done! {almost}

our first patio set was the plastic kind. and cheap to top it off! i think we used the table only a few times before the centre started to cave in. the chairs were moderately comfortable. we decided that this was the year to splurge on a grown up set. all things considered we actually did not spend much more than the plastic set. hopefully that will turn out to be a good decision.

the chairs are very comfortable.

as the following photo depicts!




water resistant cushions. after meal clean up is a breeze. but my kids {never} make a mess. ha!


this was the fastest project we have ever done.

Thursday had Kris rototilling the sod. he was relieved that job was over.

until the rocks arrived!



late Friday morning brought the rocks and cedar chips to our driveway. we also had a "memorable" meeting of one of our crankiest neighbours. apparently a delivery truck blocking the street for 5 minutes was too much for her to bear. it is pretty distasteful witnessing a grown woman throw a tantrum. she made our kids worst tantrums look like a fun event. no exaggeration. it didn't earn her any favours.



our neighbour Chris lent Kristian a hand with the hard labour. yes. Chris and Kris. Chris girlfriend is Krista...but also gets called Kris. not to be confusing or anything.

we were both grateful to his help. Aidan was also very helpful with the yard work. he even passed up an opportunity for an afternoon presentation at school to help with the yard!



all done! this section was a major pain to mow and take care. the grass beside the house walls was dead, and the rest was severely flattened by our feet!



i did get dirty. love my working outfit? i think it's the boots that make it so awesome.

it was the first really nice day all week and i had forgotten the power of the sun. we all did. which meant we all got nice and pink.



sigh. most of the work is done.

there is a tiny part under the gate that needs some flagstone and some thyme planted. i can handle that!

i also have a few bedding plants that i'll poke in here and there. i can't wait to add colour!!

we also have a garden patch by the sandbox. i'm not sure how well that will all work out, but i think it is a safe gamble. the kids planted some strawberry plants. they will also help with the garden planting. they are very proud of their work!



we still have some work on the north side. perhaps we should have put the rocks on this side this year. this will be next years project.


the big work this year is finished and now we can relax for a bit.


it rained for most of yesterday. perfect timing. it could be just our imagination...but the grass does look greener.

a good day

the morning skies were fairly clear. the wind very calm.

until noon.

then the remainder of the afternoon we were faced with periodic rain showers.

perfect for yard work?


Kiara woke up on the wrong side of the bed. actually the short nights and long days don't have a good effect on our kids. often they have a hard time falling asleep, then we wake them up early for school. it's no surprise really. Kris and i have a hard time getting to bed at a decent hour too. isn't it amazing how the light outside is so deceptive with the real time?

it is also Kiara's first week of not having school. there are other activities to occupy her time, but it isn't the same! having Kris at home kind of throws them off too. it's like the weekend that never ends! except for Aidan who still needs to head out to school. but he sure has enjoyed having his daddy walk him to the bus in the mornings. i am also in that club. it's a nice break for me too.


the cloudy skies proved to be an excellent day for outdoor photos. i used my 150mm 2.8 lens for the pictures of the kids. i only cropped them to fit on this page, so no photoshopping needed this time! although i know they would still alter nicely if i decided to go black and white or some cool technique. thanks to actions!



i love how the grass is so green.



perfect! i love the colours, especially how his eyes are so bright.



a little bit of hand movement. i love the focused look in her eyes.



my son turned into a rocket! this $4.98 toy should provide him and the other boys with hours of entertainment. he totally amazes me. i handed him the package and let him figure out what he needed to do. not even a single question. he definitely has his daddy's genes.

i just can't get over how vibrant the colours are.


i heard an interesting comment yesterday in regards to the auto and manual modes in dslr cameras. it was basically to not give yourself a hard time in using the auto mode and allow yourself to think you are a "bad" photographer if you shoot in auto. hmmm.... i still think some situations call for using the manual mode. but overall i do keep mine on auto. mostly because i don't have time to fool around with settings when "a moment" with the kids is happening. i guess it is so easy to forget that composition and lighting also play an important role.


so yardwork.


this photo below is what the yard looked like before Kristians sweat and hard work. of course any potted shrub, tree or plant is new. we moved in with 6 swedish aspens. only one was thriving. the other five were planted in shallow graves. literally. they also made the yard look more narrow than it actually is. we had a crabapple and a plum tree that were being beaten to death by rabbits and their shallow grave. apparently not all people are aware that the ROOTS should be planted UNDER the soil. yeah. not good. they ended up getting snagged by a friend of our neighbour one night. one aspen did not grow leaves this year. no wonder why when Kristian was able to pull a He-Man and yank it out with his hands. another aspen was dug up, half dead. one aspen was moved. one aspen turned out to produce seeds....so it is not staying. two were kept in their original spots. one of which is doing remarkably well. it also happens to be near the shared property line of a neighbour who watered his lawn religiously. amazing what a few extra splashes of water does to a tree.

anyways....enough complaining!




you can see the patch of dirt/new grass where one of the aspens used to be.



and now to the progress of yesterday....

we used our garden hose and laid out the general edging. then out came the spray paint! easy part.

Kris used a rented rototiller to chop up the sod. in all irony, the best grass grew on the edges of the lawn. again, some good watering when you first lay sod will do wonders. it also didn't help that both neighbours have stellar green and lush lawns. hopefully some more shade will help the lawn thrive. that and a good fertilizer!

this is where we begin our day today.

when it's done we're layering mulch over top. the hope is to make it thick enough to prevent regular weeding. except for one patch where we (myself and the kids) want to grow a garden this summer. don't worry, Arlene. we'll still need to help you eat some of your produce! our patch will be comparable to the size of Mikaela's personal patch.


by the end of today it should look much different.

finding time

i just finished a whirlwind of scrapbooking!

i barely finished teaching my last class (delayed) of a layout, then on to preparing kits for the next class. every single photo required a unique mat. what was i thinking? the largest one required 2 different edge punches. one of the 4x6 required me to measure carefully and do a 'punch around the page' edge punch. i have a love-hate relationship with that kind! love the look---hate the work. but i keep using it. what does that tell you? after i finished that massive amount of work, i put together the next classes. it was one time in my life that i wished i was a faster scrapbooker!


here is one class:




and now since i can breathe a bit on the paper creative side...it is time to get dirty and work on our backyard.

i can't wait to share photos.

but i must wait until i am dirt-free.