Fall is coming…

Pool closes on Saturday : (

What a storm we had yesterday!  The sky just opened up.  Did anyone get hail?  We did.  Little chunks of ice fell.  Did I mention it was like 85 degrees out.  So weird.  After the crazy rain and wind stopped, I looked out in the backyard.  ALL OF MY TOMATO PLANTS WERE DOWN!  I shrieked.  You don’t even understand.  This is my first garden and everything is doing really well.  My heart just sank thinking that the plants might have been ripped up or broken.  We went out there and thank God we were able to salvage everything.  We tied all the plants up and secured all the stakes.  Whew!  It was a close one.  All during this mayhem…..little Ben peacefully slept.

It is pretty rainy out today but that doesn’t get me down.  I love days like this.  The air is a bit cooler and things smell a bit fresher.  I just walked around the yard to check on all the growth.  I spied little cherry tomatoes already!  YAY.  They are very low to the ground still.  I hope that is ok.  I have them staked but they didn’t grow that tall yet.  I even think I saw the sugar snap peas breaking through.  I know there is weeding to do but I’m hesitant to pull anything because I’m just not sure they are weeds.  I planted so many seeds that I don’t wan’t to pull the wrong thing.  I’ll wait a bit longer. 

0419 Weeping 110/365


My sweet, little tree outside my kitchen window.

If you are interested in an organic lawn, then NOW is the time to put down your pre-emergent.  We used Jonathan Greene (Thanks Paul!) Weed control (corn gluten).  It is pretty powdery so wear a mask when laying it down.  We have cleared all the beds of weeds and leaves, pruned our roses and are ready for the spring.  I’m also in the market for a simple trellis for my “new dawn” roses that I planted last fall.  I’m excited to watch them grow. 

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My sister Julie stayed over this weekend and really motivated me. She helped me because I needed someone to do a “Yes/No” with me. You know what that is, right? You stand in your closet and pull out one thing at a time and the other person says, “Yes” or “No”. That simple really. Well to make a long story short…..I have an empty closet. No clothes. (Aunt Les, you need to stop over and pick up BAGS of stuff). I had so much stuff I never wore filling my precious space. Freeing myself of all that crap really makes me feel good. I would do a cartwheel right now if my hip didn’t hurt!

Spent a lovely day at my parents yesterday for Easter. My inlaws also came over for dessert. It was fun and delicious! Thanks

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Back on Earth Day we started a compost bin.  It’s so gratifying to know that we are doing something good for the earth.  We have taken a lot of steps this past year to better the planet and better ourselves.  Composting is an easy place to start if you are thinking of maybe doing something.  I keep a covered, plastic container on my counter for organic scraps and then when it gets full, I (after being pestered by Craig) walk it out to the bin.  You turn the bin daily (in my case weekly) to keep air circulating through.  If you do this, it never smells.  I dumped out a bucket full today and actually stuck my nose in to see…….NO SMELL!  Pretty cool huh?

If you would like to learn a bit about the process check out this informative website  epa.gov

The bathroom is transforming before my eyes.  I can’t even believe that it is the same room.

Here is a preview of the tile that Julie and Samy brought back for us on their last visit to Morocco.  It has been very difficult deciding where to put it but I think I finally made up my mind.  Watching it go up is exciting and I can’t wait to post photos of it finally finished.

Julie’s Birthday is tomorrow and we are having a dinner party here on Sunday.  I better get to dusting!

Happy Birthday Jul!

This picture is so funny to me. If you know Ben, then you know this is so him. He is a serious eater and bananas are no joke! Doesn’t this have a Norman Rockwell feel to it? I love it.On a side note….My bathroom is being ripped apart right now - FINALLY!

Can I get a WOOT WOOT!

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We are almost finished getting all the stuff for the bathroom renovaton.  It’s so hard to put it all together.  At this point, I have to just cross my fingers and hope that everything will work AND be pleasing to the eye.  We hit Lowes and Bed, Bath & Beyond today.  Lowes for the ordering of the big stuff like tub, terlit and tile.  B, B & B for the fixtures.  We found the same set in Lowes for way more money.  So we saved about $50.00 which is pretty cool.  Ben had fun too.  He ran around with an Elmo potty seat that he found and was hysterically laughing trying to find his Daddy (who kept hiding on him).  He was shrieking!  What a cookie he is!