Where has January gone?

I know everyone says time goes by faster the older you get, but come on, this is a little ridiculous! It's been a month since my Christmas post already? Where do the days go? Since I promised Mom there would be a post when she woke up in the morning, here goes.

It's really been a pretty quiet January, my favorite kind! The days bleed into each other - one just a bit hotter and more beautiful than the last. The weather still takes some getting used to, but I don't think I'd trade it in for Ohio River Valley weather anytime soon. The more my family talks about the snow, ice, rain, and fog, the more I love the heat, blue sky, and sun. It might get a bit boring with the perfect weather, but that's not a bad problem to have!

My worst fear did come true the other day. I went down to Brookside Shopping Center for groceries and got on the wrong bus! It's always been this huge fear and Ken even made me a list of time tables for trains/buses to and from all the places I go most often. Even with all that, I got on the wrong bus. How stupid can a person be? It started out okay, but then quickly went into neighborhoods I'd never seen. So I started to panic, just a little. But I thought, "No, it'll be okay. It'll come around eventually." And it did, sort of. I finally started seeing familiar streets and landmarks but still didn't know if it would turn down our street. And it didn't. But the bus turned into a train station one down from ours. I asked the driver it if continued on Pickering Street to the left (past our apartment) or to the right. He grunted (which I took as a no) and left the bus! Since I was the only person on the bus, I decided to be smart and just take the train. Ten minutes later my train arrived and home I went. I've never been so glad to see Ken! Tears jumped down my cheeks when I walked in the door. It seriously crossed my mind to never leave the apartment again without him. But after a nice bottle of cider, I had my courage back. Besides I wanted to go to a great yarn shop I've heard about...

American Yarns is just three train stops from our house. It is a really great little yarn shop that has just become my favorite ever. I went on Wednesday morning and spent more time there than I had planned. It's a small place, but a fantastic assortment of yarns at good prices. I picked up some pretty cotton yarn for a couple of projects I have planned. While I was out, I stopped in next door at the quilt store just for Mom. It's just her kind of place, and I can't wait to go shopping there with her someday. (Hint, Hint) Also ran down the street to a Vinnie's (St. Vincent de Paul's) and picked up a couple of gardening books for a buck!

Ken and I have started our little garden finally. Aaron and Bella were kind enough to take us to Bunning's (kind of like Home Depot) the other day and we picked out our containers, plants, and critter-proof fence. The way our unit faces, we've decided it'll be better to do container gardens instead of the traditional beds. This way Ken can pull them out into the sun every morning before I wake up, and they get beautiful sun all day long. Right now we've just got one tomato plant, one bell pepper, and some herbs. But we're already planning another container with beans and radishes. I've also got some lettuce growing in the front garden where it's shadier. Ken's been calling me "Farmer Courtney" because I'm a little particular about it all. He did a great job building the critter-proof cages around each container. We do have possums in the back yard, but I think these will keep even the smartest little guy out.

Ken and I took Bella to the New Market Swimming Pools this week. We had the best time! They have several pools for kids that are varying depths and have sprinklers, slides and all sorts of things. Bella and I had a great time swimming around and she went down all the slides while 'Poppy' watched. It was a beautiful day (of course) and we simply wore ourselves out. By the time we got home and had a huge lunch, we were all knackered. Bella slept all afternoon on the bed and I slept for a couple of hours on the couch. Ken even dozed off a time or two. I'd forgotten how exhausting swimming can be.

All of that is just fine and dandy. But the big news is: I have new shelves in the kitchen! It's amazing how two little shelves can make such a difference and mean so much to me. We were talking the other day about the kitchen and I mentioned that shelves would be nice. In less than a week they were built, painted and up! Is that a good man, or what? I couldn't believe it and literally jumped up and down when I saw them. I wanted simple and they are exactly what I wanted. I think they are just gorgeous. And the space it opens up on my benches! I can roll out dough without moving anything else! It's just perfect. He is the best guy ever.

Tomorrow we're having a picnic with our dear friends, Brandon and Kerry. We're going down to the Botanical Gardens by the Brisbane River and sit in the shade drinking, talking and eating the afternoon away. Oh what a life!

All my love,

Courtney