Currently, my favorite meal to make is this delicious pizza…homemade crust, pesto made with basil from my garden, goat cheese, red onion and a nice topping of arugula (also from my garden) with a bit of olive oil…be sure to add the arugula AFTER baking the pizza.
Summer is speeding by, isn’t it?
thanks to hillary…I have the most beautiful spinning fairy in my house! thanks for the gift, hillary! Penny is over the moon!
look at those kids…they were married 13 years ago tonight!
we’ve accomplished a lot Nathan, but most importantly, we still love each other’s company!
here’s to many more years.
is a day that removes you from obligations, laundry, and yardwork…and forces you to forget about the time and to enjoy your family.
We spent Father’s Day on Lake Michigan (in Evanston to be exact) enjoying the sand, COLD water and watching my brother-in-law wind surf.
An absolute perfect day away with only an hour drive. Can’t wait to do it again.
I think the hot and humid weather of last week really gave our garden a boost. Look at our beautiful lettuces and arugula! All started from me throwing seeds in a semi-straight line about a month ago…maybe less.
Our strawberries are just bursting and it’s so much fun watching them transform over night. This bowl smells divine- I just want to take it in and remember this in February.
A few more freckles are cropping up on my Simon’s face! Once the weather warms, he adds a few freckles every day and Ellie just gets really tan without even trying…poor Penny gets tired earlier in the evening (I found her conked out on her bedroom floor without her bedtime stories).
Here’s my helper- I’m so happy he was with me to share in the delights of the season. A memory I will keep.
This is a quick post before I dash off to work…
Ellie has her best pal’s sleepover tomorrow night and she wanted to make something really special. She had the idea, I just was her work horse. Isn’t it cute? Freezer stencil+iron transfer+applique’=CUTE! I think there may be some future gifts down the road. Especially for the girl who dreamed it.
I was all stressed trying to get this gift complete because I have 2 more lined up that need to be finished soon- what can I say, I work well under pressure.
I love when the weather is warm and our living space spills out to the back yard. We were fortunate when we moved into our house that the previous owners had planted many perennials, mainly hostas and ferns. Anyway, I thought I would show some of the work we have been doing outside the Shackelford house.
This nice little shade garden once had a pond. We weren’t too jazzed about the standing water and at the time a toddler toddling around and the potential mess/drowning hazard. So we finally, after 3 years of weeds got our act together and bought soil and some plants for this lush area. I also added some broccoli plants, because “hey, I have no more room in my garden plots!”.
Here’s the other side of the shade garden. We buried our sweet Beatrice here almost 2 years ago. I never knew I was such a “dog person”, but the past 2 years when I plant flowers around her grave I sob…I’m sure glad we have her near. I know, go ahead, you can think I am a loon.
I was happy to discover this pretty little lady in my garden today. That red just glows!
I absolutely LOVE rhubarb.I cleared out a bunch of weeds and made a nice little place for these tasty treats to grow and bring me future pies. Too bad I have to wait until next year.
Okay, so have you heard of growing potatoes in tires? All you do is cover the sprouting potato with soil as it grows and when it’s ready to harvest you remove the tires. Cool, huh? I need to still start this project, but it’s on the top along with 5 other “must dos”.
This corner is a dangerous space. We basically just make smores and lounge about eating. I love it! We planted some ferns in the corner from my parents yard and I hope to just cover the ground with paint rocks from the kids…you know, ladybugs, frogs, magic beans…
This part of the yard is still in development, but it is/will be my happiest spot! I have lots of vegetables growing and along the side of this garden will be my clothesline. We still need to dig holes, pour concrete and install the posts, but just imagine clean sheets on the line. I’m going to TRY to only use my dryer once a week. It can be done, but with midwest humidity I may be tempted to use the dryer one extra time…
Oh, the vegetables I planted are: peppers, red peppers, cilantro, tomatoes, peas, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. Not bad for a space that has seen many “ideas”…sunflower field, pumpkin patch, weed field (I don’t mean pot either!)
Our deck is a great place to hang out. I love having a pool. It came with the house and it has been such a great thing for our family. No days at the community pool, I can do what I want while the kids splash around…perfect.
Hi, pup. My dog Ollie was nipping my ankles as I was shooting this post. I had to show off this naughty boy.
Check out the hops! It’s crazy and so beautiful! I’m not sure if Nathan has used it for beer making, but it’s so cool.
So there you go, my back yard. I love it and now you know where I am most of my time in the summer. I don’t think the sewing machine has hummed in the past 3 weeks. Now, if only I could make my own sewing room in my yard!
Here’s a sneek peak of my next post…my side garden.
Since carving out a corner of our backyard for a firepit/lounging “restful place”, our family has made smores at least 4 times in the past 3 weeks…I think I need to be focusing on relaxing under the big trees and not letting each of the kids make me a smore! Did I tell you that they are especially great with dark chocolate?
Here’s to the first day of summer vacation for us!