Frogs and Funerals

Brooklyn and Aubrey had a sleepover and really had a good time playing with the frog that I have in my pond. But alas it hopped out and met it's demise. They brought it to me with it's guts hanging out and were quite sad so they had a little funeral and buried it under the bird bath and made a very nice memorial for it. Later I found the frog still in the pond so I guess it was a different one that had died. POOR POOR FROG!

Girl's Day Out

Being Bekah's 30th birthday (am I really that old?) I decided that a few hours without the kids would be a good present. So I hired a couple of babysitters and we 4 girls went to lunch and shopping. So much fun to spend a few hours with my girls. I am so proud of them and the wonderful people and Mom's that they have become. After lunch we went clothes shopping and I was treated to a fashion show. We were like little girls, giggling and laughing and having so much fun.

Then it was home and some painting was to be done. Liz wanted her belly painted like we did when she was pregnant with Franklin. Then it was a sunflower, now it's a butterfly. Of course the kids couldn't be left out so we I did them too.

Tree House and Deck

With about 6 trips to the Freeport center and lots of work taking pallets apart we ended up with enough free wood to build both a tree house and a Deck out front. With what started out to be just a little platform to sit on and enjoy the evening became a full blown deck. There it is again...IT'S NOT DONE UNTIL IT'S OVERDONE!!!

Broken Pipes and Soggy Carpet

Sunday night the girls went downstairs and came back up and told me it was sopping wet in the little room. So I went down and sure enough, water everywhere. We had a pipe with a slow leak that I guess had been going on for quite a while. We cleaned everything out of the little room (thank you Frank and Liz) and turned off the water. I called the insurance company and they called a restoration company that came and cleaned it all up and ripped out the carpet in the whole basement and cut off the drywall about 1 foot up and now I have huge fans going down there. So I guess I'm getting new carpet and walls and paint down there. Fortunately the insurance covers it all. Neil, bless his heart, and Caleb, bless his too, worked for hours fixing all the pipes down there so we have all new pipes and valves as well.

Planting is Finished!!!

I believe I am finally done but you never know. Now we just wait for it to all grow. The red trees are gone and in their place, tomatoes. I really am getting concerned about the price of food and also the illnesses that are being caused by vegetables bought in stores lately. I've always loved to can my own food and when the kids were young I used to can about 4 0r 5 hundred quarts a year of fruits and vegetables. Besides all the vegetables I've planted, we also have 2 apple trees, a cherry, plumb, pear and peach tree. Also the neighbors next door have an apricot tree that they don't use so we always help ourselves to it.

Aprons and creations

A sleep over at Grams always brings out our creative sides. The girls wanted to paint so of course they needed aprons. We made these reversible ones with some fabric I got at Ikea a while back and they picked the other from my stash. While I was sewing they decided to do a little creating themselves.

My new front Yard

I have been toying with the idea now for a few years of turning my front yard onto a wildflower garden. I've seen a few around that I just love and I've always enjoyed just parking my car in front of their yards and taking it all in.
Well, I did it!. It will take a few years for everything to grow in and be the way I want it but it's a start. Also may I mention that I will be saving quite a bit on water.
I added a little fish pond because I found it at a yard sale for $3.00 and I had the pump and fountain left over from a previous pond. I recycled some old tires to build it up and make the planter around it.
Thanks to my Grand-Nephews Logan and Jacob and of course my Caleb for helping me move the rocks. I didn't realize we had so many rocks in our yard. I got a load of mulch from our local dump and after killing the grass, spread it all around. I have some flowers and veggies and strawberries planted so far. The big tire in the corner is for potatoes and there are giant sunflowers planted behind it.
I love my little grass walkway lined with rocks. For some reason it reminds me of walkways that I have seen in some national parks. I love to sit on the "Grammy" swing and just relax and enjoy. Of course it's even better if I have a grandkid or two to rock with me.

Trimming the Trees

With Roy over in Iraq, I have had to step up and take over the yard work. I always swore that if anything ever happened to him the grass would grow over the roof because I always hated yard work, but I am finding that I actually enjoy it to some extent now. It is probably because I now have the time and know that the inside of the house is not going to go to pieces if I work outside because it's only me and the doggies and the kitty.
I spent one whole day trimming the big trees out front. Yes I actually climbed up ladders and went at it. I love my new saw! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the huge pile of branches on the driveway.

Pincushions

I found a little tutorial on how to make these. A great way to use up tiny scraps. Throw in a Yo-Yo and a button or two and WAHOO

Button Bouquets

I love buttons and always have. I remember playing in my Mom's button box as a child and I have collected them for years.Now I have a new way to play with them.

New Projects

It's my dear friend Sue's birthday next week so I made her this apron. She showed me a picture of this pocket in a Mary Engelbreit Magazine and I had to copy it.

Then I also had to try out flower yo-yos and I had to put them on something so I made her one of my new purses.

Worms, Glorious Worms!

What's better when you are two than digging worms with your Grams.
How about taking a whole bowl home to show your Dad!
Then there is the bad part ---Mom not letting you take them in the store with you on the way home.
MEAN MEAN MOM!!!

Mother's Day for my Daughters

When I told their Dad that the boy's didn't like their capes he sugggested that perhaps it was their Mom's that needed "SUPERMOM" capes. Since I was already planning on making them aprons, I decided to combine the two. I made the bib part reversible and gave them a dish towel with big safety pins to pin on for the cape. I included this story: http://hillbillyhousewife.com/apronevangelism.htm to go along with it. I thought it was kind of funny. So, if you see the girls with their aprons on, you better give them their due respect.