Summa, Summa, Summa time! (with lots of photos intact!)

Yesterday was the first day of summer and it feels fine.  I have LOVED the hot weather, sweat and all!  We have been outside playing daily and this momma is enjoying the lovin'  and playin' and then nappin' real good afterward!  Not me, but my babies...still.

This puts a whole new meaning to "riding lawn mower".

Eisley enjoys being a big sister to Bexley.

Play dates with fun friends!

Extra cuddles with daddy.

Our yard...it was a disaster.  We just never had time to give it love but my father-in-law came two Saturdays in a row and helped us get a jump-start on yard love.  There's much more to do but now, there's motivation and hope!  It's been really fun because the kids and Andy get fun, quality time with "Grandpa Nate" all while getting much needed work done.

Look at those handsome Holt men!

I have been going to the Farmer's market...a lot.

 Some pretty ladies in my life who I took along!

 Kate was there, too!  Birthday girl!

 Another time we braved the crowds with all 4!

Walking proud and excited!

Two weeks ago I took Eisley along and...

SURPRISE!  Heather joined us!

 This past Saturday I went to the early morning Farmer's market and La Chatelaine with my girl, Kristin then took Cy and Eisley out to the Olde Worthington Art Show! 

I love my originals...;)

Little girl cuddles

Looking "cool" with Cy...

Oh, I love these two!

I had such a great time walking around with them.  My life is so revolved around Zeke and Bexley these days that getting quality time with Cy and Eisley is vital for us all!

So you see?  I am always at the farmers market.  This last Saturday, I also bought some loverly flowers to plant in the front yard.  I have had such a fear to plant but I really enjoyed the digging and getting dirty.  I loved the way I was able to use a bit of creativity, too!

The extra bonus was that Eisley took an extremely long nap and woke up around 8 pm.  I let her join me while I planted my flowers.  Good, quality time :)

I am looking to get more greens of different shades but low-to-the-ground plants.  No flowers in tact.  Any suggestions?

Also, I am going to be planting organic veggies (finally!!!) in the raised garden I was blessed with but have been too afraid to use.  All because of inspiration and encouragement from my girl, Kristin.  I am SO going to to try it!  The kids will have a blast!  I REALLY want to plant pumpkins, too!

I'll post a picture of my flower garden in the front as they grow and mature!

What about you?  Do you love to garden?  Have a green thumb?  If so, who gave it to ya?

Enjoy this beautiful weather!!!

Stayin' Sane Monday

Yesterday I realized (or maybe I realized AGAIN) that I had not had alone time in about a month.  I, an extrovert, need alone time about once a week.  It helps keep this gal sane.  Reminds me of who I am (apart from being a wife and mommy) and I come out of it feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world!

I know of a gem-of-a-momma (through the blog world, of course) who takes these times to plot, plan and pray for her week.  Ugh.  Talk about making this gal feeling guilty!  I want this time for me, me, me!  I don't want to plan for the week and all that it will bring.  I don't even want to think of my upcoming week.  Yes, I always want Jesus to be involved in my time away.  I catch myself communicating with him anytime it gets quite, really.  But, in the end I need a break from my day to day tasks and I usually have some kind of craving that usually involves steps in creating something... usually something that never gets done because of lack of time or money.  I'm a-okay with that (not really) because while I am having that craving, I am usually in denial of that annoying fact.  It probably will not get done.

I literally ran down stairs from 1/2 putting the kids to bed with Andy, grabbed the keys and left.  I needed OUT!  I received this sweet text from the hubs, "I love you and hope you have a refreshing time away and that you encounter God tonight."

I immediately started laughing.  Out loud.  By myself.  Do you know HOW HARD it is for me to laugh out loud?  Like, the real kind?!  You have to be crazy-funny.  So, this was a big deal.

Why would I laugh?  You may even call it a cackle...there was a bit of an evil tone to it, I feel. So why did I cackle at the sweetest text ever?!

I think it's because I ran out of the house and didn't even know what I needed or where I was going.  I just knew I needed to get the heck outta there.  So the thought of encountering God was far from my mind.

This is not me laughing at Andy.  He was good and sweet and loving for sending this text.  And...he was right.  I needed to invite God on my time away.

My night started out with a crazy craving for a cookie from Northstar.   I had it only one time, about 1.5 years ago with my sister, Mandy and I just had a random craving for it.  So I headed over to Easton and even though it was a Monday night, parking was crazy, hence my tweet...

"Fighting crazy parking (or lack thereof) at Easton just for a Northstar cookie to go. #desperatemomma #mustbePMSing"

So, the plan was to sneak by Northstar just for the cookie and go off to my next place...wherever that would be.  I had a simple, ill-fitted skirt on with a sweatshirt/hoodie/short-sleeve thing, hair thrown up, no make-up and so there was no plan to stay.  The following tweet...

"...and I don't even look cute. #fail"

Following reply tweet from the sweetest man around...

"Yes you do!" :) :) :)  Love him!

Then...I saw H&M.  I went in and saw lots o' sales.  So I picked up a few dresses and tried them on!  Did I mention they were what I thought was 2 sizes too small?

I thought to myself, "Quick, Breena.  You look like a train wreck!  Go in, try these dresses on that you will not even buy because you are too cheap, and get OUT!"

A mother of 4 can get a little cooky in the dressing room whilst holding her iPhone ;)

So, the dress was $10.  I thought it was SUPER cute and maybe for a few seconds I thought it would be okay to say "screw it" to the annoyingness of modesty and wear a dress, like every other girl (not really) that is just too short.

I felt good, though.  I didn't feel like a blimp which is not the norm for me.  This tweet follows

"Tried on super cute clothes that were a tad too small but zipped...motivation. No cookie ;)"

I am going back to purchase that stupid $10 dress and I am going to add materiel for length.  It's going to be epic. 

"Shhh...don't tell her she'll never do it.  It will make her want to punch you in the face."

I also found this navy jacket with sailor buttons.  Super cute, $10 and I currently do not own it.  Ugh.

I went to TJ Max and talked with my dear Aunt Melody who lives in San Diego.  It was loverly.  Found nothing there, either.

I headed to Lowe's thinking I'd buy wood and make two end tables for our bedroom.

I became really overwhelmed and caved. 

My heart was literally racing with excitement to create, but also from all that lumber!  I am sure this craving came from me pricing out a reclaimed barnwood dining table from 2 local companies.  I want one SO BAD!!!

 So I didn't get the Northstar cookie because I wanted to be "good" but have you tried the new Chick Fil A cookies?  Why do I ask?

Oh...no reason ;)

My first groupon.

Have you ever actually bought a Groupon?  I get emails often but until about 3 weeks ago, I just looked and passed.  Here's what changed for me.  I really needed a hair trim.  My girl left and is now working in Portland, Oregon so I figured I needed to suck it up and try to find someone I liked.  Not fun.  Once you have a gal you really like, it isn't easy trying to "replace" her.  *I miss you, Grace!!*  Gosh, especially when they're so dang cute and nice and you hang out with her because of it...sorry.  She was truly fab.

The Groupon that got me was only $25 for a hair cut, style and an oil treatment.  I thought, "How perfect!  I can just try it and it will be inexpensive!"  No harm there, right?

Wrong.  Here's my experience but let me first tell you what I expect from spending money, getting out of the house, being pampered, and just salons in general.

I do not treat myself to getting pampered often.  I mean, I have 4 kids and the budget is tight.  Maybe once a year.  Promise.  Anywho, it.is.a.big.deal. when I let myself go to a salon and get pampered.

When I get out and Andy is with the kids, I want that time to be spent wisely so that when I return, I have a renewed sense of strength, I feel taken care of and I am ready to take on another 10 months of mothering before I pamper myself again. ;)

I love the atmosphere in a salon.  I love the smell, the look and feel and I am truly obsessed with watching the stylists cut and color.  So much so that I have seriously questioned whether or not I should become a hair stylist myself.  My expectations are high and I want to feel like my hair is being worked well for the amount of hair I have and the length and style I want.

Are my expectations high?  Yes, but I am willing to pay the big bucks for it (ya know, once a year and I refuse to get my hair colored until the grays decided to grace me with their presence in which this will all change).

I want to have fun.  I want to feel pampered and I want people to take their time without taking up my whole day (or maybe that'd be amazing, too).

My experience was quite the opposite and I left wanting to bawl and cry my eyes out.  Like a baby who is lacking sleep...wait.  I am lacking sleep.

I walked in and I guess it was assumed that I knew to seat myself without being greeted.  Not even a hello from afar.  I had to ask the other guest what to do.  That's always fun. 

So, I sit down and probably 15 minutes later someone comes over and says, "BreAnna?"  It's okay, I know my name is hard to pronounce.  Ya know, Breena.  It has two "e's" which I guess can somehow be pronounce BreAnna.  ;)

I follow her to the sink.  She isn't saying anything.  She's just washing my hair.  I feel I need to let her know that I have a nursing baby and shouldn't be more than 1.5 hours because I really didn't know how long an oil treatment would take.  I was afraid to tell her because she wasn't very kind or so it seemed but I needed to for the sake of Bexley-girl.

So I gently say, "I just want to put a bug in your ear..." <--I know.  Clearly I was a little nervous to say something that stupid. "I have a nursing baby and if I could be no more than an hour and a half that would be perfect!"

She responded, "Okay, well I am working on another girl and the oil treatment should only take about 5 minutes but I'll need to keep it on longer because of working on her hair."  Me, "Okay."

I am under the heater-thing with the oil treatment for about 20 minutes.  It was relaxing and I had a good magazine but I was becoming really annoyed with the way I was being treated....like a number.

She asks me one question for which I will give her credit, "So how many kids do you have?" When I answered she said, "Aww."  And that was that!  I asked her if she had any kids and she said she had one and pointed to her picture.  That was it.  She took about 10 minutes, 10 MINUTES, PEOPLE to cut my hair!  Have you seen or touched my hair?  There's enough for 5 wigs!  I was so annoyed but kept on smiling.

She was drying my hair and I could tell she wanted to be done so I said, "You don't have to dry it as long as it's not dripping."

The last thing she said to me was, "Next time you schedule with me, make sure you have me block out more time since you have so much hair."

Sorry lady, there will NOT be a next time!!  Of course, I felt bad and left her a tip...I know!!!  I'm too nice (sometimes) hehehe

And there you have it, a TERRIBLE waist of my time and money...

The story doesn't end there, after telling two of some of my friends, they realized I was talking about the same place that they go to and LOVE but with another girl.  So, lesson learned was that just because you don't like one person working at a particular salon doesn't mean that all are bad?!  Oh, and groupons are not all good ;)

Have you ever bought a groupon?  What would you have done in this situation?  POLEASE!  Do share!