Back Yard in Early Spring

We've started working on our back yard, and it needs a TON of work. Here's some of what's going on...

We started digging out curved beds on both sides of the yard.



















Max isn't much of a help, but he keeps you company!














He loves "his" yard.



















We're planning to put a double brick border along all of the beds.














Our first and smallest bed...now it has lettuce and shrub roses in it, but this was before we planted it up.














good soil...


































A new climbing rose along the new fence.














One of our old roses that we brought from the carriage house garden - see all the new sprouts!



















The lilies that we brought are coming back, too!














We put pansies into window boxes along the deck. James wanted purple and yellow b/c those are his fraternity colors!














Our peonies are coming back, too - they're growing fast now.

Rock Climbing

On a cold day a few weeks ago, we went to REI so that James could go rock climbing. He was awesome - his first time up, he decided to climb the expert wall. He got to the top in less than 30 seconds!!! The woman overseeing the rock climbing wall said that they would have to make some of the hand holds "off limits" to make it harder for him!

Hooking up the harness...














Climbing onto the wall...



















halfway up



















almost all the way up



















at the top!!

New Fence

We got a new fence put in on three sides of our yard. The other side already had a wooden fence. We LOVE it!

February Fun

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything to our blog, but we've been busy! Here is a little of what we did this month....

We vacationed at Big Cedar, which is a resort owned by Bass Pro Shops down in Ridgewood, Missouri (just below Branson, on the Arkansas/Missouri border). We rented a boat and went fishing on Table Rock Lake!














James loved driving the boat, but he let me drive it some, too.














We ate at the White River Fish House, which is also owned by Bass Pro Shops














Self-portrait














James by the lake, just beside our cabin.



















We also went to see the orchid show at the botanic garden. This is a picture of the climatron...



















My favorite orchid at the show...














Then we went to the St. Louis Auto Show! This is the SUV that I want to buy...














This is the truck that James wants...














I've also started some plants and seeds in the house to get ready for spring. This is a lovely amaryllis that I grew!

SNOW DAYS!!!

We got a bunch of snow over the past couple of days here in St. Louis. It's nothing like the snow we used to get in Charlottesville, but it's still enough to bury your car when the snow plows come through...

We're still trying to figure out what kind of plant this is...



















Our trusy old snow shovel...



















Tower Grove Park, across the street...



















Max running and sliding in the snow.














He's like a little kid playing in the back yard. He's loved snow ever since he was a tiny puppy.














Our neighbors' yard.














The boys on our front porch.

Life Lessons

Here are some things I learned from my dog...

1) You'll always feel better after a nap on the couch.

2) If you want something, just ask for it.

3) Big brown eyes will get you farther than big muscles.

4) There's no place more comfortable than a cozy lap.

5) Cuddle with those you love the most.

6) Good food makes life happy.

7) No matter how old you are, you still need toys to play with every now and then.

8) ...however, almost ANYTHING can be a toy under the right circumstances.

9) Being sweet is better than being cute, but it really helps if you can be both.

10) Be friends with your neighbors, and try to remember not to bark at them.

11) Make time to smell the roses...and everything else in the back yard....

12) Drink lots of water, but not right before you go to bed.

Deep Freeze

Here in our new house, we have a digital temperature read-out on our fridge in the kitchen. Today while I was looking in the fridge to see what I could make for dinner, I realized something interesting. It's COLDER outside than it is in our FREEZER. No kidding...Last night we got down to only one degree, and last night at 9:30, with the wind chill factor included, it was negative 11! Now that's COLD...

In other news, James is still on night float for another week, but that means that tomorrow is his day off. He's home tonight (first time since last Saturday), and he's sitting on the couch playing the new Call of Duty XBox game. Right now he's fighting Nazis, and Max is doing his best to help by barking to scare away all of the German Shepherd dogs that keep trying to attack James. On one hand, it's funny b/c Max is dead serious. He seems to sense when the dogs are about to show up, even before they appear or bark. On the other hand, watching Max in his extremely rare "attack" mode makes it a bit more real...I mean can you imagine a Nazi coming after you with a gun and a pack of German Shepherds that are trained to rip your throat out? I'm glad that our little GSD is such a sweetheart b/c when he's in attack mode, he's scary.

I've started planning my spring garden, and I'm excited to get some seeds started in a few weeks. I haven't bought any yet, but I will soon. I'm planning lots of pretty flowers, as well as tomato plants, zuchinni, cucumbers, and green beans. I think I might also plant some raspberries and black berries, so that I can make jelly and have fresh fruit. Fruit is SO expensive here in the midwest. (Except apples, which are dirt cheap...) It's so much fun to plan your garden during the winter. I never allow myself to look at the seed catalogues until January b/c it helps me get through the winter cold weather doldrums. We're going to dig up the back corner of the yard for vegetables, and we have lots of room in the side yard for flowers. I also want to fill up a bunch of my pots with pretty trailing plants and hang some petunias off the sides of the back deck. Now if we can only keep Max from digging them all up...

James and I were talking today about how we really want to go back to Europe. Neither of us has been to Spain or Switzerland, and we want to go see both. Of course we don't have the money to go right now, but it's fun to think about it.

Kitchen Island

My parents gave me a kitchen island as a Christmas present. I ordered it from Crate and Barrel, and when it arrived, I had to put it together.

Three large boxes were delivered by UPS...



















Lots of pieces to put together...














More pieces...














nice flip-up bar on the back, and three brushed metal hooks on the side














thick butcher block top...














brushed metal knobs on the doors














The finished product!!














The wheels roll and lock, so I can move with wherever I want...LOVE it!!

New Stove

James gave me a new stove for the kitchen as a Christmas gift, and I love it...here are the before and after pictures...

This was the old stove that came with our house. The burners tilted to the side, and several of the buttons and knobs were missing...



















You can tell how old and rusty it was...














This burner was the worst - all the contents of your pan would slide to one side b/c the burner wouldn't lay flat.














The clock/timer was broken, of course.














NEW STOVE!!!!!



















Digital read-out with all kinds of fun buttons!














Cast iron burner grates with gas burners.














Huge oven...5.2 square feet!














I am delighted, to say the least!