Meet My Peony Plant...

Do you notice anything wrong with this picture? For the life of me I can't get flowers to bloom out of this. It is now the third summer since I've planted this puppy and I was really thinking that this was going to be the year... no luck! Am I doing something wrong?

On the other hand my Columbines have never looked better and my Delphinium plant in the backyard is going to bloom this year for the first time in three summers too! Still working on a million projects here at the house. I'll post some updates tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Love you :)

23!

Today my sister is 23! She is the youngest in the family so the fact that she is now 23 makes me feel like life is going by way too quickly. If digital film was around back in the late 80s I would for sure be posting a ton of pictures today of my sister in her famous bowl haircut, but fortunately for her I have not gotten around to transferring all of our film negatives to the computer.

Charlie is a big fan of her in whatever haircut she has, but I know if he had seen her in the bowl cut that would have been his favorite too.

Melissa is the most thoughtful and organized of all of the Maxon children. She is also a really excellent cook. In fact you can see some of her recipes on her blog (which she needs to start posting on again).

Even though I haven't seen her in what seems like a million years, we are closer than ever and I know that one day she'll move to the same state that I'm in (right?). Also she is pretty too! See...

Happy Birthday Melis!! Love you

Under Construction

We've got a lot of projects underway here at 315. I'll be posting some before and afters in the next few days, but I'm pretty excited about how great things are looking over here.

Good Morning!

How Now...

 

found via Google Images

A couple of months ago, we revamped our eating and cooking habits at 315 in an attempt to become more healthy. One of my first orders of business was to go out and find a better yogurt. We had been Dannon people through and through, but I was feeling like we were eating too many artificial flavors and preservatives. So, I went on a month long quest in which I tested as many yogurts as I could find. I really wanted to switch over to Greek yogurt, but have found through extensive testing that the taste of it is not up my alley.

 

Luckily I came across the Brown Cow brand. Their Cream Top Vanilla and Raspberry Fruit on the Bottom options are sooo good! And they are all natural, free of artificial growth hormone and come in earth friendly packaging. Also, I went to their web site while writing this post and discovered that you can sign up for coupon offers through their site. 

I'm pretty much a complete convert. although I haven't really sold Dan completely on them yet. His favorite so far is the Wallaby Berries and Cream Fruit on the Bottom. I find it good, but it's no Brown Cow.

General Disclaimer: Even though there is probably no one reading this blog except for friends and family, I thought I would just throw it out there that I have received no compensation or incentive to write this post. Sharing is caring people, and I care, okay :)

He's Got Me All Figured Out

This morning Charlie woke me like he does every morning by wagging his tail excitedly against the wall next to my bed. It is a very effective alarm for me, which sounds something like... clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk and then gets repeatedly faster if I move at all or show any sign whatsoever that I might be awake.

Anyway, I decided to get up, let Charlie out and then in, turn on the coffee maker and feed him before climbing back into bed for a few extra minutes of sleep. About 10 minutes later my alarm dog came back asking to be let out again. So, I got up, used the restroom and went to the front door where I thought Charlie would be waiting.... he was not. Instead his main objective turned out to be taking my spot in bed... and I mean all of it because he is a giant. Here's what I found when I went back in the bedroom.

Here's how he looked at me when I tried to move him...

He knows he took my spot but would not budge at all. He just looked at me with that face and I gave up and decided to get ready for the day.  He's a beast that pup and he's got me wrapped around his giant paw :)

Books of the Moment

Back in March I posted about my book of the moment at that time. Well since then, I've continued to read the entire three book series.

It was really good and I'm pretty sad that there will not be any more books coming out in the near future. If you're looking for summer reading recommendations, this is mine. They are fast paced reads that will keep you on your toes. Over the summer when there is so much going on and a lot to do, I love to pick books that I don't want to put down. These three fit the mold. I thoroughly enjoyed them all and think you will too :)