Tearing Up Some Yard, A Family Affair

Jonathan has fixated on a spot beside our driveway.  It has been quite ugly since we moved in and throughout the summer crab grass has made its stake on the seemingly vulnerable spot.  Here is the only photo I could find of it from earlier in the spring.  It is the dead spot on the other side of the driveway (Jonathan spreading crab grass preventer, I think, on the rest of the yard)-

Thankfully a month ago I stumbled upon a garden tiller for sale which helped greatly in the tearing up process.  Jonathan gave the area a good chopping and then put us ALL to work raking, sifting and leveling the area. (Note: Jonathan did most of the work, but everyone did 'contribute' a little)

Lots of clumps-

Earn your dinner boy-

Trouble shooting a possible problem, "bring in the special team".

Grub and bug control!

Do your thing ladies-

Chief inspector checking a sample size of dirt (or something like that)-

Guess if you want to fully know the dirt you need to wear the dirt-

She does boost the worker's morale-

Why do babies insist on putting rocks in their mouths?

Gotta give a shout out to Sallye Ander's No-Bite-Me Cream in the above photo (the white container at baby's feet).  We have bad mosquitos and Triple E found in our area so I have to use something that works.  Completely natural for babies, extremely effective and smells so nice.

Big sand box? 

I will let him lay in the dirt to keep him content so we can work.

They thought the clumps should be thrown back into the yard-

Eventually we were all fired and had to go back into the house.  Jonathan did get it all leveled and seed scattered before it got dark.
I think its appropriate to add that I don't really like crab grass.  I participate in the daily watering because I don't want to sift and rake chopped crab grass clumps through that sandy soil again.  Now we are just waiting for the grass to grow and it better not be crab.

Dining Room Completion Plans

I have to confess.  Sometimes when I come home from staying in a house that is 'completed' (not under construction) I get a little discouraged at our house.  There are so many little details left to work on that make me begin to wonder if we can do it.  Cleaning the house sometimes seems pointless because, though it is clean, it looks sloppy still from the exposed drywall and lack of trim, painting, etc.
So what do I do when I get like this..... I remember how you go about conquering big jobs...  piece by piece.  Piece by piece with our heads down we will keep working, trying not to look at how much is left to do but what we've finished.
Sooooo, the goal is to finish the dining completely.  Getting one room finished we think will be a morale booster.... then onto the next room... then the next.... and the next... until they are ALL done. :)

For MY motivation sake I want to share AGAIN a picture of the dining room when we bought the house-

So glad that light fixture is gone, I still have dreams about it.
Now-

Yay, just doing this boosted my morale.
OK, now I want to share our to do list and my silly mood boards to show you the plans.  I like sharing lists because its an easy way to share our progress as we complete items (since some updates will be small and not so picture worthy).  Here we go with the list:

• Fill and sand holes in trim
• Paint window trim white
• Paint window frames black- all completed in dining room, just wanted to share that!
• Put up baseboard trim
• Fill, sand and paint baseboard trim
• Sand off stain on walkthrough boards (or are we replacing?)
• Put up trim around walkthrough
• Fill, sand and paint walkthrough trim
• Make and install stair banister
• Paint and install heater end plate
• Make burlap roman blinds

Some pictures of these to do's-

Need baseboard trim and heater end plate.

Sand and paint existing boards in walkthrough, put up trim around walkthrough and baseboard trim-

Make and install stair banister, put up baseboard trim. (Need banister since baby girl is attempting stair climbing)

Here is a silly 'mode board' I put together.  This is what all the design blogs seem to do.  I can understand why as it help you visualize different materials, patterns, colors, etc. in your room.  Here's just have a few decor ideas and burlap roman blinds (any decor ideas and feedback would be appreciated during this process)-

I need help placing something on the back wall to balance out the china cabinet... nothing too bulky that will bury the wall.  Maybe hanging the old hay fork there instead of on top of the china cabinet?  Also need more color somewhere.  I don't want a rug in here yet with all the food that gets thrown on the floor with the kids, sweeping is just so easy right not.  Know that would be a nice addition though.

More pictures of burlap blinds if you are wondering what I am talking about-

Photo compliments of http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/childrens-study/

This one is cute, but think it might be hard to come by printed burlap for all the windows.

Photo compliments of http://allaboutvignettes.blogspot.com/2011/02/burlap-sacks.html

That's the plan for now.  Hopefully we will have some things to mark off the list and share with you soon.
If I am up to it I might share photos of baby girl's 1st birthday later in the week!!  Here's a peek (pretty much sums up the cake eating part, mouth constantly stuffed)-

Memories... sigh-

Picture Share - Beautiful North East TN

I don't have any house updates to share this week (sorry).  The kids and I traveled to Tennessee this past week for two special weddings and spending time with family.  Forgive me if you are tired of seeing pictures of their farm.... I never get tired of seeing it.

I forget how pretty the sky and clouds can be there.
Sunrise-

Sunset-

Blue skies all around (she took her first steps while at my parents :)-

Enough clouds.... around the farm-
Neighboring farm cutting tobacco.  If you want to experience physical labor, try it.

 My parent's white potato and onion harvest, way better than mine-

 Sow and piglets in a farrowing crate.  Some people say these are inhumane (she can stand up if she wants) but they help protect the piglets from the mommy laying on them and crushing them.

 Todd's fainting goats-

 Zues

 Considered ok where I come from (I don't go on the road)-

 Transferring weened piglets to a new pen.  I think they had about 30 some piglets when I was there.  They are hard to catch.

 He loves big equipment (hay rake)-

He loved these kittens too until one "spit on him from its mouth".... not sure what happened down at the barn that day but it changed his perspective on cats-

Dad finishing a small plot of hay baling before the rain comes (even after the baler broke and had to be welded)-

 Mini sunflowers in mom's garden.

Huge oak tree at church-

He thought they made good back rests.?

Hope to have more house updates to share soon.  Goal is to fully finish the dining room.... curtains and all!

Happy Birthday and a 2 Year Old On Cake

Quick post to share a few of Jonathan's birthday pictures with family.

Jonathan's big 30th birthday was last week.  Happy birthday handsome husband.  Maybe one day you will look 30, probably when you turn 40 :) which is not a bad thing.
Of course we made cake and of course the toddler wanted to be involved in the process (taste testing) and cleanup-

We all dressed appropriately for his arrival home from work-

Ate dinner and cake of his choice.
Opened presents-

Then the cake kicked in-

Then clothes were removed and he ran laps around the house-

Reminds me of the time my Jack Russell got into my roommate's Easter basket in college (still sorry about that girls).