July 27th = 9 year anniversary!

On this day 9 years ago I married my best friend and my soul mate. My how time flies when your having fun!

We decided to take some pics to commemorate our 9 year anniversary and how fast our baby River is growing up. He is now 20 months!! We were hoping to get a cute pic to send along with his 2 year birthday invites. I think one of these just might do! ;)

He definitely got the very best traits from each of us... he is going to be a looker. Girls, watch out!

In other news, we are slowly starting to get our little homestead off the ground. We aren't wanting to do too much on this land, as we only plan to be here for the next 2 years while we are working towards buying acreage to have our house moved to. The current prospect is 10 and a half acres out in Shepherd with a pond on the property. If you are praying for us, please pray for guidance and direction. Matt is going to walk the property with the guy this Sunday and measure/stake it out. ;) In the meantime we just moved our rabbits outside in to their new hutch last weekend and they seem quite happy! This weekend we are bringing home our baby araucana chicks! We are getting the brooder ready for them now, and then Matt will have about 4 weeks to construct their chicken tractor. For those of you who do not know what a chicken tractor is, here ya go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor. We plan to use the tilled up, fertilized ground for a vegetable beds each time we move it to a new location. ;) I'll be sure to post pics here to track the progress.

Almost Buttermilk Pancakes!

Now that berries are in season we are all about pancakes for breakfast over here! Here is a delicious recipe that uses yogurt instead of buttermilk (we ALWAYS have yogurt on hand.) Mmmmm.....

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cups plain yogurt, such as Nancy's

fresh blueberries

maple syrup

1. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar and canola oil. Whisk in the yogurt, then whisk in the flour mixture, stirring just enough to bring the ingredients together. Do not overmix or the cakes will be tough.

3. If the griddle or skillet is not well seasoned, rub a little butter over the surface. Spoon the batter onto the hot griddle, and if using blueberries sprinkle them immediately over the surface of the uncooked pancakes as soon as the batter is poured.

4. When the pancakes are puffed and golden brown on the undersides, after about 3 minutes, turn and cook until light and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Top with butter, syrup, homemade whipped cream, walnuts, & more blueberries

(recipe from West Coast Cooking by Greg Atkinson)

Matt's new band!

A few iphone pics I took of the guys (Nathaniel, Matt and Daryl) out behind the barn. Look for these guys to start playing out soon!

Summer days + A place for us

This is the second time this summer that I am keeping my two darling nieces, Hannah and Kaylee. The last time I kept them they stayed with us for a week and we had so much fun! We did crafts, rescued a baby bird and built it a nest, spied on the raccoon that lives in our pecan tree, went swimming, baked home made biscotti, made pine cone bird feeders, and generally just enjoyed each others company. They were also great helpers, helping me hang the clothes out to dry and Kaylee was all about doing the dishes! River so enjoyed having them around for entertainment. They sure can put on some pretty mean plays (and by "mean" I mean awesome!)






This weekend we are planning on taking advantage of this sunny weather and doing some berry picking, playing in the sprinklers, starting some tomato seeds indoors, and maybe even hitting up the Farmers Market. (Pics to come soon!)

I am not sure if I remembered to mention that Matthew and I moved into our own place a few weeks ago and we are smitten! It is out in the middle of a grass farm and has the most amazing scenery and sunsets! It is the old style farmhouse that we have always wanted and we could not be more blessed. ;) After having most of our things in storage for the better part of a year it is so nice to be able to really nest again. Matt and I LOVE hospitality and have already jumped into it full swing. It has truly been great to be able to welcome our friends into our home once again. This is perfect for us and we are delighted. Please come visit us! We can not wait to share this place with you.

the scenery

clothes line

weather vain and lightening rod on top of our house

the pond behind our house

Last few weeks at a glance...

WARNING: this post is very image heavy!




Two weeks ago we went to the annual crawfish boil at the beach. This was River's first memorable beach trip, since the first time we went he was only about 3 months old. He loved the water, but wasn't quite sure what to make of the sand! Ha ha. We took the ferry home and it was so windy and the water was so choppy that we could barely keep our balance at times. Still, we all had a wonderful day of fun in the sun.

High five!

River's Curls (I am SO not ready to cut these!)


Ferry ride home

Last week we went to Herman Park with Jack Potts and his awesome kido's!

River had a blast picking flowers, chasing birds, checking out the turtles (which inspired us to get him a pet ornate box turtle. We made that decision after all he did was chant "tur-tle!" for the next few days!) and riding the train around the park chanting "Choo-choo!."

River trying to catch the birds

The Potts clan <3>




River and I went to a friends wedding and River was my date since Matt had to work. He was sooo cute in his little suit and converse!

looking "shy"

He had a blast "shaking his booty" to the music and running around giving everyone a fist bump. It is hilarious that in his mind he thinks everyone wants to smile at him and applaud his cuteness. I guess we do a good job at that around here. ;)

Yesterday we went down to Galveston but unfortunately didn't get many pics. We met "Uncle Tom" there and perused The Strand for a while. We had lunch at Yaga's Cafe and then ice cream at an old 20's style creamery and candy factory. Then we grabbed some coffee and headed back into the city to catch the end of the Farmer's Market and made away with some goat milk, goat cheese, chana masala, local honey, egg plant, and free range, antibiotic free chicken and sausage. Success!

I can't wait for the day when all we have to do is simply walk out into our own backyard. This is the life that we dream of, and the self sufficient life that we work towards.

An afternoon by the lake

We had a really lovely afternoon rummaging through an old junk store earlier and found River 3 pop-up story books for $1!(I also found a vintage galvanized double washing basin that I would love to have!)

Then we all got ice cream cones and hung out by the lake skipping stones in the water, and we even caught (and then released) a baby catfish! (We took pics of the fish, but alas, they did not turn out very well.)

pretty view

teaching River to be kind to nature ;)

Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

Two days ago we had the pleasure of meeting our friends Marty Durlam and his son, Miles, at the Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. We had such a fun time walking through the trails of the bamboo forest and had a picnic lunch in the Chinese tea garden. It was so good to spend some time with these guys that we haven't seen in a few months, although we did miss the company of our dear friend, Christine. ;)

River actually rode in his stroller ( for like, maybe the third time ever!) I think it has become somewhat of a novelty.

River passed out on the way home...(and notice the skinned knees)

Last weekend we set up a pool for the kido's (River and his cousin, Aubrey) in the back yard. River has had so much fun playing in it in the afternoon's.

helping Dad fill up the pool

is it ready yet??

We even managed to get in a little gardening. (Can't go too long without getting our hands in the dirt.) Matt showed River and Aubrey how to plant tomatoes and peppers in containers.





Things are beginning to settle down a little as we get comfortable in our new routines. On the music front, a lot of exciting things are happening. It is amazing to me how when you step out in faith into something that you feel prompted in your heart to do, even when it is scary and you can not see the entire picture, it is as if God begins to guide each step and reveal a little more of the big picture as he releases his blessings and doors begin to open. I can not share all of the details yet, but rest assured as things unfold I will be posting updates. ;) For now, I leave you with a final photo that is just too cute for words....

did I mention that River is obsessed with shoes?