Weekend Alone

My kids left today for Myrtle Beach with Robert's church youth group (Robert's 2nd family). They are all our kids' youth leader, and I could go on & on about the three leaders and their love for our children. They were a God-send to us here in N.C. - truly the only church family we have here. I am so thankful for them!!!

Rob is still in school through part of next week and working this home stretch at the ballpark, plus he has a band gig this weekend, so I will be spending most of the next days alone. This will be the longest stretch of my life that I've ever been without family (except for Girl Scout camp that one year). I clung to Momma after Daddy died, and I got married at 17 and started our family at 19. The kids have never all three been gone for this long at the same time, and Rob & I have never gone on vacation or left them anywhere more than a night with my parents.

I am a family person, so I don't really like this much, but perhaps it will be good for me to "practice" being post-kids as that day is looming in the near future. So while I am practicing how to function without my children :), here are my plans:

• relax a bit (watch a movie or two, read, sleep in a little if my body will let me)
• do my homework for Monday's class- a MUST
• make cards (This is one I made up with Rob's help to draw a template. It's kind of simple, but hopefully people will like it. It flips open on the side for more writing space.)



• cook something that I want- now to figure out what that is :) (I did make myself a huge bowl of pico de gallo this afternoon and have been eating it tonight! YUM!)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! What do you have planned?

BekaBoo :)

garden goodness

We planted a small garden in the yard this year hoping to get some food to help our summer budget. We are amateurs for sure, and we didn't have a tiller so there's a bit more grass in the plot than we'd like but we will keep working on it & learning. I hope to freeze up some vegies later this summer. The food is starting to come in. Thank you God for fresh vegies grown by our hands and blessed by You!

our second picking of green beans

The tomatoes are coming in; soon we'll have a bunch. I can taste pico de gallo already! :)

grape tomatoes for our salads

romas for pico & homemade spaghetti sauce that Robert is going to cook for me :)

the "big boys" for just eating- I plan to eat a bunch & fry some green ones up too; it's making my mouth water just thinking of their juicy, yummy goodness.

my prairie flower to remind me of home- Echinacia- Oh how I miss home!

Our yellow squash & zucchini are blooming like crazy!

peaches!!!

My poor little peach tree is so full, I am not sure the branches can hold it all. We keep thinning them out so the tree doesn't fall over, but I hate to pitch the peaches... Hoping they are edible. :) Going to make a peach cobbler if they are good and plan to sit outside and eat some fresh ones too.

Rob & his Fathers' Day surprise

The kids and I went in together to get Rob this bike he's been eyeing and wanting since last September. He seemed very surprised when we gave it to him yesterday. He is enjoying it and getting some good exercise in too. :)

Happy Fathers' Day

This day is a little hard for me as Mothers' Day & Fathers' Days are for a lot of people.

But I wanted to say Happy Fathers' Day to my wonderful Pop who took on the challenge of helping to finish raising two girls who were not even his own. He didn't have to do it. He could have just treated us girls as his stepdaughters, but he loved us as his own and he is our much loved Pop/Dad. He is the only grandfather my children have ever had or ever will. He is a dad to Rob. He has been there for my sister & I when our other family couldn't or just wasn't. He has been there for Rob & I when other family couldn't/wouldn't be. I am thankful for him- more than I can express through a few words.

Happy Fathers' Day to my best friend & hubby. Rob, you've been a wonderful father to our children, and I am so grateful for the children God blessed us with and the joys and laughter you've added to our lives. I am blessed to have you as my husband and the kids are blessed more than they know yet to have you as their Dad/Daddy. You have supported me as a mom, a wife, a daughter, a teacher, a student... You have stood by me and your family through the hard & ugly times. You are loved Rob!!!

God, please tell my Daddy Happy Fathers' Day for me. I know You don't have these kinds of holidays in heaven (or I guess you probably don't), but please let him know that I have not forgotten him, his love for his family, his laughter or ornery smile, how he taught me to fish, pushed me to do/be my best, and the example of seeing him in church, worshipping with his guitar and voice, working to help build the church building, struggling to quit smoking and letting God help him. I have so many good memories of him, and God though it hurts to think much about him, I am thankful you let us have him for a short time. Please tell him for me.

And God, please be with my cousins who also lost their dads. Today is just a hard day when you've lost a loved one. Be with those who are mourning today or who are remembering loved ones with tears in their eyes or sorrow in their hearts.
Beka :)