Spring is definitely here!

I can't believe May is half over already. Where does time go anyways? Such a mystery. With the warmer temperatures, I spend most of my days outdoors. I've been creating some new landscaping spaces as well as trying to get ahead/keep up of the existing ones. What a chore! I still have a good bit of edging to do but most of the weeds in my current flower beds are under control. The garden on the other hand is a different story. I'm pretty sure the annoying, hard to pull, clover type weeds mated with some other annoying weed and had a bazillion kids all within the inside parameters of our new garden fence. Thankfully I've been able to put the grass clippings down between most of the rows but right up next to the each of the plants is out of control!! Someday I'll catch up. I hope. :)


Chris and I have been busy dreaming up fun ideas for projects we'd like to do in the future. I'm so thankful for a husband who dreams with me and takes time to listen to my wild and crazy ideas. Not only does he listen but he throws in a few of his own at times! We are working on creating some new spaces outdoors but our main focus this summer is the basement project. Our deck needs replaced badly but that will have to wait until next summer or the next. :) On Saturday, I helped Chris start the beginning stages of the plumbing project that will enable the basement process to move forward. There is a half bath down there that also houses the water heater/water softener which makes for a very cramped room. His plan is to redo some of the plumbing so that he can move the water heater and water softener to the corner of the garage. I'm so excited to see how "big" that bathroom feels once they are moved!


It's Tuesday night and Chris is golfing with his Dad. They play in a league every Tuesday for the rest of the summer. While I'm glad he's able to enjoy the sport and the time with his Dad, I do miss him not being here. It's a good time for me to do fun things though so I guess I won't complain. I considered scrapbooking some tonight but Zeus (the cat) is sleeping in my scrapbooking chair. I opted to at least update my blog before I moved him. :)


Our house is brick and partially wood siding which needs painted very soon. Hopefully next summer. We are hoping to paint it some sort of darker tan color. In the meantime, I'd very much like to paint the doors since they're all white. Normally I don't have a hard time picking paint colors but for some reason I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to paint the doors/trim. Someday I'd like to have shutters on the front windows which I was envisioning a sage green. I was thinking of painting the doors some sort of deep red but once we get shutters if we do go the green route, I don't want our house looking like Christmas all year round. HA! Maybe I'll just do eeny meeny miny moe?? SIGH.


Enough of my rambling. The end.

Wrapping up April

Chad & Elana's wedding has come and gone already. What a whirlwind that weekend was! It was a fun but busy time and it was exciting to see their faces light up with joy as they made a lifetime commitment to one another. I'm still trying to grapple with the fact that my cousin is now my brother in law but I suppose stranger things have happened. :) The wedding was beautiful and it was such a blessing to be a part of their special day and watch everything unfold from the front of the church as a bridesmaid instead of sitting in the pews. And of course it was fun to walk back the aisle with Chris arm in arm again just like 6.5 years ago. Thanks Chad & Elana for allowing us to participate in your wedding day in such a special/meaningful way! Since I was too busy to get a shot of the happy couple together, you're all stuck looking at a picture of Chris & I.....

I finished my sweater!! It was a process and I'm very thankful for my Mom's all knowing knitting wisdom to see me through the project. :) Overall I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and how it fits me. I finished it on Good Friday so I was able to wear it Easter Sunday with my sundress that I fell in love with the moment I saw it in the store about a year ago. Chris was a good sport after church and took some pictures of me "modeling" my recent accomplishment.

Finished Front & Back Shots:

The basement remodel hasn't really progressed any further as life has been keeping us busy these days. With the weather getting warmer the garden and a few outdoor projects have taken precedence. The next major part of the basement project is Chris redoing most of the plumbing that runs in the suspended ceiling. He wants to replace the old copper lines with pex and move some things around. This week we put a piece of plywood up on the garage wall that the pex manifold and some other things will mount to. The following pictures show the transformation that took place this week as I primed and painted two coats on the board so it now blends in with the wall.

I guess I'll close this post with an updated shot of our growing garden and the current landscaping project we have begun...

Peas & Red Onions -- One of our newly planted Leyland Cypress trees didn't make it through the winter. :( We're hoping the rest continue to turn green and grow well throughout the summer.

This is under the two apple trees in our backyard. I didn't take a picture before I started but trust me when I say, it was all grass. :) We are planning to dig out all the grass that is underneath both trees and make a connecting flower bed....1. To make it look nicer; 2. To make it easier to mow. :)