Courtesy is not dead!

The media would have you believe that the world is in a state of turmoil and despair, some days they are right on the money. Today, however, while there may be hardship and stress, some people seem to make life positive. I went to run a couple of errands, no big deal. I wasn't feeling particularly positive or negative, just normal. BUT, for some reason the people (all of them strangers) around me seemed to go out of their way to show courtesy to me or other people. A man helped put my cart away when I was done just because. I thanked him and he said "Just trying to be a gentlemen." I really don't think I was being particularly observant, but many people seemed to make eye contact and smile. (Perhaps, I had something on my face and they were waiting until I passed by to snicker.) I think maybe in this economic downturn that people are a little more approachable, more likely to see others and help out by holding the door open or letting someone go ahead of them. Maybe I'm delirious and I just want to believe that people are truly good, and that courtesy is not dead! Either way, my day's going good, how 'bout you?

Ode to Sidney

(I saw this on someone else's blog and so I totally had to lift it!)

So cute
Ingenious

Does well at volleyball

Notices others

Excited about her birthday

Yearns to learn

Mesmerizing eyes

Always kind

Sticks to what is good

Helpful

Extremely funny

Loves to swim

Makes us laugh

Unavoidably smart

Happens to be clever

Likes to try new foods

Example to others

Steps in as big sister

Tries her best

Exceptional reader

Intuitive

Naturally girly.

Happy Birthday to our sweet Sidney.

We love you!

Is that Sew...

I wanted to teach Sidney how to sew, so before Spring break, Sidney picked out some material to make a dress out of and we finally got around to it this last Friday. Sidney enjoyed learning how you decide which pieces of the pattern to use and how you place it on the fabric. She was anxious about the actual sewing part, but once I taught her all the buttons on the sewing machine she was ready. She liked practicing with different stitching pattern. If I hadn't run out of thread on Friday we probably could have finished it then. But she asked if we could finish it Sunday morning, so we got back to work and by then Hayden wanted to know how to sew, so Sidney was sharing her new info with him. A couple of hours later and...WA LA. A new dress for Sidney. She was beaming.

Locks of Love

A few weeks ago I asked Sidney if she would consider cutting her hair. We've been good about trimming it, but it seems to reach a certain length and stops growing. So, when she said she would think about it, I decide to see what it takes to donate to locks of love. It's really pretty simple...you can do it yourself or have it done at any hair cut place or salon.

So, I asked Sidney to look at other girls her age and check out which length of hair she might like. She told me that she liked it "shoulder length". Well, everyone has an idea in their head of what they think shoulder length is, so I was thinking of my idea and told her that if she wanted it that way then there probably wouldn't be enough to donate to lock of love, but that it would be okay, she could have her hair any length she wanted.

(This is just before we left)

We decided last Saturday that we had time and she was ready to get it cut. We went someplace close to home and put her name on the list. When the lady was ready and asked what we were doing with her hair, I said that Sidney had wanted to donate to locks of love, but that she also wanted it shoulder length. Then for the first time Sidney points to her neck, just barely lower than her jaw and says "Yea, I want it just above my shoulders." That surprised me because then she had plenty of hair to donate. The lady took her back and measured it, combed it, put an elastic in it.......and then cut it!

At first, Sidney said she didn't notice anything different. Not until the lady was done cutting and let her see the back of her hair with a mirror did she seem surprised.

Now, she loves it and it takes less time to take care of.

I think she looks adorable!!! But then again...I'm biased.

The bonus is that the hair cut place didn't charge us because she was donating her hair...who knew?

The fruits {and veggies} of our labor!

So, John and the kids have finished planting everything in the garden for this season. It all started about 6 weeks ago. We have anxiously been waiting for the chance to try something and see if they are worth it. On Sunday, John snipped off some of the butter crunch lettuce, some romaine, some of the pretty purple stuff (like the technical terms I use?) and some of the spinach. I added some of our ripe cherry tomatoes and we had a yummy salad. Some of the romaine and spinach were a little bitter, but we ate them and enjoyed it anyway. Later, John found out you're supposed to pinch off the first of those and discard them because they always tend to be bitter. We just didn't want to waste any!
{This is the very salad, all ingredients grown in our very own backyard!}




Then, just yesterday, the strawberry that has been growing and ripening up and we've just been waiting for it to turn all red...finally was ripe! The kids were so excited (and this is just one strawberry). We also clipped off some more spinach and chives to use with dinner last night...oh, they were yum! Anyway, we cut the one strawberry into 4 pieces and each ate them at the same time. Guess what? It tasted just like.....a STRAWBERRY!

{THE strawberry, ain't it a beauty?}


Well, we're having such fun. [Yes, I totally just admitted to enjoying the garden] And we're hoping that everything else just grows like it's supposed to.