Brace Your Self

My kids have braces in Green and Orange. Cute kids eh?

and Jt got a French Horn- all in one day

Goodness me- Can my kids be that old? It is just part of the 1st phase of orthodontic care but still.
Jt is being typical Jt in regards to the French Horn.  He is determined to play the hardest instrument that not many play so that he can get a scholarship.  Yes- he only 10 and yes- he is amazing.

Fair Fun

I took the 5 kids to the Fair on a very hot day. This blog post is proof it.  If my kids ever doubt that I take them anywhere, I will show them this post.  3 hours in Roger came and grabbed the babies so I could play a little longer with the olders. We had fun I guess :)

Jt saved his own $$ to go back and go on unlimited rides and have a date with Grandpa.  They had lots of fun on this 100 degree day. whewee!

Canvas

Back in June one of the blogs I follow- The Pleated Poppy- made a canvas I knew I would have to make to tie colors in in my Family Room. Eventually I want it to cover a big screen but for now I just want a big canvas on the pedestal. I told my mother in law that I wanted to work on a painting project with her since she is a painter. She offered to make it while I was out of town to give her something else to do other than babies. I left the post with the tutorial and a canvas with her and came back to this beauty!

I stare at it all the time!  I was a wee bit worried.  She draws landscapes and temples- not abstract.  She also tends to do her own thing and I really wanted something similar to the canvas from the blog but she did awesome!  I still have more big idea projects for down there so watch out.

My Dream Come True

When I was young, my mom was a single mom with 6 kids.  Our house was a little crazy but no one went in the backyard because it was so dang hot in Houston.  I went back there and became friends with the rosebushes.  I talked to them and they talked back.  I sang to them and they sang back- sorta.

Since then I have felt like gardening was in my blood and I was destined to do it some day. I have tried small things over the years but it has never been the right circumstances.  I thought about not doing it this 1st year in our house because we were already working hard in the ins and outs and I knew a garden would be more work.  I just had to though. I knew I would be longing all summer for it.  I thought I might go small but I couldn't. I wanted a big fat garden and sometime I wish I had made it even bigger.  I planted when you would typically plant in my neck of the woods and this year mid May was too early.  It was too cold and things were not taking off.  Many plants died- like 12 cucumbers and some squashes.  The tomatoes that I planted 1st have only had a couple tomatoes so far.  It is the end of August and things are starting to pick up a bit. I can go out at lunch and dinner and pick something fresh. Yum!

May

July

 

August

May

 

August- Banana Pepper, tomato, watermelon, cilantro, acorn squash, 2 garden pepers, and a tomatillo plant

 

Another view- the tomatoes in containers are Robyn's 

 

May

August

That section didn't get enough water for a while and it is too shaded. My strawberries, beets, onions, and cabbage have not done well :(

 May

August- raspberries, watermelon, and blueberries

I have a canalope planted a long this fence line too

Close up of the garden

Marigolds, potatoes, and tomato or 2

Peas on the left that we took out and have new ones growing- Carrots, beets, and nasturtiums on the right

Bush Beans

Newly planted lettuce, spinach, and basil in front- tomatoes, peppers and carrots in back- pumpkins further back

Tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash mixed with carrots and greens and flowers

Carrots seeds kind of went all over

Sweet Banana Pepper

Grapes

Pumpkin Patch

Watermelon Patch

From the other side

I will give you a virtual high five if you can tell me what these big leaves are.  It took some work for us to figure it out.

Getting Back to it

Up until a week or so ago, I was not ready for my kids to go back to school. Then, the fighting began. Mainly 2 of my kids were to blame and I was ready to ship them off. The day before school we found out that Rory was moved into the class where here friends are and that made us super happy. There was no point in starting over again.

Even though Simmy's friends are in the other class too, he is oober excited about his teacher.  She seems amazing.

To kick off the new year and to see what my backyard can do, we had a Back to School Party with Otter Pops, popcorn, music, trampoline, bounce house, Water Kickball, Sticker Tag, sprinklers, and best of all FRIENDS! 30 kids and 9 moms not including my fam. It was a scorcher that day and the moms hung out in the shade while the kids played- except me. I played! I say my hard did pretty darn well.