The Great Snowthing Of 2012

The day after the blizzard, the sunshine turned the heavy white blanket into the the kind of snow great things are made of.  :)  My guys looked at the picture on my fridge of The Great Snow Buggy my brother and I made when we were younger.  Then they decided it was their turn to carry the snow sculptor’s torch.

My two oldest boys began working together.

  The snowballs turned to snow boulders in no time! 

 

Greta, of course, got busy making landmines which we had to detour around, lol!  Some help she was!

 

Thankfully, my husband came over to help my oldest son lift the “head” into position.  At this point, they still weren’t sure what they wanted to make.

 

It just kind of evolved. :) A little packing here…a little carving there…and a whole lot of discussion.

 

With the fading daylight, the snow lost it’s magical packing quality and we had to call it finished.  Though we still couldn’t decide what exactly we had made, lol!

 

It was part lion, part dog, a little cat, and who knows what else.  Eventually, the boys began calling it Greta, lol!  My little guy loved riding on its back.  Of course!

 

Sadly, the warm weather and rain have taken their toll… Still, I love the green grass and warmer temps.  It makes walking our real dog SO much nicer!!  Lol!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Restocking Our Woodshed

Over the weekend, we cut down a couple dead trees like this one.  Thankfully, they fell where we wanted them and no one got hurt. 

Not that we aren’t hurting now, lol!  Rolling those enormous logs onto the loader was back-breaking work! 

The boys were such a big help, though!  When did they get to be so big and strong?!    Watching them manhandle these logs was kind of a mixed bag for me.  I’m thankful for the young men they becoming.  And yet, I hate saying goodbye to their little boy years.  Do you know what I mean? 

Sigh.  Here’s to hoping my youngest son grows (very) slowly, lol!

The picture above is straight out of my cell phone, by the way. Look at how blue the sky was!  You just couldn’t ask for nicer weather to be outside.  It was shorts and t-shirt warm!

By Sunday evening, we had amassed a pile of wood that we hope will last us all winter. 

That’s my Hubby back by the pond.  :) 

Now we can focus on splitting it—a job in itself!  I’m guessing that one or two of these logs will heat our home for a whole day.  :) 

Considering we heat our home with wood, it’s a wonderful feeling to be that much closer to filling the woodshed. 

Especially since yesterday looked like this…

Talk about weather shock! 

Are you ready for the winter months?? 

Summer Fun At The Pond!

This past weekend, we hosted a campout for the junior high youth group back by the pond.  It was a beautiful weekend and we had a great turnout!  There was soccer, of course, dodge ball, capture the flag, and apparently prank calls going out somewhere between 2 and 4 am.  Yikes!  Crazy kids!

Here are three things I learned:

1. Boys can giggle like girls.  But it gets really quiet when a pack of coyotes starts howling in the adjacent field!  Lol!
2. No one within earshot should expect to get ANY sleep.
3. A pound of bacon, a pound of sausage, 1 1/2 dozen eggs, 4 loaves of zucchini bread, 2 boxes of cereal, and 4 pounds of bananas are only enough for breakfast if you supplement it with everything not tied down in the fridge and pantry.

No doubt the guys will have stories to tell for years to come!

* * *

We’ve also been doing some fishing.  It’s super nice of our neighbor to let us use the pond whenever we like.  On this particular afternoon, catfish and bass were biting.   The kids were using what my mom always gave me when I was going fishing, leftover pieces of hotdog!  Works every time!

Another neighbor busted his line trying to bring in a 2 foot carp.  The bobber now trails around the pond and occasionally submerges--while the kids chant the music to Jaws.  True story!  Lol!  No one has been able to catch it again to remove the hook and line.

The boys have also been swimming in the pond.  NOT me, though.  Ugh-uh.  Not a chance!  Not with things in the water you can’t see!!! 

It’s a pretty spot, though!  I’m happy just to sit and watch.  :)

They took the kayak out, too.  Notice big brother being “nice” and giving the little guy a shower.  It came full circle though when the water he flooded the kayak with ran back and soaked his towel!  Lol!  Boys!!!

I was impressed with how quickly they picked up the skill of rowing, especially the little guy.  This was the first time he was actually big enough to man an oar.

We found the little raft below in one of the storage compartments in the camper we bought.  That’s what the boys REALLY wanted to try out when we headed back to the pond.  It came with a set of pedal paddles.  That part didn’t work, but it was still fun to float around on!

Have you ever swam in a pond??  Our neighbor actually put a beach area in, so as long as you use the beach to exit, it’s not too muddy.  

Still.  You won’t catch me in that water!  Not with Jaws swimming around!

We leave on vacation very soon!  I’ll try to get some pictures posted of things we added to the camper before we go.

If you have swam in a pond, I want to hear about it!

Tulip Tree Scale Bugs: Making A Mess!

I can only hope that where you live, your poplar trees are not infected with these bugs!  Here in Indiana, our mild winter has allowed the tree scale bug population to explode.  These tiny bugs attach to twigs where they suck out the sap and cause a sticky rain to coat everything beneath its canopy in a sticky gross mess!   If you walk beneath the trees, it literally feels like it is raining!

When the boys come in from playing soccer, their shoes are black and sticky.  Their legs are black and sticky.  The ball is black and sticky.  And the puppy, who likes to play along, needs a bath BIG TIME!! 

The sticky rain is called honey dew—though there is nothing sweet about the mess it is making everywhere!!! 

The stressed trees put out fewer leaves and a sooty mold begins to cover the sticky stuff secreted by the bugs—on the trees, on the vegetation beneath, …on everything.   The trees will likely die if left untreated. 

I’ve read that one way to treat them is to spray the entire tree with a tree-friendly oil that coats the immobile bugs and smothers them.  Unfortunately, that’s something that can cost BIG bucks (PER TREE) to do properly because you need the tall equipment to reach the tops.  :( We have way too many trees to even consider this.

I’ve also read that systemic insecticides might be effective applied in the fall.  But that doesn’t help us now.  I don’t claim to be a tree expert.  If the bugs are in your area, you’ll want to do your own research.  But if you know of something we can do to combat this that won’t cost an arm and a leg, please share about it!

Sadly, we’ve had to take a number of the worst trees down.   

Cleanup on these things was one of the worst jobs ever!  The gooey sticky branches and their gooey sticky leaves stuck to our hands, arms, legs and clothes.  They stuck to the tractors, wagons, rakes and wheels.  It was hysterical to hear the leaves flapping round and round on the tires as the kids drove the wagonloads of branches to the burn pile. 

I didn’t dare bring my camera out for that part.  The sticky would have coated that as well!  But it was a sight!  Trust me!

A neighbor who came by to help fell the trees didn’t stick around for the clean up.  He laughed and said he hated to run (yeah, right!).  He had a craving for pancakes and syrup! Lol! 

That is exactly the kind of sticky that covered everything!!

By the time we were done, we had to strip in the garage and take our black sticky selves straight to the showers.

We now have several HUGE brush piles.  I guess at some point we’ll have to divide them up and burn them a little at a time.

The sad part is, we will miss their shade until we can grow some replacements. 

The even sadder part is that we still have a number of trees we need to take down.   I can’t even tell you how much I am NOT looking forward to THAT!

A Photo Journal Of My Porch and Deck Projects

If you’ve known me long, you know that when we added the two porches to our sunroom, it was a hurried thing.  After a hail storm damaged our roof, the insurance company agreed to replace it and we had a limited time to get the work done. We had always wanted to add a porch and felt it made sense to go ahead and do it before the roof was replaced.  That way, everything would match.   

It wasn’t an expenditure we had planned on.  It just felt like it was now or never. 

So we built just what had to be done to get it under roof.  We left many of the finishing details, like wiring, steps, lights, etc. undone.  Which is fine.  We’re still kind of thinking about what we want to do.

That said, we have been doing little things to both maintain our investment, and make it more enjoyable while we think.

Back Deck

Last week I finally got around to staining the decks.  I’m not real happy with the color.  But at least the wood is protected.   I can always go darker next time.  From a distance, though, it looks ok.  :)

We looked at several options for a deck skirt.  In the end, I went with something unconventional and really pretty inexpensive. 

I bought several screen-replacement rolls from Wal-Mart.  After I unrolled each screen, I cut them in half long-wise.  Then I stapled one side of each strip to the bottom edge of the face boards, and tucked the other side under the mulch.  Does that make sense?

I like that it inconspicuously keeps out leaves and critters and takes NO upkeep.

As for steps, we set a few 2x6’s on cinder blocks.

I know, it’s kind of hokey, and I just noticed they aren’t even level, lol!  But, remember, it’s a temporary fix while we think.

When I stained the deck, I added a light coat to the steps—which helped.  A little.

A few more hosta plants, too.  :)

As for the very back side of the deck, what a mess!  I wasn’t at all sure what to do with it.  But it felt like we needed some sort of steps on that side, too.  Last year, we used a giant log among other things as a stepping off point.  However, it stuck out too far for me to get between it and a nearby tree with my mower.  So I set out to change it around this spring.

My teenage sons and I moved the giant log to the back of the deck--closer to the house--and added a few more cinderblock steps in a gentle curve. 

 

Then, in place of that big log we had up front, I arranged a tidy and more compact set of three cinder blocks.  Finally, we added some plantings along the edge of the deck, and I stained everything that showed, lol! 

It will do for now!  I know steps wouldn’t cost that much to build.  It’s just that we aren’t sure yet where we want to put them, yet.  We are hoping that having various places to go up and down will help us decide where we would use steps the most. 

Side Porch

I also stained the side porch, along with the old set of green stairs we are making do with.

I guess it helped to tie things together.  Remember, it’s all just to make it look as nice as we can until we decide how we want to finish things out. :)

I still need to add the screen deck skirt to the bottom of this porch.  Until I do, I’m using the white gate and a couple ratty boards to keep the puppy from dragging everything we own underneath it. 

Ask me how I know she would do that.  (I’ll be getting another roll of screen very soon!)

Cushions

The last “deck” job I tackled over the last few weeks involved my 17 year old chair cushions.  I hated to pitch them because they are larger, more comfortable and much more durable than the expensive replacements you get these days.  The cushions are covered with a vinyl-like mesh that is easy to rinse clean.  However, the colors just weren’t working for me.

So a few cans of spray paint later, my chairs have a whole new look!  I really like how they came out! And something I learned in the process?  The can of paint that costs more but says it will paint twice as much as the cheap-o cans?  

In a scientific experiment my husband would be proud of, I determined that it took two full cheap-o cans to adequately cover one cushion.  While the more expensive can literally covered four cushions beautifully!  From now on, I will be buying the better paint!

Well, that about covers my little deck projects.

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about a whole ‘nother job that was both sad and gross--all at the same time. 

A Few Of My Latest Projects

The month of May, it seems, is giving November and December a run for the money concerning which month of the year can be the busiest! 

I thought it would be fun this week to show you some of the things  I’ve been doing.  Since it’s obvious I’m not on the computer very much!  :)

One of my favorite parts of spring is playing in the dirt.  And coaxing my wintered-over-and-sadly-straggly annuals back to life. 

These impatiens are just starting to look nice again.

I gave in and bought a few wave petunias, this year.  I just couldn’t resist the pretty colors!  

I even planted a few herbs which a friend from church gave me.  They are in the bottom left pot.  Don’t ask me what they are—I forget already!!  lol!  But I was told they would be good in my homemade tomato sauce! 

Most of the plants are still pretty tiny, but I think they are coming along nicely.  The soccer shoes are a nice touch, too, don’t you think?

I actually have several collections of flower pots like this one around the house.  (You can’t have too many flowers!)

Then, in the side yard, I have my vegetable garden. 

This is where I have been spending the bulk of my time.  Knowing we’ll be going on vacation in a few weeks, I wanted to get things well established.

Do you ever use grass clippings on your garden?  This year, I’m giving it a try.  It’s time consuming to gather and spread them.  But, so far, the plants seem to be liking their grassy blanket!  And the weeds are having a tougher time taking hold.

Tomorrow I’ll show you a project that wasn’t as much fun as playing in dirt and watching things grow.

***

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day!  And to those of you who have served in our military, or have loved ones who have served, thank you!  We appreciate all you have done, and all you have sacrificed!

DIY Soccer Wall/Goal For Kicking Practice: Our New Design

This spring, my boys outgrew the simple ready-made soccer kicking wall (pictured below) which I put up for them in 2009.  Three years of growth and LOTS of training were bound to make their kicks more powerful.   But when they started blasting holes in it for fun, I decided it was time to replace it!  Lol!  You see those holes?  (And you thought I was kidding, didn’t you?)
We thought about buying a portable rebound net/wall.  But if we left them out, the elements would take their toll on the net and poles and we would be looking for a replacement (again) in a year or two.  Plus, we already knew how much fun it was to kick against my trial wall, and we were happy with the three years it gave us.
Long story short, we decided to build a wall. 
Our Supply List:

• six bags of cement
• three 4x4x8 treated posts (edited 6-9-14)
• Fifteen 1x6x10 treated decking boards  (13 to make the face of a six foot high wall, and a couple spares)

We figured if the boys were old enough to blast holes in the old wall, they were old enough to do most of the work for the new one.  Right?
While my hubby and I went for supplies, they did an awesome job digging the three post holes.  Each needed to be 24 inches deep and roughly 18 inches in diameter.   
When we got home, they helped set each post in its hole, mix the concrete, and brace them in line, making sure to keep them plum.
After the concrete was set, they removed the braces and attached the decking boards.  It wasn’t hard.  They just had to make sure the first board was level.  The rest went up easy!
Using galvanized screws is a good idea, and making sure the screws are set below the surface of the wood is very important.  Otherwise, the balls could be damaged.
I was really proud of them for the job they did. 

They had the face of the kicking wall up in no time, and even mulched around the base.
Once it was up, they tested it out and decided it needed a little more bracing on the back. 
We found enough old 2x4s and 2x3s laying around to add a 6 foot vertical brace to each edge, plus one between each 4x4 post. 
Holding the brace in place from the back, someone screwed the face boards to it from the front.  The added braces firmed up and flattened out the kicking surface very nicely.  The boys even sanded the edges.  :)

The extra deck board on the top is mainly just to protect the tops of the posts. 
The new wall was up and in use within a week of removing the old one.  If you look closely, you’ll see they added targets to the corners using sidewalk chalk. 
I really recommend something like this for every little soccer player.   My boys are out there every single day.  It can be a lot of fun whether you have just one player, or a dozen.  It’s also great to practice on whether you are a beginner, or a veteran.   
When we scrimmage, we use our portable second-hand soccer net (you can see it in the sixth picture) as the other goal .  Depending on the age of the players, we can adjust the field length by moving it closer or father away.
Incidentally,  the wall doubles nicely as a backyard backstop for the occasional neighborhood baseball game.  :)
This will no doubt be the last soccer practice wall we will have to build. 
If they start kicking holes in this one, their future in pro-soccer will no doubt enable them to afford much better systems…on their own estates!  Lol!

Anyone Know Where Dad Is?

Last night, my husband went outside after an unusually long day at work to see what he could do with a flat tire on the tractor. It wasn’t too long before I heard him mowing. 

That is only unusual if you consider It was almost 9 pm, spritzing, totally dark outside, and I assumed he was hungry since he missed dinner.  (I’m ignoring the fact spell check has a problem with spritzing.) 

Eventually, the tractor noise stopped, and I thought for sure he would be in for the dinner which was fast becoming something only our kitties would eat.  But still, he didn’t come.  So I grabbed a flashlight and headed out to see what was keeping him. 

Lucky for me, I found him right away, Lol!  How could anyone miss him?  Apparently, he thought it was a good night to light off the dried ornamental grass and stick pile we had gathered.

Do you see him?  Look in the lower left corner.  He’s actually looking at his cell phone.  He told me later he was checking the radar to see what happened to the rain he thought was coming.  He cracks me up!

The area around the bonfire is a lot more open than the picture suggests.  But still, we like to have rain baring down on us when we light it off.

And this picture was taken after the fire had died down a bunch.  For the first 10 minutes, all my sons and I could do was stand on the porch and watch the 30 foot flames light up the neighborhood.  Something my boys found exciting and awesome!  But something that had me calculating whether or not we had enough garden hose to reach the inferno.

It probably should be said, that while I totally trust my husband’s judgment, there are times I would much prefer NOT to know what he is doing until it is all over.  Can I hear an AMEN out there??  Lol!  I freely admit I am about the exact opposite of a risk taker. 

Have a great weekend, friends!

By way of reminder:  I have one lonely entry so far in my giveaway for the children’s book.  One is all I need, and it is certainly better than 0.  But still, the more the merrier, right??  Lol!

Name-That-Critter Contest!

For more than a week (just ask my muscles), we’ve been raking out flower beds and releasing spring blooms from their winter blanket of leaves.  Although I have been enjoying the early spring, the critters I’ve uncovered are less than thrilled!  Lol!

Which brings me to my contest! There is absolutely no prize for this.  Just the satisfaction of knowing more than me!! :)

Since I had my cell phone on my hip, (and didn’t lose it in the leaves, Yay!) I was able to photograph some of the sleepy critters I found.

First you have to find them!  Then, see if you can name them!  See how many you know!  Keep in mind we live in Indiana.

1.

2.  This one is really different!

3.  Bet you can’t find the next one!  Lol!

4.  Or this one!

5. This one was the hardest for my boys to find.

6.  For the last picture, I didn’t see the critter, but I saw what it left behind in the tall grass.  I have a pretty good idea what he looked like, though!  :)

What??  You don’t see it?  Look down into the grass.

That’s a mighty large egg!!  Lol!

Hope you find some sunshine today!

What?  Did you think I would list the names of all these critters at the bottom for you?  The best I would be able to do is…cold salamander, strange frog, big beetle, etc.!  I wasn’t kidding when I said you would know more than me if you could name them!!