Author: Andrea

    Open road tolling…

    This weekend we are again setting out in our trusty Toyota Camry for another adventure. We are headed to Lafayette, IN for my cousin Julie’s wedding. I have the perfect summer dress, shoes I borrowed from my co-worker Teresa, and pretty jewelry. Of course, a picture will follow.

    We are most excited, though, about being able to use our new I-PASS. We travel to Chicago and through the Chicago area frequently because Jesse’s mom lives there and my extended family is in IN. Now the easiest way to go is open road tolling. Every time we make the trip, I wish for an I-PASS, but we never travel during times when the customer service stations are open. After returning from my brother’s graduation, I finally remembered to order an I-PASS. Open road…here we come!

      The Rain Barrel

      Last summer I heard about the benefits of rain barrels. They reduce pollution, keep water away from the foundation of your house, reduce erosion, reduce city water use, and plants like untreated water better. I pitched the idea to Jesse, and he didn’t love it because all the rain barrels were ugly; the pretty ones were very expensive.

      This spring I saw an opportunity to make a rain barrel through Community Education. I jumped at it and even invited my co-worker Lauren to join me (her husband also thought rain barrels were cool). We “made” our barrels (the guy teaching the class was a little nervous about us using the power tools), but there were many more steps in the rain barrel process.

      The rain barrel needed painted to reduce algae inside the barrel. It needed raised up on level cinder blocks (Jesse checked it with a level), and the gutter needed re-routed.

      We finally had everything ready for last night’s rain. We didn’t get very much rain (0.38 inches total), so we didn’t know how full our 55-gallon rain barrel would be. To my excitement, it was FULL…all the way to the top. This morning I was able to water all of my plants using fresh rainwater.

      I could hardly contain my excitement!

        God’s Handiwork…

        Since owning a home, I have developed a love of gardening. The previous owner planted a perennial garden in the back. Sadly, she let it overgrow before we moved in in June. Thankfully, my sister-in-law Katie (6 months pregnant) came over and helped me restore it with much weeding and mulch.

        Perennial Garden Before
        Perennial Garden After

        Then my mom gave me the geraniums she used at my brother’s rehearsal dinner. With advice from a co-worker, I was able to winter and re-plant those same geraniums for two years.

        Next I decided to try vegetables. Jesse built me four raised vegetable beds that are 4 feet by 2 feet. I have grown green beans, tomatoes, peppers, basil, and strawberries. We love eating things we have grown ourselves.

        Raised Vegetable Beds

        I continue to be amazed at the beauty of the Earth and how fun it is to cultivate. This year I want to do a better job of bringing our outdoor gardens inside, so today I brought some flowers inside the house for us to enjoy.

          Congratulations, Little Brother…

          This weekend (like many for Jesse and I) we jumped in the car Friday evening and headed to Chicago. We laughed as we were stopped in a traffic jam entering the city at 11:30 pm. Chicago traffic is crazy!

          The occasion for this visit was celebrating my brother’s graduation from Moody Bible Institute with a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Studies. Eric joined Jesse with a 5 year degree. 🙂 We had a great time seeing family and enjoying a celebratory meal at Fogo de Chao.

          As you can see, I am a very proud big sister. Congratulations, Eric!

            Grad School

            In the fall of 2008, I began the adventure of a MS in Library Media Education. I have completed 27 credits and have 7 to finish this summer and coming fall.

            When taking this on, I never realized how difficult and time-consuming it would be to work full-time and take classes “full-time”. This week I have a break before I start my next class on Monday. I have managed to read magazines, finish an entire book (just for fun), do laundry, make dinner, and watch tv. I am looking forward to the days when I can come home in the evenings and ONLY have those things to do. 🙂

            Alas, my thesis awaits.

              Blog Name

              A blog’s name says a lot about the blog and the people writing it. On our spring break trip to South Carolina, Jesse and I had 22 hours in the car to decide on a name for our blog.

              Some possible names:

              • A Graphic Designer and a Teacher
              • Everything But the White Picket Fence
              • Married With No Kids
              • The Open Road
              • The Awesome Sutherlands

              …and many much worse. After sleeping on it and driving 22 hours back to Minnesota, we decided on Sutherland Road: Detours and Adventures. Check back to hear about the adventures to come.

                Kitchen Re-Model

                A large dining room table has been my dream since Jesse and I began entertaining. I always said I wanted to be able to seat 12 even though we have a smaller combined kitchen and dining area. This spring Jesse helped me invest in this dream. Not only did we buy a beautiful kitchen table, we also painted the kitchen, put in new light fixtures, bought a wall painting, and changed the cabinet hardware…all in one weekend.  I wanted a new microwave, but we ran out of money. 🙂