Our Plan

We recently completed a big landscaping project & I'm so proud of how well it turned out. Many of you've been asking how we went about it, so I've decided to blog about our landscaping journey.

Minnich's Steps to a Landscape Design:
1). We started out by calling a landscape design architect, David Kieser, who we used at our old house and were impressed with his quality work then. I got his name from a good friend, Angie Jurczak, who had also used him and had great success. Word of mouth goes a long way~Anyways, here's his website URL,
http://www.kieserdesign.com/

2). David came out to our house and took measurements. Then around 2 weeks he came back out to our house to go over his beautiful design plan with us. He gave us specific instructions on how to care for each plant, etc.

3). We went to Staples, made copies of the master plan, laminated them and kept them safely away from our kids.

4). I did some "research" on getting bids on having our landscaping beds dug and edged. Turns out that most companies don't want work, interestingly enough. I guess this economy is really doing well, eh. Well we found a reliable company via word of mouth referral from someone Dan works with, Joe Svitek. Joe told us to call Phil Rutlidge with PlanScape. I did, Phil came out, sent us his bid for digging the beds, we decided to go with PlanScape, paid them 1/3 down (what they require to get in the books), and the beds were dug within 2 weeks.

5). I did more research and priced out plants from various vendors. We needed around 80 plants, so I needed to work with the managers. I got quotes from all sorts of places, went around, looked at each of the selections, etc...but we ended up with going with The Plant Center bc David Kieser was able to get us his discount since we widened with him for the design. We saved a ton on plants with his discount plus he has a great warranty (50% up to 2 years). The plants looked the healthiest too. We had the plants delivered too, which was worth every cent.

6). We did the labor of planting everything ourselves, which saved us tons if money.

7). I had mulch delivered from Felgers, which I highly recommend. Great service and saves you if you are ordering in bulk over getting the individual bags.

8). Wala~beautiful serenity

Kindred Spirit

Today was landscape palooza at our residence! We actually ended up getting quite a bit of it done thanks to several giving hearts. My parents kindly drove up here from 2.5 hrs away to help. My mom was on kid duty, which I appreciated bc it kept Gabe on track with the potty training! My dad helped out with the labor & Dan was out there working all day!

We had Felgers deliver mulch today and the nice delivery driver generously offered to come back after his shift and help us with our HUGE ~400# Serviceberry tree. He offered out of the kindness of his heart, without knowing who we were or anything. We were planning in paying him, but after he put it in with his equipment, he told Dan that he didn't want anything for it and that he "just saw another man in need and wanted to help."

Praise The Lord that there are still kindred spirits out there! Now it's our turn to pay it forward. God Bless~

Potty Training Gabe Update

I thought I'd give you all a potty training update on Gabe. He's getting the hang of it and is doing extremely well going #1 & keeping his undies dry, but he won't go #2 in the potty yet (which I think is normal). He's wearing just underwear and keeping them dry for the most part, but I still put him in a pull-up for sleep.

He's very excited and I'm sticking with it this time! Prayers are appreciated that this potty training is a success!

To be continued friends~

Complete Randomness

My mind is all over the place today after the OK tornado tragedy. I realize that life is short and out of our hands in certain circumstances, but these types of things truly break my heart. It really re-emphasizes for me to live like we were dying (spread kindness all around, witness to others God's love, and live for HIM).

Secondly, I've been really focusing on potty training Gabe. I think he's got the hang of it this go-round! He's taken complete initiative and is in undies during the day, pull-ups at nap, and a diaper at night. Here are some really funny potty training comments that I've heard from my kids lately... "My stick is big!" Referring to his sucker stick (they get suckers if Gabe goes potty & O gets a sucker for helping encourage him).
"Our balls are big and our sticks are big!"
"My peepee sticks out of my hole."
OH MY!

On a more serious note, he only had 1 accident today! We will see how it goes tomorrow when I'm back at work. Fingers crossed~ but Mrs. Landrigan is amazing & potty trained her 2-yr old, Mikey, already. You can do it Gabe & you'll get a cake party!

Lastly, we had Planscape out to dig our landscaping beds today. They look really nice! Now the planting (with us doing the work) begins this weekend. Dan thinks that the kids can "help" us! Lol! This should be interesting! To be continued friends! Goodnight & God Bless!

The Deck

Ok, so I really don't get out much other than toddler times, church, work, or the grocery...BUT occasionally I do get some Dan & Amy solo time. Tonight was one of those rare nights. Dan's dept. at work had a team building night at Club Soda, which really was a nice time. Then afterwards we thought we would go over and check out The Deck, which everyone raves about.

The Deck was actually loads of fun! I like the nice, relaxed atmosphere & it's so inviting on the river. This place reminds me of places on the monon in Broad Ripple. I'd highly recommend The Deck if you want to have a night out or even grab some grub. It's a Fort Wayne local hidden gem.

Find The Deck at:

305 East Superior Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

True Colors

There are all sorts of seasons of friends in life & I completely believe that God puts people in our lives at certain times for unknown reasons. That being said, I am forever grateful for the friendship I have with Nikki Broyles. I was "introduced" to her by her sister-in-law, Lindsey, who'd speak of Nikki & her family. I knew she went to the same Dr. as me, so randomly one day when I was there for a check-up, I saw someone who resembled this "Nikki" girl, so I randomly introduced myself & it was her!! The rest is great history. Point being is that life is too short living in fear of rejection. If I wouldn't have reached out to her, we wouldn't have the close bond that we have today. Our kids absolutely adore one another. Nikki is such a genuinely sweet & caring person that I'd seriously do anything for. Her true colors/kindred spirit is such an amazing gift & all that know her are very blessed!

This morning Nikki texted me saying that Connor wanted to see O for his 5th birthday. So...we met at Chic-Fil-A for lunch & then went to Crazy Pins Ball Mania for a play date. It was absolutely a blast! No other kids were there at ALL! We had the place to ourselves. The cost was $5/kid for an all day pass. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

Then we had the birthday cake that I made Connor. I really should quit my day job and go into cake decorating (haha~kidding). The kids liked it & that's all that matters.

Lindsey showed up with Jax to celebrate with a fun balloon. It was so nice to catch up with her too.

I'm truly grateful for these two wonderful ladies in my life. Thank you Lindsey & Nikki for being true trusted friends!

A day in the life

What is a typical day anyways?! It just depends on many different factors (am I off or working in the office, is Dan in town or not, what time will Dan get off of work, the weather, did the kids cooperate during nap time, etc).

Here's my Monday re-cap:
1). The kids woke me up at early o'clock
2). Fed the kids breakfast
3). Had my breakfast
4). Dishes
5). Folded laundry & put it away
6). Took out the trash & put something in the mailbox
7). Read to kids
8). Arts & crafts
9). Worked with Olivia on her numbers "her homework"
10). Turned on an episode of Thomas the train & got out the Thomas tent for the kids to play in while it was on.
11). Worked my R+F biz
12). Let the carpenter contractor in to fix 2 doors.
13). Made lunch
14). Read to kids
15). Put kids down for naps
16). Dealt with my 2-yr old who thought je didn't need a nap. Eventually ended up snuggling with him to ease him, but he still didn't nap.
17). Made some calls
18). De-cluttered the "drop down" kitchen counter. Yay!
19). R+F Conf call
20). Woke up Olivia
21). Cut coupons and had the kids help
22). Got the kids a snack & then put them in the car to run errands.
23). Went to the bank, pharmacy, mailed out a package at Meijers, went to Dick's Sporting Goods to return 2 hats for Dan that didn't fit his head.
24). Took the kids to dinner at Qdoba
25). Felt guilty for eating so many calories but I got the naked burrito bowl so that makes it all better, right). Ha!
26). Drove home
27). Gabe wanted to go potty (shocker, that cutie is such a stinker when it comes to potty training). Cheered Gabe on!
28). Took a nice 3.76 mile stroll with Krista around the neighborhood.
29). Got the mail. Noticed I got a flyer telling me to try a Triathlon. Ha! 3.76...I don't see triathlon in my near future, but thanks!
30). Baths
31). Books
32). Bedtime for kids
33). Mowed the lawn
34). Washed my fav running shoes bc they turned green from mowing. Forgot about that...virgin mower here ;)
35). R+F Conf call
36). Showered
37). Compared bids for landscaping plants.
38). Down time before bed/blogged
39). Bedtime prayers
Zzzzz

Mother's Day 2013

This Mother's Day was exceptionally nice, thanks to my incredibly thoughtful husband! He hand-made me 2 custom wooden deck planter boxes & bought me plants & soil to go in them. Now, we haven't planted them yet (due to this cold front), but they'll be stunning.

The kids (& Dan) surprised me with an adorable Vera Bradley handbag & wallet. Then Dan invited his mom over and made us a delicious dinner!

It was nice to just spend time with one another, to be completely honest, but the extra "bonus" surprises were very much appreciated!

I have a fantastic mom who has taught me more than she knows. I'm sorry that I did not get to see her today, but luckily she understands that I can't be everywhere at the same time & let us celebrate a couple weeks ago. I love the time we get to share with one another and am glad that the drive is only 2.5 hours away.

So here's to a Happy Mother's Day to all those hard-working Momma's I know. Each of you that are in my life amaze me in some way or another! God bless each and everyone of you moms out there!

Never a dull moment

I knew it was too quiet when I was cooking dinner. All of a sudden I heard Olivia tell me to come & "LOOK!" She thought it would be funny to put her little brother in the dryer. Oh my! Luckily she didn't push any buttons or shut the door, but WOW!

Although they make my heart skip a beat at times, I'm treasuring every single moment of this motherhood journey that's for sure! They bring such a joy, it's indescribable. Peace & Blessings,
Amy

Buckner Park

One of Fort Wayne's hidden secrets (if you are a newbie to the area) is Buckner Park. Tucked away off Bass Rd., Buckner Park is truly an amazing adventure!

There are two different playgrounds: 1). A playground for littles 2). A playground for older kids.

They also have a really nice splash pad (sprayground) that runs from Memorial Day-Labor Day and are open from 9am-9pm. This is also free!

It's truly a nice free family friendly activity! Olivia tells me that she likes it better than the Zoo. I don't know about that but it's free fun for all!

Check it out!

Buckner Park
6114 Bass Rd.
Fort Wayne, IN

Little BFF's

Today we went to lunch at Panera with some friends. It was such a beautiful day that we were able to sit outside and enjoy our lunch. Thanks to Tricia for meeting us and putting up with the kids at tow. ;)

After lunch Krista & I walked some of the mall at Jefferson Pointe (outdoor shopping mall). We took the kids into Charming Charlie (a girls paradise) & Olivia got Lilliana a Best Friends locket/key necklace. How funny is that?! Mini BFF's! I remember BFF necklaces back in the day, oh my! It starts young friends!

Then after the mall we went our separate ways. I found some cute shoes that are super comfy! Olivia got some cute flip flops at Meijers. Now they're at home resting and I'm blogging before starting another load of laundry and prepping dinner.

Make it a positive day friends! We don't know how much time we have left on earth so spread kindness all around!

Love.is.all.you.need!

Dan's Birthday Weekend

Dan had a birthday on Saturday (5/4), so we celebrated by going to dinner at Buffalo Wings & Ribs on Friday night. Then Saturday we went to Pizza King with his mom & Joe, and John & Carrie (brother & sis-in-law). After dinner we went to his mom's house for cake & togetherness. And finally on Sunday we had dinner at his dad's house. We visited with Lori (his dad's wife) & John & Carrie also came to celebrate. They even had a DQ Blizzard cake. Yumm! Now I think I need a detox. Ha! Happy Birthday Dan! We love and appreciate everything about you!