Abiding in the True Vine

I’m starting to think that Alicia over at La Famille has some secret camera viewing my life. I mean, every Happy Day Project Challenge is always spot on relevant. For example, how did she know that we got our new “uniform” shirts for our bakery this week? And that they are bright red? And that, of course, I would have to wear bright red lipstick every day?

(Pardon the very odd expression on my face. I think I was trying to pry my eyes open.)

I did need an excuse to wear my red lipstick, too, because I conserve it. Yes, my favorite bright lipstick is:

Which, alas, Mary Kay has discontinued. Sigh. The substitute I bought is purple-y and I like it. But it is not my much-appreciated Cherries Jubilee. I have two scant Cherries Jubilee tubes left. So, I only wear it in emergencies. Like doing the Happy Day Project!

(And if anyone knows where to buy discontinued Cherries Jubilee, please let me know!)

Alicia over at La Famille keeps amazing me with the timeliness of her Happy Day Project challenges. I mean, look what recently popped up in our garden:

Raised beds!

The significance of this is huge. Even when we lived in Married Student Housing at Texas A&M when we were first married, Joey built raised garden beds and brought his tiller from his parents’ house. At the first home we owned, Joey turned the driveway into raised garden beds (which worked out fine since we couldn’t park our car in the garage since the chickens and goats lived in there).

But even though we finished building this house eight years (!) ago, we haven’t had any raised garden beds. Until now. Yea! The onions are already in. And the potatoes. I can’t wait to eat all of the yummy vegetables that come out of these beds this summer.

Hehehe. I had fun with Alicia’s (over at La Famille) challenge this week. At first, I had so many surprises in mind for so many people that I had to narrow it down.

And Joey was the recipient of my surprise.

Because we are fledgling business owners, we have a very limited (aka as NO) eating-out budget. For date nights, we often make omelets or nachos. Or, if we are really going wild, we use some of the grocery budget to go to Subway. So, I decided to try to scrounge up some money to treat him to supper.

And this was the perfect week for the surprise because this week on date-night Friday we had had a big order at our fledgling business: cake for 400 people.

By the time we were finished frosting and decorating eight large cakes, I knew that Joey just wanted to step away from any more food preparation, so I sprang my surprise. I asked him what he wanted for supper and he said, “A big chicken fried steak.” I said, “Okay. Go order it.” He laughingly said, “Are you paying?” And I laughingly said, “Yep.”

That’s when I knew I had really surprised him. He mockingly staggered back, holding his heart. Hehehe.

Doesn’t he look surprised?

Hopefully, this meal won’t have him clutching his heart for real in the future.

We are obviously easily surprised–and amused. Now, I’m going to figure out how to execute some of my other surprises. Hehehe.