5 years....

Friday was our 5th (yes I said that right), 5th anniversary! It really doesn't seem like 5 years ago that we were married. We threw our "TO DO" list out the window on Friday night and for the first night in a long time just enjoyed spending time together doing nothing! We made a nice dinner and just talked and laughed and the hours flew by. Reminded me of when we were first dating and there wasn't house projects to do or work that we needed to get done before Monday. It was the perfect way to spend the night.

Goodbye Old - Hello New

So, Jon and I have had these 2 stools from IKEA for quite some time. They are so functional, but I have never liked the way they looked in our living room. We finally decided to do something about it and so this weekend I sanded and painted them. I picked two different colors of green - the pictures don't do them justice (another reason I really am dying to have a nice camera)!

Before.....
After.....

I Heart ETSY

Have you heard of ETSY? It is a website where artists and crafters can sell their handmade things. It is full of amazing things and I just can't get enough. It is like your best modern day craft fair on steroids. My friend Jenni started her own shop, so when you guys go to check out ETSY you should stop by her shop.

Someday I would love to start my own ETSY shop. I will keep all of you posted - it may be awhile so don't hold your breath! A girl can dream right. Anyway - you should definately check out ETSY if you get a chance and delight yourself or a friend with something unique and handmade!

Fall Fashion for George

While we were at the lake my sister Julie and I cut out designs for two appliqued shirts for George. He is close to growing out of the onesies I made him for his birthday (see them here and here), so we made two new shirts he could wear for fall. We made another "G" design for a turtleneck (G is for George and our maiden name was "GEE") and a cute dog design for a long sleeved T-shirt. I think they turned out great - can't wait to see George wearing them - that makes them even cuter!

No More Ferns

When we moved into our house just a few weeks over 1 yr ago our backyard was completely overgrown and being taking over by ferns. (See them on the right in the picture below....the picture doesn't do them justice - they were horrible)

We quickly ripped out the ferns, and have since planted grass in the backyard (who would think this would be as hard as it is), and added planter beds for flowers. We are still a long way from finished, but we did have some success with our backyard plants this year....
I love working in the garden and watching things grow. It is so relaxing and fulfilling. We are hoping to get a few more plants from family and friends this fall as people separate things from their gardens and keep working towards that green thumb that both of parents have!

More Okoboji Pics

Julia and Rita playing with water balloons......

Sophie and Ali on the tilt-a-whirl....
My mom, me, julie, jen, and ruth by the lake....
Me in the kayak.....

Beach Bums

Just got back from a week with the Gee family at Lake Okoboji. We had fun spending time with my parents, sisters, and their families. There are seven grand children under the age of 11, so it was a bit crazy at times, but it is always great to be surrounded by family. We spend our days riding in the boat, tubing, sitting at the beach, playing golf and going to Arnold's park. My aunt Ruth and uncle Rodger came to visit and brought their kayak, so we all had to take turn learning - it was so great. Would love to be able to wake up and kayak on a calm lake everyone morning. Boy would that be good for the body and soul!

Now that we are back I can't help but feel like summer is over. School starts here on the 25th (one week from Monday), and next week is full of prep, student advising, and faculty meetings to get things ready to go for another school year. Where did the summer go....

Jon and I by the lake....
Rita and Sophie in the raft......
George loving the sandy beach (check out that cute onesie)! We made more while we were at the lake. I will show them in a post later......
Julie, Harry, Me, and Conner took on jon, my dad, jen, julia and ali in an intense golf scramble. We lost by 1 stroke (so sad!).......
My dad taking everyone out for some tubing.... Even Rita wanted to go (she is 3) until she saw Jon and Connor bouncing all over the place. Then she looked at me and said "Jess, I don't have to go in the tube tonight....we can wait until later (scared face)."
We had so many good pics it was hard to choose which to share. I will post more in the next few days....

TACO RIDE

I am being adventurous tonight and going on the infamous TACO RIDE. I guess we ride 10 miles on the Wabash trail (it is supposed to be beautiful) eat some tacos and drink a few margarita's at a small local dive restaurant in a town of 200 people and then ride 10 miles back to our cars in the dark. I guess there are thousands of people that do this every Thursday. I looked it up online today and it is rated by Bicycle magazine as one of the 10 best weekly rides in the world. I will do my best to take some pictures and post them tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Bathroom Progress.....

Jon has been working hard on our bathroom upstairs. Here are some updated pictures of his progress....
We have a long way to go, but now that the bascis are done and we are building things instead of ripping things out it seems to be going faster and is much more enjoyable. I can't take any of the credit on this project - it is all jon - and he is doing a great job. I am so lucky to have such a handy hubby!

Gee.......

Mom and Dad Gee came to visit last weekend and it was so much fun to have them here. We showed off all of the changes we have made to our house, went golfing, built window boxes for our house, and did some much needed yard work. Just spending time with my parents at our house meant so much to both Jon and I. Thanks mom and dad for making the drive to Omaha and for all of your help. We had so much fun.

We decided to play a little best ball golf tournament. My dad and I vs. my mom and Jon. My dad and I barely squeaked out a win. None of us were playing so hot...so it I won't be revealing our score....
Here is a photo of the window boxes. We are trying to decide if we should paint them and if so, what color. I think I would like them better painted either the brownish black color of the windows or the green color of our trim..... If you have an opinion let us know.
We also put window boxes on the side of the house- they hang off of the deck railing above our garage, but I haven't taken a picture of these yet.