Gathering up Motivation!

Last year I totally lacked any motivation to plant flowers or veggies. Looking back now, I think I'm going to blame it on the weather. We just didn't really have a decent summer last year and the few things that I did do, grew like crap.

This year......is turning out sooo different! The weather has been perfect and I just cant get enough planting done!

I normally would have bought everything at once and been done with it but not this time; it seems like every time I'm out and about I buy something new to plant.

So far, I have lots of flowers and they are growing so well. My front yard looks so pretty (for once). I also decided to experiment this year so along with the 4 tomato plants I also tried jalapenos, pumpkin, strawberries and mint. They're all growing great and I cant wait to try even more stuff next year!

Next year is going to have to be a different set up though. It has to be put somewhere in my back yard instead of in containers on my front deck! Originally I had them in the back but the dog was really curious and he ate my bell pepper plant after only 1 hour of planting. I didn't trust him with the rest of it so it has all ended up out front. Oh well, maybe they will do better there anyway!

Wordful Wednesday & Yummy Rice Recipe

Well, so far this summer break we have been keeping busy! This week we've been to a gloomy wet car show. Yes, it was very wet and cold the whole weekend! It rained cats, dogs GTO's and Buick's :)

Today we went to Bellview park. I had never even heard of this place until last week. I've lived here my whole life and never knew it existed! Boy have we been missin out. In the park there is a train that the whole family can ride and a petting zoo with your typical farm animals, a creek with little beach areas for everyone to cool off in and a ton of picnic tables to hang out and eat your lunch at! Not only is it fun....it was cheap. $15 for all of us to ride the train once and go into the petting farm. The kids had a blast and whined about going home, so we had to promise to come back!

We've been doing a whole lot of grilling now that it's getting hot out and even though I didnt want to turn the oven on tonight, I did, because I was craving this dish with my dinner! This rice is so simple it's ridiculous! It's great any time of year and goes with just about everything and it's perfect for potlucks.

You'll need the following ingredients

1 1/2 c. raw long grain rice (I use white, but brown would be good too)

1 can Campbell's beef consomme soup

1 can Campbell's french onion soup

1 stick of butter

1 small package pre sliced mushrooms

Here's what you do

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees

In a medium saute pan, melt the butter on medium high heat. Add the rice and continually stir it until it turns a light golden brown.

Transfer it to a medium size baking dish and add all of the remaining ingredients.

Stir once, cover and throw it in the oven! In 30-45 (check it, it's done when all of the liquid is absorbed) minutes you will be eating the best rice ever! If you have picky eaters you can omit the french onion soup and do an extra can of the beef consomme or leave the mushrooms out.

I hope your family enjoys it!

For more wordful Wednesday posts, head over to seven clown circus and say hello to Angie!

I'm back!!!! With an upcoming review too

Well I know it's been awhile since I've been out and about in our bloggy world and I'm so sorry!

Things have been so chaotic around here and it's been one thing after another. We had a little "accident" last month. Our main sewer line backed up into our fully finished basement!!! It was disgusting. Now we're in the process of getting it fixed. So far the lower half of the walls have been replaced, the carpet and tile removed and now were trying to decide if we should put a bathroom in to up the value of our house. Normally it wouldnt be too expensive, but we dont have a rough in already, so we would have to do it and thats where things DO get expensive! I was looking at a vanity and some possible fixtures, just to get an idea of what we may want and still stay on a budget. There are so many options out there!

On a new note, I have been given the opportunity to review a product from CSN Online Stores again! They have over 200 different online stores to choose from. Anything from home decor to mens shoes. So here's a hint of what I will be reviewing.

It can be used indoors or out, it uses water and it's peaceful. Any ideas???