Jack and the Bean Stalk???

Just a little garden update for those interested. So, you saw the box in our backyard where we will be planting our veggies/watermelon, but since we are starting from seeds we bought this handy dandy seed starter. Day one was on April 3 and these bad boys have taken off like nobody's business. Seriously!! I can't believe how fast these things have taken off in just a little over a week. Our beans are growing like CRAZY.... we will probably have to transplant them to the garden box later this week, but first we have to put something up around it to keep the pups out. The peppers and chilis haven't broken the ground yet. From what I have heard they take longer to germinate??

Day 6... corn and beans break ground

Day 6 corn

Day 6 beans

Day 8... Beans...holy moly Batman!! Carrots far right.

Day 8

Day 10 Watermelon far right break ground

Day 10 Corn and Watermelon

Day 10 Beans

Day 10 Carrots. Do you see that grayish substance... It is MOLD!! EEK!! I had to take the top (green house) off because the beans had nowhere to grow. Anyone know if this is OK??? Too much moisture. My handy dandy seed starter is a self watering system so I wouldn't think I am over watering.

Latest update to the casa..

1. Start by collecting frames old and new. I spray painted the old ones to match.. I was going for a bronzy/brown/black theme.
2. Talk your sister-in-law to come over and help you lay it out. Take butcher paper and lay the frames on top of paper. Then, take a pen and mark where the nail holes where each frame is going to go on butcher paper. Once frames are marked, tape paper to the wall and nail all holes in with a hammer through paper. Pull paper off the wall.
   

3. Buy your favorite Uppercase Living expression and hang it on the wall.

4. Hang frames and voila!!

I still don't have the perfect pictures in the frames yet but we'll get there!! This is in our hallway.. we don't have a lot of wall space in our house so this was the best place I had to display our loved ones.

Thanks for the help Kendall! :)

Coming Soon To A Blog Near You- A New Feature On The Kerestine's Khaos

We will soon be starting a new regular post on our blog...... A food review from the Kerestines. YAY!!! Drew and I L-O-V-E food and almost most types of food!!! We are always trying out new places and dishes so we thought it would be fun to share our food experiences with you all. First of all, we are going to need a name, so if you have any ideas shoot them our way please. We already have THREE reviews in the works... I know you are dying to find out what it is!! Once we get our catchy name and maybe a logo (please Kendall?!?!) we'll be ready to go. Some of our places might be local and some might be chains... heck, it might even be a new recipe we try out in our own home. Being a newlywed and all, I am still learning what is fast and will please the hubby.

How the review will work: We will summarize our experience with atmosphere, taste, waitstaff and likability (if it is a recipe then we will also consider difficulty and prep time). Then we will rate it on a scale from 1-10... 1 being awful, disgusting and would never go back again and 10 being awesome, scrumdidliumptious, your most favorite new dish and want to have it over and over again.

Get your grub on!!

Happy Late Birthday Hobie

Hobie is the Tri in the middle.. I think about 6 weeks here.

Yesterday was Hobie's 2nd birthday. I know, I'm a bad mom and didn't post yesterday, but I was sooooo busy. I remember the day we got Hobie (before marriage). I went over to Drew's house to visit and I saw this little ball of fur. Oh my gosh... he was sooo CUTE!! I said "who's puppy is that?" Drew said "yours, I mean ours." I was so excited and had the biggest smile on my face. Drew had to surprise me with him because if he would have asked he knows I would have said "no." We weren't married yet and my parents wouldn't let me keep him at my house. :( So I missed out on some of the cuteness puppy stuff, but I also got to miss out on the potty training!! :) Hobie is such a joy and always brings a smile to my face. He truly is a great dog!! Most of the time he has good manners, he is smart, he knows lots of tricks, he is a good guard dog.

Hobie's Favorite Things:

• Ice Cubes
• Frisbee
• His Sister, Cuddles
• Belly Rubs
• Walks
• His Duck, Hedgehog and Bone
• Swimming
• Chasing Birds
• Protecting Momma and Daddy

I could go on and on about about my Big Boy but I don't want to bore you!

Tonight I am hosting POKENO (a mix between poker and bingo) at my house which should be fun!! :) I got the house all cleaned and I'm ready to play! YAY

We kinda have a busy Easter weekend... Fri: POKENO Sat: possibly the Ft. Worth Zoo, Logan's 2nd birthday party, then over to Drew's Parent's house for an Easter egg hunt/crawfish boil Sun: Church, Brunch with my parents, Brooks & Kendall, then back over to Drew's Parents.

No, you are not seeing things.

So, tonight I rode (a horse that is) for the first time in a REALLY long time. I can't even remember when the last time I rode was??? I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I really do miss it. I just wonder where I would find the time. For those that don't really know me, I'm a country girl or a cowgirl I guess you could call it. From the time I remember growing up I was riding a horse. I did playdays, barrel races and rodeos up until half way through college and just couldn't find the time anymore. My parents sold my horse and I've been busy living in the real world ever since. Its not that I haven't been around them (horses) or anything... my family and friends still ride and they have offered to let me ride any time I wanted. Maybe it was that I didn't have time or just didn't feel like it. Sometimes it felt like such a chore more than a passionate hobby while growing up. Getting up early to feed, clean stalls, practice, giving up a lot of weekends... Horses are a lot of work. I definitely took all the opportunity for granted and didn't thank my parents enough for all they did. Thanks Mom and Dad!

....back to tonight... Almost every Tuesday if the weather permits there is a barrel race across the street that my mom goes to. Drew and I go watch a lot to cheer for my mom & friends . I just so happened to be wearing my boots and jeans today and Mom asked if I wanted to ride. I said 'yes!' It felt good to be back in the saddle, but I'm nowhere near ready for a rodeo! That would be like asking a retired athlete to run marathon tomorrow. I realized how out of shape I was... I got winded! You use a lot of your core muscles for balance and your legs to hang on... I lost all of those good muscles I used to have. :( More incentive to start riding again, I can get in shape.

Me & Max

(sorry for the poor quality... cell phone pic)

Mom hit a barrel tonight but it was still a really good run. Stay tuned for more riding updates.

p.s. When I came home today my flowers weren't looking so hot. I'm wondering if the freeze got to them last night?? No, I didn't cover them, I know that is what you were thinking. I'm going to be really upset if all my hard work went to waste. I watered them really well. They better perk back up or else!! That is a threat flowers!! Do you hear me????

TA-DA

I've got a killer headache right now, so here is what we've been up to in not so many words. It's kinda hard to see all the little flowers we planted in the pictures... hopefully they will get bigger!!

The Garden

More Blooms

Thanks to Kelly's Hauling & Dirtworks (AKA Dad) for hauling the dirt :)

I'm back.

I think I am almost fully recovered from the surgery. Man, what a tough recovery!! I was still experiencing pain last week that I thought was a little out of the norm. I even missed work last Wednesday because it was so bad. So, I called Dr. H and they scheduled an IVP (intravenous pyelogram- a series of xrays while injecting dye) which determined that there was still a lot of swelling, which was causing all the pain. The good thing is that it was nothing serious like any blockage, but I will continue to have some pain until the swelling is gone. Nothing that can't be controlled with a little Aleve. More bad news.... the chances of me getting to meet another one of Steve's family members in the next 10 years is 70%!!! Apparently Steve was comprised of two types of calcium stones (phosphate and oxalate). A 24 hour urine collection will be done to figure out how to prevent those pesky stones. Lord have mercy, I don't want to experience that kind of pain again!! I'll keep you posted.

I'd like to introduce to our first born of the season!!!

Our Knockout Roses have buds all over the place and this is our lone little fella. I think the others will be blooming in a couple of days. YAY :)

The landscaping project continues. The cold weather last weekend prevented us from working on the yard much. Hopefully we can finish it this weekend. I really, really, really want to get my garden done so my little veggies will start growing!!

I did get to work on my 'front door project' last weekend! :)

Before:

After:
(excuse the weed mat, mulch to come)

I think it added a little spice!! I'm really happy the way it turned out and of course I had to add a little Uppercase Living to dress it up!!


p.s.- Please pray for a couple of friends. I have a friend who lost her baby today (16 weeks I think) and another at 6 1/2 months. I am so sad for them and couldn't even imagine the pain that they are experiencing. Pray for peace and comfort for these sweet girls & their families during this difficult time.