June 28 - Garden stuff

This spring I had big plans of keeping up on the progress of all our greenhouse and gardening activities.  Well, since I seem to suck at blogging overall this year that never did happen.  I took a bunch of pics back in the early days of the season but never did anything with them.  Now that we're actually starting to get some flowers and veggies...and because I'm extremely bored and crabby today....I grabbed my camera and did some random picture snapping out and about in the yard.

Some scraggly little flowers in the greenhouse.  These are from those seed balls that you can supposedly just plop into the dirt and water and they'll burst forth with glorious bloomage.  Yeah, still waiting on that.  Heh.

Fuschia, I think?

Don't know what this is.

Hubby ordered these two hanging baskets from someone at work.  Someone's kid selling for school or something, one of those type deals.  Anyway, got them early May and they're still doing pretty darn good here at the end of June.  This is unheard of for us!  LOL  We tend to have very little luck with flowers.

This little cucumber plants has some flowers already.  I don't know how that's going to work.  I thought these things grew big and tall and needed support before the cucumbers showed up....?

Kohlrabi.  We had six planted, and this is the biggest, about baseball size now.  We discovered this corner of the greenhouse has holes in the roof above it so whenever it rained these particular plants were getting flooded.  One rotted, three others have been picked and now we have two left.  I don't know what they taste like but they are in the cabbage family and Wiki refers to them as 'German turnips.'

Itty bitty tomatoes.  I didn't think this was a cherry tomato plant but they sure appear to be.  The first one we got off here was about golf ball size but these are tiny, like....well....cherries.  We do have some other types of tomatoes planted but they are not as far along yet.

Green beans.  Like the cucumber, I thought these got a lot bigger before producing?  Not that I'm complaining but it's weird.

Peas....yummy!  These are funny.  We bought a 'no support needed' variety but decided to give them support anyway.  They took off!  I love peas, even fresh from the garden.  We picked one a few days ago and ate it just to see if they were ready.  They were good but needed a bit more time.  I wonder if they're ready now?  I never know how long to wait.

Our jalapeno plants are growing and producing like crazy!  We had bought a 3-pack because last year we only got a couple small peppers off the one plant we had.  Ha, yeah, the boys and I don't eat peppers and hubby says there is no way he'll eat all that we've got growing so it looks like coworkers will be getting free peppers this summer.  

Our little pumpkin patch is doing fabulous!  We've never grown pumpkins.  I don't think even as a kid we ever had any in the garden.  I've always wanted some but hubby has always poo-pood the idea, saying it takes too much space and effort.  Well since we have the greenhouse now and 99% of everything we're growing is in there I talked him into plowing up a little garden patch outside for me.  And I planted pumpkins! 

Ok, I don't know just how many pumpkins you tend to get off one plant but I don't care.  I *LOVE* autumn and Halloween and now we'll have plenty for the Scattered Around The Yard decorating look.  I don't see any actual pumpkins started yet but we have tons of the lovely flowers.  Yay!!

Hubby wanted to try growing squash too since we were doing a pumpkin patch, so we also have two squash plants out there.  They are growing like crazy too.  They actually seem to be a little ahead of the pumpkins.  I can see several actual squashes started under the flowers.  Woot!

And finally, hubby is toying with jelly feeder designs so of course I got the prototype.  This picture kinda sucks....I'll try to get a better one later.  It's painted in colors to match our house...hehe.  I haven't seen any birds use it yet but I also don't have plain old jelly that I think they prefer.  Right now I have two of the jams we've been trying.  So, any bird experts out there....what do they prefer?  Plain ol' grape jelly?  Apple jelly?  Do they like nectar in the little cups?

Hope you've enjoyed your stroll through my yard!

June 23 - My new favorite song...

June 23

Remember Me (2010)
Still reeling from a heartbreaking family event and his parents' subsequent divorce, Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) discovers a fresh lease on life when he meets Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin), a gregarious beauty who witnessed her mother's death. But as the couple draws closer, the fallout from their separate tragedies jeopardizes their love. Allen Coulter directs this romantic drama that co-stars Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin and Chris Cooper.

Just finished watching this.  I've been looking forward to this one for some time now and I'm not even sure why.  While I *love* Twilight I am not a huge Rob Pattinson fan.  And while I *love* Lost I'm not a huge Emilie de Ravin fan.  But I suppose since I'm familiar enough with both of them and this is the type of story I am drawn to...well, whatever, I'd been looking forward to it.

It was hard to not see Edward Cullen and Claire Littleton.  It made me chuckle to think that they have a guy hiding his British accent and a girl hiding her Australian accent so they can play New Yorkers.

Anyway, it was a good movie.  The one weak spot for me was Ally's reaction after Tyler told her what her father had done to him.  I suppose there needed to be some drama between them and this was it.  I just thought the reaction was extreme and didn't make sense.  On the other hand, two awesome parts were when Tyler confronted his father and later when he 'confronted' the snotty little girl.  I also liked how his best friend was always there for him when he needed to be even though he was a total dumbass goofball most of the time.  As it got near the end, the tension picked up for unknown reasons, the music fed into that, so I knew something was coming but.....whoa.....was not expecting THAT. 

Good little movie.  Go watch it.

Elsewhere.....
One good thing about totally sucking in the lawn mowing department this year is that we found we have this growing in the weeds along our driveway:

Raspberries, right?  Hubby says they are.  They look like it.  Funny because we just planted two raspberry plants in back by our greenhouse earlier this season.

I ordered more tarts recently.  I hadn't ordered for quite some time, trying to work through the huge stash I'd accumulated, but my tart pimp over at Country Home Scents had been rolling out so many yummy new summer scents that I couldn't stay away.

Not the greatest pictures, I know, but I just wanted some quickie pics to try and show the rainbow of colors in this order.  These are all fruity scents, delicious mixes of summer and tropical, things like berries, melons, coconut, citrus.  Mmmmm.  Ok, there are a couple non-fruity ones...I did get peppermint/chocolate, cinnamon, maybe another odd foodie scent or two.  I'm back in tart heaven.

Hubby had been crabby at me for a couple days recently.  He said I was crabby about everything and needed to get over it.  One night I got home from work and was sitting here at the computer in my own little crabby world when I happened to sit back in my chair and glance up and saw this on the upper shelf of the desk....

She's very cute!  I don't know where he got it or why, but I think it was hubby's way of trying to get me out of my funk.  She sits nicely among my increasing clutter of dragons, elves, gargoyles and other fantasy critters up there on the top shelf of my desk.  It's actually getting too cluttered up there now.  Time to get the library shelves upstairs finished.

And speaking of crabby, I had a total meltdown last night about all things soap and craft related.  Literally.   I whipped a soap box on the floor and burst into tears and hubby fled the room.  This is not the kind of thing I want to post on my soap blog but I wanted to vent a bit somewhere.  I've been having that 'I just want to quit!' feeling again lately.  All of my excitement about the herb garden and oil infusions is completely gone.  I even yanked one of the herbs out of the pot this morning and threw it on the compost pile.  I'm kicking myself for ordering all the colorants that I just recently ordered because I'm back to not wanting to use them.  (Although I can use them in the bath salts.)  Sales are non-existent right now and have been for probably a month.  And yet so much of my time is spent tending the Etsy shop, tending the blog and the Facebook page, trying to get my name out there, trying to come up with new ideas.  And more and more I'm finding I just really enjoy browsing Etsy and trying the products of other people.

So last night, with all of this already filling my mind, I was trying to come up with some lovely new labels for the lovely new soap boxes I'd decided I wanted to try.  My mind was not totally into it, my heart definitely wasn't in it, and when I realized the label size and the box size did not match up as I thought they would....yeah, meltdown.

I went to bed last night thinking 'Fuck it, I'll go back to the old labels that I know I can do.  I'll label up what I have.  And if this is the end of Springvale Soap, I'm ok with it.'  When I got up this morning I didn't even want to deal with that much of it.  I checked email, then shoved everything aside and spent some escapism time with Edward and Claire.

Not sure where my heart and head are at now.....  I still want to try perfecting the bath salts, and I think I know how to get started on the sugar scrub cubes now, but does this mean I'm done with soap and will switch to more trivial projects?  I really don't know at the moment.

For now though, I will go label what I have.

June 18 - Books and a movie

The Lovely Bones (2009)
When 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is murdered, she watches from above as her family deals with her tragic death -- and as her killer prepares to strike again. Torn between vengeance and healing, Susie's loved ones are forever changed. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz star in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's riveting, best-selling novel; Susan Sarandon and Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci co-star.

I read this book a few years ago and liked it quite a lot, except for something at the end.  When I heard they were making it into a movie I couldn't wait to see it.  And yet I've had it sitting here (Netflix) for weeks and I just now forced myself to watch it.  I just have not been in a movie watching mood lately.  And then there were the comments from my Movie Watching CoWorker that I should have learned by now to just disregard, but I don't.

So anyway, yeah, forced myself to watch it this morning and......I really liked it.  I think it gets some things across better than in the book but there were also some parts from the book that were not there.  They do not show her murder, which was a bit controversial while making the movie.  Some people argue that the story is about the brutal murder of this girl.  Others argue that no, it's not about *the murder* but about the changes in the lives around her.  I, for one, am glad they didn't show her being murdered.  As I get older I have almost no tolerance for blood, guts, gore.  In this movie they've managed to build the fear and suspense in the minutes leading up to the murder just by showing us how 'normal' the guy is and by showing us her growing awareness that something's not right, letting us feel her fear as she realizes it.  And the slightly confusing moments after are an equally strong way to get us to feel without grossing us out with the Hollywood norm.  Well done!

I am not a big fan of the crazy nonsensical versions of heaven or the afterworlds that are often shown in movies.  There is a bit of that in this movie but I was ok with it this time because the rest of the movie was really working for me.  And while the thing at the end of the book that I pretty much *hated* is indeed in the movie it's in a somewhat lesser form, and it seems to come across better.

Overall, a very good, very touching movie that I highly recommend.  Oh, and the main girl is awesome!

From an awesome movie to some crappy books.....

The Lost Enchantress, by Patricia Coughlin
Long ago Eve Lockhart discovered that the ancient magic that was her birthright could cost her everything. So she vowed to create a normal life and was convinced she'd succeeded-until a long-lost family talisman resurfaces. A prize beyond price, the hourglass pendant ignites the fevered interest of mysterious forces who'll risk anything to possess it-forces that include one very seductive man...

The priceless pendant isn't the only thing Gabriel Hazard wants from Eve. For nearly two centuries he's searched for the hidden magic that can break a spell and grant him the one thing he craves. But he isn't alone in wanting the pendant-or Eve's magic.

Now Eve has no choice but to break her long-ago vow and claim her power, her dream of everlasting love-and her destiny. 

My Movie Watching CoWorker shoved this book at me and said I just HAD to read it because it was the first one in a long time that she loved and couldn't put down while reading it.  Hmm, cover looks cheesy but ok, why not?  I put off reading one of my own books and started this one instead.

It was horrible.  I couldn't even finish it.  Even before I gave up I had reduced myself to just skimming pages looking for anything important to the story.  Everything was so vague and shallow, like no research was done and the easiest cop-out route was taken for things.  I never felt any connection to anyone in the story.  I kept comparing things to Twilight, which I know is unfair but I couldn't help it.  Oooh, the mysterious hot guy has secrets like....he's immortal.  Oooh, the mysterious hot guy is hundreds of years old even though he's frozen in his young hot guy hotness.  Oooh, the mysterious hot guy finds himself totally and addictively attracted to the girl.  Oooh, though the mysterious hot guy is totally in love with the girl he tries to keep her away by insisting it's dangerous to be connected to him.  Ooooh...... *yawn*

Stupid horrible waste of time.

And speaking of Twilight....

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, by Stephenie Meyer
Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion. 

I *HATED* this book.  When I first heard about it I was excited.  An article I'd read in the newspaper said something about her troubled life with an abusive father, and running away, and meeting Riley, being taken in by him.  I thought we'd get at least some of that story, and then go on to her becoming a vampire, and what she went through in those early days.  Nope.  It jumps right into the story when she's already been a vampire for months and we only get a mere mention of her former life.  Ok, so that was a bummer but even the story we do get sucks to no end.  It's very vague (I'm fond of that description, huh?) and rushed.  It just sorta breezes over things that are going on without putting any real time into anything to let us get attached to anyone or get a feel for what it's like.

I don't know, the way it's written is just useless.  I don't even really know how to describe it.  I think making the point of this book being about preparing for the battle with the Cullens was the wrong approach.  If we'd had more of Bree's human life, had a chance to get to know her and feel her pain then maybe we'd have felt her fear and anger and betrayal as she realized what was going on.  But no, we're just dumped into a very vague run through of something we already know.  It just seemed so wasted.

At least one dollar of what I paid went to the Red Cross..... *sigh*

Daughters of the Witching Hill, by Mary Sharratt
Daughters of theWitching Hill brings history to life in a vivid and wrenching account of a family sustained by love as they try to survive the hysteria of a witch-hunt. 


Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow living in Pendle Forest, is haunted by visions and gains a reputation as a cunning woman. Drawing on the Catholic folk magic of her youth, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future. As she ages, she instructs her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft, as well as her best friend, who ultimately turns to dark magic. 


When a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate, eager to make his name as a witch finder, plays neighbors and family members against one another until suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights. 


Sharratt interweaves well-researched historical details of the 1612 Pendle witch-hunt with a beautifully imagined story of strong women, family, and betrayal. Daughters of the Witching Hill is a powerful novel of intrigue and revelation. 

This book, on the other hand, was fabulous.  Apparently I'd never read the back of the book because I didn't know until I was over halfway through that it was based on real events.  Once I realized that I had to refrain from looking up info online until I was done with the book because I didn't want to ruin the story.  Maybe it was my imagination but it did seem to become a little less fabulous once it got towards the end, where the factual stuff would have been easier to find and the story started to go by that.  


It's the kind of story the is detailed, well researched, allows you into the lives of the people and gives you time to get to know them.  Very good book.  I was 'seeing' a movie version as I read it and can only hope that if it ever is made into a movie it's done in a 'real look' way, not some pretty people cheesy Hollywood version.  (Is Peter Jackson available?  hehe)

And now I'm off to accomplish great things around the house before taking Meena to the vet for her followup.

Later!

June 17 - Happy Birthday, Ty!

Today is Ty's 19th birthday.  He looks rather filthy in these pics because he'd just gotten home from work.  He had friends coming over and everyone was busy today so it was kinda like he walked in the door and I forced him into the traditional birthday picture setting before he realized what hit him.  LOL

I can't believe he's.....19.

And if today is Ty's birthday that means it's also my mom's birthday.  Hehe!

Shorty post tonight.  Got stuff to do.  Bye!

June 14 - Products I've Been Trying

Papa Pat's Farmhouse Recipes

I had bought this at one of the craft shops I'd contacted about selling my soap.  I was very excited at the time because we'd been going through a jam phase here, eager to try new flavors and happy to try anything Wisconsin made.  This one was Peach Raspberry.  Sadly, I did not like it.  Hubby said it was ok but I see it's still sitting in the fridge, pretty much untouched.  I can't remember exactly what put me off....I think it was too many seeds....but it's a bummer that I didn't like it because Papa Pat's sounds like a really good little business.  They use old-time recipes and they provide job opportunities to people with disabilities.  Very cool.  Maybe I'd like one of the other flavors?  Maybe I'll try one if I ever go back to that craft shop.

WeePereas at Etsy

Beth, who runs the WeePereas shop at Etsy, contacted me with kind words about my own shop and asking if I'd like to trade some soap for anything in her shop.  I really had no use for any of the lovely things she makes but wait!  My nephew's new baby had recently been born!  I could get him something super cute, something handmade, and something Wisconsin made!  We worked out a deal and I got a set of burp cloths (the giraffes), a pair of reversible baby shoes (the pandas), and a pair of super cute and soft baby boots (the polka dots).  I know, I know...babies don't need fancy shoes.  But these were so cute!  And they are soft, so they're more like putting booties or socks on him.  I also must say that Beth's things are very well made.  She's a pleasure to work with, very helpful, and shipped very quickly.  Go check her shop if you need any cute baby things!

PaperBlessings at Etsy

A little while ago I won a giveaway at the blog that had hosted a Springvale Soap review and giveaway.  Nicole and Eliza over at the In The Mommy Business blog have been wonderful to me.  I still follow their blog and it's fun to see all the new things they get to review and give away.  Most of the time I feel like an old lady stalker because alot that goes on there is geared towards newer mommies and younger kids.  But this giveaway was not kid related.  And I won!  It's a wooden letter 'D' all nicely decorated, and an accompanying little sticky card with 'D' words that *obviously* describe ME.  (lol, ahem...)  And I had my choice of greeting card.  Now, I'm not a religious person and Paper Blessings has inspirational items so it took me a while to decide on a card.  The one I chose says something about stopping and appreciating the world around you, which I agree with and try to do everyday, but the photo (if I understood correctly) was taken by Mary (of Paper Blessings, silly!) herself.  It's a beautiful photo, beautiful card, and I think I'm going to frame it and leave it right here on my desk.

MirasolFarm at Etsy

I love Mirasol Farm.  They are what I dream my own pathetic soap adventure could be.  I've ordered from them before...my very first Etsy order, I think...so I already knew I liked their lip balm but this time I ordered a variety of things.  First is the Sweet Orange Calendula Cream.  I love it.  It's light and creamy and a little goes a long way.  Now, I'm still in love with my Bella's Birthday body butter but it still bugs me that shipping takes forever from that shop and there are a few bummer ingredients, so I've always been on the lookout for a possible replacement.  This Orange cream is all natural and Wisconsin made and service is fabulous.  I also got a bar of Lemon Chamomile soap.  I'm not a fan of lemongrass essential oil because it smells too much like Pledge to me but this soap has a blend of other EOs so it tames down the Pledge-ness enough to make this an awesome scent.  Very pick-me-up and refreshing.  And the lather.....wow.  I also ordered a Lavender Tangerine lip balm, and they threw in a freebie Lemon Chamomile lip balm.  Woot!  And finally I ordered a jar of Rhubarb Ginger Marmalade for hubby.  I'm not a rhubarb fan so I have not tried this but hubby really enjoys it.  He's afraid to try their Apricot Jalapeno Jelly though.  So yes, still loving Mirasol Farm and I highly recommend them if you want to try handcrafted, all natural, organic products.

HoosierQuilter at Etsy

I came across Hoosier Quilter through a mention in another blog I was reading.  The picture posted was of some barnyard animal potholders that were so incredibly cute that I *had* to go check out her shop and I found the most beautiful autumn themed potholders.  I found out there was also a matching table runner and I couldn't stop myself.  I had to have this set.  As you all know, autumn is my favorite time of the year and Thanksgiving is becoming my favorite holiday a little more each year.  So yes, I *had* to have these.  (I did!)  Micki was very friendly and helpful and shipped these beauties very quickly.  They are as gorgeous as they appear in the pic, fabulous work.  I felt bad for a moment or two because my mother-in-law is a quilter who would probably make me anything I asked for but these are well worth the guilt.  I just went back to her shop as I've been writing this and I see more things I want.  Someone stop me.....

YummyEarth

This is another one I came across at the Mommy Biz blog.  I was so excited about this all natural, organic candy.  I looked at their site several times, drooled over all the flavors, and kept putting off ordering.  I'm much more of a chocolate candy fan.  Give me something gooey and chewy!  But I do like the occasional hard candy to suck on now and then....cinnamon, butterscotch, root beer barrels.  The downfall started when I finally made up my mind to order something.  There is a $20 minimum if you order directly from their site.  That's a lot of candy you're buying if you don't already know that you like it.  When I contacted them to ask if there is any way to order smaller amounts I received a short and cold reply directing me to another site.  Well oooookay.  So I ordered from the other site and got the package in about a week or so.  The downfall continued when I noticed on one of the packages that it's not even made in America.  What??  I'm not a diehard 'Buy American!' purist but this just seemed to go against all that I thought this product was.  Maybe I just formed the wrong impression in my head, maybe I didn't research enough, but still...I was shocked.  So then I found the little plastic wrappers to be rather uncooperative.  And finally I had a piece of the candy in my mouth.  I think Ginger Zest was the first one I tried.  It was ok.  Later that evening I tried a Butterscotch.  It was super yummy in those first moments but then a salty taste took over.  Again, it was...ok.  I don't know if I've even tried the cinnamon yet.  The candies are good enough that I'll work my way through what I ordered but the overall experience was a letdown and I doubt I'll order again.  Bummer.

Seventh Generation

I've already been using Seventh Generation's dish soap and like it quite a lot so I decided to try their laundry detergent next.  There are a couple scented ones but I bought the Free & Clear one to start with.  It says on the bottle that it's formulated to work best in cold water, and recommends people start doing their laundry in cold water to save energy so I figured I'd give it a try.  The first several loads I thought I'd found a miracle product, and in cold water!  It seemed hubby's and Ty's filthy work clothes came out cleaner than in my regular earth-killing detergent.  It seemed they even felt softer coming out of the dryer without doing anything different.  I was thrilled!  As I've used it more now I think I might have just been wanting to see these amazing results because now it seems things are coming out just the same as my regular detergent.  Still, that's not a bad thing if I'm coming out the same but using cold water AND and earth friendly product, right?  It's pricier but if it's going to work I'm ok with paying that extra.  The only bummer part is that it's not available at Walmart.  That's kinda ok to though because I'm really starting to dislike Walmart these days.  I'm starting to like Target more and more....

Caldrea

...and it's at Target that I found this.  The company is Caldrea.  I stumbled across a display of their products at the end of an aisle and was like "Whoa, what's this?"  The labeling mentions essential oils, and 'plant derived' and biodegradable and all those good things.  Then I noticed the company is based in Minneapolis and that sealed the deal.  (Minneapolis became my favorite city last November after we spent a weekend there, seeing our first Vikings game.)  I checked their website when I got home and was curious enough that I bought a bottle of dish soap the next time I was in Target.  The one I bought is not listed on their site but it's Citron Ginger (Natural Essential Oils of Grapefruit, Ginger and Basil).  I don't know if mine is new and the site is not updated, or if mine is discontinued.  Of course, now that I'm writing this and staring at the label I see that it has some rather scary looking chemical names listed and that makes me cock an eyebrow in a 'huh?' way, questioning how my new Need To Love This product could be evil afterall....?  (I don't know this for a fact.  I'll have to look up the ingredients in question.)  Anyway, I do like the product.  The scent is zippy but not overpowering.  It has gotten my nasty dishes clean and the suds last.  BUT a few times it has seemed like it's made things extremely slippery in the sink.  Like, I've tried to grab a plate out of the water to scrub it and WHEEE it's slipped right back out of my hand.  Luckily it's always just fallen back into the water so far but, yeah, if it's really the dish soap causing that....not good.  Since I have to go to Target to get this and that's also where I need to go for Seventh Generation products, I think I might stick with the Seventh Generation stuff.  Maybe.  Haven't totally made up my mind yet.

And what new things have YOU been trying?

June 14 - Calling all bath salt and/or fizzie users!

I need help.

I'm venturing into a new area of making bath products.....bath salts and bath 'bombs.'  Problem is, I don't use these things and have pretty much no clue what good ones are supposed to be like.  SO I have some questions for those of you who do enjoy lounging in the tub with such products.

What exactly is it that you expect from bath salts?  I know they are supposed to be soothing and make your skin soft, but is this an immediate effect that you feel upon leaving your first bath?

Do you actually feel a difference in your bath water?

Do you prefer strong scent, or barely there scent?  I've read that some are meant to also leave your bathroom smelling lovely.  Does the scent linger on your skin when you get out of the tub, and do you/don't you like that?

Do they color your water, and do you/don't you like that?

These same questions apply to the bath fizzies too.  What exactly are they meant to do, and what do you get out of using them?

ANY other thoughts, pros/cons, ideas, input are greatly appreciated as I experiment in this new area.

Thanks to all!

June 11 - A new walkway

Hubby's been on vacation the last two weeks.  I have been on vacation this week.  We've been getting a lot of projects done around here, probably the biggest being a new walkway.  Finally!  I'd hated the previous walkway from the time it was put in because hubby did the work and we unknowingly had very different ideas of what it should have been.  We'd used field stones (some HUGE) and wanted an old-time looking stone path.  My vision was that they'd be set next to each other in a semi-flat pathway.  Hubby's idea was to spread them out and give a rough "more natural" look.  Ha, right, grass and weeds grew in between and we couldn't mow cuz of his "natural" unevenness.  Our parents, getting older and fragile, wouldn't walk on the 'path.'  It was a wasted effort that I hated and usually looked overgrown like this....

Not sure why hubby finally got sick of it but he did.  (And I did a secret happy dance like no other!)  So we rented a Bobcat for a day......

And hubby dug up the old stones and cleared the area....

We went to Menards, decided (amazingly quick and easy) on what type of new walkway we wanted, and set up delivery of the stones.  Over the next couple days hubby got this major project done.  We had only a couple minor squabbles about the precise layout and the finishing touches along the edges.  The layout needed to be angled slightly to get away from where I park my car.  He first tried some obvious shift which made it look really odd.  We eventually settled on a very gradual stagger of each row with the accumulating shift being enough to achieve the angle without being overly noticeable.  And on the edges hubby wanted a wide gravel 'shoulder' but I put my foot down and we left it quite narrow so the grass will hopefully kinda hide it when it grows back.

The new walkway.....

We even put in a little side spot for the grill by using some old patio blocks we've had laying around.  Pretty cool....

And I am a very happy camper for once.

June 8 - 20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago today hubby and I tied the knot.....

Oh how young and dorky we looked.  And oh how far we've come....

LOL!!

We didn't do anything amazing for the occasion.  We both had vacation today and we went out to eat this evening but it was nothing fancy.  They boys didn't want to go.  I'm not sure they even realize today is a big event.  We didn't get each other gifts, although we are planning on either getting our rings redone or getting new ones.  When we got married we were young and poor and got cheap rings just to have *something* on our fingers.  I've never really been happy with them.  Over the years we've both stopped wearing them for various reasons from work to weight gain.  So I'm totally ok with getting new ones, something we can take the time to choose and have the money to spend.

You've no doubt noticed that I still suck at blogging even after my last post admitted my suckiness and seemed to imply I'd be getting my crap together.  Well....I'm on vacation for a week so hopefully I can find my blogging rhythm again.

(Don't hold your breath though.)