these shoes need a rest...

Whew! We're beat! Relax is the word for today. See you in September!

resistance...

N-i-c-h-o-l-a-s..., I



SAID



DON'T



PLAY



IN

MY SANDPILE!

Resistance does not pay off!

persistence pays off...

Big grin! :-)

persistence...

In between the raindrops, this is what Rick is doing.



and, to stay out of the way, but keep him company, this is what I've been doing.



Doesn't look like much in either picture -- but it's time consuming -- especially when the weather is not on your side.

quick update...

We ended at 4:30.

Too tired to write.

More tomorrow.

Click here for a BEFORE picture.

morning workout...

This is what arrived in the little dump truck at about 7:30 this morning! I just shoveled 2 wheelbarrows full and took them to the backyard. I asked for "permission" to take a picture break of the full pile. I forgot to take a picture of the full 7 ton pile of stone aggregate -- that pile was about 3 times the size of this one -- you can see what's left of it behind the new pile of sand. My favorite shovel in the picture is about 4 1/2 feet in height. Today is a perfect day for working on the patio. Temps are in the 70's and we have a cloud cover and gentle breeze. Cross your fingers it doesn't rain on us. I'll get back to you later with pictures of the patio...after my workout! :-)

I could use a rainbow...

...to chase away the pre-school blahs. I know I'm not the only one. Sofia is having her moments too. The guys -- well they are too busy planning their end of summer golfing. I'm feeling like we should crowd in as much quality family time as possible. I had better get busy planning -- that will chase away the blahs (at least the Monday ones!)

roped and tied...

Yesterday, while "waiting" for the thunderstorms to reach us, we began our end of summer organizing. These were some of the first things to be rustled up...



...and taken off to the clothing drop. D'ya think someone has alot of shoes? We didn't even make a dent in the pile -- we already have suitable replacements for each pair here.

Oh, what's up with the yarn? Just making sure the pairs stay together...

hotter than...

...well, you get the idea!

ready, set, salad...

Tomatoes from the garden and a little cheese. Even Nicholas thinks it smells good!

whew, these dog days tire me out...

It's HOT here! We've had the air conditioner running for days non-stop. The kids have been in the pool non-stop. We've been shopping for school supplies non-stop. We've been working on the patio non-stop.



Not a dull moment in sight...yet!

another view...

...and while I am enjoying the new view of the backyard, Sofia is not missing a beat -- she is busy designing more of the details...





Hmmmm...let's see what she comes up with for us! :-)

the view from here...

We were able to sit on the concrete decking this morning and enjoy the shade and a different view of our backyard. That line in the middle of the foundation for the garage is where the slope began for the grading of the backyard before we installed the pool. I hated (strong word) that slope from when I first saw it -- before we even moved to this house. It is finally gone, forever! Even without the small details being finished, the backyard is starting to work for us. I feel a happy dance coming on!

$4,000 workout...

If you have this, and...



... the concrete guy wants to charge you $4,000 to put in the pavers that you already have, but, you don't have $4,000 to give the concrete guy to install the pavers that you already have, then...

Take this...

+ 4 hours of this...



+ SEVEN TONS of this, and...



You get this!



We are pooped! :-)

I'll take the supersize...

shovel...



...and, a rock (freshly dug up by the big shovel)



Yes, we're digging up the backyard again. Moving dirt, and pavers, from hither to thither -- that's our favorite thing to do. The fence guy just arrived -- so the fence will be finished today.

Hey, could you throw a few supersize dull moments in with that order?

anticipating an arrival...

Our next door neighbors are patiently waiting for their baby to be born. While they are busy with the chaos of last minute preparations, I am trying to finish this baby block to go along with the blanket I completed last month after a pre-term false labor episode. So, today, is the actual due date. There were some mild contractions going on yesterday, but, as of dinnertime last night -- no baby. I want to applique the initial of the baby's first name on the brown gingham block -- and, I can't do that until...waaaaaa!

5 minutes...

After intermittent tears throughout the day, Sofia has settled down about yesterday morning's tragedy. We buried the little bunny next to the azalea bush in our yard. Sofia thought it inappropriate for the grave to go unmarked -- so this morning she created this endearing little "headstone" from a rock.

In red pen she wrote:

Little Bunny Foo Foo
Birth: ?
Date of Death: August 12, 2009

Her "art" is the outlet for her very deep emotions. It is more than the bunny that affected her yesterday -- she only saw the bunny for about 5 minutes while it was alive. But the fact that it was a little life that had chosen to visit her and made her giggle for that 5 minutes was very important to her. Now it is gone and she can't get it back.

So today, take 5 minutes, and make them important. You'll never have those 5 minutes again.

sad morning...

Here is a picture of the baby bunny that has been living in our yard for the past few days.



Early this morning, we found it... dead. It looked like the death was due to natural causes.

Goodbye, little bunny foo foo.

not far now...

Look at what landed on our lawn this morning! :-)

Wow!

Look at this!

Make sure you click on the picture to get the full effect! The wingspan on this beauty is 4" - 4 1/2".

good morning muffins...

I love this part of the summer. Things are winding down and everyone seems a bit more laid back. The weather here is gorgeous today -- low humidity, bright blue skies, and the scent of freshly baked corn muffins floating by as I type this...

I was able to purchase more of the lovely, ripe peaches (from the supermarket) that so inspired me last week. I think we will take a ride over to one of the local farms this weekend and see what they have -- so I can stock up a bit more.

The pool crew was here early this morning to put the finishing touches on the pool part of the backyard project. They installed the ladder and railing on the steps.

The fence guy will be here on Monday so this weekend we'll be doing some prep work for that, and hopefully fit in something fun to do too!

lions and tigers and ...

...what in heaven's name is this contender for the Biggest Loser tv show? We spied him a couple of months ago, and I haven't seen him again until now. Apparently the pickin's are plentiful over there in the conservation area!

concrete love...

As promised, here is a picture showing the texture of the finished concrete decking around the pool.




We all like the way it turned out. It looks more like stone than concrete -- and, as I remember someone saying -- it's really nice to be able to sit at the edge of the pool and put our feet in!

catching up...

Well, Sofia's front tooth finally popped through the gum -- after over a year. She keeps trying to make the goofy face she's been making since she lost the tooth, but, it doesn't have the same effect now. Thank goodness, I was tired of "little miss hee haw".

Nicholas has been asking me to cut his hair for the past two weeks. Today was the day. It took me an hour to "mow" through the mop on his head. My poor little haircutting finger has a blood blister from the torturous event. Ouchie me -- handsome Nicholas! :-)



Oh, and yes -- this was the only time they were nice to each other all day. So they were absolutely NOT best friends today -- but as you can see -- they love each other even on their worst days.

finally...

Concrete!



I cannot believe that these guys were scheduled to show up on one of the very few days without a thunderstorm in the forecast. Hooray!

This came out really nice -- I will post a better photo during the week. We can now move on to the pavers. Yippee!

For anyone who is keeping track of this part of the project, it has been a sore spot for us because of the scheduling -- it was supposed to be finished on or before July 24 -- but I think because of the terrible weather we've had, the delay worked to our advantage and today was a perfect day to pour some concrete!

golf camp...

Happy August 1st! Can you believe that summer vacation is half over already? I can't. Nicholas attended golf camp for the last week of July -- and he had a good time. He took the lessons seriously, and, would only wear a collared shirt as part of his attire. He attended the morning class, so the heat, humidity, and, thunderstorms were not a major issue.

A new pool, learning to play guitar, golf lessons -- so far sounds like a pretty good summer vacation, right?