52 in 1: WEEK 50 - mulch

Today we weeded the front beds and Ryan laid mulch. Kids ate popsicles, practiced cartwheels (after momma poorly modeled one for them as they looked on in awe), pretended to mow the lawn with daddy, and got reprimanded when they played too close to the street.

before

after

before

after

Happy day.

working outside with Mammie and Poppy

Brynlee had so much fun running around outside at my parents' house a few weekends ago. She loved helping Poppy rake and pick up sticks and picked flowers with Mammie.  (The little wheelbarrow pictured just slays me!  And makes me feel old because I clearly remember my brother receiving as a birthday present 20 years ago...)

All the while my little boo boo played inside and celebrated his 6 month birthday! How is he 6 months old already?!  He is just the easiest, happiest, sweetest baby.  Little love.

taking care of business

We FINALLY got our landscaping for the season done this past weekend, thanks to my mom and dad for the truckload of mulch! It made such an incredible difference.my little vegetable gardenRyan built this little sitting area in a matter of an hour or so, and that very night we got a fire pit and had a little campfire with Alyssa and Jason (who are HOME hopefully forever!)... and of course I put away at least 3 smores... I wonder why that baby weight is staying put?!Oh, I guess I lied, we aren't quite finished... I still need to plant the geraniums in the front and a couple of other annuals to add some color in the back garden.


Look who's 3 MONTHS OLD TODAY! She may not take more than a 25 minute nap, but she did sleep 8 1/2 hours last night... and she's darn cute!


Oh, and I am doing some major hair choppage tomorrow... I've been feeling so blah with all this extra weight and such and I need a major change. I may share pictures if you ask nicely. :)

tiny peppers

I like my garden. Just a little. *wink*

in the garden with the Kirnans

Many of you might now know this, but I started this blog (by request!) when we bought our house and started doing renovations. I wanted everything on here to be strictly about our progress and to be able to show family and friends who were interested what we've done without them having to come over all the time, especially since many don't live around here. Slowly, I started sharing things about what Ryan and I were doing and stuff, and now, well let's face it, this blog is no longer just about our "crib." So, all that to say, here are some long overdue updates on the house!!!

We've been wanting to get the backyard looking decent for awhile. We didn't really have much time to focus on the yard last summer, since we were working on the inside so much. This is what it looked like when we moved in...

Last summer after mom and I cleared some of the junk and dead stuff out...

We decided we really wanted a good sized garden back there. A few weekends ago, my mom and dad came out to help us plot out how big we wanted it. A few days later, they came out with a huge truckload of perennials and garden paraphernalia, including a birdbath, fountain, and garden seating! A few of the plants came from my mom's gardens, I bought a few, and some came from my mom's friend Laurie's gardens. Let's just say that we are BEYOND lucky that we didn't have to buy very much to plant!





Dad and Ryan fashioned a little raised bed so I could have a little vegetable garden too! Everything looks a little wilted and sad from the transplant, but I'm thinking that they will look better next year. We just have to see what survives. We can't thank you enough, mom & dad, for all your help and letting us "borrow" everything you did to make it look so good.


So not only did we get landscaping done, but my husband decided that he knew how to build a deck and that he would build one for us. So, mom and dad Kirnan came out (do you like how we implement slave labor with BOTH sides of the family? It works for us!) and dad K and Ryan built a deck in a day! Thanks to mom and dad K for all of your hard work too (and for letting me use the rototiller!!)!
(please don't mind the halfway painted house... we ran out of paint!!!) We still have a bunch of work to do, obviously, but it's a good start.


Now if you would excuse me, I must tend to my garden...

tag... just a tad overdue

Well, Spammon tagged me for this like a MONTH ago and I've been a very bad and busy friend and not posted. I apologize, Spam, and I also feel really bad about the whole making you cry thing... Linds told me, it's okay!


10 Years Ago - May 1998. I actually dug around in my basement and unearthed one of my old journals for this one. Wow. At 14, I was constantly "in love" with different boys, though they never knew it. I was absorbed in the drama of my church youth group and dreamed of becoming a singer. Two of my best friends moved away during this time and my crush brought his NEW GIRLFRIEND to youth group one fateful Wednesday night! Oh the TRAUMA! hee hee.


5 Things On My To Do List (all stuff that I wanted to do this weekend... but is NOT happening!)-

1. wash all of the windows
2. re-paint the chairs and bench on the patio
3. work on the front flowerbeds
4. organize the office, spare room, and basement (I want to cry just thinking about this)
5. laundry, clean, change the bed
How will I ever choose which fun activity to do first?! Hmm maybe if I got to work and quit writing posts and stalking blogs I would get stuff done...


5 Snacks I Enjoy -

1. string cheese
2. ice cream
3. any blended caramel coffee drink
4. goldfish (regular & pretzel)
5. grapefruit


5 Foods I Love -

1. pizza
2. pasta
3. chicken
4. mexican
5. Amy's burritos... I could eat them every day!


WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WERE SUDDENLY A BILLIONAIRE -

pay off debt, build a house, have like 7 kids!


5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED -

1. Alden, NY
2. North Chili, NY
3. Churchville, NY
4. Brighton, NY
5. A bit sheltered are we??!! (ps 2-4 are all within a 20 min stretch)


Favorite Quote -

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
-Helen Keller
*I know it's kinda cheesy, but it's always been my favorite quote!*


And I'll leave you with a shot of my current source of pride & joy...

signs of life

look closely...

I planted 45 bulbs this fall and I can't tell you how excited I am to see that they are actually coming up!