I asked for it....

I am being selfish! I'm taking some time out to write.  I guess I really asked for it in my last post.  I was complaining about the weather and not being able to get outside, and Voila!  Boy, did the scenario change.

I have been on a roll! The nice yet, unseasonable warm, (88? degrees!) weather prompted me to really get motivated. My goal was to really finish the outside before this weekend, and that meant one heck of a lot of work!  The list still has a few things on it, but Dan's name is next to them!

I woke up Monday and decided to mulch....by myself. I picked up Dad's truck and bought my three scoops from the village. It is soo hard to get everything like that done after Dan gets home from work, so I just decided to see what I could do!  I did it! I emptied two pickup loads by myself in a little over three hours! I got that third load and sent the "boys" to finish after dinner!  The front yard was done!

Tuesday, hmmm, it seems so long ago.  Oh, yes, I watered the front, then proceeded to the biggest project, the back yard!  We have been here 5 years, and have been looking at "upgrading" if you may.  When you move in, you want something done with landscaping or decorating or whatever, but then the more you study something, new ideas and enhancements start to creep into vision.  Yes, always more work.

We have what we all call a  fire pit patio out by the pond.  It consists of pavers that Dad layed in a circular pattern.  There are six chairs and a nice, large metal fire pit  in the middle.  We use it frequently, but it is very visible from the house and the normal patio, so last summer I thought a "hedge" of boxwoods would really look nice around the perimeter. Well, first the grass had to come up, so Dad scraped off the top layer of grass and I then rototilled the 20 inch radius around the brick.  I found the small (really small) boxwoods at Walmart for $2.75 a piece.  (Ya, really cheap, do you believe it?) So I planted! Wow, even though they are still small, I can imagine that nicely manicured hedge very soon!

Fast forward.  Yesterday, 22 things...big things on my list.  I left right after the kids left for their last day of school and headed to Sidney.  I had planned the menus out for the weekend the night before and printed a few recipes and made out my lists!  I had my Walmart list for the things I can't get at Aldi's and then the large Aldi list, and lastly the Wagner list for things that are easier or on sale here. I had six different lists on my desk yesterday. I was home by 10:30 just in time to have Dad walk in to see what Dan and I had accomplished the night before.  We have been wanting to do something different around the patio and because they pulled out and redid our cement last fall, so things were still a mess and so this was the time to do it.  We pulled the beds out about 4-5 feet and put two matching radius' in to match the radius of the patio.  That  meant scraping more grass....although this time we just turned it over as we decided to mound that area.

Of course my goal was to have this area done for the weekend, but I knew I couldn't do it myself.   I needed at least a load of dirt and some help.  I guess Dad was up to the challenge. So, after unloading the first round of groceries, I started to unload the load of mulch so I could finish the beds in the backyard. He, then went to get dirt.  The real work began.  It was warm, really warm,  but I have been waiting for this for a very long time.  I was driving the truck around the backyard hitting my spots and he started unloading the dirt and it really started to take shape.  Mom stopped over with sandwiches and opinions, of course, and we unloaded, well, Dad unloaded, most of the second load of dirt.  I had taken out my perennials and put them in buckets of water, and so we started placing them along with a few new things that I had bought and started planting.   This was the heat of the day at this point and we were going through pircherful after pitcherful of ice tea...Dad then went home.  I then of course, mulched that area and watered those wilting plants and thought I still  have an hour yet, so I scrubbed the patio as all the mess had it looking pretty bad.  I went in at 5:30 and realized it was the first time in the house since 11 a.m.  Not even a bathroom break!

Jenna had come home in the planting mode and Matt was on his way. A very cold  beer started my relaxation routine. I quick showered and found some energy to pull together a yummy meal of brats, (3 different kinds!), corn on the cob and pasta salad. Food never tasted so good...I was on empty.  I then made 2 batches of slush for the weekend and decided that was it!!!  Sam and Lauren came in and we all were outside throwing footballs, baseballs, and enjoying the backyard and the sunset. A great start to a long weekend.

Ok,  I've used up my spare time.  Time to get a little breakfast in me and take it a little easier today.  The kitchen and my recipes look like a nice respite to the heat and dirt.

We have a graduation party today, so no major cooking, but friends are over tomorrow, which makes 13 for dinner and Monday, the whole family is coming over for "Pond Day" which will be 19 for dinner.  I  still have a list, lots of cooking and cleaning up after everyone  :),   but the weekend is here, everyone is home, and life is good.