Arboretum

Beth had a brilliant idea on Labor Day to go to the Arboretum together.  It was our first trip there and it was fantastic!  (Beth takes her kindergarteners there for their apple orchard and maze every fall.)  We enjoyed exploring the flowers, themed gardens and trails.

Isn't this the coolest fort you've ever seen in your whole life?

I am still mildly obsessed with it.

It feels like a natural cathedral inside, with coves and a main middle area.

It was very Bridge to Terabithia.

Beth said if we touched the water we'd turn into stone like those kids.  But it wasn't true.

In the tree house.

My favorite photo of the day.  I said, "pose like an emo band."
Also, those hanging pillar plants were Bert's favorite.

The art on display throughout the park was based on this roots concept.  Very cool.

Dearest-People-On-Earth-To-Me

Bert took some flower pics.
I think it's funny that out of the millions there, this is the same as this one that Amy took.

Soaking up the fall colors.

These are my favorite because they look like raspberries!
Anyone know what it's like to grow them?

Photo Credit: Beki

Photo Credit: Beth

Not pictured, but enjoyed:

Japanese Gardens

Hosta Gardens

Veggie Gardens

GIANT oak trees

Wildflower Trail

Hemlock Trees

Fountains

Waterfalls

Sensory Garden

Wild Turkeys

Arborvitae Trail

Rose Garden

Flowers

I am dabbling in the world of flowers this summer...

We inherited some daisies from my in-law's backyard.  They are so cheerful.

Our rose bush out front is thriving.  I love how many blooms it is sporting this summer.

My hydrangea plant took two years, but it is finally looking alive. Hooray!

My new favorite dining room centerpiece is baby's breath.  It never wilts or needs watering.  This stuff is from a baby shower I had a month ago.  I like how it looks on its own, bunched over a table cloth.

Baby Room Status Update

Thanks to the kindness and teamwork of my savvy-stud-finding-husband, there are a few new updates to share in the baby room:

crib assembled (take two)

curtain pulls hung

bassinet washed

picture hung

 mirror hung over future changing area

two paper lanterns hung

and furniture rearranged

My plan is to use the space to the right of the dresser and mirror as changing and diaper central.  It will include a diaper pail, a small shelf full of diapers/wipes/creams, and a hamper for dirty clothes.

 We are both so happy with how the crib turned out.  It's lovely.

 I am amazed at the generosity of hand-me-downs already.  Baby Ike even received a few special gifts around Christmas time, including that ducky hooded towel among others.  One drawer is already full of loot and I haven't had any showers yet! :)

It's so fun to prepare this space and know that in the next 7 weeks, we will be adding other baby gear to the mix.  It feels like a blank slate.  So exciting.  And eventually... a baby will live here!

neglect

This is the unfortunate end of my garden produce year. I have not been up to tending to or eating food from the garden since morning sickness set in early August. Bert found some HUGE zucchinis on the vine recently. And they have met their sad end in the alley dumpster.

There's always next year...

6 foot tomato plants and other gardening news

bad news first:

something thoroughly desecrated my lettuce and green beans.

despite the fence.

good news:

cukes are growing!

tomatoes have new and more effective housing options.

and we are happily enjoying the beginning of bounty!

tomatosplosion

My tomato plant is getting ginormous. Here is some proof:

This is what it looked like about 3 weeks ago:

Then about 2 weeks ago:

And today, it stands at my height (5'6"):

First Fruits are Delicious.

The little yellow ones are really sweet!

on guard!

Anybody remember the post about rainy-day-fence-building?

Here is some follow-up.

on guard. fencing. get it?

soggy saturday

Last Saturday was scheduled to be a work-day for building a fence in our back yard.

Bummer that it rained, but we still made some great progress!

This was my job. Drilling holes in the cleats and then drilling the extra long screws into them to be fence-construction-ready.

This is right before we had to take a break due to a particularly big downpour.

This is as far as we got. We ran out of lumber and had to pick up more on Sunday.

To be finished at a later date...

In the tradition of whoever these people were, and just about any human being...

We marked our territory with initials and a heart!