You’ve probably all seen this by now, but I had to post it. Hello, it’s to a girl named Jenny and she’s marrying a guy named Joe! As a Jenny myself and mother to a sweet boy named Joe, I knew it couldn’t go wrong. Also, I love Hugh Jackman’s sense of humor 🙂
Today started with one of those kinds of mornings. The kind that begin with early-early bed linen changes, giving a toddler an unexpected bath, and taking care of a fussy 1 year old who has a snotty nose. I started off on the wrong foot for sure, and we were all kind of grumpy. While… Read More Give Thanks in All Circumstances
Our latest parenting conundrum has been how to help Joseph give up his pacifier. This is no small feat. Joe will turn 3 next month. He has a pacifier at his nap and overnight. He’s very attached to it. We tried giving it up cold-turkey when he turned 2 – misery! After 5 nights of… Read More Bye Bye, Pacifier
It’s strawberry season here in Virginia, and we decided to take advantage of it this past weekend by heading over the river to Surry for some pick-your-own fun. Since it’s Mother’s Day weekend, we anticipated a higher-than-normal turnout at the farm. We opted to catch an earlier ferry so that we would arrive at the… Read More Strawberries in Surry
We have some fun goals for our house over the next year. One of those goals is to replace our tired, energy inefficient front door This door is most likely the original one that came with the house back in 1970. It’s warped and poorly sealed, allowing air in from the outside. It’s time for it… Read More May 2014: Financial Goals
When you’re depressed, your focus becomes very, very narrow. My own focus became so narrow that anything beyond making it through the day was too much to think about. Exercise, eating healthy, getting enough sleep… all of those were things that I knew would help me feel better, but I had neither the energy nor… Read More Month of May: Time for a Change!
My, oh my. An entire year has come and gone since you joined our midst, Jack! What a fun, happy little boy you are. I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to be your mother, and that I have had the pleasure of watching you grow and change over these last 12 months. We… Read More 12 Months Old – Happy Birthday, Jack!
Happy Easter! Joseph and Jack – Easter 2014 The above photo was the best that I could get of the two little boys. Chris was away at a conference in Boston over Easter Weekend, so it was just the three of us. We are glad that Chris is home once more, safe and sound. I… Read More A {Belated} Happy Easter
I have to be honest with you guys. I had a post planned in which I wrote all about what a great job I was doing at replacing the old, dated outlets in our house. I had pictures, a mini-tutorial of sorts. Goodness, but I was pleased with myself. I didn’t say it outright, but… Read More What You Really Learn When Fixing Up an Old House
One of my cheap, go-to dinners is spaghetti. A box of noodles + a jar of sauce = food that everyone in the family will eat, and it all comes together in less than 20 minutes. Toss in some rolls and add a side of salad or frozen veggies, and it’s a fairly healthy meal.… Read More Happy Meatballs
I’ve lived in so many places throughout my life, from growing up in the country to living in the ‘burbs to moving to a huge city to living in a small, historic town. I truly can’t decide what place I’ve liked best. I’ve found that each spot has its own perks and attractions. One perk… Read More Petting Zoo, the Easter Bunny, and Yankee Candle
This past weekend was “Museums on Us” weekend by Bank of America. If you have a BoA or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card, you get free entry to any of the museums on their list. We decided to use our BoA debit card and headed to the Children’s Museum of Richmond, or “CMOR”. CMOR… Read More Children’s Museum of Richmond
Joe and Jack are big peanut butter and jelly fans. We go through a lot of jelly these days. I already make my own peanut butter (so easy) but decided to give making some jam a try. The only thing is that most of the jam fruits that I would want to use (strawberries, blueberries,… Read More Homemade Pear Butter
My new Freecycle dresser! It’s currently located in the living room and will most likely remain there as an entertainment stand / storage spot. A little rough around the edges (literally) but I still love it. Made in the ’70s (like our house) according to its former owner. I managed to move it out of… Read More Another Freecyle Dresser
I took Joe and Jack on a mini-vacation to Winston-Salem, North Carolina this past weekend. In good traffic it’s about a 4 hour drive. With 2 little boys, it takes a bit longer :-/ On the drive down, I ended up having to stop 3 times – 3 times for a 4 hour drive! I… Read More Winston-Salem, NC
And just like that, Jack has turned 11 months old! Jack Tobias Tucker – 11 Months Old (taken during trip to Winston-Salem, NC) Here’s a little update on how things have been with this guy since last month’s update… General Health Wow – talk about teething. With Joe, teeth seemed to just appear and we’d… Read More 11 Months
I love Freecycle. I used it to dispose of some things we didn’t want to take from NZ back to the USA and have used it a lot since moving to Virginia. It’s a great way to find new homes for things without putting them in the dumpster. It’s also good way to get free… Read More Freecycle Dresser Makeover
We have all sorts of landscaping plans for our house. I’d like to put up some garden walls, a few retaining walls, re-do the bottom deck, put in an area in the front yard where I can have a baby pool and lawn chairs, and keep on with the overall sprucing up that I’ve been… Read More Bye-Bye, Fence!
Remember that post about the snake? Yeah, the black rat snake that we found holed up in our garage. Oh, joy. Here he (or she) is, up close and personal. The windowsill in our garage was so dirty that it was almost perfect camouflage for the snake. Ugh. This one actually didn’t bother me too… Read More Pests: Black Rat Snake
I’ve reached the point where I can blog about the pests that inhabited our house when we first moved in. I’ve never considered myself to be squeamish, but dealing with the snakes, mice, spiders, and camelback crickets that we found here pushed me quite close to the edge. In light of everything else that was… Read More Pests: Mice!
