Catching up

 

We palyed outside everyday last week.  Here the boys are trying to push Jenna in a box.

 Making up games.

 I created this art center in the garage.

 Completed this dress.  And another one, but I'll show it later as part of a set.

 Beginning to reap rewards.

 Stained the porch--HUGE difference!

 Jake made it home, for 1 week.

 Popsicles before the 1st (very late) swim of the year.

 Proof I have 8 kids, but not a very good picture.

 Before church on Sunday.

Jake goes back to school today=(

Last Week's Frugal Finds

Love our new popsicle makers.  Under $10 with prime shipping on Amazon.  The handles are very sturdy.  They are a bit large for our kids, I am ordering more in a smaller size.  The price is less than the 4 boxes of the Aldi popsicles that we have already consumed this year. 

 Kristen wanted to go thrifting last week.  When your 21yo daughter wants to do something with you...you do not decline.  Funny, I am becoming cooler, and cooler in her book, the older she gets.
Or maybe she just wanted me to pay for her lunch, and spend my gas money--either way, I'll take it=)

 Waid is in heaven with the 2 new trucks we found.  The big one came with some megablocks and driver.  I was in heaven when he played outside with them for 4 hours straight, the next day.

 Easy Spirit--perhaps the homeliest shoes I own, but great for my feet, and like new for $7.  They will be worn at home, replacing cheap flip-flops...my feet are already thanking me.

 These artwork hangers were $3 each.  I will hang them in the upstairs playroom or hallway, low enough that each kid can have a clip, and switch out their own artwork.

 

 Magnetic Mosaid thingy---yes, we already have one.  It was the best $25 dollars I've ever spent, so I snatched up another for $1.98.

 Emmi is so excited about a huge scrapbooking binder we got, every other page is a plastic stencil, and the other pages show how to use them and give ideas. 

 We scored in the book department also.  Kids dictionary and atlases.  One still had a piece of tape and wrapping paper stuck to it, evidently someone was not thrilled with their Christmas present.
I got a whole stack of teacher resources, workbooks, and Explode the Code.  Several Abeka readers, and lots of historical fiction.

 Staying a season ahead.... several cute tops and sweaters for the girls.

10 pairs of PJ pants and leggings for winter PJ's.
A nice man approached me at Aldi recently.  He explained that, in memory of the Sandy Hook kids, he had committed to 26 random acts of kindness.  He asked me if we would accept $10 towards groceries or something for my kids.  OF COURSE I will!  So after dragging kids around to thrift stores, they were treated to Arby dollar shakes!, and everyone was a happy camper.

Long over due update

Remember the front door I lamented over last year, and HD took 3 special orders to get?

Did I ever show it to you?

 I don't think I did.  It may not seem like such an amazing door, but it was a special size....making it such a headache.  We ended up going with fiberglass, so I did not get to do the faux finish on it=(

BUT--This week I finally got around to doing the faux finish here!

                                                                   I am in love!!!

                                               Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, it makes me smile.

                    And so does the back door (still need to razor blade the edge of the glass).

 Found these cute -almost a perfect match- hooks last year for $20 each--I just couldn't stand to pay that.  Went back to the little store this week....they STILL had them, reduced to $10 each!!

 And my heart is singing!!!  This is the porch ceiling.  It's one of  those -either you love it, or hate it- things.  Emmi thinks it looks dirty;0.  I hope to have the porch rails and floor stained soon.

My final touch of the week...I got this metal decor thingy on sale from Ballard in 2001, when I could afford to buy a few things from Ballard.  It's ben in 3 dens since then, on the porch, and now on the fence.  I have gotten ever penny of my $50 out of it! 

I need to do more catch up blogging, but this has to be it for now.
BTW- Jake drove from Pensacola to Huntsville--as in TEXAS--today.  He has a job interview with the prison system on Monday, and then will be driving home for the rest of his 1 week summer break.

PhD's

Emmi took petals from the snowball bush, and strung them on a piece of pinestraw.

                                                            Then others had to do it.

 Emmi and her cherry trees.

 

 Waid found a clever way to drive the truck.  The bushes in the background are the ones that were badly hanging over the fence.

 Now for the PhD.  Years ago, DH got junk mail addressed to Dr. Hurley...because his initials are D and R.  I guess some type of computer program picked up the initials, and thought he was a doctor.
We've joked about it over the years, whenever someone is hurt, they go see Dr. Hurley,  Dr. Hurley diagnosed my fibromyalgia, and found the correct doctor to send me to, etc.

 After working on the fence the other day, we cleaned up the tools.  At supper, I remembered that the post hole digger was laying in a different part of the neighbors yard, so I asked him if he got the post hole digger.  He said, "after all these years as a doctor, now I have a PhD. "  It took me a minute--but I got it....he has a post hole digger.....funny guy.  Even without a doctorate, or PhD, he's one of the smartest guys I know=).  I am so blessed to have him!

Look what we did today...

Isn't that one of Barney's songs ?  Thankfully, I'm out of the loop when it comes to purple dinosaurs.

 I know that from across the yard, and up a flight of stairs, that looks like puny little piles...I assure you, they are not.  They represent over 5 hours of DH and I trimming trees and bushes, and kids pulling the stuff to the road.  Alot of it was our neighbor's hedge, which was encroaching on our yard by several feet.

 Remember last year when we took the fireplace out of the den....we purposely left the part of the chimney that was on the back porch........we interupt this program to show you the side yard fence completed after tree removal;  only 285 more feet to go.

 So here it is.... the pool equipment storage closet, in former chimney.

 LOOK-- we have beans!!!

 Two plants in this bed have beans on them...how do I know when to pick them??

 Right behind that bed is this one, and the compost bin behind that.  The compost bin is made from old fence boards and pallettes.

 And 2 more rows of beans coming up.

 Emmi and Avery made up a "marble" game, playing with berries of a nandina bush=)

Beautiful weather and lots of progress

Playground mulched--done.  We only have one more section of the "natural area" to mulch, a few more hours of bucket brigade.

 Pool uncovered--done.  Look what was in the plastic support cover thingy....unfortunately it had to be moved, no way around it.

 See the plastic thing, with the darker gray stipe?  Moma bird was going e under the top edge of the pool, and made her nest in a hollow space on the bottom side of the plastic piece.

 Hydroponics--done for tomatoes.  The PVC frame was not sturdy enough, so DH had to build a wooden table-like structure.   Lettuce hydroponics still in process.

 Over 40 potato plants happy and growing--done.

 Pole beans planted and strings ready for them--done.

 The view from my rocking chair (not that I have been sitting there), 4 lilacs will soon be blooming.

 I cut out 7 dresses last week!  One is done already....but 5 of them have to be pleated and smocked, so it will be a while before I can share the results.

Still to do.... install door  where old chimney was, to make storage for pool stuff.
Put permanant spindles on pool handrail.  Finish lettuce hydroponics.  Clean out garage.  Stain porch.
Pressure wash driveway.  By the time all of this gets done, along with all the regular stuff, we will hopefully be up to our eyeballs in tomatoes and beans=).