We went to a miniature horse farm close to where I live- they were soooo cute!

This little guy was my favorite! He's so adorable!!!
Annika was very brave! Charlie kept asking when we were going to leave...

Is this the funniest picture ever, or what???

Sharon and the kids came to visit- unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate for the first day. It was rainy and slightly chilly, but we decided to take a rain walk on the beach. We all had our rain coats, umbrellas and warm clothes on. Annika walked right into the water and splashed down onto her belly...
It was waaaaaay colder than it looks...
... and yes, she decided to strip down on her own.

Here's hoping...

My dad brought me a basil plant and about 13 tomato plants... I got a few big planters (I hope they're big enough) but decided to try to plant a few right by the house- no guarantee they won't be deer food, but we'll see. The deer haven't been quite as bad at eating everything lately.

Those are the ones I planted originally- my basil is doing awesome and I've used a ton of it already!

Here's one of my tomato plants right by the house- I put stakes up so I would know where they were if they get eaten... optimistic, right? :-)

We had my side of the fam over for a picnic on Memorial day- it ended up being mom, dad, Diana, Zander, Grandma, Grandpa and Sarah. It was so fun! We just grilled out, so it was super easy too! I didn't take any pictures during the picnic, but I did take one before- I tried a new recipe for a yummy slushy drink...

It's called Cranberry Slush... Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice, strained
1 1/4 cups vodka
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, strained
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Directions:
In a clean 1/2-gallon cardboard milk container with a resealable pour spout (I just used a pitcher with a lid), combine all ingredients. Seal carton and place in the freezer until frozen solid. If desired, pack into a cooler to keep your picnic food cold and let thaw while enjoying the picnic. Drink when it has thawed and is slushy.

And, of course, I can't just follow a recipe- I used Bicardi O instead of vodka, just because I like it better- it's super yummy and nice to keep in the freezer for those lovely summer days!

As many of you know, I have been obsessed with 24 ever since the "DANGER" incident in Cali at Diana and Ryan's. Yesterday was the series finale- not the best season ever, but a good last episode. The way they left it, I think they'll come out with a movie, which I would love... Anyway, I thought I would leave you with a small tribute to jack...

Facts about JB
Ordinary people have panic attacks. Chuck Norris has Jack Bauer attacks.
Jack Bauer doesn't need to search the internet, he just stares a computer down until it gives him the information he needs.
Terrorists dread the day in October that Daylight Savings Time ends. Jack Bauer gets 25 hours in which to kill them.
Kiefer Sutherland drinks to forget all the terrible things Jack Bauer has done.
Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.
When Chuck Norris and Superman have sleep overs, they argue over who has the cooler Jack Bauer Pajamas...
Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men.

Jack Bauer is the only reason why Waldo is hiding

As a boy, Jack Bauer interrogated his parents on Easter until they revealed the location and contents of each hidden egg.

Jack Bauer is what Willis was talking about.
Jack Bauer refused a syringe at a blood bank. Instead, he asked for a gun and a bucket
Jack Bauer doesn't need a translator, torture sounds the same in every language.

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.
Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.

The Dinosaurs laughed at Jack ...

I could go on and on...

Anywho- 2 more days of school with kids and half a work day. I'm so excited for this summer- I'm teaching 2 sessions of Camp Invention (one in Coshocton and another up towards my parents), getting my butt in shape and running a 5k in under 30 min, my 10 year reunion, and am in 2 weddings. The second one is for one of my bff's and it's in VEGAS- I haven't seen Katie since our wedding (a year and a half ago)! We got pretty cheap flights and all of our nights comped in hotels- the first few nights, we're staying at the Mirage and then The Bellagio! I need to find a black cocktail dress, so I'm going to need some good shoppers to help... I've already enlisted Sharon, Shannon, and Diana- and the baby can help too if she gets here before then :-)

I felt terrible after school today and meant to sleep for 15 min or so, but it ended up being a lot longer and now I can't sleep... school should be fun tomorrow.

I only spent $18 and I made 4 hanging baskets, 2 flower pots, and potted my basil and rosemary. I'm really missing not having a garden this year, so I'm going to start a container garden. All I really need is the herbs, tomatoes and flowers. Any ideas on where to find super cheap, big containers?

We spent Saturday working on the landscaping and it came out looking so nice- I got really sunburned and am crazy sore, but it was all worth it...
Before...

After...

Before...
After...

The dogs loved running around outside all day!

Next weekend project: staining the deck- anyone wanna come help? It'll be really fun :-)

Welcome Kaden Michael!

Kaden was born May 13th weighing 6lbs 15 oz. He's our 5th nephew!

Look at that sweet little face!!! We're glad you're here, buddy!
Congrats, Mike and Kristin!

Palmer trying to get comfy in the car...

Just some deer pics...

Bill and I went fishing tonight and had so much fun- He caught a ton, I caught 6! very proud of myself!

Brin got really into watching for the fish! She'd stand right by bill and watch very closely...

one of my big catches :-)

Palmer tried to eat the fish- I screamed and he was scared of fish from that point on... oops!

Bill caught a bass- I was impressed... because I was more into catching the Miller variety

Snickerdoodles!
Very unhealthy, but VERY delicious cookies!
Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks.
*Mine didn't turn golden at the edges and they're stilll a little too crunch for my liking once they cool.

Sharon, Lindsey, Bill and I are signing up for the Rescue Run as a team... We need a creative team name- it's a 5k to raise money for pet rescue shelters... any ideas?

Sharon and I ran the Hoover Hustle 5k this morning! My goal was to run it in under 30, but my headphones were on and didn't know they'd be yelling our times to us at the end- so I'm not sure what they had as my time, but Bill clocked me at just under 30, so I'm happy! We went out for sushi after and got to see Kristin's nursery while we were down there- so cute! It was just what I needed!

Today sucked.

Woke up at 3 in the morning with a very upset stomach- I got a couple hours of sleep but still felt bad in the morning so called in sick. Sammy was still bleeding this morning, so I took her in to see Dr. Poland... Long story short, our options were either to put this 11 year old dog through surgery or to say goodbye :-(

She was such a sweet dog... She was Bill's from the time she was a puppy and always there for a cuddle and loved hugs. She was great with kids and very patient with the other dogs- she loved wrestling with Palmer, but above all adored Bill. She was his girl and she knew it. She'll be missed like crazy. If you see me in the next few days, please don't ask me if I'm okay or give me a sympathetic look- I'll probably cry- you've been warned!