There is such a thing as a free lunch!

Rosanna called me to see if I would be interested in a free lunch at Red Robin! Free?! Well, how can one turn down a free lunch. Red Robin is opening up in our neighborhood on Monday. But for the next few days, they are serving lunch for free while their waiters and other staff "practice" their stuff on us. Rosanna was lucky enough to get a card for this free celebration. I had the huge Sante Fe burger (so delightful) and took full advantage of the bottomless fries. Thanks for the great day Rosanna and Dana!

Meet the lucky ladies. It looks like Dana and I are shaking on the free deal.

Meet our waiter, Clint. He was very kind, courteous and made our dining experience superiffic!
Meet "the drink." This was a splendiferous delight consisting of pomegranate, blueberries and lime . (My oreo shake, which also was to die for is not pictured. I downed it before I had the ability to stop and take a picture)

Alaska!

Here is a place I am longing to visit. A place where people I love dearly reside. A place where beauty surrounds. Look at my darling brother and sister n law. Look at those snow covered mountains. I wish I could be there...Alaska.

I don't mind...

I don't mind the four days of rain we have had here in Virginia. It reminds me of my Alaska home. Our dear short summers in Anchorage were mostly rainy. If we had sun, we were basking in every 22 hours of it (with temps soaring into the high 70's...whoa, that's hot). But it rained a lot. I loved growing up in Alaska summers; green, lush and full of adventure all day (and night) long.

I don't mind giving a talk in church, if it happens to be on Mother's Day Sunday. I had the opportunity to ponder this sacred calling for the days leading up to Mother's Day. It gave me a greater appreciation for my children. And added bonus: Sommer gave her first talk in the meeting too...can you believe I have a 12 year old!?


I don't mind mowing the lawn during the day, if it means I get to spend more time with Garth when he gets home from work.

I don't mind a sick child. I get tons of snuggle time that would otherwise not happen when he is full of energy and wants to play non-stop.

I don't mind a trial now and then. I find myself praying more, listening more and drawing closer to my Heavenly Father.

Super Father-n-law to the Rescue!

I had a great early Mother's Day present from Bruce and Donna yesterday! Bruce called me Tuesday morning and asked if he could borrow Tate for a trip to Lowes. I came home later that morning to find them both in the yard, pulling weeds, mulching the beds, and planting flowers.

The last few weeks I have felt a bit overwelmed by the amount of work that was needed to be done on our yard. Weeds had taken over, bushes had grown bushy and flowers hadn't been planted in years.

I had the inspiration I needed! I jumped in to assist Bruce and we spent the entire day working together on The Porter House. Man it looks good.

Thank you for giving me the perfect gift!

Ahhh! No weeds!
Ahhh! I can see an edge and bushes are trimmed.
Check out those bags of weeds!

What is Worse Than a Mouse?

...a TICK!

That is the Porter consensus. We don't like ticks. Nasty little buggers. We went for a Sunday walk in our usual wooded park trail by our house. I think each of us all had at least one tick during the walk. Calvin counted 9 on himself. Garth had 2 of those pesky microscopic lyme carrying deer ticks. Even Joey had a few...hopefully his tick/flea meds are working.

Mouse Update:


We still haven't caught the blasted intruder. He doesn't seem to like peanut butter or cheese. Maybe chocolate?! I am going to try this next: click here

Any ideas?

Guitar Hero

There are certain things that are worth buying. Things such as our trampoline, Razor Scooters, Bikes, Ramps and Ride On Battery Operated Jeeps are items that are used on a daily basis not only by us, but by everyone (you should see our garage...actually, I don't think you can see it)!

Calvin got Guitar Hero for his birthday from Grandma Gair in January. It is used every day by each one of the kids. I even think it is a great game! The lastest Guitar Hero Addict in our family is Tate (our 5 year old). He begs me each day to come and watch him Rock On! If I say anything or move around while he is playing, he gets upset and says, "You messed me up!" He is so cute to watch!

Latest Find

Many of you know I am a "treasure hunter" of sorts. Garth might prefer the term, "person who looks through the neighbor's trash." You often can find me scouring the neighborhood at dusk looking for things we can either use or I can sell on Craig's list.

I have in the past listed some of my great finds and/or valuables such as: Little Tikes Turtle Sandbox, Little Tikes Blue Race Car Toddler Bed, Two Step 2 art easels, a set of small soccer goals, 3 vacuums, anderondak chair, office chair, small yellow desk (Sommer uses it in her room...I told her just yesterday that her year old desk was from a neighbors trash and she was a bit disgusted), silk trees in wicker basket, marble top cherry wood plant stand, bikes, scooter, Big Wheels, high chairs, plastic storage shelves, Battery operated Hummer Ride On, Wooden Quilt stand, Dora the Explorer pop up tent, small trampoline...and on and on I could go.

But this is what I found a few weeks ago...one of those Sand and Water Play tables. The boys love it. I figure we will get some great use out of it and then sell it.