Getting involved in my community

OK, so I'm getting involved in my community and am playing a small role in helping get a new farmer's market started in our city this summer.

My role has so far been basically creating the visuals: designing a logo, postcard, blog, etc. with more things upcoming. It has been super fun helping do something from its inception. I'll most likely be volunteering some time this summer helping out too. Who knows, maybe Evan will sell some of his baked goods. The possibilities are endless. ha.

Check out the market's blog: http://lakewoodfarmersmarket.blogspot.com
It's new so there isn't much on it yet. If you live nearby, you should come check it out!

Smokin' – Take 2

Yesterday was the day Evan had been waiting for. We were hosting a BBQ party. Anyway, Evan got up at 4:30am to start the 12-hour process of smoking 4 pork shoulders.

Below are some photos. They turned out perfectly and were delicious!

Smokin'

Evan got a new smoker for Christmas and FINALLY got to try it out yesterday. He smoked two chickens, which turned out great. It was a warm-up for next weekend when he plans on smoking 3 pork shoulders for a Carolina BBQ party we're hosting for church. He's so excited. :)

Wonder what's going on inside that head...

Just had to take a picture when I saw this. Just wondering what he was thinking while setting this all up. Love it.

Getting in shape

Evan and I are hitting the treadmill these days. He's beginning to train for the Cleveland 10k and me, well, I'm working my way to running a 5k at home. ha. Seth takes the easy route and just does the stretches. Here he is with Daddy. Enjoy!

Christmas 2009

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their families! We certainly are blessed with a loving family and are grateful.

Seth had a much more exciting Christmas. We'll try to sum it up briefly in photos:
Our Family – December 2009 in our new house

The view on Christmas morning

The look on Seth's face as he came downstairs and saw everything

Trains from his stocking

Having a "ball" in his Ball house/tunnel

Pausing a moment for a picture

Opening a present

It's a car garage! His favorite!

Petty Christmas with Santa. Notice Seth's location in lower right. Totally could care less. ha!

Seth's turn on Santa's lap. Giving the jingle bells a shake!

Tackle It Tuesday: Living Room

Well, it's taken nearly a month of random nights and weekends working on our living room...but it's finally finished. We still have some final touches left to do, but overall, it's complete.

Let's start the before and afters:
The room was a light gray done in the ragging technique. Ugly. The trim was an off white which looked old and drab next to the white windows. The mantle had a large, old mirror from end to end and up to the ceiling. It was huge. It was already taken down when these photos were taken. We hope to replace the brass fireplace cover in the future, as it is also very ugly. Now, we had to work around the burgundy carpet. It's not in the budget to replace right now and we figure as long as there are little ones around spilling things on it, we might as well keep it. So we chose a nice, warm, neutral tan for the walls.