today

The day started off with a trip to the dermatologist and then to the plant store to get seedlings for my garden.

Thankfully we had a $50 giftcard to this place, seedlings ain't cheap! I still spent another $15, then came home and bought some taller tomato cages on Amazon, and still need to buy some seeds. 

I am so pleased with this Viburnum plant. I planted it 3 years ago and it FINALLY bloomed! Last year it had great foliage growth, but not a single bloom. And this year it is covered. 

When August came home from school Jeanie wasn't feeling well so they all watched some Peppa Pig and ate some popcorn. 

I do not know what is going on lately in the neighborhood but there is seriously a cat infestation. I looked out in the afternoon and one cat was lounging on the porch, another cat appeared to be stalking up on that cat, and not pictured was our cat also on the porch closer to the door. I guess I don't totally mind, but sometimes they all fight and it's like just get along!!!

This girl. Trouble. I was making dinner and looked over to see her with the power cord for Doug's laptop being poked into her ear. So I put her in the penned up play area, and then when I look at her again she is eating dirt from a plant :( so the rest of the dinner was made holding this heavy girl.

After dinner this sweet babe still wasn't feeling good and fell asleep laying on my lap. We had a few precious minutes until little sister clamored all over us and woke her up. 

Doug and I worked in the garden boxes after the kids were down, weeding, and rototilling. We'd planned to pick up some free compost before we planted and Doug went to the place to pick it up. I assumed it was an open till dusk type place, but nope, open 8-4. So he'll try to get it on his lunchbreak tomorrow and then I can plant.

So, in the category of things I didn't think I'd be spending my free time on: sewing up my son's ugly cheap stuffed toys. 

There used to be a time when I could name who and what occasion stuffed animals were gifted to my kids. But sadly some cheap crap has been blended in somehow and of course it gets treasured and would be sorely missed should it get "misplaced". 

This guy is Mr. Pepper, origins unknown, and tonight I sewed up a big rip in his back. 

Uggglly. And I couldn't even get Senor Pepper to stick, so Mr. Pepper it is.

Can't wait to see him be excited about Mr. Pepper being fixed in the morning 💓

 

Life lately

It's felt really busy lately! 

We had a big project to take down a tree, and of course I can't find a better "before" picture, but that pine has been growing up into the maple for however many years and it was super bushy at the bottom and bugged me. (this pic is after Doug already cut all the bottom reachable limbs off)

So Doug's buddy and my dad came over and a neighbor we all worked to get it down, and then trim up the maple. Also rehomed my crazy forsythia (the pretty yellow one in the pic there) to my mom's house and cut down a lilac that died who-knows-why last year. 

After getting rid of all the brush and limbs and logs, the next goal was to clean up this "grove" area. So nearly every naptime and after kids in bed, before dark, night has been devoted to this task and it is exhausting. 

Also going on: fun with MagnaTiles

And this boy is doing a 7 week beginners soccer class. 

And planting fruit trees. Here's us pushing 3 trees to the Jeep and then thinking... hmmm... where shall we put these exactly?? 

Luckily we only live 3-ish, very slow, miles away as these babies rode on my lap and on the center console sticking out the sunroof on the way home. We got a lot of looks!

Progress picture of the grove with the brush/other small trees gone and hours and hours of roots and weeds hand cleared from the ground. 

Utilizing my last year's birthday present of my leaf hands!

So just went outside to water the fruit trees and saw a deer print in the ground. 

It went something like this:

oh hey, a deer print!

oh the prints are walking over to my apple tree...

wait a minute a bunch of the leaves and flowers are gone!!!

Doug, emergency! We need to perimeter the trees tonight!!

So Doug has been at our college ministry group and is stopping by Walmart on his way home at 10pm to get stakes and fishing line so he can work by headlamp-light to perimeter the trees. Sigh, such is the life of the "farmer" I guess.