First Annual Hanks Harvest :)

Our Gardens 2010:
(I also wrote below after all the pictures)

our snowball bush :)




this is suppose to attract butterflies...we shall see :)

Baby Tiger Lily, thanks Mom!

our herbs :)

hostas from Mom's garden :)

our veggie garden :)

Our indoor plant that blooms only once a year, it's in bloom and it's beautiful!

this smells like mint!

this is a silk arrangement I made for our porch

Summer is just around the corner and as I sit here typing I realize that it's been over a year since I have last posted on our blog. Well I guess this post is long overdue. Since it's Mother's Day then it's certainly appropriate to thank my Mom, my Grandma and my awesome Mama Pat for being such wonderful ladies in my life. Cliff and I are so blessed to have you all in our life and we cherish you all! Thank you all for your love and support over the years. We love you all and miss you!

Cliff is such a sweetie! He took me on a Mother's Day date again this year because he says that I am the mother of our house. Too cute! We went to Maltby Cafe for delicious brunch and the best fresh coffee this side of the Mississippi. ;) After a lovely brunch and way too much coffee we were driving around and came upon an adorable little blonde girl named Allie who just happened to be selling lemonade. Her little face just lit up as she saw our car coming down her street. (how could we possibly just drive by?) She was just a doll. I asked her if she made the lemonade and she replied, "My daddy made the tea and my mommy made the wemonade." Too cute! :) She totally made our day.

Though our life is pretty simple and there's not much new to report with us I thought I would share some of the fun changes around our house. I have found my "green thumb" this year and and really enjoying working in the garden with Cliff. My mom and Grandma I am sure are excited to know that I have discovered my green thumb after all these years. My mom and Grandma have amazing yards and flower gardens. They come from a long line of ladies from Grandma's side of the family who have always had gorgeous flower gardens! I guess it is in my blood and I am thrilled. Mom, I have found a love for digging holes in the dirt just like you. ;)

We have been working on our flower beds and we have for the first time planted our family vegetable garden which I have named Hanks Harvest. :) So far our garden consists of: peas, cucumber, potatoes, green beans, "sassy salad,"herbs and flowers. Our herbs are all hanging in shepherd hooks which is kind of fun a touch of whimsy. :) The herbs we planted are: rosemary, sweet basil, lemon basil, corriander and cilantro. Delish! We will be adding more lettuce, peppers and tomato plants to our garden in the upcoming weeks. I am thrilled to see the progress we have made on the sunny days we have had lately. It's so much fun to work on the gardens with Cliff! :) Since our family is all far away I tought it might be fun to also take some pictures from around our house so you can see since it's not possible for you all to just "stop by." ;) We have been in our house now for almost 5 years which is hard to believe. We have fallen in love with our house and it definitely feels like home. We have changed things up a little bit inside also by getting some new sofa tables, a new dining set, a new sectional and some new throw pillows. It's fun to decorate and switch things up a little bit.

As summer approaches I will be sure to update you with pictures of our garden as things begin to grow (hopefully). ;) It's kind of weird putting seeds in the ground and just waiting and hoping that something will emerge from the dirt at some point. So as for now our garden looks like a nice patch of dirt (which I did till by hand by the way) ;) but hopefully in a month or so there will be some color and things will begin to grow and flourish. Only time will tell. :) Enjoy the pictures! We miss you all and love you!