Garden Duty

 We have thankfully gotten to the point where I can begin planting the garden.

 Lots of mud involved from head to toe.

 With company like this who can complain?

 Karsyn and Mason Man were a wonderful distraction in the midst of all the work.

 Here is the front garden. Corn, okra, bell peppers, eggplant, yellow onions, cucumbers and beans. Oh my

24 tomato plants so far, we need to bump this up to at least 30.

Its been a very long hot day with more to do tomorrow but we are oh so close to the finish line. Just in time to start pulling weeds,grrrr

Hubby has a list a mile long that seems to keep growing. My list is almost complete. You might think it's because I am diligently working the plan. Na, it's so easy to move some of my stuff to hubby's list that I just can't help myself!

Tomorrow:

More yard/garden work

Begin baking/cooking for the weekend

Get the house cleaned for our weekend guests

Laundry

Maybe a grocery store run
 

Head count for Saturday's cookout is up to 18. DD#1 has her In-laws in for the weekend that might stop by for desert later in the day that's an additional 7 for desert. Please oh please don't let it rain!!!!

Do you have plans for Memorial Day weekend? Looks like we will just hang around the house eating and merry making, maybe a ride in the mountains Sunday while the race traffic isn't so darn bad. Lots and Lots of kitchen duty coming up for me.

Tuesday Happenings

 Kara helped me finish up our "Won't You Be My Neighbor" Quilt yesterday. With help like hers I wouldn't get many quilts finished! Ha

 I am loving this quilt that will be for our home. I used scraps for all of the houses, borders and binding. The backing and white sashing I did have to purchase but of course on SALE!!

  Check out this video for the instructions to make one of your own. Jenny has TON"S of great tutorials for fast easy quilts.

I couldn't help myself this morning, I had to have just a little more play time with this quilt. I washed and dried it for the crinkle look I just love to pieces.

After Kara left yesterday I settled in on the couch to do the hand binding on our new quilt. We had clouds building over the lake that were looking very ugly so I turned on the weather channel.

My heart sank as I watched live feed of the tornado hitting Moore, OK. Hubby was in the garage rebuilding the motor on the lawn tractor, I made him come look at the footage. For the rest of the evening we were glued to the TV praying for the families and children in the path of this storm. Our hearts break for the loss of life, homes, business.....Yesterday, today, and always we are all neighbors. The families in OK need our prayers and help.

Here is one of our favorite charities, they are taking donations of any size for our neighbors in OK. There are so many places you can make a donation to help but please remember, give ONLY to reputable charities. Tragedies like this always bring out some of the worst in society that prey on the victims.

Rainy Monday

 I just love it when an organizational plan/tool really works! Having this hexie To Go bag is working out great. I can grab the bag and go, on the deck, DD#1 home to babysit, hanging out with GF in the evening, or just sitting in the family room in my spare time.

 Everything in one bag. Hexie block kits, templates, finished blocks, needle, thread, scissors.

I layed out the blocks I have been working on last night to see if I had enough variety to begin adding and additional row. Yep, this should do it. On to adding the green sashing to each block then putting it all together.

Plans for today have changed as we had some VERY heavy rain yesterday afternoon. Unless the sun comes out to dry the main garden there will be no planting today. Hubby will stay busy in the garage doing his thing. I plan on some pantry/freezer work, quilting, watching Kara (nap for us both) then on to a menu plan for next weekend.

We are FINALLY getting a handle on all of the yard work. I was able to get the lawn mowed, lots more trees pruned, and a plan of action on some of the problem areas out back. Once hubby arrived safely back home from bike week we moved the grands outdoor equipment around some so hopefully mowing will be a bit easier for me. Karsyn called last night to come over to play and sleep with us,Ha We were able to get out of the sleepover by promising she could come over today to see where we put her playhouse. If it doesn't meet Karsyn's standards she will let us know in a skinny minute.

Hubby is just as baffled as I am that we let 2 year olds tell us what to do. Never ever would be have let our own children boss us around like the grands tend to do. Maybe it's like Bill Crosby says of his own parents when they became grandparents. "They are just old people trying to get to heaven" HAA

Heck no, we already are in heaven with these little guys.

Off to see what can be accomplished before the toddlers show up

Progress

 Between rain showers today I began planting in our raised beds. I decided to use the raised bed for different things this year in hopes that I am rotating correctly.Time will tell. Yellow squash in this bed.

 Sweet potato's

 Zucchini

 Herb bed. Just realized I didn't take a photo of the carrot/jalapeno raised bed :(

My evenings this week have been filled with Hexie blocks. It's nice to end the day with something that doesn't take any lifting or digging! Ha

It is AMAZING how much I can get done when none of the Grands are around!!! I love them to death but they do wear me out. Hubby and his Harley buddy's arrived safely yesterday at the Rally and thankfully didn't run into rain. Not sure they will be so lucky tomorrow as we have a 60% chance :( I hope the rain will hold off until I can get the lawn mowed for the second time this week, it's hard to keep up with it in the spring.

I have more planting to do as well tomorrow. This go round will be in the traditional garden close to the house. Corn, green peppers, onions and cucumbers are going in this area. The back garden is for tomato's. I have a few more things I might plant here and there later if there is enough room but for us these are the basics we eat on a daily bases year round.

Off for a little more yard planning. I want/need a bed for asparagus if hubby is up to it. A spot to transplant lavender as it has outgrown the area in the garden. Hopefully I didn't kill it all when I pruned it back. I also want to put in roses along one side of our house out front. When hubby is on the road that side of the house turns into a weedy mess. I am thinking a rose bed would be low maintenance and solve the problem. We have so many other projects still to finish not sure hubby will be in the mood to once again wrestle the tiller! Ha

Hard Labor!!

 This is the pitiful shape the garden was in when hubby and I started. It had not been hit with the weed eater since last fall when hubby was home for a long weekend.

 The herb bed was so overgrown the plants were choking each other out.

 The little girls wanted so badly to help Papaw with the tilling and digging. Kara is pointing at me saying "Go Home Nanny" They like having Papaw all to themselves!

 The girls helped me transplant some of the herbs into containers.  The Mint looks like it will be fine.

 The Thyme seems to be settling in OK.

 Oop's the Mint again

 Oregano might be a lost cause.

 The back garden is now ready for Tomato plants.

 The front garden will house all the rest. Lots of planting for me this weekend.

Karsyn is such a Diva. "Push harder Karalee"

Ever part of my body is screaming STOP already!! Ha Hubby is also feeling the effects of all this hard labor, but ever so slowly we are getting things back in order. We are lucky that we live in a zone that has a long growing season but I don't think we will have any of our own home grown tomatoes for fathers Day dinner this year :(

All the work we have to catch up on is challenging enough, add these toddlers to the mix and it's survival of the fittest and that ain't us I can assure you!! The little ones keep running along as we can barely drag our old butts to the bed each night. Last night hubby couldn't take the heat one more night so the air conditioner went on. What a nice relief at the end of the day today. I really wanted to hold out until June 1st but it was 82 degrees in our room last night at midnight. That's just too crazy hot to get a good nights sleep.

Hubby is off tomorrow on the road trip to bike week. I decided it was just to much turmoil for the entire family for me to tag along. Walking around looking at Harley parts, chrome, and ladies mud wrestling is just not my cup of tea!!!

My weekend plans are to begin totaling up the damage done to the budget from the too many trips to the local home improvement store. I hope to get at least the raised beds planted as soon as I finish weeding the last two beds. I HAVE to finish the durn quilt that is still setting on the kitchen table and do some cleanup around the interior of the house. While hubby sits in his recliner each night I have been working on hexi blocks, it's nice to relax after a long day with some hand sewing for a change.

Is anyone else getting their garden in so late in the season? I hate that we missed out on cabbage and broccoli this year but all I can do is what I can do when I am the lone ranger so much of the time.

Ain't She Purdy!!

 Check out my Mothers Day gift from hubby!!! Many of my GF are into estate, garage, junk yard and all that jazz sales. They meet each Saturday morning to hit the trail for cool vintage stuff. As much fun as I know I would have I DON"T need any more stuff in our home so I don't tag along!!!! One thing however I have been on the lookout for is a treadle sewing machine that works. I haven't been able to find any in good working order under $500.00, way out of my budget. Last weekend one of my GF's ran into this PURDY gal for $100.00!!! Seeing as how hubby was still out of town, the price was right, and he too has been looking for this machine on his travels all over this great country I wasn't going to pass her up! We picked her up today (can I say heavy) she is a beauty for sure. The lady we got her from grandmother was still sewing on it up until she moved to the nursing home a few years back. I can't wait to have the time to do some playing!!!

 Another day, another play date! Ha  Kara in the play house

 Karsyn on the front end loader.

 Karsyn's new thing.

Me - "Karsyn what do you want to do?"

Karsyn - "Let me tink"

 Mason and his Papaw!!

While hubby was on weed eater duty after the grands left I had the job of trimming trees. Holy Hannah my arms are not use to such a workout.

Hubby has worked like a dog today on his "To Do" list all the while whistling while he worked. Has anybody else noticed not many men these days whistle? My hubby does, I always know where he is by his whistle. We have TONS more work to do but with the next two weeks off we are going to try and pace ourselves. The front yard already looks a million times better. Ahh this man of mine.

Tonight we are meeting up with friends to decide if we should try to make the trip to bike week over the weekend. Leaving town for me throws the entire family off. They scramble to figure out what to do with no free babysitter, AJ the beagle of course needs care, Sunday dinner is off. This would be an unplanned trip, as in not on the vacation fund budget. We do however have tons of motel rewards points so lodging would be free, it's a short 4 hour drive so gas wouldn't be too much. If we go on the bike it's super cheap but there is always the problem of weather if we don't have the car as a back-up. I could care less one way or the other, nothing better to me than being at home with my absentee hubby! Ha

On tomorrow's list

Hubby - begins tilling the garden

Hubby - will try and fix SIL#2 truck window

Hubby - Get Jeep inspected. The tag expired at the end of April but I can't drive a stick shift :(

Hubby - More weed eating

Me - DD#1 kiddo's at her house while they nap (I hope)

Me - cut back the herb garden

Me - clear out the strawberry bed

Me - clean our Adirondack chairs

Me - Maybe can pickled asparagus

Me - all the regular work

That should fill a day don't you think?

Spending Blowout

 I took some time out yesterday to make my plan for today. So much to do before Hubby arrives!!

 After some quick house cleaning this morning it was on to the MUST do errands. Shampoo was first up.

 Then on to makeup that I have been out of for a few days. While at the store hubby called to inform me we might be going to Myrtle Beach Bike week this Friday.

 Whats a girl to do? Wait until later in the season when the bathing suits are on sale only to never be able to find tops that match the bottoms in the right size? Heck no, I thew the budget out the window and bought what fit at full price.

 Karsyn, Tyler, and Mason gave me this Tee shirt for Mothers day  "So you can makes cookieds" Sadly it was the wrong size but I was able to find the same one when I returned it!! Whee

 Another Tee from the Grands so I can take them "fwimming"

 The next purchases was due to this photo of me with our girls right after DD#3 came home from the hospital. One of my sisters posted it on FB yesterday with a Mothers Day greeting. WOW, 30 years ago I really did have dark hair!! The other thing I had way back then was the nursing gown I am wearing. Wait a minute I still have that gown along with another nursing gown in my PJ drawer!! I ran right upstaires and put them both in the goodwill bag I was taking in today.

Soooooo, when I exchanged the tee shirts for the right size I treated myself to a new pair of PJ's. Seemed only right after I gave up two gowns!! I did call my sister and left a message that she owed me $57.92 because of her FB post.

I started this post today at 12:00, it is now 8:11PM. I had no sooner walked in the door after errands today than DD#3 came in needing me to watch Kara while she had a tire repaired at the shop (deep breath) DD#1 called right after that "what are you doing?" She and her babies arrived soon after for some play time. I had thankfully gotten lots of housework done yesterday and was able to just about finish up this morning. I hate for hubby to come home to a dirty messy house. Not that he cares but just the same :)

Karsyn was the only one who refused to leave today. She was very vocal that she would be staying at Nanny's to sleep "forever" Ha. Hubby arrived home safely after a four day drive and was welcomed by Chatty Cathy!! What a nice surprise for them both.

We returned her home just in time for dinner. She was none to happy with us but "Promise I see you when I wake up". Kara will come in at 10:00AM as Mommy's tire has to be replaced in the morning. Wednesday we will have Karsyn and Mason for most of the morning as Mommy has a Dr appointment. Thursday-Sunday Kara full time while Mommy works. Welcome home my SWEET hubby! ha