Backyard Improvements

 Last year my mom wanted to do some improvements on her back yard.  One thing she really wanted was to have a paved path from the patio to the back fence.  There is a gate in the back fence that leads to a field.  The field is low lands used by the farmer that live behind them as drainage for his fields.  Sometimes, about every 3 or 5 years, he grows mint out there, but normally it's just grass that he rolls into hay bales and sells.  He doesn't mind at all that several people in the neighborhood use the land for walking their dogs and jogging.  So when a windstorm took out the old fence and my parents had to rebuild, they arranged to have a gate installed that would lead them directly into the field where they walk the dogs every day.

The gate is located in the middle of the fence line, directly at the end of the deck.  Since my mom has a beautiful and plentiful flower garden along the deck, it makes a lovely path for the walk to the gate.  And since the dogs and my parents walk to the gate every day for their walk, a little path is just what was formed... a little dirt path.  My mom wasn't happy about that at all and she resolved to make a path out of Paving Stone.  She hunted around for which kind to use.  Once, on TV, I had seen some that were just a mold for cement.  You just use them almost cookie cutter like.  They were big pieces of mold that made the path look like it was cut into several smaller pieces.  I thought it was really cool because it was so easy.  You don't have to figure out how to arrange the stones, you just cookie cutter them out.  The problem was that they were all exactly the same and it didn't look natural.

My argument was, who cares?? Some people use Patio Pavers to make entire patios and those don't look natural, but they do look beautiful.  Mom wanted something the looked at least a little natural.  We shopped for a couple of days and one day we found exactly what we wanted.  Some absolutely beautiful paving stones at Lowe's mispriced.  I snapped a photo with my phone and we asked management if they wouldn't mind selling the product at the incorrect price.  My mom said she felt like it was dishonest, or at least unkind, to try to weasel savings out of an honest mistake.  I told her we could just ask, and they would almost certainly feel obligated to say yes, and then we wouldn't be the people who tried to cheat them.

Mom asked for the department manager.  She explained that she knew the item was mislabled and that the price was incorrect.  Then she asked if he wouldn't mind selling it for the incorrect price since that was how it was marked.  He didn't want to say yes, you could tell.  He said that the price was very, very off and it was beyond his ability to approve such a big discount.  He had to call the general manager, who quickly approved the price drop and told them how to apply the discount at the register.  I thought it was a tactful way to go about it.  In the end, mom got enough paving stones to make two paths, not just one.  And they are still here today a year later, making a perfect path to the back and side gates.

Drip Irrigation

 Does anyone out there use a drip irrigation system? My mom uses some drip hoses or soaker hoses to water her flower garden all over the back yard, but does this count as drip irrigation?  My mom has these hoses that she has run all over the yard at the base of her plants.  She turns the water on and the hose gets soaked all long the its length.  The moister is then soaked up by the soil and then of course to the roots of the plants.

The reason she uses this is because

1. It saves water by delivering the moister directly to the root area of the plant
2. It saves the plants from getting burned by having water on their leaves
3. It saves time because she can turn it on and walk away without having to stand there and water the plants herself. 

She has been using the soaker hoses for about two years now and she is really happy with them.  She can move them around if she rearranges her garden and  she uses adapters that allow her to hook up multiple hoses in the front yard an back.  One problem that she has had is that the hoses don't always deliver consistent water their entire length.  The parts of the hose which are closer to the water source get wetter, and the plants at the end of the hose furthest from the water source don't get as much.

So my question is if she gets more permanent drip irrigation supplies will it work better?  It seems like it would.  I'm also wondering if they will be easy to move around.  They surely can't be as easy and flopping a hose to the other side of the garden, but are they permanent?  Also, are their kinds of drip irrigation systems that go underground?  I'm sure those are more permanent, but I was just curious. I also wonder if there is a way to put plant fertilizer directly into the drip irrigation system.  It seems like there should be.

I suppose if you really wanted to get fancy with it, you could set your drip irrigation system up with fertilizer or plant food and then set it on a timer so that you really don't have to worry about it.  Sometimes my mom forgets to turn off her soaker hose.  It hasn't ever drowned any plants, and since it's a soaker hose, it doesn't really use up too much water, which is the reason she got it in the first place.  If you had everything set on an automatic timer though, that would be even easier.

How to Enjoy Your Patio

 The weather has been so nice and warm that we have been spending a lot of time out doors as a family.  We have been grilling at least two times a week and yesterday we all sat outside and drank coffee after dinner, just looking at the sunset.  We talked about how nice it would be if we could do things like this all year round.

My grandma is visiting from Mississippi, just like she does every year.  Soon, she will be joined by my Aunt Pam, who also visits every year.  They like to spend the Summer in our mild weather.  Well, it's mild to them.  On Summer nights in Mississippi if you want to enjoy a drink on your patio, it is probably an iced tea, and if you want to sit out there very long, you need a fan.  Aunt Pam and Uncle Danny have a huge covered back porch that is the size of some people's whole yards.  They have 2 ceiling fans hanging from the cover which they keep on to blow a little bit of the warm humid air around trying to make it a little more tolerable.

In Mississippi, the challenge is trying to keep cool throughout most of the year, but for us in Washington State, that isn't so.  Here in the Pacific Northwest we are challenged with keeping warm.  Most people stay indoors throughout the winter, but not us.  We have an amazing view of Mt. St. Helens AND Mt. Hood from our back yard.  There is nothing like seeing a beautiful mountain lit up all pink and purple and orange in a glorious sunset.  But how do you enjoy your yard when it's freezing out?

We took a cue from our family in Mississippi.  If they can try to cool off their porch, why can't we try to heat ours up?  We also got the idea from a restaurant that we like to go to.  The restaurant is so busy that the door is always opening and closing, and they have trouble keeping the heat in and the cold air out.  The tables near the door can get especially chilly.  One winter we all went for some hot soup for dinner and while we were seated at the door, the management brought over outdoor patio heaters  to help keep us warm!

What an awesome idea!  Mom and dad are looking into getting one of these heaters to use in the winter months so that we can still be outdoors.  I can just imagine it now.  A cool and crisp fall evening with my family, maybe sitting around a fire pit roasting marshmallows as the stars twinkle, and not even having to worry about getting to cold.  It sounds great!

New House

 I am excited to say that I am looking into buying a new house!  Mom and I didn't have time to plant a vegetable garden this year; just flowers.  Flowers are nice and all, but I love being able to eat fresh veggies from the garden.  Fortunately for me, my new Beau also loves vegetable gardening.  So as we are looking for a new house, we are keeping gardening in mind.

It's going to be so nice to live with someone who likes to be outside and work in the yard.  What wonderful weekends we are going to have! As we have been looking at the houses in the neighborhood we are taking note of things that we like about them.  It's amazing how simple things like address plaques and address signs can really spruce up the way a house looks. We also saw some house signs which may have been a little over the top for us.

Most of the houses that we looked at had those community mail boxes that lock up, which is nice for security, but I have always wanted one of those cheeky little mailboxes.  I saw one online today that was a Darth Vader and the flag was a light saber!  How funny!  When I was a kid one of my friend had a mailbox that was a miniature of his house!  Maybe I can get one just for show.

Drink to your health

 I've just started drinking wine.  I don't know anything about it - I only know what I like.  Right now I am IN LOVE with Cupcake Vineyards.  They make not too sweet red wines in tasty flavors like Red Velvet Cake!  YUM!

First Plants

Okay, so it's not as exciting as first fruits, but it is still pretty exciting.  Caleb has our first plant of the season.  He went to the store with my mom and picked the saddest, droopiest tomato plant I have ever seen.  He's 4, so she let him.  It reminds me of when Charlie Brown chose that wilted little Christmas tree.  He loves it!  It is still in a little planter in the window, but he looks at it every day and encourages it to grow.

Next weekend we are going to find a nice place to plant it and then our garden will offically be started!  Somebody tell all that Spring snow that we have been getting to back off!

An extra end table never hurt anybody

Guest post written by Sarah Long

I'm completely convinced that you're never finished decorating a room. There's always a lamp shade or a footstool that you can switch out for another that fits in with the decor just a little better. I think that many people would agree with me in that regard. I'm sure it also helps that I browse online shopping sites all the time too and find things that would be perfect for my home.

A few nights ago I found this amazing end table when I was online browsing for different home goods. I also found the website Sears Home Improvement and after looking through it some, talked myself into some new kitchen cabinets. They're something that are actually practical and not just a little extra something that I want to add to a room because I like it. We really could use some nicer looking kitchen cabinets.

I was so glad once the end table finally got shipped to my home and it fit in exactly how I imagined it would in my living room. Next are the kitchen cabinets.

Almost Time

Well, it's just about that time again.  For me, anyway.  It's usually about the time that the tulips start peeking out from the flower bed floor that I start to think about gardening.  Those first hints of green that seem to just happen overnight get my wheels turning and I think the same thing for the last few years now...

"Wow, last year was really horrible... but I really would like to try again."

And that's how it happens every year since the first year. 
This year I am living with my mother and that should prove to be advantageous for my gardening.  She is a great support when it comes to growing things of all kinds (including plants and children).  Not only will she be available to offer good advise, but she can also keep an eye on my veggies while I am at work and maybe even do a little weeding for me!
Caleb has decided to plant come cucumbers this year because he enjoyed eating them straight from the garden last year.  I would like to try growing some beans again - I failed miserably last year.  And to think the package even said "Absolutely Guaranteed To Grow!" Just like seamonkeys.  If something is absolutely guaranteed to grow... well, I guess it grew a little, but it was nothing near flourishing. 
My boyfriend, Travis, insists that he loves gardening.  So, I guess we are about to find out. He wants to plant the beans so he can pickle them... I should point out that neither of us know how to pick anything except for eggs!  My sister has a friend who is great at pickling things, so we may be paying her a visit this Summer.
Over all, I think this growing season is going to be a good one.

I Want a Pool, Too...

Last September I went to visit my family in Mississippi. I make the 2,500 mile trip at least once a year, but the most recent trip was especially important to me.  This was the first time that my little son was old enough to fly with me.  I was so excited to bring him, even more so after he commented that the sun was "broken" here in the Pacific Northwest.  He was excited to go because my uncle, who we were staying with, had planned a huge pool party to celebrate our arrival!

The pool party was the day after our arrival since we got in to town late in the afternoon.  Party or no party, there was no keeping Caleb out of that pool!  He's been taking swimming lessons in an indoor pool around our home town, so he was feeling pretty confident.  It was so warm out, but there had been a rain recently that cooled down the water in the pool.  That meant that jumping in was cool and refreshing!

The next day was the pool party and we had a blast!  There were kids and dogs and family and friends all over the place!  My uncle had a smoker and 3 BBQs going at once!  There were a ton of pool accessories and toys to mess around with. The coolest one was a huge inflatable slide that you put on the deck edge of the pool! I was able to have peace of mind about all of the kids in the yard because my uncle had just gotten a nice fence from his pool supply company to keep the kids and the dogs out if no one was there to watch them around the water.  We were in and out of the pool all day until well after the sun went down and the kids went to bed!

Reminiscing about all of that makes me want a pool so bad!  Caleb has been asking for one as well.  He had never seen someone with a pool at their house before.  Now that he knows such a thing exists he definitely has it on his wish list.