Week by week

Week by week

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Week ending 6-27-21 Yard work, girls' camp, riding bikes

 

Monday: School lunches at the park. I love all the family time we've had since moving here.
This is my favorite room because it's already painted. I just need a couch for it to make it a reading spot. 
(Excuse the bag of stuff to give away and the other junk.)

It doesn't look like it in the pictures but we thought Kaitlyn looked like Judy Ogle in Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" movies. So we took these and sent them to Madalyn to see what she thought.

Tuesday: Yay! A fun storm. Luckily it didn't hit Charlotte too much as Alexis was white water rafting there as a high adventure/girls camp trip. I took this to send to Spencer to show him the weather he was missing.
Wednesday: Couch shopping. Our living room is so small I don't know what kind of couch to get but it was fun looking. This store was where Alexis met her ride for girls' camp so we ran in to look.
After school lunches we went to the Smith's house to check out their farm. They said we could have some of their chickens so we're excited about that, we just need to get a place ready.
They have this wild pigeon who hangs out there and the kids were able to catch and hold it.
When we got home we opened our new couch for the reading spot.
It's so small and cute, perfect for little kids and a small space.
Now we just need to decide about the living room.
Thursday: Still working on the wildflower garden and clearing out vines and dead branches from it.
Kait and Tom carrying a big box of small sticks we'll use in our fireplace next winter.
Don't know why I took this, maybe just loved how they were all working together to cut one small branch to fit in the fireplace.
This is a before picture of piles of old wood I want to clean up. We started on it but didn't get too far.
Andy chasing down a lizard and trying to pet it.
Friday: Today's project is mowing and trimming grass and trees along our 1/4 mile driveway. We didn't get too far before lunch though, so it'll take a few more days to get it cleaned up.
Looking from the main road down the beginning of the driveway.

This picture is looking from the driveway toward the main road.
A before picture. Someday I need to cut down the dead trees and plant new ones along our driveway.
Looking from the meadow where I want to plant a magnolia tree up toward the house. Still can't believe it's mine.
With Alexis gone at girls' camp, Thomas and Kaitlyn read and hung out a lot together. I loved seeing that.
Andy cleaning a nice piece of stone we found that we can use for a name sign.
While neighbors were here talking I looked into the field and saw Talea and Makenna having a picnic with their dolls under a tree. My zoom doesn't work too well, but it was so sweet.

Friday night we went to the jam session at the local community center. It's mostly a retired town so there wasn't anyone under 60 there but me and the young'uns, but we had fun. Andy and Sam pretended to play their guitars.

Andy and Tilly dancing with the older couples.

This is the couple who stopped by our house with a plant and squash and invited us.
Cute little community center. I love how cars just park on the grass. It was 74 degrees, a beautiful Friday night and we rode home with the windows down, very content as we breathed in the mountain air.
Saturday: Alexis is home from camp! She got home at 11pm Friday night. We missed her but she had a great time and met lots of new friends.

We got her a welcome home gift.
Frying pans! I found a $10 set of 3. They may not last long but since we threw out our burnt ones before moving, she's been sad we haven't had one here so at least we now have some.
When showing Alexis the new reading spot couch the kids spontaneously erupted into a "jump on one foot" activity.

Riding our bikes down our steep driveway.
Ready, set, go!
Poor Samuel! He biffed it! His worst injury was a hurt collarbone.
Besides the collarbone, I was surprised all he had were scratches. They were all over both arms and legs as he rolled on the gravel, but none were deep or took off too much skin. I thought it would have been worse.
Kait and Kenna made a fridge for their dolls.
When you have nothing else to do, you can always watch the washing machine.

After a day of yard and house work it's time for a movie party. We watched The Parent Trap, one of our favorite summer movies.
I'm trying to decide which side of the house I'd add on to in the future. This side makes sense to make the house closer to the driveway but I love the original 1930's rock foundation, the landscaping, and deep red shutter. I think I want to leave it.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Week ending 6-20-21 First week in our new house!

 We had a great first week. The weather was perfect with highs in the 70's and 80's and lows in the 50's. We spent a lot of time playing outside, doing yard work, and arranging things how we want (i.e. putting up swings.) We want to update the inside but are waiting for inspiration so we just focused on the outside and had a great time.

Monday: Working in the garden.

We filled up a big container of weeds too heavy for anyone to carry.

School lunches are Monday and Wednesday here. On the way Thomas loved sticking his head and hand out to see if he could reach any branches. Everyone loved it and was in a great mood.

We found the screws to the boys' beds so we finally put them up!
Tuesday: Firing up the old lawnmower! The Sloops left it for us and we hope it lasts at least a year.
Andy walked behind it for hours pretending to drive it. It took about 3 hours to mow the whole yard.

Thomas trimming the bushes so that we can see the shed.
Kaitlyn put up the spiderweb swing.
All the kids reading the instructions to put up the slack line obstacle course.
It's going to go between these two trees.
Kaitlyn took a lot of pictures of them putting it up.


Makenna found a little toad.
The coloring is weird on my camera going in and out of the shade. It's an iphone SE so it's not the best. But I enjoyed watching all 7 play on the obstacle course once it was finally up.



I had fun trimming a big bush.
Wednesday: The boys spent a lot of time this week playing with trucks in the dirt under the carport part of the shed.
The weather was so perfect we just had to eat dinner outside. Alexis's hair was really pretty, but again the coloring is weird on my camera.
The view from one end of the table.
The view from the other end.
Tilly being cute.
Thursday: Not sure why this picture was taken. :)
All of our trashes were gotten into by a bear or raccoons.

When we ran out of gas in the riding mower Andy mowed some with the push mower.

Kaitlyn did the back and side yard while Talea and Anderson walked behind pretending to drive.
Makenna and I pulled out lots of weeds and dill and garlic that had escaped the garden beds and were surrounding the garden unrulily. 
I want to compare these with later pictures after we do even more work. It's fun to remember what it looked like when we first moved in and see them 5 years from now.
This section was full of tall, unmowed grass and garlic that looks much better now. 
The tall stuff is the asparagus patch.
The view of the meadow from the garden.
Looking up toward the house from the garden and seeing the grapes and sunroom. (And Makenna pulling out garlic.)
First movie party in our new house! We watched a Property Brothers show to inspire us in how to renovate our house.
Going over to wash my hands after the party I just love this view from the kitchen window. Green, mowed, peaceful, serene.

Friday: First packages from the Fed Ex man--toilet paper and essentials from Sam's Club.
Cool that they came all the way down our driveway.

We went to our first birthday party just a week after moving in. Our neighbors who graze their cattle on our property invited us to their daughter's party turning 10. They're turning this old log cabin into a cozy guest house. I should have taken pictures upstairs. It was adorable and gave me hope for my house.
The dad drove a golf cart and pulled the kids behind in cars.










Don't judge. I haven't been able to find couches we like and have hardly done anything with the inside of the house besides unpacking but there was a good deal on saws so I spent the money on 3 saws instead. :) A tiny hacksaw, a pole saw, and a chain saw. I was super excited! I love cutting dead tree limbs and trees down.

Tilly took this picture.
Having a great time using the pole saw.
There were lots of vines climbing up this tree but Makenna climbed up and pulled a lot of them out.
It'll take awhile but we hope to clean up this section between the playhouse/shed and the garden. It's full of monkey grass, vines, big rocks, and wildflowers.
A pile of branches I cut.
Saturday: I looked out the window when I woke up and saw Samuel reading in the swing below my bedroom. So glad he loves books and swinging and peaceful mornings. Just like me!
The first turtle we've found.


That's a vine we're pulling on.
Tangled way up in the tree. I hate vines.
Looking better already!
Saturday chores: cleaning our one bathroom. :)
Alexis has had enough of this post and railing and decided to take it out right now.
She got my new pole saw and cut it down!


Everyone took the railing down and out to the garage/barn and the A team (Alexis and Anderson) spent awhile getting the floor piece to come off. Now we have to figure out how to fix the floor there and how to fix up the rest of the living room.

Kaitlyn reading.
Reading party! After a day full of work we made popcorn and read for 2 hours.
The little boys spent the afternoon with their trucks in the dirt.
After the reading party the kids went outside but continued to read.