Sowing and Sawing

In typical ADD fashion, we started the weekend with one project in mind, which we started, only to get sidetracked by another project or two.  But really, those other two projects were things we needed to wrap up.  The first was the never ending treehouse project, which we almost got done. I will post about that once it is entirely finished (Or read about our weekend working on it here).

After spending all day Friday working on the treehouse we decided to quickly plant the garden--after all, we had bought the plants and had some we'd been growing from seed all ready to be planted.  So as the sun was setting we ran around our now neat and tidy garden boxes tilling up the earth and planting lettuce and broccoli, spinach and cauliflower, tomatoes and peppers, basil and pumpkins--to add to the other herbs, potatoes, onions, strawberries and blueberries already planted.

There was only one thing left to plant, but it required a little construction.

So Saturday we woke up bright and early and started building the second tuteur (the first of which we built two weeks ago). Here's a quick snap shot procession of the process:

I had planned on planting beans on one and snap peas on the other but the family asked for just snap peas.  I obliged, but I kind of wish I had done beans on one.  Fresh beans from the garden are yummy--but I planted bush beans last year and they didn't eat them well (of course, I didn't often remember to pick them before they were too big!).

I can't wait for all those lovely vegies to grow in.  I am particularly excited to see the vines creeping up the tuteurs.

What are you planting in your garden this year?

A Final Outdoor Push. . .Maybe.

Last weekend we spent four hours making our front drive look like this:

I only wish I had remembered to take a before picture. It used to have over grown, half dead rock rose and a mass amount of day lilies. I transplanted some of the day lilies. I wasn't in love with the idea that they spend half the summer growing in, then bloomed for a week or two, then spent another month dying out. I planted a clump of daffodils and a clump of. . .I forget. I guess I will be surprised it the spring. I think crocuses or something like that. ***Iwent and looked and they are Chionodoxa--mixed, so they will be various colors of purple, pink and white***

And we worked on the tree house during the week. Our whole day to work on the tree house somehow turned into less than two hours. I am still trying to figure that one out. I did start to paint it--yellow with white trim, but forgot to photograph the additional progress. It is supposed to be sunny this weekend so maybe, maybe, MAYBE, we will actually get it finished. Talk about a weekend project gone seriously awry. It's October for heaven's sake! Ah, well, it has a roof so they can play in it during the rainy months too, right?

Tree House Update

We have slowly been working on the tree house all summer in between vacations and yard work and general pandemonium. We are nearing completion. Which is good now that school is starting tomorrow. At least it has a roof, so they can still play in the rain! Here is the most recent pic of our progress. . .

Tree House Progress. . .

We have eeked out a little work on the tree house over the last week. We were gone over the fourth and got nothing done. But this weekend we will be working on the roof. I will keep you posted. Here is our current status. All four walls are up and a ladder/stair--which just encourages the kiddos to climb up. Yesterday it was all decorated with flowers my four year old picked in the yard. . and leaves pulled from the branches she and her friend could reach. We need solid walls and a rail double quick! Before we have a job site injury.

Tree House Update

We didn't get as far as we would have liked on the tree house this weekend. There is something entirely dissatisfying about spending hours pre-drilling and screwing the deck down. There is no big impact when you are done--at least not visually. And despite the fact that this little house on stilts likely wouldn't pass inspection, we are learning a lot from the project.

Oh yeah, I am looking good!

Because she is cute.

Mmmm. . .Dew--I mean, nice deck!Finally taking shape.

Siggy, looking sassy in her mismatched jams.

To Be Continued. . . .

Weekend Progress

I have always been a project-aholic. Not so much because I love the process (sometimes I hate the process) but because I love the result and the right to say, "We did that ourselves." But Saturday was such a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect - in the seventies. The air had a slightly humid softness to it that makes me cheery. I actually enjoyed working on the tree house. The girls kept coming out every half hour or so to see if we had made any discernible progress and Signe passed the time on one of her favorite spots - the swing. Signe has had a love of swings since she was about two. She spent hours on our neighbor's swing, sometimes just sitting there staring at the yard, not swinging. (I find this amusing because as a baby she HATED the baby swing).
This outfit was cuter before the Italian Ice got to it.

Anyway, here are pictures of our progress so far . . .

This last one is a view from the platform toward the house. We would have finished the decking, but we ran out of wood.

We had friends over for a BBQ last night and his first comment was, "I love how you made is out of sight from your house but quite visible to the neighbors!" Honestly, that was not my intent, but the spot was crying out for a playhouse/fort of some kind. Unfortunately, this is how it will sit for the rest of the week. I will post more progress next weekend.

A Room For Quiet . .

There has been a shocking lack of activity in the project department around here of late. But this weekend we plan to change all of that. We have decided to take on a fairly ambitious project that will, hopefully, bring me some quiet this summer. . .A tree house. In theory, the girls will love it so much they will live out there and my house will stay clean and quiet! I will let you know how that pans out.

In the meantime, here is a pic that resembles where we are going with this project. . .(minus the camo paint job).


And here is the spot we intend to work our magic.



It won't actually be built in a tree, just on posts about five feet off the ground, maybe six. But it's surrounded by trees and will give the illusion of being up in the trees once completed. . .we hope. And since we decided to do this instead of the Costco playground we are adding a slide out the side. And if Rob can work it out, a zip line.


Oh, we did do one little thing. We fixed the rope swing so it wouldn't spin. There is something idyllic about a good rope swing, from a tall tree, on a warm summer day.







If you have any suggestions let me know. (Although I have updated this site so infrequently I am not sure anyone is actually reading it anymore so I may just be talking to myself--but that's never stopped me before!)