Landscaper for Hire

I gotta say I love my boyfriend! I am one lucky girl!! We have been friends for a long time and we get along like a couple that has been together forever. We never fight and it is soo good - we just hit the four months mark! YA!
I also love his dogs and his house! I have always wanted a big yard and garden and it has been so fun planning Spring planting with him this year! This is his three-legged dog Wilson...he lost a leg in an accident and has no front left leg but you would never know it! He is so fast not to mention sweet and cute!!!

And this is his other dog, Neno. He was hit by a car and is missing his back right leg. Again, sweetest dog on the planet!!!

We spent the weekend cleaning out the old nests from his birdhouses on his property. There are about 10 currently and we are planning on building and putting up more (see what I mean, I love this stuff)!!! This one was infested with termites...look at what they did to the inside of the birdhouse...Its crazy!!

And this stuff is what came off of the sides of that above birdhouse! It was so strong it was weird! It was like an attached old nest - really crazy how hard it was to scrap this stuff out of the birdhouse!

Then we got these perennial plants...

And all of these...

And planted them here...

This is a view of the entire hillside. We are planting creeping Philox on the entire hill and adding these misc perennials in bunches here and there. Any ideas from any of you what would look good? This is so much fun to do - I am loving this landscaping planning!

Another shot - the plants look sooooo big in the cart and sooooo small when planted on the hillside! HA

I also love his house because it is in the middle of nature!!! Woods everywhere and nature everywhere!  I got a shot of the cutest bird ever while I was sipping coffee on the deck! Adorable, right?!?!

 Again, and as I always say...I am one blessed woman!!!

I hope you are all having an amazing weekend!

 PS - Don't forget to enter my birthday giveaway for a $25 Starbucks gift card HERE!!

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Foster Bird Mom

I think I have mentioned before that the Company I work for has a Wildlife Sustainability Program for the Company Campus. It is so much fun to be a part of! We are just starting the bluebird monitoring season and I am soo ready for some adorable baby birds!!!!

I monitor three sets of boxes throughout the Campus. It is great for a little lunchtime stress relief. We have a nature path that I can just go out on and walk around and stop by and check on the nest boxes.

Here is what is going on so far this year...

Both nest boxes by Building 8 have nests in them...should be no time soon and eggs will start appearing!!!!

Nest 1

And nest two...

We already have four eggs in the nest box by my building. She may lay one more egg and then start incubating. It is about a month from when they incubate to when the babies will fly away...QUICK!

Pretty pastel bluebird eggs!

And the set of boxes by the park has eggs too!!!!

Four very blue bluebird eggs!!!!! They are so pretty! Again, she should lay one more egg and then incubate. The momma bird will generally lay one egg a day. I cannot wait to show you the adorable babies when they are born!

 Happy Friday!

PS - Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 Starbucks gift card HERE!!

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First Holy Communion

Have to recap the MOST amazing weekend ever! I made a run out to Columbus to visit my adorable nieces and nephews (some of them at least) and watch my God-daughter/niece make her First Holy Communion!

What a great and blessed weekend!

It started of with many soccer games and lots of snuggling cute kids on soccer fields!

Here is one little superstar!!

And her brother!!!!!

 An action shots on the field...

 Then the true reason for the weekend began. This adorable child made her first communion! I love these kids from the bottom of my heart! Isn't she adorable?!?!

A little car selfie with her favorite Aunt (says me!!!!) HA

A little church photo of my sister and Dad and nephew! He was really excited to be in my picture!! HA

 That's my niece in the front turned sideways....hard to see, I know.

And the action shot of her receiving her FIRST blessed First Holy Communion!

And another shot...

Loved my sisters decorations!! This photo is of my niece holding a picture from when my sister made her First Holy Communion! It was so awesome and sentimental as both of those Grandparents have since passed away. Also, my niece wore the same dress that me and all my sisters did for own First Holy Communion! What a great tradition!

You can see the picture way better in this shot...

Here is my niece and her parents...

 A nice picture of my niece and the priest...

Love this one!!! This is three generations of God-mothers~ I am my nieces Godmother and my Aunt Marti on the left is mine! Great picture!

 This is my Aunt Marti and I doing a selfie...Love her!!!!

A little hockey on First Communion Day??!! I'm from Pittsburgh so there always has to be hockey!!!!!

What a great weekend of family and fun and blessed activities!!! I am one very blessed woman!!!!

 PS - Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 Starbucks gift card HERE!!

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Birthday Giveaway

In honor of my birthday...I am hosting a giveaway!!

Yes, you heard right!

It's my birthday in a few weeks and one of my favorite bloggy pals will get a present!!

I will send the winner a $25 Starbucks card! 
Who could not use more Starbucks?!?!?

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Spread the word and the winner will be picked and announced by random drawing on Friday, May 22nd (my birthday weekend!!!!)

Good luck to all!

Not Amused Mother Nature!

I have been DYING to go buy flowers since I ran across my first daffodil a few weeks ago. Well, last night I pulled the trigger and it is all down hill form here! I ran out to Simmon's Farm. All their plants are so healthy, full and live really long so I always go there!!!  They have the sweetest owner working at the location I go to on Route 19...I love her...she is the sweetest woman EVER!!  I got my hanging plants for the patio! I bought two fuchsia's (one red with purple and one red with lavender). They are awesome!
 Here they are on my cat stand...they will eventually make it out the the porch! So pretty, right?!?

I also bought two assorted planters filled with amazing variations of flowers and they too will eventually make it outside!

On the dresser in the right of this picture are the plants that I bought to create at least one but probably two railing planters on my deck. And also a few random basil plants because I LOVE basil!! Again, outside soon I hope!

The reason they are all inside is as follows...

 Yes, it is snowing in Pgh! I knew it was going to get cold a day or two but seriously, snow?!?!?!?!

I am so done with the white stuff!

I am not laughing!!! Bring on Spring!

What is your weather like?! Hopefully some of you are enjoying a little heat!!!

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Stridebox April

I have got to tell you...if you are a runner and you do not subscribe to the StrideBox; you are soooo missing out! I swear this box gets better every month! SERIOUSLY!

Here is the loot I got this month!

It always comes with a cute sticker...

Two packs of these awesome energy gummies...I am planning to try these next weekend for a long pre-half-marathon run! LOL

This will definitely be used within the month - LOL!

Electrolyte drink mix to try out...

A little vegan running gel...I did not even know they made this...

These snack bars usually rock! I cannot wait to try this one! Double Nut Brownie...YUM!

This looks awesome...I love the name too!  Kind of like a powder form of the BodyGlide. I will try this next weekend too!

 And these heel cushions. I tried them last night for a short treadmill run and it did not seem like they fit my running shoes well or at least they did not stay in place well. I am going to try another kind of socks and then I will be trying them again on Wednesday for another run, hopefully on the trail outside, and it they don't work better then...they may quickly become cushions for my shoes to work outside in the yard.

 This is my new favorite saying from Pinterest!!!!!!

And this is how I feel about my life right now!!!

 Things are so good with workouts, work and personal balance! Everything is in sync and it feels so good! 

Happy Tuesday!

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Popeye Tea

I have found a recipe for the WORLD's best tea EVER!!! I swear it is sooo good that I could not to share it with you all!

You can get it at Starbucks!

A friend of my sisters told her about it and I tried it today and it may just get me to go to Starbucks EVEYRDAY! It is refreshing, low-calorie and delish and healthy too!

Ask for a Popeye Tea! For a venti; it is an unsweetened brewed green tea mixed with two scoops of matcha powder. Only 50 calories and majorly yummy!!!!!!

Soooooooo good!

I promise that if you try it, and you like green tea then you will love it!!!

YUMMO!!!

You WILL definitely thank me later!

Let me know if you have ever tried this or any other drink from the "Starbucks Secret Menu"...YUM!