visit Darren, Tiff, and Isabel - and usually I am super excited to catch up with them.  This week, though, I just couldn't gather enough energy to be excited about leaving all of the "stuff" behind at home.  So, because Scott could sense I was nearing a breaking point, he offered to take Ava to the Winfield's house without me, just so I could have some time alone. And I was so relieved and happy that I actually cried.  And then I put together a list of all of the things I was going to do in those 24 hours.  So far, I've done pretty well.  The highlight of the day was sitting outside for a few h...

Apparently this month is all about our garden and my gun class.  Scott finally felt what it was like to be a hunter's widow this week...I was gone 4 out of 5 nights, and he had the bulk of the household/child responsibilities on his shoulders.  Wednesday night was the first night that I had spent with Ava since Saturday night!  So, what's been going on?  I feel like I've been taking my gun safety class forever, but I am officially done and certified.  Thursday night I took my test - and got 100%, thank you very much.  It was pretty easy - I figure if an 11 year can do it, so can I...and I did!  However, last Monday when we were in class (held at Gander Mountain), I noticed a 5-year old boy playing with a toy rifle (bolt action - see, I did learn in the class) right next to our room.  He picked it up, and looked like a pro handling it...and it made me realize that I really had NO exposure to any guns growing up.  With Scott being s...

Ava's been showing an increased amount in going potty...and not in her diaper.  She freaks out if her diaper gets dirty, and lets us know when she wants to be changed.  At daycare last week, she went in her diaper and then started to take off her shorts while she was outside so Debi could change the diaper RIGHT THERE.  If she sees a commercial for Pull-Ups, she talks about going potty.  If either of us go in the bathroom, she tells the other that "Mommy/Daddy going potty!" So, it's time.  And of course, I have no idea what to do.  I know there's charts and books, and rewards and movies, but I really have no idea how to pull it all together.  Well...thank goodness for Facebook - I put out a call for help on ideas, and got many great responses.  I think the overwhelming comment was that we need to take a weekend, let her drink all she wants, and put her in underwear, so she feels what it's like to be wet.  We've got the plan, and now ...

I remember the first time I saw the Garden & Gun magazine when I was visiting Atlanta.  To a girl from the west, the concept of a magazine about gardens AND guns was completely foreign.  But clearly, it made an impression...enough so that I can now actually blog about gardens and guns! First, our garden...it's amazing.  Our corn is close to 6' tall and has started to tassle.  We should be eating some fresh corn in just a few weeks.  Our two tomato plants have gone nuts, like usual.  I'm glad we've cut back on the number of tomato plants we grow - these two should produce enough for Scott to can at least one batch of his salsa this year.  And our peppers...we've already had several hot banana peppers in our meals, and we just had our first green pepper this morning with breakfast.  I am so impressed with how well our garden grows - and that credit all goes to Scott.  He does an amazing job watering, weeding, and harvesting...

Happy Birthday, America!  We celebrated by heading up north to spend the weekend with Scott's best friend, Dan; Dan's wife, Sara; and their son, Hunter (he is exactly 10 weeks older than Ava, and a super easy-going kid...Ava was a handful in comparison!)  They had a camper set up for us, so we even had our own space to use - always a good thing when dealing with a toddler (who may or may not have napped enough!) We drove up on Saturday midday, and when we got there, we found everyone in the backyard, playing in the pool, the sandbox, and on the play equipment.  It was HOT and muggy, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. I love the trees that you see on the side of the road in northern Minnesota...so different than what we have in the cities. Notice that there aren't any children playing in the sand box... Oh, there's one! Ava's first deer stand experience - Scott is bound and determined that she will be a hunter! Hangin' with Hunter ...