Want to see what’s growing (besides me) ?
You have to go over that way, but if you pull up plants they put you in the swing… so watch out!
Hey, its supposed to be my turn! 
Sometimes its hard being the baby,
Now, that’s more like it!
Bye! Can you come play again tomorrow?
Did I say its Hot? 7pm & its still 88 degrees, 92% humidity. I weeded for about an hour and am ready to fall over. Its so sticky & humid you feel like your breathing in air mud. I came inside…call me a wimp if you want. The tomato plants are LOVING the humidity. Some are waist high others are thigh high & I’m 5’9. Loads of blossoms so we should have plenty of tomato sauce this year. I made spaghetti for supper and noticed I only have 4 quarts left on the shelf so its just in time.
The green beans I replanted are also loaded with blooms and others have beans growing. The weeds had been trying to take over so, when the neighbor was kind enough to mow the kneed high grass in his field….. I was kind enough to rake a bunch of it & do a bit of lasagna mulching. We won’t talk about the 2 ft snake I killed. Not sure what kind, black with silver stripes…I wouldn’t have killed him if he hadn’t of startled me enough I almost wet my pants. Taught me to look at what I’m raking a bit more closely thought!
Mr Fix~It and his Dad are outside hanging more siding. We decided to save the last few pieces we’d removed for repairs in other parts of the house. We can’t purchase the exact same pattern any more. I’d rather have one wall a tad different & use the salvaged for repairs that will match.
Erika had a visit with a plastic surgeon yesterday (Friday). She’s not vain but neither does she want a huge scar on her face. He said she’s healing nicely (which we knew) but there is no damage to her gums or jaw. The swelling has gone down considerably, her lips are a wonderful shade of green, lime green, pink, blue & purple…..I told her I wanted the photo to create a new colorway….she didn’t think it was very funny. Well, you have to make lemonade right?
Isn’t that a lovely shade of green? Almost matches her eyes.
The puncture marks show on her bottom lip now, she’s lucky the teeth did not go all the way through or her bottom lip would look like her top lip. But inside? Its all still mush. She’s eating with a straw & cant move her top lip. The looks people give her are something. Much rather they came up and asked instead of staring. She said the surgeon made comment this is the type of injury he see’s with abused women & if he hadn’t seen the puncture wounds they would be having a looooong talk…Now, she wants to carry a sign that’s says, “No, My husband didn’t beat me, it’s a dog bite!”
OK, I’ve stalled long enough, back outside & breathing air mud.
Progress little bits at a time. We had all the windows in when Rachel Adam & Hayden came up to help last weekend. Building inspector said we’re good to go!
Besides having a great visit it was wonderful having the extra hands to help/do the grunt work. So, while Mr.Fix~It was at work, we pulled the exterior siding that was now “inside”. It would have been nice to have it all pulled prior to placing the exterior walls but, we knew they would be exposed longer than would be wise.
This is the exterior wall to the family room….the coldest room in the house. Even though there are plenty of heat/air ducts we’ve always needed little electric heaters to not freeze. The computer is in this corner and your fingers would be numb before long so, I was anxious to see what was behind this wall. 
Will you look at that! No weather board. Interior drywall insulation & exterior siding is all there was! 
By the end of the weekend, we had the exterior finished on the front of the house
We have yet to find the window we want for the bathroom but know we have to do something to balance out that big blah spot on the front.
Monday we had the first section of the side covered & needed to stop for yard & garden work.
I’m not at all frustrated with our progress, we’ve been working our rears off with a “gotta do” list that seems to grow every day. I know we’ve made a LOT of progress. I’m looking forward to get to the point where the list of “what’s next” is smaller than what’s been done. But that will be a while yet I know having only a few hours through the week and Sundays to work at this point. 80+ temps with 80-90% humidity sure doesn't help any!
My Father in Law has been cleaning out the barn & look what he found! A big lot of canning jars. They need a good cleaning and will be put to good use!
There is even an old blue jar. I’ll be saving that one for sure!
Erika, Chris, Isaiah & Evelyn had a few days away at Patoka Lake with Chris’s family. They were having a great time swimming
& playing
A bit of napping
And preparing to go home….
Chris’s parents dog for some reason “snapped” when she pet it good bye
This is the result……
Don’t look if you have a bad tummy
He tore her lip half off and it was hanging!
They immediately left for the hospital, & got lost in the dark.. They were able to flag down a state trouper or hwy patrol (we’re trying to find out who it was to thank him!) who escorted them to waiting staff & plastic surgeon at the hospital in Jasper Indiana
The E.R. staff was fantastic, helped them with the kids and could not have provided better assistance
This is the next morning…her entire face is swollen, puncture/tear through the top lip into the inside bottom lip. Her gums are purple….her nose they thought was broken but its not….she’s a mess…kids scared. Chris, bless his heart held it together and did what was needed…. stayed calm on the outside and freaking out on the inside.
Me? I want to shoot the dog.
She sees a local plastic surgeon tomorrow.
Yes, it was a Memorial Day Weekend to remember
I love my flower gardens, the weeding mulching and separating. So rewarding to watch them mature year by year. I keep promising myself a bench of some sort but have yet to make the purchase. I generally have them under control by the time the veggie garden is started but, This year with our early spring they’ve gotten out of control.
So, as an incentive for myself to get them cleaned up I’m making that frivolous purchase!
As I’ve been working I’ve been trying to define exactly what I want because ….well, I’m going to have to look at it for years….
This is my list of “must’s”…
1. Portable so it can easily be moved about…nothing to heavy
2. a classic style
3. sturdy enough to hold up for years
4. a style that will be fun and functional …one I have the option of painting bright and bold or, soft and elegant…( *snort* elegant…as if in my garden)
I’ve found concrete, wood, iron, stone and plastic seating with prices from the flimsy $30.00 to sticker shock of $3,000. 00
But, I’ve found my seating, one that fits all my requirements
Want to see a photo of it?
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Are you sure?
You know your going to want one too…
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I might even pick up 2-3 to have on hand when you stop by!
More progress! The vapor barrier is up on part of the addition. We’re had intended to do it all but wanted to get windows placed in my room tonight and that called for a trip to Lowes. Hardware/home stores/feed stores in this family are second only to the Holy Land….(OK, possibly an archery store, craft store and yarn shop are some where in-between but you know what I mean). If the sales staff didn’t have such a high turnover we would be on first name basis, planning BBQ’s and swapping kid photos. Anyway, watching for sales and deals we’ve slowly been buying what we need for the addition. Other than that purchasing only when we need it. Its saved us bundles, not just the sales we have found but storing the materials during construction.
Well, Last night we hooked up the trailer & went for windows, we’d priced everything, we knew what we wanted & knew they were in stock…WRONG! Indiana has just joined the energy conservation rebate system and there is a a change over in the “quality” of windows (as in changed the wording on the packaging and UPC code )….so contractors have bought out the existing windows at a reduced price. We were able to get 2 of the 6 needed. 
At this point were hoping to locate more windows, get them installed tonight & have the building inspector here tomorrow. Other than that, we’re looking ahead for a 3 day weekend and at a standstill to move forward in construction.
While at Lowes I picked up a bag of potting soil…we’ve used all the good soil we have in the garden & my compost isn’t quite ready to use so of course I had to enter the “Garden Center” (insert theatrical music here)…and headed to the back where the clearance section ie. half dead plants are. Or ,the unloved, un-watered and abused plants are ………..right away, 2 berry plants jumped on my trolley. A Black and Blueberry both with good strong stems & full foliage but drooping badly 
and my $7.00 tray of flowers,(retail over $50.00) Calla Lilies that are to be separated, and about a dozen other plants for potting. Everything looked half dead & was laying over drooping simply from lack of water.
Weeded all morning and having a cool drink (darn, the wine coolers are warm) & lunch before I melt.
Have a great day!
It’s the time of year where you feel as though you live in the garden.
I’m finding new shoots of plants I thought were rained out! Carrots so delicate and fragile in appearance are sprouting and looking good. I thought I would need to re sew them! Planting more peas today as nearly all was lost in the last flood of rain. These 2 little clumps are all that made it
Container potatoes have been planted (late I know) and are sprouting! My first time with containers and potato’s so I’m very pleased to see the tips of green. One more bucket to plant today.
The squash I planted in my version on the Earth box’s are about 4 inches tall and look thick & lush,
The potted & hanging tomato’s 
18 Tomato plants in the garden recovering from all the rain, just starting to take off. Mostly Roma’s…I can smell the sauce now!
I have melon coming up in my green beans. Although the garden doesn’t hold water, all I can figure is we had so much rain in such a short period of time it floated the seeds over. Transplanted they seem to be doing well.
Although there is a bit (quite a bit) of replanting to be done, I’m pleased with the growth so far.
I wrote most of this this morning. 2 more buckets with potato’s are done & chives are replanted. After spending quite a bit of time weeding today, I found 3 more melons growing amid the beans along with my missing tomato plants! I thought they had withered away or rotted with all the rain. Nope, they were cuddling with the green beans! The Hussy’s!
Have to transplant them tomorrow & replant the peas…so now what do I do with all the seeds I have starting in pots to replace them! I think Mr Fix~it would have a cow if I even mention more garden space. Think I’ll look into more tubs!
Gotta love it!
The outer walls are up! DH had one or 2 boards on before I was even up. He’s an early riser, as in “Oh God thirty” in the morning.
I was sucking down my first cup of coffee trying to figure how he handled the heavy weather boards on his own, when he came be-boppin out with another
I have windows! OK, window holes at this point.
It was sooo hot! All week prior it had been 50-60‘s and rain. Friday temps were in the mid 80’s and stayed there till Sunday when we were working on this…then it hit 92!
By day’s end, all the exterior walls were up and windows cut out, and we made a trip to the local home centers for flashing & moisture wrap.
The flashing he had up last night and the moisture barrier will be up in the next day or so. Then we can have the inspector back out to approve the progress!
In my head I can see it done.
Now we just have the wiring, plumbing, flooring….
Some of you know our family went thru some challenges these past 3 years that changed our perspective of what is really important. I’ve shared fears & tears, asked for prayers and you’ve celebrated each milestone with me. So I felt it only fitting to share a major reason to celebrate.
But, so you understand the changes….
Rachel Adam & Hayden
Christmas 2008, When out middle daughter Rachel was diagnosed with Cancer.
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She found out 2 days before Christmas
Christmas 2009 Christmas Card
Last Chemo Surprise Party
I’ve posted a few photos of the odd hair growth she’s had…
or not had.
But Yesterday I received this photo….and I sat down and cried like a big baby
A major milestone!
Her first hair cut!
Thank you for walking this journey with us. Your prayers and good wishes & support…I can’t begin to tell you what they have meant to us all.
But to one family You made a difference.
Thank you! God Bless
Mr. Fix~It checked his small strawberry bed this afternoon and look at what he found!
A few were quarter size the others were tiny
And mutant shaped! The berry on the far right is shaped like a chili pepper & less than an inch long. Any ideas what were doing wrong?
Help!
Mothers Day eve, we had a call from Erika, she’s bringing Isaiah to us as she needs to take Evie to the immediate care center….spiked a fever, barky breathing and lethargic….go, go go!
Turns out the little lady had/has RSV, pneumonia & bronchitis! She’d been a bit clingy through the week, needing more sleep but nothing else to raise alarms. We thought teething or a growth spurt. Then another (scary) trip to the ER 4 am Monday as she was really struggling to breathe. They ended up with a bag of Meds and a nebulizer. Boy was she a trouper about the nebulizer. I think it only took one treatment for her to realize it helped & she didn’t fight it at all.
They say hind sight is 20/20 & we should have known something was up because Buddy is pretty good with the kids but not this good!
The kids pet & love on him & he’s pretty patient with them but, he’s 13. He generally hides under the table when Evie’s here…unless she is eating…then he’s under the highchair mooching.
So, when he was actually staying with her it was odd, this shocked me…I grabbed the camera as I wasn’t sure the others would believe me. They say animals sence more than we do….I guess I should have “listened” Evie’s doing much better, 4.5 lbs lighter but much better!
It been crazy busy here but, I think it’s that time of the year for everyone. All those projects & activities we couldn’t start until season change have been calling to us.
The addition has been moving along. With constant rain,
The building inspector came by this morning to approve the framing so we can move on to enclosing it all the way. I’m excited but sad also. As excited as I am to have the space, I’ll miss morning coffee out here & it’s been nice to have a covered area when its storming or as a sunshade.
The garden is a bit of sad shape right now. I’m getting discouraged. We’ve had so much rain things have washed out. I’m on my 3rd planting of the pinto’s. It dry’s a day or 2, I replant and it pours again. Each time its rained so hard I’ve found the beans above ground. This last time I was so disgusted I ignored that end of the garden for over a week (so mature I know). I went back to replant and I have beans growing like mad. Who’d a thought they would sprout and grow so well on the soil! Only 2 melon and 1 cucumber & 3 peas plants have survived the flooding rain. So, it’s almost a total replant. It’s to wet to go in and weed with out pulling up what plants I do have so the weeds are winning at this point! This weekend the weather man is calling for mid 80’s so that will help. Guess I know what I’ll be spending my mornings doing…replanting!
And there is always knitting! I’ve been keeping busy with customs (updates and photos on the Katidids Knits Blog this afternoon) and let the Etsy Shop empty some…. so I need to get busy or, busier!
The twins skirts are done! Lanolized and drying right now.
“Mixed Blues” Shorties,knit on a Cascade 220 base is another custom ready for tomorrow mail.
I think I have enough left for a small to medium pair of longies
And a pair of small shorties with a soft ruffle cuff.
Shades of purples and greens.
These should be listed in the Etsy shop this evening.
Currently on the needles is a tunic for Marguerita I should have finished in the next day or so.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day!
AHHH! (Insert a mental photo of me ripping my hair out)
The garden is so torn up after all the rain.
Out of 5 rows of pinto beans, i have 6 plants…peas? gone. Everything is washed out but, I have an excellent crop of weeds! Oh, God has a since of humor. This is what I get for being prideful of having it planted early!
My tomato plants survived but have rust spots on the leaves? Help! The lone pepper plant has buds of about 6 peppers forming.
The onions are a mess, 3 rows and a few are 2-3 times the size of others. Makes no since at all! out of 3 garden plots I have enough growing to fill one. Everything else needs replanted. Oh, the broccoli is growing like gang busters.
We have been under a severe storm & tornado watch all evening. Looks like were going to have another big dump of rain when today it’s just been dry enough to work in there.
Tonight while Mr. Fix~It mowed the field, I got the onions weeded and had enough compost ready to mulch around them. I left about 3 inches clearance between the mulch & onions is that enough? I’ve read on different gardening sites to mulch right over the bulb but others say leave a 3 inch space. I’m mulching to keep the weeds down. If it smothers the weeds, wouldn’t that smother the onions?
Mr. Fix~It gifted me with 2 5 gallon buckets so once I have holes drilled I’ll get my potato’s planted. Late I know!
The blackberries are covered in blooms! The blueberries blooms have dropped and I see berries forming. The strawberries (if they survive this next storm) will be the best season yet!
Mr. Fix~it cut the concrete at the end of the carport where the driveway overlaps leveling it to accommodate the next wall to be framed. Sunday, if the weather is nice will be the next day we can work on it.
I spent the morning wrapping and shipping packages, spent the afternoon with Evie, and worked outside in the afternoon. When we were done with our work, I let Mr. Fix~It to take me to the local Ice Cream shop for supper!
Better get some knitting done!
Ok, so we didn’t really float away, we ran away! The weekend of the Kentucky Derby can get a bit crazy around here and its become our annual camping getaway.
We started a few years ago meeting up with our friends Kenny & Joyce. It also happens to be the weekend about 15 families from our old church camp together. Its great as the kids can just run & we all keep an eye on them. So between us we take up just about half the campground. Despite the 10 inches of rain between Thursday & Sunday(per our local weather man) we had a blast! We left Thursday evening and came home Sunday morning. In between that time I think we consumed a million s’mores & Fire Pies, checked for ticks, fought off invading ants (from the 3 ft ant hill behind our site), checked for ticks, watched Isaiah put about 200 miles on his bike with the “big boys” (8 & 9 yr olds), checked for ticks, consumed more snacks than I should have. We were able to get home and unpacked thankfully during a brief non raining period but, everything was still wet and needed drying out in the garage…or in a pile in front of the washer.
Mooched $5.00 off Mr. Fix~It to place a bet on a horse…..#4
And WON!
$45 isn’t a huge windfall but, I gave Mr. Fix~It his $5.00 back and had a free $40.00! Not bad for a once a year gamble.
It will pay the water bill…….or buy more wool!
No pictures from the weekend, it was either raining, blowing rain, about to rain or misting. didn’t want to take the chance.
What the rain did to the garden?
Well, that’s another story!
