Memorial Day Weekend Yardwork on Steroids

Ok so I didn't get the bathroom makeover. It seems the toilet fix wasn't expensive enough to justify making sure we didn't have to do it again once remodel time came around. When we decide to remodel the bathrooms we can afford another $5 toilet part. BUT!!! This weekend I did get something I have been wanting for a very long time!

It all started when the weather outside decided to correct itself and stared acting like how I think it should all year round. I decided it was NOT a day for being inside with the laundry and dishes. Instead I decided to play outside. Dan called me on his lunch break to see how my day was going and this is pretty much how the conversation went:

Dan- "How's your day going?"
Me- "Well... (hesitantly) it's going I guess,  I am making a mess."
Dan- "how is that?"
Me- (nonchalantly) "Oh nothing, I am just spreading newspaper all over the front lawn. I'm probably going to make all the neighbors mad."

I then went on to explain my madness and why on earth my choice of lawn decoration consisted of yesterdays old news (literally). I have been planning a flowerbed for the front of our yard ever since we bought this house. I even have plans drawn up with the shape, size, and species of plants with their colors and numbers of plants required. I think about it every time I sit out on the lawn watching the kids ride their bikes and color with chalk, I dream about it as  I skim through the amazing gardens I see on Pinterest and other home and garden sites.

By this time I could tell by Dan's responses he was "thoroughly impressed" and "excited" at the plans I had for us this holiday weekend.

So on Saturday we rented a utility trailer and hauled I think 2.5 square yards of dirt and the same amount of cedar bark chips to finish the play ground in the back. It was a lot of work! But we didn't stop there. Oh no, we "go big or we go home" here at the Glenn's.We went and got twenty 60 lb bags of concrete mix and  26 ft of scalloped edging pavers for the front of the flower bed. We are using the concrete mix to make our own paved walkway around my garden boxes in the back yard.

So Saturday we tackled the front berm with the dirt and pavers and are now letting that naturally settle for about a week before I plant anything in it. We hauled wheel barrow after wheel barrow of cedar chips around to the back to finish the playground. Then we put all the bags of concrete on the back deck so it would be out of the rain and ready for us come Monday. We had our total body workout for sure! It was a good thing the next day was Sunday. We NEEDED the rest to gear up for Monday.

On memorial day we woke up and took the morning slow but by 10:00 we were out mixing concrete with the red tinting. The weather that day however wasn't the weather we were hoping for but being the stubborn woman I am we still went forward with our putting in pavers around the garden boxes. I wasn't going to let some water ruin my fun! Dan and I spent 5 hours in the rain mixing and putting concrete into our brick molds and made it almost halfway around the 4 garden boxes. We would have gone further but we ran out of the red tint for our concrete mix. It is going to be awesome! And I just have to say that  I am very grateful for our pop-up canopy!

After we came to a stopping point due to a shortage of supplies we went out to grab some grub. Burgers never tasted so good! We then took the kids to the park to play for a bit and on our way home we drove through our local cemetery. The grounds were lined with hundreds of gorgeous flags of our beloved stars and stripes. It was a perfect ending to a busy Memorial Day weekend. 

Oh and I am pretty excited at how well the garden is doing so far. Check it out!

 tomatoes

pole beans and broccoli

pole beans, dahlias (to later transplant), cucumbers, spinach, and lettuce

strawberries

raspberries

This Momma's Got Skills!

While Dan was at work today I tore out the toilet in the kids bathroom. It was leaking out the base. YUCK!
I am now on my way to Home Depot to pick up a new wax ring. Sometimes I amaze myself at the skills I own! :) Oh and while I was tearing out the toilet I found that the previous owners put the nasty peel and stick tiles over an old blueish linoleum. Maybe before I put the toilet back  in I can talk the hubby into installing REAL tile in there. Sometimes you just need a really good excuse to do home renovations, and I think this one counts. Wish me luck...

DIY Moon Dough and Making the Most of the Mess

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We spent the morning at the park with our friends and had a picnic lunch in the sunshine (I even got my first sunburn of the year). Then we came back home and the two older kids played outside while Emma napped. I was so happy they played outside so Emma could sleep and I could have some "quiet" time. But after awhile the two started bickering and this mama had to come up with a fun activity to curb the fighting and keep them occupied.

I decided to whip out a project I had seen on pinterest and am happy to say it was a huge success! DIY Moon Dough. For each batch I did the following:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup baby oil
Mix the two ingredients together with your hands until the oil is distributed all throughout. (I used a $ store aluminum 9X13 casserole pan and a large square ziploc container) Add a few cookie cutters, small cups or toys and PLAY PLAY PLAY! (I highly recommend doing this outside though. It got pretty messy)

This activity probably kept the kids busy for at least an hour and then once Emma woke up they played some more with her.  It was great fun and was a great photo opportunity. Here are a few of my favorites...

The blue thing in Kiera's hair came from one of her friends on the bus. She loves it and wants to wear it in her hair ALL THE TIME. It drives me bonkers but hey, who doesn't love a little blue hair right?

 Such concentration, and look at those clothes!

 This shot was taken on my belly. It is amazing what a change in perspective can do to your photo! I love her little feet!

 It was so much fun to watch Emma. She was having a great time, can't you tell?

 I love this stage when my kids are starting to explore, touch, and feel everything. It is fun to watch the excitement they have with something new.

!One more note of warning!: Do not leave the kids unattended while trying to upload the pictures onto your computer. Or you will come back to this.

This picture doesn't even come close to capturing the mess I came back to. Ethan was throwing the stuff all over. It was stuck to the siding and on top of the BBQ cover. He looked like the Michelin tire logo guy all fluffy and white, and the other two were in on the fun too. It was EVERYWHERE! I had a lot of sweeping to do. It was pretty easy to clean up though since it was outside and it was a fun memorable afternoon. Besides that's what it is all about right? "Life is not a matter of counting the years messes, it is a matter of making the years messes COUNT."

Boy Oh Boy!

It must be a year full of boys! I have a lot of friends and family who are expecting little boys this year. I have been stocking up on boy stuff for baby showers and last night decided to get started on some baby boy cards. I've made 3 so far and also made one birthday card for my Nephew. It was nice to sit down and make something again. I have been feeling down and blah lately and I need to remember how much better I feel after being a little crafty. It really boosts me up. Even after staying up til 11:30 last night, I feel better today and have been very productive. This is who I am! I need to have a project.

Here's a picture of the cards I made.

My favorite is the one on the bottom left hand corner. I can't remember the last time I sat and drew something with ink. It was very therapeutic.

Now I am off to start my next project. Not one that I would consider a self boost however, but someone has to do the laundry. . .

BBQ Pizza And Father's Day Fail

So my husband is a snoop when it comes time for receiving gifts. And I should have learned my lesson with him by now, but I continue to try and be prepared and shop for gifts in advance. Maybe I will do better next year and wait til the week of before thinking of shopping for Father's Day gifts. So needless to say I didn't feel bad pulling out and putting the thing I had intended for Father's Day to use Monday night. He knows he's getting it so why not use it now right?

So Monday's dinner was Chicken Bacon Ranch BBQ pizza. And yes we cooked it in the BBQ! It was awesome! I bought the pan from Pampered Chef a few months ago and I guess my hiding spot wasn't clever enough. I thought that if I put it in the cookie sheet cupboard it would be disguised and Dan wouldn't even notice its existence. Well, I was wrong...

But the Pizza was wonderful!

Oh and just so you know how impossible it is to keep a secret from Dan. I even tried going out and getting something else just so he'd have something surprising to open. But he knows what that gift is now too! He got that one out of the kids! But at least he doesn't know where it is. Will I ever surprise this man? However, I refuse to buy anything else this year.

Fabulous Weekend! Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Had an awesome Saturday! I Took the kids to swimming lessons this morning at the YMCA and then went to the doctor and got myself a second round of antibiotics to try and kick this bug I've had for a month now(one pill does wonders!). When we got home we took the family up to Mount Vernon for a picnic at the park, and headed on over to check out the tulip festival. The flowers were gorgeous!  On our way home we went to a local farmers market and got some amazing ice cream cones. They were huge! But the very best part of the weekend was that the sun stayed out! I have missed our glowing warm friend Mr. Sunshine.

Here are a bunch of pics I took on our outing. We had a lot of fun! And I just love doing things like this. Local events just have that special charm and feeling of home. I really am loving where we live and the sunshine doesn't hurt either.

Fun, Fast, and Easy Father's Day gift.

This is what I have planned for a Father's Day gift for Dan. It was a lot of fun to make and sooo easy! I am planning on finding a frame with 4 openings and giving it to him to take to work. That way every day he can be reminded of those at home who LOVE him and are grateful for his providing for our family. I've also got a couple more things up my sleeve. What are you doing for Father's Day?