Hubby's birthday

We celebrated hubby's birthday last week.  Baby Chuck and I woke up early to head out to the store and prepare for his birthday, but we ran into a little bit of trouble along the way. 

(1)  It was very windy that day and I had several Marilyn Monroe-esque moments.  I think I flashed everyone in the parking lot.  Luckily, it was pretty empty and I was wearing a slip.

I ended up using two grocery bags to hold my dress down.

(2) Baby Chuck really wanted to get hubby a birthday balloon.  After deliberating for what seemed like hours and hours, we finally settled on a cute airplane shaped balloon.  I gave Baby Chuck the responsibility of bringing the balloon to the car.  As we left the store, a strong gust of wind blew and our airplane took flight.

It's probably somewhere over Lake Michigan by now, wishing birds and sea creatures a happy birthday.

(3) I like to pretend like I know what I'm doing in the kitchen. But, Ina Garten, I am not.  I tried following an online recipe for a gluten free chocolate cake.   The man in the video assured me that it would be simple, foolproof, and delicious.  I don't know what he was talking about.  Here's how my poor cake turned out.

It ended up being pretty tasty... and at least it didn't blow away!

Happy father's day

Dear Dads of the world,

You rock.  

Love,

me

Photos via Tito Ric and Tita Tina

Critter Barn

Yesterday we took our family around downtown Holland.  We enjoyed popping in and out of the shops and eating yummy sweets.  We also enjoyed seeing the Critter Barn animals in Centennial Park. 

Baby Chuck and I are trying to convince hubby to buy some chickens...or maybe a goat?   The goat could help mow the lawn.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Funny bunny

Pat the bunny

Oooh, chickens!

Big brain?  Or big hair?

Feel the soft fluffy chick

A future farmer

Do goats eat tires?

Bucket list- Lake Michigan

Our family made the 15 hour trek from NJ to Michigan.  We welcomed them with a picnic at the beach.  It was Baby Chuck, Auntie Ana, and Uncle Richie's first time seeing beautiful Lake Michigan.

I think they liked it a lot. 

Photos c/o hubby and Tita Tina

Bucket list- Garage sale success!

They came like swarms of locusts, devouring all of our items. 

Bucket list- Garage sale

It's finally garage sale day! Today we're co-hosting a garage sale at our friend's house.  Hubby and I spent last night packing everything into our car and driving the stuff over.  (It felt like we were playing a really really big game of tetris.)  I really didn't think we had that much stuff to sell, but our poor car was packed to the brim and completely weighed down.  Luckily we were able to squeeze everything in.    

Cross your fingers for us!  We're hoping for a good turn out and some sunny weather. 
    

Tulip Time Pt 4

And so ends my posts on Tulip Time.  Due to rainy weather, we were only able to attend two out of the three parades.  The Kinderparade (Children's parade) was definitely my favorite.  The children looked absolutely adorable all dressed up in their Dutch best.

Tulip Time Pt 3- Quilts

I was lucky enough to visit the Holland Area Arts Council and see their quilts on display.  Each quilt was so beautifully made.  What gorgeous and vibrant colors!  What creative designs!  What intricate top stitching!  As I oohed and ahhed over each quilt, I snapped a ton of photos and Baby Chuck fell asleep.  (I don't think he's a quilt lover quite yet.)

Oh to own one of these lovely works of art.  I imagine their bright colors must bring lots of cheer on those cold and grey Michigan mornings.   Here are my five favorite quilts from the show: 

Tulip Time Pt 2

Yesterday the rainy skies cleared and we were able to walk outside and enjoy the sights and tastes of Tulip Time.

I can't wait till I get to eat real food!

Bucket List- Tulip Time Pt 1

This past Sunday hubby attended his final graduation ceremony.

Bye bye hubby!

While he was away, Baby Chuck and I took a stroll around town to admire the tulips and enjoy Tulip Time.  Unfortunately, many of the tulips looked like this:

Oh no!  It's a stem fest!

We kept looking until we finally found some blooming tulips.  I saw other families plopping their babies in front of the tulips to take photos, so I did the same thing with Baby Chuck.  He seemed to enjoy it.

Look mom!  We found some!

Get the diaper bag.  I'm going to sneak some tulips back for dad!

CROP hunger walk

This past weekend, hubby, Baby Chuck, and I participated in the CROP Hunger walk.  We walked around the neighborhood with other church members church and collected nonperishable foods and donations.  It was quite a daunting task because we had to walk outside in the cold and rain and we had to knock on people's doors to ask them for donations.   

After two hours of walking, we were all tuckered out.  

I was very thankful that we could return home to our warm dog, warm food, and warm pjs .

 

Bucket List: Meijer gardens

Since we're leaving Holland this Summer, hubby and I created a bucket list of things we wanted to do before returning back East.  One of Hubby's wishes was to visit the Meijer Gardens and see the butterflies.  We went this past weekend and really enjoyed seeing the butterflies and flowers.  By the end of the day we were all tuckered out.

Although Baby Chuck enjoyed seeing those butterflies, he really enjoyed seeing these lovely gals.

Meijer gardens- check!