July in review

As you might have already noticed, I'm trying to catch up on my blogging. The summer has been busy and filled with things to do and I've been derelict in my duty as a blogger. I remember Linda telling me that as a blogger, all I had to commit to was one day a week. Well, how about one month per season?

Whatever the case, these are a few happenings throughout the summer.

In May we laid sod in the backyard. I have huge plans for the backyard but so far none have truly materialized - well, except for the grass. We've yet to get the sprinklers right and I have to admit there is a bit of a brown spot we need to address, but for the most part it has filled in nicely. Maybe a bit more fertilizer and a bit more love.

I need to plant in the raised flower beds. I might wait until the spring to do that however. Also, Scott is currently working on covering over the patio that is poured just to the right of the house in the picture below. He has joists in and oh how wonderful this extra covered space will by. I'm giddy at the thought of decorating it and having an extra outdoor room!

Maddy and I went to see Mary Poppins at Hale Centre Theatre in July. This was her first play since turning 5, the golden age of includabilty at Hale (yeah, that's a made up word, I know). We dressed up nice and did our hair and wore a little make-up for the special occasion.

Wow does Hale Centre Theatre put on a good show! The big company numbers in the show especially Supercalifragilisticexpialedocious (or however that's spelled) and Step In Time were marvelous!

 On the Fourth of July we joined our neighbors for the traditional breakfast. Maddy rode her scooter this year, first time off the tricycle - a very big day.

We went to Park City for dinner . . .

. . . and then decided that it was so much fun we should make a weekend of it - but the weekend ended up being at Snowbird. We stayed at the Cliffs Lodge Resort, swam in the pool Friday night then spent the day Saturday riding the Mountain Coaster and the zip Line and all the other fun rides. Maddy is one brave girl.

We caught a relaxing (but ridiculously expensive) late afternoon lunch and then headed back home. A fun little stay-cation with my cute family.

Maddy's favorite "rides" are ironically the closest to every-day play activities - albeit a bit beefed-up.

holes

 

I was waiting for an "after" picture before I wrote this post but I'm afraid that maybe I'll never get around to it. I want to remember this, so into the blog it goes.

 

A bit ago, we bought 8 honeysuckle plants to plant along the side of the wall. The hopes were that they would grow up and cover the cinder block and keep the junior high kids from spray painting gang signs on the wall. In years past, we planted ivy hoping it would grow up and do the same but it doesn't seem to want to climb without some help.

 

Scott installed some really lovely lattice on the walls and I physically wound some ivy in to help train it to go up. He also built a small wall and filled it with good dirt so that the honeysuckle could have good ground and might actually grow. He said the wall also allowed him to not run the snowblower into the dirt in the winter so double score.

 

One day nearing the end of this project, Maddy came to me and said that she needed me to get my scissors and to cut those big black things from the plants. She had seen me cutting the buckets from the root balls on other plants. I told her that I wasn't ready to plant the honeysuckle yet and that we still had to dig holes. She told me that she had already dug holes - eight in fact.

 

Sure enough, I wandered over and she had correctly counted that we needed eight holes and she had dug them for us. They were a bit too close together to be used but I was so impressed that she had counted the plants and then transfered the knowledge to how many holes she would need, and then dug just the right number. I shouldn't be impressed about these things, she's no dummy - but I constantly am. I hope that these moments and my amazement at her accomplishments never cease. They make me proud to be her mommy. I hope that I gave those moments to my mom and that I continue to do so.

announcing

We are proud to annouce, after 5 years, we have a flower bed finished!

It will take some time until it grows in, and I have a few more plants to add. But I am thrilled. Now, if I can just manage to keep these plants from dying this fall or over the winter. . .

A sneak peek

A sneak peek at what's been going on at our house

clouds

I was looking out the kitchen window thinking what beauiful light was outside. I wish Maddy was awake so I could drag her out for a photo. When I went out to look at the sky, I was in awe of the beautiful clouds. I'm not sure what it is about the sky but there is just something grand and celestial about a sky filled with clouds, the setting sun, and off to the East, lightning striking the sky. Makes me feel small but in a good, eternal way.

And, because I have a husband worth bragging about, who does work worth bragging about, here is a picture of the rock wall he has just finished. Now time for a bit more dirt and some landscaping. Also, BEST GRASS I'VE EVER HAD!!! I am so pleased with my lawn. I've personally been working really hard on it. Urea every month - the way to go, I'm sold.

The garden

For the past few months (since I've been so stingy with my blogging) my post about my herb garden has been front and center and has been calling me to update. I'm afraid to say, my garden isn't looking so well. Scott's dog Avery knocked over all but the Thyme and my tomatoes . . . well, I bottled these Saturday afternoon.

I did 3 batches and only had 2 that didn't seal I'd love to say that I grew these myself but alas, I'm afraid that my plants didn't do so well. Though my two tomato plants got fairly big, they didn't produce more than 2 or 3 tomatoes the size of grape tomatoes. Hm, maybe I planted a grape tomato plant by accident, yes, let's go with that.

I had a few tomatoes from Grandma'dele and a few from mom so I supplemented with two bushels from the fruit stand. Scott figures that I spent $2 a bottle and that I could have just purchased cans of whole tomatoes for cheaper. I suppose he's right but there is nothing better than a jar of tomatoes you bottled yourself.

"Next year" I told him. Next year I will plant tomatoes in my garden for $1 a plant and will grow enough for 20 quarts. Then, it will be cheaper to bottle. (please don't hold me to that ok?)