Nutgrass and Decorations

We have been waging a war on weeds in our backyard while doing our best to foster the growth of our bermuda. Most of the weeds have been taken out but if you have ever experienced nutgrass you know how resilient it can be. This last week we got the go ahead to spray the nutgrass with stuff that targets it. It's working! I looked out over our yard yesterday and saw yellow patches of nutgrass. I think our lawn will be over 50% bermuda very soon and that is very exciting indeed. Another thing that made my day was getting a few decorations at Ikea and my wedding pictures coming in. Now that I was able to put a few things up it makes me feel like my house has a little more character. I did get some pretty cool lamps but am missing a part but I am going to put pictures up later because they are my favorite purchase.

Wedding Pictures

I got the CD with all of our wedding pictures a day or two ago so these are just a couple of my favorites

First Ikea and stuff

The last few days have been quite busy around here. Thursday I went and visited my parents and borrowed their Tahoe because the Fast girls and I were going to Ikea. The whole Ikea trip idea started when Katie found out I had never been. I am so glad they brought me. That place can be very overwhelming if you don't know what's going on. It probably is my new favorite store though because everything is very reasonably priced. It was a great day of browsing with a wonderful lunch and good conversation. To top it off Mom and Dad Fast made a great dinner, one of my favorites, coconut shrimp and stuffed mushroom and shrimp. Top that all off with fresh corn on the cob and watermelon what more could you want? This weekend is no less busy. Since I have been out and about that past couple days I have a lot of house/outside work to catch up on before the trip up to Shaver with the family. Never a dull moment!

Mom Fast


The other proud Auntie

Lawn Mowers and Super Soakers

Yesterday I decided that I was going to try to mow the lawn. Things are really kicking into high gear for Ben and it's been so HOT that I thought I'd get it done for him. I thought it would be no big deal because I used to mow at home all the time. We had a riding lawn mower though and I had no idea what I was in for. The lawn mower we have is a push mower that is self propelled. Don't let that deceive you though, she is a beast hidden in a lamb's clothing. I waited for the lawn to dry up and then proceeded to try to start it, no such luck so I waited for Ben to come home for lunch. He started it after lunch for me and by that time it was hot but I've never been one that's afraid to sweat. So I commenced and about 5 feet into it got stuck and so it began. Our lawn isn't exactly level yet and Ben was so kind as to lower the blades. This means that it stuck a lot so I would give it more gas and wiggle it to get it going only to have it take off and have me running to keep up. By the end of this battle I was pouring sweat and covered in dirt and grass laughing at the fact that our lawn mower had worked me over so bad! Ben of course laughed a lot too when he got home and heard my saga. We decided to cool off so we went and got Sonic and then headed over to Mom & Dad F's house to swim. There Ben showed me part of his super soaker collection which is quite extensive thanks to aunt Debbie. Mom and Dad F took us out for Chinese and Dewars after. What an afternoon!

My worthy adversary




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Saving Money

It seems like everyone is trying to save money these days. I have always tried to save money because yes I am a cheap dutch woman but it seems of even more importance now that I am married and times are tough. We are not struggling by any means but we do want to be good stewards of our money. I have been employing tactics such as bulk grocery shopping, making things homemade, and searching the internet for tips. I have also taken to looking at magazines online that I see in the store. I love magazines but you can find the articles you like on the internet for free. I have been trying to find hobbies that are cheap or free (hence the blog :) I have a sister-in-law who is great at penny pinching so she has been a very good source of information and ideas. I love websites or articles that give you good ideas for DIY or money saving ideas so if any of you have good ones send them my way.

Peachy

Ben and I got a dog the day we got back from out honeymoon. She is a border collie-australian shepherd mix. Her name is Peachy and she is a great dog. Peachy is still a puppy but she is learning really fast. She knows she needs to listen to me because I lay down the law. Ben is a real softy when it comes to puppies and she has already figured out that if she bugs him enough he will play with her. I never had a dog growing up and I think she is the perfect pup for my first. She comes running with me and always keeps me company whenever I am working outside. She is a sweetheart and snuggles you whenever possible. She also has endless amounts of energy and tries to kill anything that moves in our yard (like bushes moving in the wind, sprinkler flags, and any piece of trash) Puppies will be puppies and I'm glad we got one!

The Shed

The Shed has been completed! All Ben's hard work has paid off and our shed is now finished. The inside needs a little organizing but not much. It is very big and should easily be able to hold our outdoor paraphernalia for now. We can check one big project off our list!

Friends and Floating

Today Ben and I had our first friend BBQ. There were just six of us but it was really nice to have friends over to our place. It was always hard having people over when Ben and I were in school. First of all we lived in different apartments and we had roomates so it just made it harder. Now that we have a house it is very easy to host a get together. We made up some burgers and had watermelon and corn from our garden. We then proceeded outside to float and hang out by the reservoir. It was not that hot today so it was nice just to float around on the rafts. The people who were not floating proceeded bust out guns and deplete our population of birds. One of the boys was enjoying the little motorized boat but when he "docked" it, he didn't do such a great job and it had to be chased down. It was a great afternoon of being with friends.

The Girls

I love my husband Ben very much and our life in the boondocks but it does lack in the people category sometimes. There is something about having a little bit of girl time that just brings joy to my heart. Ben and I always have fun and love being together but there are some things you need girls for....like watching the bachlorette, laying out by the pool, or watching cheesy chick flicks without the sarcastic commentary. Today I was able to visit some of my very best girl friends for the first time since graduation. It was a day filled with sun and sushi and just what my soul needed. I am amazed how much a few hours with these girls can leave me refreshed and happy. When it was time to go home I was ready to return to my husband with just as much excitement I had about seeing the girls. I thank God for the wonderful friends he has given to me and the amazing husband who has been my rock in getting accustomed to all the big changes in our lives. So I guess this is a shout out to my friends and husband but I don't want to forget the Fast's who have made me feel like a daughter and sister in their family. Praise God for the people he places in our lives!

Uncle Ben

Ben and I have been lucky enough to be blessed with a wonderful little nephew named Henry. I, being the oldest, thought it would be a while before I got a nephew. Ben is the youngest so we lucked out. Henry is a little over 2 months and becoming quite an animated little boy. Ben has avoided holding him for fear of getting pooped/thrown up on, or anything else a baby can throw at you. Well I think he's warming up to the little guy because he held Henry and even got thrown up on but kept on holding him.

Homemade adventures

Since getting married I have found a growing love for cooking. I never have really cooked much until now because I didn't really find it necessary to try new and big things for just myself. Now that I have time and someone else to cook for I find a lot of enjoyment in cooking. I do like baking too but then you have to eat what you bake and baking usually equals something not very healthy for you. So I have ventured into the world of making things from scratch. The internet has been the most helpful tool as I can find information on about anything from ways to use up my plethora of veggies to which items you can make cheaper homemade than store bought. It has been a fun adventure with only a couple mishaps and Ben is happy to be my test dummy. Two of the things I decided to try are english muffins and yogurt. I read a website that described how homemade yogurt is much cheaper and tastes better than store bought. I gave it a whirl and found all this to be true. The english muffins were trickier but I think I like them better also. I think I need to eat a few more to really decide though.


One of the stages of making yogurt. I followed. I found this recipe to be easy and delicious.

http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/

Homemade english muffins on my makeshift rack for cooling them. The jury is still out on these.

How does your garden grow?

Mine grows like crazy. If you look at the sheer amount of plants it is obvious why I get so many veggies every day. Before I moved down to Bakersfield I had said I had always wanted a garden. My father-in-law planted a garden for me, using a six row puller! So my garden contains, 3 kinds of squash, 2 kinds of cucumbers, 2 kinds of tomatoes, bell peppers, jalepenos, red chili's, corn, watermelon, cantelope, dill, and green beans. I am so thankful for all the harvest I have gotten. There is nothing better than fresh produce. But if I miss even one day of picking I have some giant vegetables on hand so it keeps me diligent. I try not to waste what I have been given but a person can only eat so many cucumbers. A lot of the vegetables I am able to freeze, which is turning into a sizable stockpile. The rest I do my best in giving away and try to avoid tossing as few as possible. If you're ever in my neck of the woods and you like veggies give me a call and I will surely pass on some free goods. You will be doing me a favor :)

More like a plantation!

Watermelons

A sinkful of Veggies a day is average

4th of July

The 4th of July was never a big to-do when I was growing up. When I met Ben and was invited to the big Fast bash I had no idea what I was in for. I had been to parties with fireworks and seen bottle rockets and what not. The extravaganza I witnessed was new to me. Lots of people, great BBQ and ice cream, and every kind of firework, legal and illegal you could imagine. I soon realized 4th of July is comparative to Christmas in this family. As the years have gone by the party has mellowed out as all the young ones that caused the chaos have moved away but it is still a great night of friends and family. The guys still find ways to entertain..... pool games and canons just to name a couple.

New Shed

We have a wonderful new mobile home we have moved into. When you live in a mobile home, especially a new one, it usually means you do not have a garage. My car is currently parked under a shade but we have had no where to keep outside things such as bikes, yard tools, and a lawn mower. The slab of cement was finally poured last week and so the building of the shed commenced. Ben and Royce have made a lot of progress and it won't take much more work to complete. A shed means a lawn mower so we moved the "lawn" for the first time today. It actually looks more like a yard which is very exciting!

the lawn (or lack thereof)

We have been attempting to grow grass in our backyard ever since Ben first moved into our house. It has had its ups and downs. We first had to kill what remaining from the old lawn and then seed the new one. Nut grass seemed to take more to the soil than the hybrid bermuda we seeded. After round one of seeding it was declared that maybe it had not been done correctly and we tried again. A week or two of waiting and there were only patches of bermuda although the nutgrass seemed to be thriving. The next step was to plant stolens and they have taken nicely. Our jungle of a lawn is becoming more civilized by the day and the dirt spots are fading. Yay for the hard work of Ben and Royce!

Well here goes...

So I have decided to try blogging. It seems like fun and I so enjoy reading those of others that I know so why not try it myself. One would think that there is not much interesting about your own life that people might be interested in but then I realized that is not the point. The point is to have some place to put up things that are of significance to me for whatever reason and just leave it at that. Here begins my blog....