Several reasons I am having such a great Friday...
Yesterday and today highs were only 80ยบ! Although I didn't even go into the back yard garden at all yesterday, I did get after the neglected front yard beds, and it feels so good to have them presentable again. The photos are of two beds, but the two beds are mirror images of each other so you get the gist of how cleaning it up made a difference.
Before, the beds were overgrown and weedy. I have a "woodland" type shady garden out front, although I have a wall of sorts of Carolina Jessamine vine to screen out the neighbors' junk LOL, the vine tends to run away with itself sometimes.
After, I hacked back the huge spirea bushes to promote new growth, re-staked my falling down in the wind topiary evergreens and weeded. The birds can find their little teak water bowl now :)
The bed in the center of the yard needed no care, although I did plant my 2 flats of free bedding flowers in there finally. They were on clearance about 6 weeks ago (I guess because they needed to be deadheaded?) at a big box store for $2 a flat, and I had a $5 coupon with no minimum purchase, so that's free, and we like free. :) I still have the sidewalk "hell strip" bed to contend with, but that is truly hellish and I don't want to think about it today - and we have to powerwash the house soon... the pollen of spring and the weeks of rain and heat have got it looking pretty icky.
Another reason for happiness - after telling the kids repeatedly to stop running in the house, when they finally did spill the big cup of lemonade on the table, I made them clean it up themselves! Finn thought about protesting and blaming it on the dog, but my look said otherwise. This is a new thing for me, normally I don't "like" the way they would clean something and so I do it myself, but no more.... I feel free :)
HUGE reason to have a fantastic Friday - I'm leaving in a few to take the boys to 4-H camp, woohoo! Sad? Not even a little bit! Camp rocks, I wish I was going! Check out the photo of Finn's supplies, do you notice anything?
Oh, yes... a stick of that horrible AXE deodorant! We were at the store the other day picking up a few last minute trial size shampoos for them and Finn said he "must have the "Adventure Stick"... LOL, this was another occasion where I chose my battles carefully. At 49 cents I let him have it, and he has been ridiculous with it since we got home. Every 20 minutes he puts it on, then he puts it on his stomach, arm, etc... I'm just hoping he loses it at camp!
I don't really have time to get out this afternoon and tackle the garden in earnest in this beautiful weather since we have to leave soon, but I was able to throw together some refrigerator pickles in about 20 minutes. The jar of cukes has garlic, dill, peppercorn, mini bell peppers & Fish hot peppers (fish because they look like Koi, not because they taste like fish LOL). The other jar has a bunch of Sigaretta diBergamo sweet peppers with a couple of the leftover hot peppers and dill, both jars with fresh picked grape leaves in the bottom - it really does work to keep things crisp, I've been doing it that way for 3 years now and I swear by them!
Unfortunately, I'll probably come home to an empty house tonight. Hubby was deployed last year so couldn't make the trip to camp, and this year he is working crazy hours again. I was hoping to take advantage of this weekend without the kids to go camping or go visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation, but I'm out of luck. It's a 2 hour drive to camp and he won't get off early enough to go, and he has to work when I have to pick them up, too. Day before yesterday was a 15 hour day for him, grrrrrr. He's "the boss" now so he can't just make up excuses like the junior personnel anymore :) It's times like these when I actually wish he was just deployed. At least the kids understand "deployed", and he gets extra pay when he's deployed, and we desperately need that! Oh, well, more wine for me tonight then, eh?
Well, we're off to camp!
So glad to hear you've got some "chilly" weather! It truly must feel that way to you, no kidding.
ReplyDeleteHow long will the boys be gone for? One week? You and hubby should find a few (if nothing else) hours home alone together while they're gone. Let's hope, anyway. (Hope you both remember how to act with no chaperones!)
Your pickles look so colorful and yummy. Front yard looks pretty darn good, too.
Check to see if Finn's deodorant has aluminum in it. If so, 'tis not a good thing for him to be spreading on his tender skin. Yuck. (Remind him that whatever he puts on his skin is the same as eating it!!)
Woohoo! Camp! How much fun. How long is it? Enjoy the silence.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your wine! I would LOVE to see Monticello! Yard clean up looks great, and kudos for you to making him clean it up himself! :) I feel like it is really important for boys to know how to clean, and WELL at that! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job on that bed Erin! I have no patience for pruning something that doesn't provide me food so I leave our front yard bushes for Marc to deal with (on top of mowing the grass). Lucky him.
ReplyDeleteJonathan dropped a big man-sized turd on the bathroom floor the other week because he waited too long. I wish I could have made him clean that one up. Oh the joys of parenting.
I just found out about the grapeleaf trick this week! Who knew?! I will give it a whirl this year.
ReplyDeleteYeah for you and camp time! Finn wants to be like Dad now huh? Hey, nothing better than a nice smelling man!
Your yard looks great and glad to hear you had the weather to do it in! I try not to think about the flower beds. They are so neglected! Hey, I remember when you bought those flowers that needed deadheading. I can't believe they survived this long! ;)
With two 15 year olds, our house always smells like Axe. Oh well, I figure it is better than "Teenage Boy Funk", (as I like to call it). LOL!
ReplyDeleteI soooo loved 4-h camp when I was a girl! I hope the boys have great time.
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, they will only be gone til Sunday evening! Starting next year, Loch's old enough for the week-long camp :) There is nothing good in that stuff, that's for sure, aluminum, butane??? I think it will get "lost" on the way to camp :) I'll be spending the weekend dealing with the garden I'm sure.
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Ribbit, huh? Silence? LOL
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Megan, we are lucky in that Monticello is only a couple hours up the road, along with Joel Salatin's place, Polyface Farms - good weekend fun here!
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Thomas, LOL, yeah parenting is SO FUN! Luckily my front beds only need maintenance about twice a year, they are all evergreens on purpose!
APG, that's the funny thing, it ISN'T like Dad at all, daddy doesn't wear any of that garbage! Don't know where he got that idea! Isn't that funny about the flats? They were in super deep cells so hadn't become root bound yet. Although 6 weeks on the porch I found out what colors they were, the Marigolds were yellow and petunias purple - I had no idea LOL
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Lisa, gee I can't wait for the teenage boy funk to set in LOL! You are scaring me between that and all the milk and groceries I'm going to need! How is the weather in lovely Red Wing? I miss it soooooo much!
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Dani, I know, right? I want to sign up for an adult version of it - if I find one I'll let you know LOL
Oh I want to go to camp too! The boys will have a blast and at least Finn's pits will smell like "a**". LOL!
ReplyDeleteGlad it's cool enough for you to garden again. It's been cool and rainy here for the last couple of days so I'm not complaining.
brrrr...it must be freezing there.
ReplyDeleteYour beds look great!
In a strange way, Ryan and I have found it's easier, in a way, to take care of the kids solo. I don't know if it's just the KNOWING that you are going to do it all with no one to pick up the slack--or even notice the slack :). Then again, my hubby has never been deployed; I might be singing another tune THEN!
And I love camp, too!
Oh, that is too funny about Finn and his deodorant! Not being a tv watcher, is this an alluring commercial for a boy? Those pickles look good! That's too bad that your hubby can't go with you. You'd think he could give some "sons" time off, wouldn't you? But, then, a quiet night with a good book and a bottle of wine doesn't sound so bad.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a double break. Won't you enjoy your quiet?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got a break from those horrible temps. You got a lot done, and I smiled when I saw the topiary trees. I have one just outside the door that I just got done trimmiing into a "poodle" cut. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteCripes you get a lot done. Giving lessons on how to cram more in a day?? I'd sign up, with or without frosty beverages!!
:D
Camp is so great! For kids, and parents. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is SO HARD having kids clean up messes like that. If I'm going to do that I have to go away and not watch. :) So, congrats on a job well done, Mama!
I can relate to having your husband home but not home. With our business the seasonal residents of our county are our bread and butter, and summers are our busy time of year. We don't see much of the husband and father that lives here in June and July. :( It gets tough!
Grape leaves is such a good idea! I had no clue they keep it crisp. How awesome! And you can eat it too! I am thinking of making just pickled grape leaves if I get tremendous growth on our grapevines. I love stuffed grape leaves, it's delicious. PS, the cleaned up garden looks fabulous and what a steal on the flowers! Free is awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy friend just asked me on Friday if I knew how to keep pickles crisp! Of course, not ever having made pickles, I had no idea. But I will pass on that little piece of info about the grape leaves. Cant wait to see you guys!!!! Less than a week!!!!! We love camping and history.... just saying.
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