Driveway project

  The space at the top of our drive. It has had nothing done to it..and was just in need of "something". We decided this would be one project to do! Steve has an incredible eye for detail and landscaping...if he could have his own business he'd not only be rich but someone would have beautiful lawns! 
   Our first step was :

  I've had the old wooden bucket as a planter for about 4 yrs. Steve and Kaya got it for me one fall when she was first born. I love it..but on our porch it just didn't get enough light for alot of plants. So we turned it sideways so it looked as if it was dumping out flowers (purple pansies) then weed guarded the whole space and added two Mediterranean Heathers. I really like them.. drought resistant, beautiful and a pink/purple shade. Then we worked across the bed to the left creating :

A really nice looking spot! The old plow we've had since we were first married and in a lower flower bed. We moved it up there and added a BEAUTIFUL patio peach tree. We were looking for a dwarf weeping cherry but between the cost (not cheap!! A regular weeping cherry goes for at least 60 bucks) and the fact they are hard to find...we were happy to luck into this tree while out for a drive! MUCH cheaper, just as pretty and will not get any taller than 5 ft at the most. Will have edible peaches during one season that are good for jams/jellies (I'm all about that dual purpose stuff lol) then will have beautiful red leaves till the next spring! We also planted 60 gladiola bulbs in this area...transplanted 2 butterfly bushes to the left of this picture (not visible) and will be moving some tropical style lillies to the front of the plow etc.
    I'm very happy with how it's shaping up. We have to finish mulching about 26 ft then edge it ..but it's looking great. We should have that done this week (rain today dampened that idea).
    We've also planted two clearance bushes in the side bed (Steve works wonder with plants that most throw away!), weeded all the beds, got the garden beds started, built a bulk pantry cabinet, getting ready to build a regular pantry cabinet..and have had alot of fun being together, going to the park, staying up letting Kaya look at the stars..you name it. I love vacations :) :)

Family Fun Day :)

  Decided to declare Wednesday Family Fun Day and just have fun! So we loaded up, headed out and ended up at the State Forest. Kaya LOVES to play on the playground equipment. We spent several hours there playing and laughing. Then we decided to head over to the fire tower. Last year Kaya was 3 to 4 floors short of reaching the top. She felt ancy and scared and we told her she did great and we would never push her. This is the firetower: It narrows as you get near the top and has a lookout floor with glassless windows.
  

This year she became Kaya the brave and made it all the way to the top!! She hiked up all the stairs by herself with Steve in front, me behind for safety and she accomplished it! She was amazed by all the wind, the view, everything. Not many four year olds have accomplished the whole fire tower!! 

After several hours we hit our local Mom and Pop diner...the BEST place for catfish, tenderloin or a burger. After refueling we headed the next town over to check out their plants and have some apple cider. An impromptu stop to a green/house nursery we had never been to found us the perfect tree :) for our project. Then...off to go bowling! First time for Kaya. She scored a 13 but had the best time :) She loved the shoes (LOL), loved rolling her ball down the lane, and has said we have to go back soon :)
A very successful family fun day :)

:)

 Do I really even need to say anything :) Simply my heart on two legs, my world! Perfection with curls...and the list goes on and on.
  Love this kiddo with all our heart. She makes the sun brighter, the rain bearable and the days awesome :)
  She's growing every day, learning so many new things...she amazes me with her thoughts, her actions..with her heart and her way of doing things.
  I'm one lucky Mommy :)

Awesome weather

2 garden beds..early start cool...almost done. We've planted four types of lettuce, red cabbage, kale,broccoli, onions and three types of tomatoes (German queen, Mr Stripey and Big Boy). Transfer pots have had calcium added to them and ready to go. Garlic is coming up!
   We got today almost 2000 heirloom seeds in the mail :) Corn, beans,tomatoes and lettuce :) Some we won't start this year but the GMO deal has alot of farmers/gardners worried about seed access. Since our plants are heirloom we will also have seeds from our plants for next year.
   Kaya's had a ball planting and getting dirty :) 
   We have this popping up on our seed rack..picture one is a week and half old..picture 2 is about three days  after it was planted

Anniversary gift....

  My awesome anniversary gift from Steve :) The man knows how to win me over lol Some women like fancy jewelry, some think it's got to be an expensive dinner others demand a cruise...he can win me over with a homemade seed rack lol
   He did awesome on this. I helped him frame it because there was no way he could handle doing the whole thing by himself with noone to help hold boards etc but we had a blast doing it. Kaya helped to measure and wore her adorable safety glasses :)
   It's 6ft tall, 4 ft wide and 2 ft deep. Will hold 600 give or take seed plants. Has moveable lighting to adjust to size of plants. He added a basket on the front to hold seeds and a basket on the side to toss gloves etc. He has hooks on it for tools and a surge protector so all I have to do is flip that off. The shelves come off to allow bigger plants in winter. The bottom shelf is for storage of supplies and the top is where I put our old garden related antiques. He converted an old Army foot locker to hold supplies and we can stack bags of soil on top of it. He built it and placed it next to our sink in the garage so I have access to water etc.
  To say I love it ..and him..is an understatement!!
   

Some of our projects

  Weather gets nice and the Henderson Hacienda gets busy!
  So far we've : 

   Converted an old garden rack into a bulk pantry shelf and converted an old half pallet into a rotating can good holder! Simply put a back on the half pallet, altered the bottom and attached to the rack. We will use this in the garage. Going to put air tight totes on the shelves to hold flour,sugar, potatoes etc. I freeze my flour and sugar before storage to decrease the chance of it developing bugs etc. In the can good section we will probably do just corn on one side and another veggie (probably can beans..not sure yet) on the other. Items used in higher amounts in winter once we run out of freezer corn etc.

  Steve turned an old shelf into an awesome storage shelf that he hung above my sink by the seed rack (picture to be added). He simply painted it white then green then drug it over gravel etc to distress it. Came out awesome. Another heart warming plus? He put my Granny's/Great grandma's canning etc utensils on the rack. Have been wanting to display them just didn't know how!! Top row first two items are can grabbers and the last item is an OLD masher for potatoes etc. On the bottom shelf is an old fashion cup that you use to drain tomato juice etc into your canning jars. The other decorative stuff is odd and ends we had. The dried flower is butterfly bush from our flower beds.
   Bottom picture is the 30ish foot flower bed we are installing. We had the old bucket, Kaya and I picked out the purple flowers, we transplanted some already had flowers/butterfly bushes....and planted a smoke tree and 60 gladiola bulbs :) Busy day on that project but we had fun. We have about 20 ft to mulch and then we will edge it..and it's done :)  We also caught two awesome bushes on the 50% off rack and planted them beside the house. Steve is remarkable with being able to save plants others would toss!!

Our anniversary, Easter and how Lent went

  Today is our 6 yr anniversary. Funny how this morning is starting out the same way it did 6 yrs ago..overcast and rainy. Hopefully it will shape up weather wise into the same beautiful day we had that day! Can't believe we've been married 6yrs together almost 9. We've had some big hills to climb, some serious things in our life, lots of joy, the birth of a beautiful little girl..and we've done every single step as a team. We often as women think of anniversaries as "our day" and alot of people think in terms of gifts. When really it's a couples day and the gift is right there on your left hand. Women tend to feel a man has to always show appreciation and we often expect it in the form we want...when sometimes it comes as a simple "great meal" or "Love you". We also need to show appreciaton for our husbands. Without them we are not a complete unit, we would not have our child(ren) and our lives would be different. I'm thankful for Steve's calm, blunt nature that balances out my sometimes worrisome nature. For his loyalty, his love, his ability to always see me in the "can do anything" light. For his confidence, for being my shoulder and my rock. For being a good husband and a fine Daddy. So here's to many more years of happiness and laughter :) In turn husbands need to remember to appreciate their wives and I'm very lucky to have a hubby that does :)
   Easter is today and we decided to break kosher and do it our way. Steve's family doesn't include us on this holiday, one of us in the house usually has to work and we don't really do much on this holiday with my family..sooo why not do it how we want :) We decided no huge meal with ham etc but instead we are grilling everyone's favorites. Big red hotdogs for my Mom, ribeyes or sirloins for me, my brother and Kaya, and a porterhouse for Steve. Going to fix a few sides, a pan of homemade brownies and that is going to be the meal. Need to finish up some stuff in the house (I know I know..but starting a 7 day work week tomorrow I have things that have to be done and it was too pretty to be cooped up all day yesterday!) May go visit my Dad depending on how Steve feels (Last night was shot night and he worked outside all day....) Other than that just us here together. :)
   My Lent project was interesting. Did I do perfect? No. Did I have a few upsets? Yes..one minor, one major. Did I learn anything about others and about myself? YES. Am I going to stick with it? Yes.  My minor breakdown lol came from just being tired and letting others get under my skin. My major one came from being fed up with certain ones that ignore us till they need us and making me feel like a tiny dot on the map. But I redirected and got back in line (after a little  venting to the hubby lol). I realized that I felt horrible and upset but they sure didn't. Why let someone else's emotions rule MY day and emotions? I have found out in the last 40 days that there are some in our life that love us but will not extend a hand/voice unless we always make the first step. When I stopped making the first step they found out that we would not hang onto their every word, do as they say and think as they think we should. I have found there are some that do not expect us to fix everything..it was ME that felt that need. All in all letting go of others issues/dramas has made me happier. Do I still get upset? Oh yes I cannot stand users and hypocrites. And I cannot tolerate someone that feels the need to dictate another person's life or makes someone feel low simply because opinions are different. I've also learned that I love people for who they are because I want to be loved that way. They may not do as I think they should..but I love them for them. I cannot change them, I cannot fix them and it's not my place to try. We all live different lives, different issues. As long as I go to bed every night with a clear soul that I have lived my life correctly and treated others how I would want to be treated...then I am happy. :)
   Happy Easter to everyone!!!