monday monday

Busy, but relaxing weekend. I had a houseful of kids on Saturday, but they played so good that it was easy. My family stopped by for BBQ chicken Saturday evening and it was yummy. Jim is awesome when it comes to grilling anything! Then after the family left, I called the neighbors to see if they wanted to hang out. We lit a fire in the firepit, sat around and drank too much, talked too much, and had a blast!

Sunday was recovery day and everyone slept late. We had grilled steaks at the neighbor's Sunday evening and got to meet a few more local families. Conner made more friends with the other kids 'up the hill' and spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening playing there. They have a swingset and playhouse so our yard can't compete. Jim is still trying to get grass to grow in some places in our yard, so he's thrilled that the kids are going elsewhere to play for awhile. Have you ever heard of a grass patch? I think it looks like a vacuum cleaner threw up....



I've got flower fever and want to purchase every shrub, tree, and pretty plant that I see. I have to dig my planter pots out of the storage shed and do some math to see what it's going to take to fill them up. Although I guess I should figure out where I'm going to put them first. I already let one tomato plant die - I didn't pay enough attention to the forecast and we got frost one night. Poor little plant.

Oh - remember the frog eggs? They have hatched and are now swimming in a bowl of water by the shed. I thought for sure they would die, but they are happily swimming around. Conner made me promise a trip to a nearby stream or lake to set them free.



And if anyone has suggestions on how to landscape this gateway between us and the neighbors (high traffic area on a hillside) - let me know:





All I can think of is using landscaping bricks to make steps - but then how do I incorporate the existing stuff that is by the tree? I also thought of using large flat rocks and setting them into the hillside for steps, maybe with some groundcover growing around them. If you have ideas - please, please, please let me know. We've slipped and slid enough already this spring and I need to do something soon!