summer project // landscaping

Since moving into our house exactly two years ago, we've had a running list of projects big and small, inside and out. During our first summer, we tackled a lot of the smaller, inexpensive projects - painting, changing hardware on cabinets, adding lighting, etc. Last summer we added the deck, which we LOVE and use many evenings for supper and bird watching. This summer's big project was landscaping the front of the house. When we moved in, the landscaping looked like this:

It was completely overgrown with perennials, shrubs, and weeds. Don't mind the tub/cooler in the front lawn - we must have just gotten back from a camping trip. We knew we wanted to change it eventually, so shortly after we moved in, we tore everything out and have spent the last two years staring at a big dirt expanse in the front of our house which would inevitably fill up with small weeds during the summer. It was ugly. I'm sure our neighbors were just as excited as we were to get this project done.

Fast forward to three days ago. After getting a couple yards of dirt and rock dropped off, purchasing plants and shrubs, and hauling three car loads of landscape block, we were ready to begin. And by we, I mean Tim...while Jack and I supervised from the shade.

A couple weekends ago, we visited a local nursery to look at our plant options and ended up going with:

+ 1 lilac-colored azalea

+ 2 dwarf spruce trees

+ 2 prairie grass plants

+ 3 barberry bushes

And after 18 hours of hauling, spreading, measuring, cutting, and planting, it was complete and a BIG improvement from the overgrown daylilies/weed-invested mud hole. Tim did such a great job and along with master deck builder, he can now confidently add master landscaper to his resume. 

Other upcoming projects:
+ new landscape to the right of the front door
+ spruce up the sunroom
+ replace the front door
+ till up a garden plot

Memorial Day Weekend // the unofficial tradition

For the past several years, we have spent Memorial Day Weekend with Mike and Katie. It's almost become an unspoken/unofficial tradition. Tim and I weren't even dating when we first started this tradition. Through the years, we've spent the weekend on sections of the Superior Hiking Trail; last year we hung out in St. Cloud; and more often than not, we end up at their cabin. This year was a cabin year, and this year we added our kids into the mix. That still seems so crazy - we have kids! We ate good, spent 90% of the time outside, sat on the dock (with monitors in hand) after putting the kids to bed, and went for a hike with the babes, which I'm pretty sure Mike and Tim have been dreaming about for years. As always, it was a blast and refreshing to be around good friends.

details of August

+ Evie reading books with Uncle Tim
+ early morning fishing excursion/sunrise cruise on Booth Lake in Wisconsin
+ wakesurfing!
+ sistahs fo ev-ah
+ at home for my birthday and a homemade birthday peach pie
+ chowing down on my birthday meal - sweet corn, grilled burgers, baked beans, and homemade pickles
+ a major grating session with all the zucchini I got from mom. so pumped to pull it out in the dead of winter and make something delicious.

other things from august:
+ I hit the third trimester of my pregnancy. yeah, baby!
+ bought this album
+ discovered this awesome product, immediately added it to the birthday list, and unwrapped it just a few days ago. thanks Tim!
+ started reading this book and am loving it.
+ cleared out the room that will become the nursery in preparation for a fresh coat of light gray paint
+ currently in the midst of one of the hottest streaks in Minnesota's history. the thermometer on my computer at work today read 103. woah.
+ Tim started a new semester and year of grad school.
+ bought tickets to see these guys at the end of September.
+ made this and didn't regret it. seriously, so good.

my favorite kind of weekend

This past weekend was spent doing some of my most favorite things. It was one of those rare weekends where we had absolutely nothing planned and we were free to make spur-of-the-moment plans.
+ Saturday started with running errands and picking up some patio furniture, and ended with a spontaneous visit by my favorite 16-month-old niece and her dad. I swear that girl just gets better every time I see her.
+ Sunday started with church, followed by an afternoon trip to Buffalo to explore it's many antique/occasional shops. (Mom, I have GOT to take you there!) The weather was beautiful and Tim and I just meandered the streets looking for treasures and deals. The day ended with naps in the sunroom, church, a trip to the grocery store, and Miller home videos from 1987.

lately // staining a deck + washing a dog

Sweet summertime is here in the form of extra warm days, house projects, peaches, and long evenings outside...until we get chased in by mosquitos. Our ceiling fans are constantly spinning and the cool leather furniture has become a welcomed sight after activities like mowing and standing over a pot of boiling corn on the cob.

Thanks to the warm and (mostly) dry conditions, Tim was able to stain and seal the deck, making that project nearly complete. The only things left are to router the edges and maybe add a step along the whole front perimeter of the deck. Oh, and patio furniture of course. I'm just waiting for a sweet Craig's List deal or an end-of-summer sale at Home Depot.

Summertime also means that Callie's bath is an outdoor activity. She loves the water when it's in the form of a lake, river, or pond, but when it involves a bath tub or a garden hose, she gets a little sour.

step 1: get Callie wet

step 2: have some fun at Callie's expense

step 3: shake what your mama gave ya

step 4: soap/massage time = Callie's favorite part

step 5: dry off as you watch Tim remove stain from the house siding

Summertime, I hope you stick around for awhile this year. That'd be great. Thanks.

weekend recap // building, blts, and bibs

Have you ever had that glorious phenomenon where you always think it's way later in the day than it actually is? That's how this whole past weekend was; it was so awesome. Every time I would glance at the clock, I was expecting it to be 5:00 or 6:00pm, but it was usually something like 1:45 or 2:37. So great. 

+ BLTs - a total summer staple for us, alongside a bunch of pickled/canned goods

+ bib overalls I found on a garage sale. I couldn't help myself!

+ my little herb and flower garden flourishing away thanks to all the rain we've gotten lately

+ work on the deck continues. I am thoroughly impressed at how Tim is able to do this project and do it well. If everything continues to go as planned, we should have a full deck by next weekend. Yes!

and it was good

this is how we spent our weekend:

Zach's wine and cheese (birthday) party
chatting with Anna
staying up way past my bedtime
exploring the Minneapolis farmer's market (see photos below)
grabbing an afternoon snack on St. Anthony Main
learning new Swedish lawn games
enjoying the blessing of good friends and family
making Evie smile, which she did about 200 times a day

it was a great summer weekend...the kind that makes you not want to go to work on Monday morning, but so thankful that small things like good food and good company have that affect on you.

farmers market and lumberjacks

Hola! After seriously one of the hottest weeks EVER, I am actually sitting here with the air off and the windows open. Glorious. I feel like I can breathe again. I always say that I love Minnesota for its summers, but when its summers are 98 degrees with a dew point to match...yeah, there's not so much love then.

The heat broke on Friday/Saturday, making it another beautiful weekend full of projects. I (finally) made it to the St. Cloud farmers market and picked up a loaf of bread, 3 cucumbers, 2 hot hungarian peppers, and 1 stem of basil. It was truly a beautiful thing.

I planted some hostas I got from a neighbor (have I told you how much I love having neighbors?!), and started some smaller Pinterest-inspired craft projects. But probably the biggest accomplishment of the weekend is credited to Tim and Bob - they took down 3 trees in a matter of hours on Sunday. They're a couple of regular ol' lumberjacks. Mary and I were self-assigned spectators and water bottle-fillers. I think we definitely had the easier job...

And a good weekend isn't complete without good food - brats, homemade baked beans, caprese salad, chocolate chip cookies, and pad thai. Seriously delish.