We're still here...

We are still here, running around crazy but still here. It's been a long two and a half weeks - filled with SICK kids - all four of them, each with different ailments and many trips to the doctor, swimming lessons, internet issues (meaning NO internet...for two weeks) start of school, preparing for a company party at our house on Saturday and mostly re-doing our entire yard. Yes, it was actually convenient that the kids were all sick - they just wanted to watch movies, sleep, drink 7-up and eat saltines.

Our family worked our tails off for the past two and a half weeks - we ripped up all the bushes and plants in the front and back yard and put down weed barrier (a cloth), planted new plants, reset the drip systems, planted a garden, planted fruit trees, weed trimmed the entire path up the mountain and laid new bark down. It looks so amazing and tidy. It literally was exhausting every night and we worked from sun up to sun down on Saturdays (and most week days - Ian and I). Many mornings I would wake up with a pile of wood chips on my pillow that had been in my hair. It also was so nice that my sisters came up to help two weeks ago. I know it wasn't the most fun way to spend a Saturday by any stretch of the imagination, but they helped out tremendously! Thanks ladies!

We planted a garden in garden boxes using the Square Foot Gardening method by Mel Bartholomew. It sits right up against the house and is easy to put a barrier up for pesky deer and my pesky dog that seems to think she can walk all over the garden. We are growing fall vegetables - sugar snap peas, several lettuce varieties, radishes, onions, and parsnips. Everything starting to come up and I'm already planning my spring and summer vegetables for next year.

We also planted two peach trees and two apple trees. They are a good size right now and the garden center thinks we will see fruit next year. We actually already had a peach tree but didn't realize it because there were always so many weeds around it.

I've also been doing a lot of canning - I made 42 jars of strawberry freezer jam and canned 27 bottles of peach jam. My sister in-law has an amazing peach tree and we picked peaches that were ripe and needed to can them right away. I still have at least two more rounds of peach jam to produce (as requested by my family, which also includes homemade bread) - thankfully I have a break before the next round is ripe. I also have some friends that want to learn, so we are going to have a canning party. I never thought I would can - I remember peeling peaches with my mom growing up and saying, "I'll never do this" Well, we all change and I actually really enjoy canning. My friends and I also plan on canning apples and apple pie filling at the end of September.

Right now I am trying to get everything coordinated for a company party on Saturday. I think I have most things under control - ask me again on Saturday afternoon. It should be fun for both adults and kids. It's a nice way to end the summer.

It's a busy time of year - then again, every time of year seems busy. I over-committed myself to school events (i.e. Fall Festival co-chair) and with sports, music, homework, church callings, everyday life and book-keeping it seems like a daunting task - trying to stay on top of things. It forces me to be more organized and plan better, things that will help me in the long run but that I have a hard time doing right now.

I've been having fun getting up with my friends to exercise in the mornings. It's been really fun and motivating. We get up between 4:45 am and 5:15 am to exercise. It also proves to be very therapeutic and I always leave glad that I woke up early - for the exercise and the discussions. I always leave motivated and really enjoy being around them. We started back in March and tried to to it the best we could in the summer (with 11 kids between the three of us) and are back into a routine for the school year.

The boys really LOVE school - I can't believe my boys are in 2nd grade and kindergarten! McKell is very excited to start preschool next week. She so desperately wants 'something' of her own to do. I'll post pictures and more on that later. Of course, Ellie is super cute and will turn 1 year on Sunday. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1! She certainly is a good girl, she's been in the car so much already this school year (in fact every meal yesterday was on the run - soccer, school, etc.) and she just smiles with her cute chubby cheeks and sparkling blue eyes, she melts my heart.

Off to pick up from kindergarten.