Sowing Seeds

It's another beautiful day here, so I was able to get out and make some Mel's Mix, fill up the planters, and plant some seeds.

Here's a look at the Mel's Mix on a tarp on the patio. One part peat moss, one part compost, and one part vermiculite (which is expensive by the way).



Then I filled up the planters with the concoction.



With the help of my very own Extension Office (our great friend Emily!), I decided to plant Peas, Broccoli, Onions, and Lettuce this weekend.





Then I watered the beds and here's what it looks like now.



We'll plant more as the weeks go on - potatoes, tomatoes, chives, basil, squash, cucumbers, beans, and more!

In the Garden

We're planning to grow vegetables and herbs in our backyard this spring and summer. Because we have a terrible rabbit problem, raised beds were the only way to go. I heard about, and subsequently read Square Foot Gardening. I had built the beds a while back, but hadn't made legs and put them outside. We had yet another beautiful day today, so I ran to Home Depot, got some lumber and went to work.






The legs didn't turn out at straight as I would have hoped, but the rocks and slope made it a bit tricky. Assuming the weather holds, I'll fill them up with Mel's Mix next weekend and get to work growing some healthful food soon.

The Backyard Reveal!

In order to get the HOA off our backs, we finally got the backyard landscaping/patio DONE!!! It took several weeks, but was totally worth it! Now we just have to wait for the sod to grow roots, and we'll be outside ALL the time! The girls are so excited and already love their new patio! Yay!

Did Someone Say "Big Girl Bed"

Yesterday, during nap time, I was startled by a very loud THUD followed by horrific screaming! I put Catherine down as fast as I could and jumped up the stairs to find a scared little girl on the floor right next to her crib. After checking for bleeding, broken bones, and head trauma, I carried the little girl downstairs to comfort her and make sure she really was alright. Thankfully her physical body was fine, but she was in quite an emotional state...

It was at this moment that I realized our dreams of confining Isabella in her crib for another month or so were over. She was probably leaning over the side rail to open her bedroom door and leaned a little too far.

So, this morning, after we dropped her off at Grandma Becky's, Anthony got to work on converting the crib into a toddler bed. When Isabella came home, she was so excited! She totally knew that this is what big girls sleep in, and was beside herself!

She's taken a nap in her bed and hasn't fallen out yet. She also stayed in her bed and was waiting for us on her bed when we went in to get her after her nap. I'm sure that won't last....

Handy Anthony

For whatever reason, the track lighting in our kitchen has been going out, light by light. At first, we thought it was just the bulbs, but soon realized that it was more than that. The actual lamps were breaking. (If you look closely at the picture to the left, you can see that the front track is missing one lamp, and the lamp on the right is out. On the back track, the lamp on the right is also out.)

A quick trip to the Home Depot for new lamps led to a long look at new track lighting. After leaving the store, a little bit of research, and three broken lamps later, we were back at Home Depot to buy the new lights.

Anthony got up and worked on Saturday morning to get the old tracks down and put the new ones up. Isabella loved that Anthony was upstairs, and although she could only watch him from behind the white gate, she was so happy that she could gaze lovingly at her daddy. Anthony did a great job, and the kitchen is all lit up again! We love it! We are steadily crossing things off of our "to-do" list. Next, the screen door!

You Have a Sidewalk Growing Out of Your Bush

So I think Anthony and I would agree that at one point this summer, our front bushes were a little too healthy. Since we rarely walk in through the front door, the fact that the bushes were overgrown and affecting our walkway, didn't really bother us too much. However, with our snake scare, and out of respect for our friends and neighbors, and because it was brought to our attention by a good friend that our sidewalk was growing out of the bushes, Anthony grabbed the trimmers and away he went! It didn't take too long to actually wack away the excess, but the clean-up was extensive. Just to put you all at ease, Anthony also sealed up the snake hole, and that little bugger hasn't been seen since his original debut!