Nate's first full marathon

So, this past weekend we went to Virginia Beach.  My husband, Nate ran in his first FULL Marathon.  A lot of stress and anxiety had been built up as the date approached closer and closer.

We stopped off at the Convention Center for the Expo.  Here's Nate after getting his bib.  :)

Next, we then went to our hotel to check-in.  We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham.  It wasn't on the beach but only about 20 minutes away.  It was very affordable for us rather than staying on the beach itself.  As we checked in, we were notified that our room was upgraded at free of charge to a suite.  That surely put a huge smile on Nate's face.  This was his weekend and I'm glad he got this little perk.  Our room was awesome!  It was like a little apartment.  We had so much room.  And the bed was very comfortable.  We both slept like little babies.  The hotel is currently going under renovations but it didn't distract us at all.  Our friends, Kristen and Dave came as well.  Their room wasn't upgraded like ours but they were okay with that.  We had a great time (as always) and Nate loved that our BFF's could be there for him.  

For dinner that night we got Logan's Roadhouse and brought it back to the hotel.  Nate asked for a steak and baked potato.  :)  It was yummy.  :)

Here's Nate waiting to start running.

We waited at the half way point.  Nate got a gatorade and a banana and continued on his way.

After 6 hours and 34 minutes, Nate crossed the finish line.  He conquered his first FULL Marathon!!!!  We're all so very proud of him.  Way to go Nate!  We knew you could do it.  You're amazing!

Here's a close-up of the medal.

After the run Nate's food of choice was whoppers, fried, chocolate shake and a sprite.  I think he deserved it!  :)  Another great weekend and a check off the bucket list for the hubby.

Garden 2014- Week 3

Well it's now time for another weekly garden update.  It's been 3 weeks and my garden is still happy.  Here's my little sprouts in the sunny window.  :)

Everything is great except the zucchini.  Not sure why nothing is growing in there.  I decided to dump this pot and start a new one.

My peas have outgrown their stakes and def need to be repotted and put on a trelis.

Here's a mix of little pots.

My poppies were doing okay....but I think they need more soil.

I went to the shed and took plants with me and then I rearranged some things inside so everything would fit.

Here's the marigolds.  I combined the 2 little pots into this pot.

I wrapped an old cookie sheet with foil and rearranged the little pots onto the cookie sheet.  The other tray is mostly peppers.  None have sprouted yet.  :(  

Cucumbers

Squash

I had 2 red potatoes in my pantry that are full of eyes.  I cut off the eyes and planted them.  Hopefully, I get some homegrown potatoes from them.  I've done this twice before with white potatoes so I know it works.

Red Potatoes planted.

As I was repotting the peas....I lost 2 because they are very flimsy and delicate.  :(  I still have 2 left.  I might plant some more peas.  We'll see.  I could try to plant them right in this container. hmmmmm

I decided since none of my peppers have sprouted yet, to try them in a bigger pot.  Crosses fingers.

This is the 2nd take on the zukes.  I dumped the last pot and potted seeds in a new pot with fresh soil.

Here's my sunflowers.  I need a bigger pot for them but this will have to do for now.

Here's some close-ups of the sprouts in the little terra cotta pots.

Basil

Parsely

Beef Steak Tomatoes (My favorite)

Tomatillo

Lettuce

Cherry Tomatoes (Another favorite)

Cauliflower

Brussels Sprouts

While outside I walked around the backyard just checking things out and I came across a cocoon.  Yes, I picked it up and touched it with my bare hands.  It feels like paper mache.  It's awesome.  I wonder if this was from a caterpillar that turned into a beautiful butterfly?  :)

Weather wise it's been a lovely weekend.  The next few days here in Virginia will be nice too.  I'm done with all the snow we've gotten this Winter.  Come on SPRING!  :)

Garden 2014- Week 2

My seedlings are doing wonderful.  They seem to be very happy.

I had to stake my peas because they were falling over.  At this rate they are going to need to be repotted soon.  :)

Can you see all the little sprouts?

Today, I saw my first little sprout on the brussel sprouts.  :)  YEY!

Cauliflower

Lettuce

I've got several beef steak tomatoes coming in.

Marigolds and Cherry tomatoes.

Cucumbers

Marigolds

Squash

This view you can see how tall everything is getting.  It's so awesome checking these plants everyday and seeing their progress.  :)

See the stakes?  I just used some skewers and some twine and gently tied the peas on the skewer to keep it upright.  :)  The sunflowers are closer to the window.  They might need to be staked too before I can repot them.  We'll see.

Peas close-up.

Seeds have finally popped off the sunflower plants.

I might have helped the seed come off.  :)

Another seed on the sunflower.

Chinese forget-me-nots.  :)

Craft Fair (2nd one)

Kristen and I did our second craft fair this past weekend at Stafford High School.  We sold our homemade extracts and some baked goodies.  It was fun!  We made some extra money and showed our talents.

Here's our simple yet elegant table scape.  

Bring on the samples.....I had baked my chocolate chip cookies and Kristen made lemon poppy pound cake.  So yummy!  The smell of the cookies and pound cake got the attention of many shoppers.  That was the way to lure them to the table.  :)

Here's Kristen's lemon extracts and mini pound cakes.  

Here's my chocolate chip cookies!

Here's my cookies and vanilla extracts.  :)

I like doing these craft fairs.  I hope we can do some more this year that have a low entry fee like this one.  :)