Happy Memorial Day...

We were up early this morning as we had a lot to do to get ready for the party. I had to water the potted plants and then had to wash down all the tables and the cooler. We then went to the store for ice and other things. We stopped at the beer store and then headed home. We filled the cooler with soda, water, and beer. I then cleaned the grill and all my tasks were done. We changed in our swimming suits and headed down to the pool. I had just stepped off the sidewalk when Buster came racing around me and hit my leg. I popped my ankle and landed on my knee when I went down to the ground. Talk about being some pain. Beth came running to see if I was alright and see if she should call the ambulance, that is her first reaction to everything, it is so cute. After the initial pain was gone, I realized nothing was broken just a twisted ankle and a sore knee. So of course the best cure was to hop in the pool. DJ, Maggie, and the boys were the first to arrive. The weather started to turn cloudy, what the heck. It was to be sunny all day. So we did some swimming for awhile and then Dawn, Jo, and Rylee arrived. It had just started to rain, so we moved into the basement. It did not look like it would last too long. Kim and Jojo arrived and the sun was beginning to come out. We moved back outside to swim some more. Rylee had her first taste of being in the pool and loved it. She is a water baby and was even kicking her feet. We fired up the grill around 5:30 for some burgers and dogs. It was great to eat dinner by the pool with great friends. The weather had a mind of it own. We got everything cleaned up and covered up just as the rain started to fall again. Everyone headed home and we got changed and settled in for the evening. My leg is killing me and is very swollen, so we put an ice pack on it. Hopefully it will be better in the morning. Today's picture is of Rylee and Mommy J in the pool.

Taken it easy..

It was one of those days when time was not an issue. We both were not feeling all that great this morning and never made it out of bed until 10am. I made us breakfast and then went out to water the potted plants. We had some rain last night, so they were the only ones that needed water. We seemed to have a lot to do to get ready for the party tomorrow, but were in no hurry to get started. We went downstairs to clean but ended up playing Wii instead. Dawn, Jo, and Rylee came by around 1:30pm. Rylee had her six month pictures taken and she was of course cute. We all watched the Phillies game and they lost 1 -0 . They just can't seem to get the bats moving. Dawn and Jo left after the game and we headed to Beth parent's house. We took an ice cream cake for Beth's Dad's 83 birthday. We had a nice time visiting with them. I had started to have what felt like a migraine coming on. It had been a while since I had one and most of you know they are no fun. I was able to take some migraine pills and that helped a little but the queasy stomach was still there. I put some eggs on to boil and took a quick nap in the chair. It helped a little and I was able to get the food I needed for tomorrow all prepared. Beth cleaned the downstairs as we found we have the flying ants down there also. We have a good idea how they are getting in and will be working on that Tuesday. It was a hot day today and will be 90 tomorrow. That pool is going to feel real good if it gets that hot. Today's picture's is one they had taken. She is a cutie.

The Perfect Game...

My back was not much better today, but things had to get done. I first went out and watered only the plants in the pots as the ground was still wet from the rain. Then we loaded the lounge chairs in the back of the truck and backed down by the pool. We unloaded the pool heater we got from Charlie and then the lounge chairs. We had to bring the big grill from the back deck to the pool area. We were smart this time and laid plywood sheets down and rolled over them. It was a lot easier than trying to roll over the grass. We then had to bring down the cedar 2 seat bench. We decided to drill a hole in the center of the table to help secure the umbrella. It looks a lot better now. Beth then set out the big cooler. The pool area is now complete and ready for a party. We decided to call it a day had some lunch. Beth took a shower and headed to get propane and dog food. I had to drag the mat from the back of the closet and laid on it to see if it would help my back. I am pretty sure I have a hip out and will not get any better until I can see Dr. Bill on Tuesday. We headed over to Dawn and Jo's house around 5pm for a cook out and to watch the game. Dawn had announced the Rylee had rolled over for the first time last night. We are watching her on Wednesday and are hoping to see it for ourselves. We watched Roy Halladay throw a perfect game tonight for the Phillies who have now won 2 in a row. It was a thing of beauty to watch. The Flyers are also playing and are tied, so we are hoping for a victory there too. No picture today.

My rest day...

It was so nice and cool this morning that I did not want to get up. I finally rolled out of bed at 8:30am. I did not have to water since we got 3 inches of rain yesterday. Beth got up around 9am and we had breakfast. I took a shower and ran some errands. Beth wanted to get the rest of the yard work done. I had to go to the recycle center, the dry cleaners, bank, wal-mart, and finally the grocery store. Dawn was going to drop off Rylee at 12:30pm, but her appointment got cancelled so we did not get to play with the little princess today. What a bummer. Beth was still cussing the weed eater for shutting off all the time, so I think it is time to look for a new one. I did nothing the rest of the day. My back is a little sore and stiff from all the work this week, so it was my day off. We went to dinner at Outback as we still had one remaining gift card, then headed to BJ's for a few items. I did manage to get 4 loads of laundry done on a cool day. We are going to work on getting the garage cleaned out so we can bring the 35' home from Charlie's house. Then we are off to Dawn and Jo's house for dinner and to watch the first game of the Stanley cup finals. Today's picture is from the hail storm yesterday. I call it hail eggs as it looks like eggs fell out of a nest.

Hail in PA...

It was going to be another hot day today. So we were up early and outside. I wanted to finish the flower bed by the mail box since all the flowers were up. I then began working on putting a water seal coat on the ceder bench. It was in the garage and out of the sun. Beth began the weed whacking on the fence line and back yard, but the silly machine has a safety on it and shuts done every 20 minutes. What a pain in the butt that is. The weather man was calling for heavy rain and even hail later on in the day, but at noon it was a great looking sky and hotter that heck. Beth left around 12:30pm to get here shaggy dog of a hair cut. I finally finished the water proofing and started pulling all the little weeds in the flower bed. Beth was home around 1pm and started on the weed whacking again. Gayle called around 3pm and said she could come up today and do the welding we needed done, so we said come on. The big tomato holder we have had one of the leg brackets snap and the umbrella holder needed a better seal on the bottom. So BJ, Gayle's son, began welding the 2 items we had. It took him around an hour to finish. Gayle's other son and a friend were already in the pool. The temperature is up to 74 and good to swim in. By this time you could see the storm coming in and the thunder was starting. I hurried and painted the spots that had been welded and put the hanging tomato plants back in place. It was just starting to rain at this time. So Gayle and family left and we came inside. I took a shower and by the time I got out and dressed it began to hail and we are not talking little pea size things either. Beth ran out to get the gazing ball, so the hail would not smash it and got hit a couple of times by hail. About this time, the clouds opened up and hail about the size of a golf ball came shooting from the sky. It was the first time here that I have seen that kind of hail before. In Missouri, I was used to it. So as the hail rained down, I kept wondering if I had a crack in the windshield and my poor tomato plants and flowers. After about 10 minutes of steady pounding, we saw a rainbow and it ended in the field across the street, but we were not going to run over there for our gold as hail was still coming down. It seemed to be over, so I went outside and no cracks and the roof seemed fine. We had to go to the travel agent and get our cruise papers, so off we went thinking the storm was over. We had just made it back in the car and healed to Wal-mart, when the next round came flooding in. We picked up some burgers and headed home. Hail and heavy rain made it very hard to see, but we made it home safely. The electric kept going on and off for around 20 minutes, but it was much cooler downstairs even with no fans. We are hoping to keep the air off as long as possible and are hoping the rain will bring cool temperatures, which it has. So we expect rain off and on all night and even tomorrow, but cooler weather. We have found the the pool is only costing around 60 bucks a month to run, so when we do turn the air on we can see what the additional charge is for that. We are hoping to keep the electric bill under 350 dollars a month during the summer. Today's pictures are from the hail storm today and the rainbow that ended across the street.

Dip in the pool...

We were up and out the door by 9am this morning. We had to meet the Edward Jones guy about our investments. He had some good ideas on how to get us back on track for less fees, so we signed with him. This is what we call phase one of the process. So we left his office and headed back home. The bug guys was to be there between 12 and 2 and he is always on the early side. We had just fixed lunch and he arrived. We have a flying ant problems and seems we are not the only ones. It seems that the stuff they put out for termites attracts the ants. So he treated the living room and outside the house. Of course it will take a few days, but hopefully it will rid us of them. Beth left to go see her mom and dad. I began power washing the lounge chairs we got at Charlie's yesterday. I also had to wash the cedar seat we have so I could stain and water proof it. It took me about 2 hours to complete the process. The sun was really hot and it was 90 degrees. After finished, I came inside to relax and cool off a bit. Beth called around 2:45 and said she would be home around 3:30ish. We had an early dinner and she began cutting the front yard. After she completed her cutting, she took a dip in the pool. She said it was a little cool but felt nice. Looks like we will be having great weather for the Monday holiday and might even get in the pool. The little princess is learning to suck on her bibs as seen in today's picture.

Reading Phils Game...

We were up at 8am this morning. It was nice to kind of sleep a little late. We had breakfast and headed outside. I only had to water a few of the plants with all the rain we had yesterday. We headed to the shed to move all the summer stuff out. We backed the truck to the shed doors and loaded the tiki bar, pool cushions, umbrellas, and a few others. We then backed into the yard next to the pool and unloaded everything. After setting it all up, the pool area is ready to go. We loaded the redwood seat on to the back of the truck and took it up to the driveway. I want to clean and re-stain it. We then moved the snow blower to the shed and started taking some of the tools back down to the shed. We were finally able to get the 2 tomato plants planted in the hanging pot. That gives us a total of 11 plants. Anyone want tomatoes this summer. We stopped around 12:30pm for some lunch. We had to go over to Charlie's house. He had a pool heater, some pool pumps, and some lounge chairs for us. We just left everything in the back of the truck to unload tomorrow. We took showers and Beth was able to get in for an eye appointment at 3:30pm. She was back home by 4:30 and Amy and Sal came over around 5pm. We headed to the Reading Philis baseball game. We had great seats and it was a great game. I even snagged a soft baseball the was headed our way. It is going to be a hot one for the next few days. Should be in the low 90's and sunny. We are hoping the pool warms up and we can start swimming. Today's picture is of our little ground hog the comes out every night.

Flyers wins...

Rylee arrived about 8:30am with her mother this morning. Dawn had a class to go to then a doctor's appointment. So I got Beth settled with her and then I went to the grocery store, CVS, and Bed Bath and Beyond. I was back home a little after 10am and Rylee was already down for a nap. She slept on Aunt Beth for 2 1/2 hours. I made us lunch and Beth went to put Rylee in her chair and she started to stir. We had lunch while she finished waking up and played a little while. I feed her lunch a little before 1pm. She then played in the excersaucer for about an hour then took a bottle and was down for another power nap. She slept about 45 minutes and was ready to play. She was very content looking out the window as the wind blew the trees. Dawn came by to pick her up around 3pm. I made dinner and we went outside for a little while. I had to cover the strawberry plants as the birds were eating the ripe strawberries and Beth was a little upset at them. The boys came by around 7pm to look at the hot tub again and work up a game plan for getting it out. They paid us for it and would be back the first part of July to get it. Beth watched the Flyers win game 5. I was not allowed in the living room as they scored 2 goals while I was gone and gave up a goal when I came back in the room. So I was banished to the office until the game was over. So I guess it is on to the Stanley Cup for them. I am not much for hockey nor do I care to watch it. W have a busy day tomorrow as we want to get the Tiki bar and everything else out of the shed. We need to then put the winter stuff from the garage in the shed and bring the '35 home. Then we have tickets for the R-Phillie's tomorrow night with Sal and Amy.

Pool's clear...

We woke up this morning to rain. Beth went to church and I just laid in bed for a little while longer. I finally got up and took a shower, then stripped the bed and laundered sheets. Beth came home and we had breakfast. I began working on trying to find my desk in the office. Beth finished reading the paper and then began working on her desk. I finished and began working on the kitchen and dining room. I fixed us lunch and then I went downstairs to watch a movie. Beth told me the pool was finally clear and she was able to get the screwdriver out of the pool. It rained off and on all day today, but the sun did shine a few times. I was able to watch 2 movies before I had to fix dinner. We are watching Rylee tomorrow as Dawn has class.

Hangin with Rylee...

Jo got here this morning with Rylee around 9:30am. Beth watched her while I went out and watered the flowers. I then watched her while Beth went out and vacuumed the pool. Rylee had a bottle around 10:30am and fell asleep. I was able to get laundry started and some things done in the kitchen while she slept. Beth took out the hot tub cover from the garage to put back on the hot tub as it was to rain and we are tired of having to bail the water out. But that was not a good thing. Buster saw it and barked his fool head off which in turn scared the sleeping baby. Rylee was not happy at all. She finally calmed down. Beth went to take a shower and I began feeding Rylee lunch. She is starting to eat baby food 3 times a day along with her bottle. When she was done eating we sat her in the baby chair and we had lunch. She was still sleepy, so after lunch Beth gave her the rest of her bottle and she fell asleep. We left to take her home after the first period of the Flyers playoff game. We finished watching the game at Dawn and Jo's house. They made steak for my birthday dinner and it was really good. We watched the Phillies lose and then came home. It was a great day.

Pool Deck cleaning...

We slept in again this morning knowing it was going to be another hot day. We had breakfast and headed outside. Beth began working on power washing the pool deck and I began watering and then edging my normal area. It was already sunny and hot out. Beth was only about half way done with the power washing, so I decided to get the lawn mower out and cut the back yard. I can not cut the area behind the pool as I am not strong enough to pull the mower away from the fence, but I was able to cut everything else. Kim and Jojo stopped by to get the canopy for Lynn, so it was a good time to take a break. After they left, I took a shower. I was so hot and tired. I made pasta salad for dinner and cut up some strawberries. Beth finally finished the pool deck and finished up cutting the grass in the back yard. She was able to get the front yard done and finally came in for a shower around 6pm. We had hot dogs on the grill and they were sure good. We are now watching the Phillies who are ahead 4 to 1. We have Rylee tomorrow around 10am as they are going to see the boys. We are then going over for a steak dinner. More bunny pictures for today's picture.

Sunny and Warm...

The alarm went off the morning at 7:30am and neither of us wanted to get up. We laid in bed for awhile and then finally got out of bed. We had a quick breakfast and then Beth jumped in the shower and I went outside. I wanted to get the rubber mulch down in the flower bed by the mailbox. But first I had to water. I did notice I had one green tomato about the size of a marble on one of the plants. Beth headed to her parents house and I continued with the mulching. I had planted gladioli in the bed and most of them were starting to come up. I thought there should be 2 mores, so I left a spot open where I think they are planted. It they are not up in a week, then the spot will be covered over. I removed the green barrier beside the sidewalk and swept it down. It really looks good. I jumped in the shower and was just getting dressed when Beth came home. We had to go pick up Jojo from school and then wanted to go to Home Depot to get a few more bags of mulch. We came home and had lunch. We began watching the Phillies game and Jojo played Mario on the DS. The Phillies were able to pull out a win. Beth and Jojo went outside to play and I cleaned up the lunch dishes. Kim had told us she would be late, so we planned on fixing spaghetti for dinner, but she got her around 4:30pm. So I fixed dinner around 5pm and boy did it hit the spot. Beth is now watching the Flyers and they are not looking too good. We are hoping to get the pool deck power washed tomorrow and get all the patio stuff out. This way we can work on getting the other side of the garage cleaned out and thing put away in the shed. Beth brought 2 more tomato plants home from her dads. We are going to have a ton this year if they all produce. I have 9 plants out already. Maybe will will have a little stand on the corner and sell them. Today's picture was taken in Pooh's corner.

New Broker...

We had to get up early this morning as we had an appointment at 9:30am to talk to a new broker. Beth is not happy with the service she is getting and the fees we are paying. So off we went to talk to this guy at Edward Jones. He was really nice and is going to work something up for us and talk again next week. We found that we are in very aggressive funds too much. He can also give us a bigger break on fees. So we will see what he says. We have to take a really hard look at our spending and cut more from it to secure a better plan for the future. So after that, we came home and Beth worked on the pool. I cleaned the bathroom and folded the clothes. I was not feeling well today. Having stomach problems. Some of it might be not eating right, the weather, and of course money planning for the future. So I took it easy and ate a bland diet today. It is a lot better this evening. It was still a little chilly today and the sun was out for a little while, but then clouded up most of the afternoon. Dawn was going to bring Rylee over, but she got tied up. So we went to BJ's club. We stocked up on meat and other things that we needed. We came home and had dinner and then watched the Phillies lose. It was a close game but the bats have gone cold. But the sun is going to shine and the temperature will be warm tomorrow, so I can work outside and get the area by the mailbox done. Today's picture is of the ceramic bunny in the flower bed.

Cold Phillies Game...

We woke up this morning to a cold and rainy morning. I fixed us pancakes for breakfast. We took showers and I headed to my dentist appointment. After the dentist, I came home and fixed lunch. We headed to the Phillies game around 3:30pm as there was also a Flyers game in the same area and we thought traffic would be bad. We made good time and got a great place to park. The rain had stopped, but the wind was really blowing cold air. The temperature was only 50 degrees, but it felt colder than that. The Phillies bats were dead tonight and the lost 2 to 1, but we did get Roy Halladay bobble heads.

Happy Birthday to me...

Today is my birthday. We were up at 7am as we had appointments with Dr. Bill for well needed adjustments. After that, Beth took me to Dunkin Donuts. We had coupons and you can't let them go to waste. After that, we had to go to CVS to pick up Beth's pills and then home. Beth had to clean out the hot tub as we had people coming to look at it tonight. I began cleaning the kitchen. I had a hair appointment at 12:30pm. After that I came home and we went to Oaks to Olive Garden for an early dinner. Beth had the Tour of Italy and I had the new Five Cheese Crespelle with sausage. It was really good. Next we went to the grocery store for a few things. We hit the start of rush hour so it took us a little while to get home. Jen brought her friends over around 7:30pm to take a look at the hot tub. They are very interested in buying it but have to figure out how to move it. So we will see what happens. I want to thank everyone for their warm birthday wishes and to tell my mom her card did arrive on time. Today's picture is of the iris bed we have out from. They are so colorful.

Sidewalk is done...

After Beth came home from church, we headed to Lowe's for phase 2 of the sidewalk. We got 4 bags and a squeegee. We came home and began the process. Since this stuff was thinner than the cement mix form yesterday, we figured we could mix it in a bucket and use the drill to stir it. By now the sun is over head and it getting hot. We found Beth is a better mixer and I am better at troweling. It worked well for us. Only one problem. We were about 4 bags short. So Beth finished with what we had and I ran back to Lowe's. I am so glad it is only a 5 minute drive. I ran in and got 5 more bags. Thank god the guy loaded it on the cart for me. I did load the bags in the truck. I did not know something that is only 18 inches long and 10 inches wide could wait 40 pounds. So off I went to get back home. We only need 3 more bags and the project was completed. We both think it turned out rather nice and is a whole lot better than what we had. We still have to do the spa deck, but are hoping to sell the hot tub first so we can do the whole thing. So after washing all the tools and cleaning up the mess, we still had to cut the grass. I told Beth I would do the back. It seemed only fair as we were both really tired. So off I went to push mow the back yard. I found that even though the lawn mower is self propelled, I had very little hand strength left to even push it into that mode. But I got it done. I finished putting thing away and came in to take a much needed shower. Thank god we see Dr. Bill tomorrow. Beth finished cutting the front yard and then did some wed spraying. She finally came in around 6:30pm and took a shower. We had left over pizza for dinner and are watching the Flyers and the Phillies. I am so ready for bed. Today's picture's are of the finished sidewalk. Not to bad!!!

Working on the sidewalk...

Since it was Saturday, we slept until 8:30am. We had a quick breakfast and headed outside to work on the sidewalk. We first pulled up all the black carpet strips. Beth started at one end and I stared at the other. We began vacuuming up all the loose pieces with shop vacs. My vac bit the dust and started smoking about half way through. So Beth finished the part and I moved on to edging the yard side of the walk. This will help us get the green edging next to the sidewalk and help keep the grass back. We finished all this around 1:30pm. We had a quick lunch and then did a power wash on the sidewalk to get any loose parts out and all the cement dust out. That took about an hour and a half to complete, then it was on to laying the edging. So by 4pm all the prep work was done. So it was off to Lowe's to get the resurfacing mix. Well come to find out we had to do a step in between because we have patches of a least a 1/2 inch deep. So we had to get 5 bags of a sand topping mix. It is the same as cement except it does not have the rocks. We also needed an adhesive to put on the old cement before we lay the new to act as a bonding agent. So we made out purchase and headed home. Beth added the adhesive to the area we needed and we waited for it to dry. Next was the real work. We mixed one 60 pound bag of cement and a gallon of water in the wheel barrow. After it was welled mixed, we dumped it onto the area we needed and use a hand trowels to spread and level the mixture. we only needed 4 bags and thank god. I must say it does look a lot better. We are hoping to put the finished coat on tomorrow. We are both really tired and sore, but feel good that we got a lot done today. We will still have to do the spa deck, but will have a few more changes we have to work out first for that. We finally finished cleaning up and took much needed showers. A shower never felt so good as it did tonight. This is one time I really miss the hot tub. So it is off to bed and start again in the morning. Today's picture is of the worst section of the sidewalk. It would be the same as walking on a bed of gravel and sidewalks should not be rough. This is the part we had to add a sand top coat on first because of the depth of the missing concert.

A Day with Payton...

I was up at 6:45am this morning and hopped in the shower. The alarm went off at 7am for Beth to get up if I was still in the shower. Maggie and the boys arrived shortly after that. I was finished getting dressed and went out to say Hi. Payton was so excited to be spending the day with us. Maggie headed to work and Beth hopped in the shower next. We all jumped in the car and took Kyle to school. On the way home, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. After breakfast, we came home and Payton and I began to water. I was able to finish and could no longer fend off the boy, so I hooked up the long sprayer that he wanted and let him have at it. He was so funny. First he had to water the pool, then the pool deck, and then moved to the grass. The long sprayer has a leak in it, so by now is is soaked. He did not care and was having fun. We finally moved to the flower bed next to the house. He had to water each plant, or I might say drown each plant. As you can see from today's picture he had a great time. We finally came in about a couple hours later. Changed his clothes and I started laundry. we had to color for a little while, then watched some TV. I made lunch and he was so tired. He ate a little bit and he was off to bed for a nap. It only took him about 5 minutes and he was sound asleep. Kyle texted me to let me know he could not play ball today, so I had to pick him up from school. Payton and Aunt Beth decided to go with me, as they wanted Rita's afterwards. So after picking Kyle up from school, we headed to Rita's for cones. It was really warm outside and starting to get muggy. We were home about an hour, before Maggie came by to get the boys. We had a great day with Payton and look forward to him coming back. I made dinner and Beth settled in to see if the Flyers could win game 7. And sure enough they did. They came back from an 3-0 series to win 3-4. Way to go Flyers. The Phillies are also on and are trying to hold on to the lead they have. We had a rain shower come through and it cooled thing off a little. We have a big weekend planned, as we are starting the resurfacing of the sidewalk.

The Sun Returned...

It was nice to finally wake up to the sun shining. Beth had a mission today to finish painting the guest bathroom cabinet doors. I had to go to Lowe's and get hummingbird nectar and was still looking for a hanging basket. I was also looking for rubber mulch for the plants by the mail box. I was able to find the basket and mulch and of course I found a few more flowers. I headed home. Beth's mom came by for a nice visit. After she left, I made us some lunch. After lunch, my goal was to plant all remaining flowers and to not buy any more. So off I went and found homes for all of them. Beth cleaned the pool filters and hopes the pool clears up. We had dinner and Beth was back to the garage to remove the tape and finish any touch ups needed for the doors. We are getting Payton tomorrow and are looking forward to a great day. Today's picture is of our wild bird area. We lost a few this winter and the rest are back to add color to the front yard. It is not like they keep the real birds away.

Shopping...

We were up around 7:30am this morning. It had rained about an inch last night so I did not have to water. It was another cold gloomy morning. I had to run to CVS to pick up Beth's pills. Dawn was coming over around 9:30am as we were going shopping at Exton. Dawn called and said she was running late as Rylee was still asleep. We left for Exton and went to Barnes and Noble first. We wanted to get a book on Bermuda and also found a book on Disney Land. We found a really cute book for Rylee that was a dog and cat. She loved it. Next we went to Babies R Us. We found some more 3D chalk and paint. Next it was off to lunch. We went to Cheeseburgers In Paradise. Boy were they sure good. Dawn dropped us off at home and headed home herself. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Phillies lose. I got a call from DJ saying Kyle had been suspended from school. I guess some kid had been on him about having 2 moms for quite a while and Kyle finally got tired of it and punched the kid. The principal said it was not Kyle's fault but still had to suspend him for 2 days. I hated to hear he hit another kid but was glad he was standing up for himself. I fixed dinner and Beth is watching the Flyers to see if they can come back from 3 games down to tie the series. The Phillies are in a rain/snow delay and might start around 10pm. I am freezing and really missing the hot tub about now. So it is off to a hot shower and then bed. Today's picture is of the new flower bed I made by the mail box.

More Plants...

It was a nice morning to just sleep in late. We had breakfast and Beth went out to cut the grass. I had to take clothes to the dry cleaner and then went to the nursery. I was looking for an unusual hanging basket and thought they might have one. Well that was a big mistake. But I did find a really cool rose bush to finish the space out front. It is a mini bush that has white flowers at first then they turn pink. And of course I found about 5 other plants too that wanted to come home with me. When I got home, Beth had just finished the grass and was headed into the house. She took a shower as we had to pick up Jojo from school. Just as we were leaving the lawn guy arrived. It looked as it could start raining at any time. So since it was not nice to play outside, we headed to the pool store. After the pool store, we checked out another nursery. We then decided to get some ice cream. it was really good. I had a scoop of butterscotch vanilla. Boy was it good. We then headed home as we were not sure what time Kim was coming to pick up Jojo. It started to rain. it was another cold day and we had to wear long pants and jackets. We were hoping to watch the Phillies game tonight, but it was postponed due to snow. So we will watch a night of mindless TV and go to bed early. Dawn is coming over in the morning and we are going to Exton. It looks like next week is going to be rainless and higher temperatures. We had decided to resurface the sidewalk and deck. it should be an experience and can't be worse than what we have now. Today's picture is of all the flower's and pooh statuary in what we call Pooh's corner of the yard.

Planting finished...

We were up at 7:30am this morning and boy was it cold. We had a hot breakfast and I went outside to finish planting the plants. Beth took a shower and began vacuuming the house. I had on sweats and a long sleeve shirt. The sun was out so it was not so bad. I took the bird stuff out of the shed and set up the wild bird sanctuary. Next it was on to the metal statuary. I had to plant the white peony bush by the mail box, so off I went to do that. I am still looking for one more plant to put up there as a focal point. Not sure what it will be, but will keep looking. Moved to the back yard and was able to tie the daffodil plants. I set out the ceramic toad stools and bunnies. Since the drain is fixed, i put more dirt down to level out the bed. I planted a few flowers in pots by the bushes by the deck and set out the dangling dog and bug. I then put the pooh characters in Pooh's corner. I was getting a little hungry and went in for some lunch. The bug man came and we talked about the ant and mice problem we had and he went off to do his thing. We had lunch and a little rest too until he was done. We then went down to tackle the water fall leakage. We were able to resolve the issue by putting a few decorative rocks on the shelf. So for now we have no water leakage. The last thing left was to plant the flowers in the planters next to the waterfall. I began working on them and Beth worked on vacuuming the pool and brushing the dirt. After all of that, she had to clean the filters. Boy were they dirty. We only have the banana leaf plants left to plant and Beth is still working on that project. About 85% of the summer stuff is out of the shed. We are hoping to power wash the deck tomorrow and then we can put the rest of the stuff out. The back yard is looking really good and colorful. We have a frost warning tonight and I had to go cover all the tomato plants. I will have to watch the weather better for the next 3 or so weeks until the frost weather is over. Today's picture is of one of our pots with a cigar plant in it. I love those plants.

Happy Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's day to all the mom's out there. Beth went to church and I took a shower and began the morning watering. It was so cold outside I needed long pants and a jacket. Beth got home around 9:30am. We read the paper and decided to go to Chile's for an early lunch as we were meeting Beth's family at 3pm for dinner. After lunch, we went to Lowe's. We needed bird seed, some PVC pipe, and a couple other odds and ends. After Lowe's, we came home and Beth began working on the pool. It needed a good scrubbing and vacuum of all the crap in it. We got ready around 2pm and left around 2:20pm. It only took us 30 minutes to get there. We were the first ones, but did not have to wait long. The food was really good and the conversation was great. Today's picture is of Beth's mom and 2 of her grand kids - Ashley and Jarrod. We left the restaurant and went back to Beth's parents house for dessert. We all had Key Lime pie. After dessert, we came home and rested. It was a cold windy day today, but we are hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Rainy and Cold...

When we got up this morning you could tell it was going to rain. The old clouds started rolling end and the wind was really blowing. I made breakfast of potatoes, eggs, and bacon. We just sat down to eat and the rain cut loose. This was good because I did not have to go out and water. But it only lasted about 20 minutes and it began to get muggy. I went ahead and started the laundry as I only had a couple of loads. The wind really began to blow and poor Buster took for cover downstairs. Beth left to go to the mall and I began cutting up the 25 pounds of onions. I had 4 bags finished when Beth came back home. I stopped as my hands were really hurting and I could not hold on the knife anymore. Beth made us some lunch and you could tell the wind was starting to blow a little cooler. Beth cut up the last bag of onions and we took them to the freezer. We sat down to watch the Phillies lose to the Braves. During the game I was looking for something different to do with the pork tenderloin I had in the fridge. I found a recipe that called for a cinnamon apple raisin chutney poured on top and backed. It sounded good, so I tried it. I also made sweet potato fries and peas. Boy was it really good and we will be keeping the recipe to make again. By dinner time I had to shut all the windows. The wind was still blowing and the temperature was down to 55 degrees. I expect it to be the same tomorrow. Beth was able to fix the drainage pipe, so no more rivers in the flower bed. Good job my girl. We have lunch plans with Beth parents tomorrow at 3pm, so we will be having a late breakfast and I will at least get to sleep late. The pool is doing better, but we have to buy a new scrub brush for the sides and bottom of the pool. No picture today, sorry.

Yard Work...

I slept in this morning. The alarm went off at 7:30am and turned it off and rolled over. I only slept for another hour and then got up. Beth was up at 7am. We had breakfast and Beth went out to start the yard work. I took a shower and headed to BJ's wholesale club. We were out of everything and it took awhile to get through the store. I came home and Beth was just about to finish the back yard. So I unloaded the groceries and started to make lunch. I was able to find Vidalia onions and picked up 25 pounds. I will chop them up and freeze them. That should last until this time next year. I went out and watered the plants and blew the grass off the sidewalk and the driveway. I then headed to Kyle's baseball game. Beth was still cutting the grass when I left. Kyle did not play but did bat in the last inning. He hit a good ball but the second basemen made a great play and he was out. I texted Beth to let her know I was on my way home and she was just getting in the shower. After cutting the grass, she was able to find the end of the downspout and unclog it. We hope that solves the problem of the river in the flower bed. The pool is looking better and is now a Caribbean blue. It was a little cooler today and is suppose to only be a high of 61 on Sunday so it will be a nice relief.

Pool Open...

We are getting used to getting up at 7:30am. It seems like a good time for us to get our morning work done. I was out the door by 8:30am. Beth took a shower and headed to the dentist. I had several projects to do. I started with my morning watering. I then moved on to pulling all the weeds from the bird feeder area. I then had to scrape all the dirt off the back patio from where the drain backed up. I had to wait to finish planting the tomato plants until the pool boys came by. Beth came back from the dentist and we headed to the nursery again. We picked the last remaining plants and then headed to Home Depot. After we were home for about an hour the pool boys arrived. The pulled the cover off the pool and it is a nice shade of slime green. We hope they were able to fix the leak in the fountain. We have to wait for it to dry and will turn it on tomorrow and see if the leak is gone. After they left, we were able to move to pots to the pool area and plant the tomato plants. We only have a few more plants to plant and hope to get that done tomorrow. Today's picture is of our lovely green water pool.

Girls Day...

We finally had a cool night last night. We slept until 7:30am and had to get up and ready. Rylee's mom was dropping her off around 9:30am and I now have watering to do in the morning. So off I went to water as Beth took her shower. We then had breakfast and about that time our little princess arrived. She was a happy camper and played in her swing and on the floor for about an hour. The guy came to work on the air conditioner. Rylee was starting to get fussy and it seemed to be bottle and nap time. So I made her a bottle and hoped she would go to sleep in combination, but she was having no part of that. After her bottle, she began to fight sleeping and was crying and screaming. We are getting used to it and just wait her out. After about 30 minutes, she gave in and went to sleep. She took her normal position on the couch and looked so comfortable. We had lunch and Beth went to go pick up Jojo from school. Jojo could not wait for Rylee to wake up and asked about every 5 minutes if her eyes were open yet. Finally around 2pm, Rylee opened her eyes. Jojo was not sure she wanted to hold Rylee anymore as she was a wiggle worm. So Jojo climbed on Aunt Beth's lap and Rylee sat beside her. They were so cute together. Rylee was ready to eat about 2:45pm and Jojo was able to help. Dawn came by around the same time and they both headed home around 3pm. Kim came by to pickup Jojo around 5pm. We had a great day with the girls. After dinner, we went to the outlet mall and finally got new dishes. I needed to put away the snowmen dishes and it was time to get new ones. Tomorrow is another busy day. I have to plant the rest of the plants, Beth has a dentist appointment in the morning and grass cutting the rest of the day, and the pool boys come to open the pool.

Bed of Green...

We were up again at 7:30 am and out to door to do yard work by 8:30am. We had a lot of work to do and wanted to get a jump on it before it got hot. Beth started working on sucking up all the whirl birds and I started on the pots. I had to pull all 12 pots from the garage and cart them down to the pool area. After that was done, I realized that I did not have enough dirt to fill all the pots. So off to Home Depot I went. I wanted to check out their select on flowers and pots. They had the same selection of plants as everyone else. Oh how I miss the selection we found in Missouri. so I got my dirt and a couple of plants and headed home. I loaded up all the flowers and dirt and carted them to the pool area and started planting them. I finally finished the pots and headed to planting the wire baskets with portulaca. Beth finish her whirl bird project and looked at the water level on the pool. Boy is it a great shade of green and needed water drained off. So as she did that, I watered all the plants and went inside. It was 1:30pm and I could tell I was a little red. I took a shower. Who knew a nice cold shower could be so relaxing. Beth finished up outside and then took her shower. We had a quick lunch and then relaxed the rest of the day. I did notice the flower bed next to the house is all green. The spring flowers are gone and the summer ones have not bloomed yet. So we have a bed of green as seen in today's photo. We had a great dinner of flank steak, salad, and sliced tomatoes. After dinner, we went back to Home Depot to get some pots. I needed a couple for the tomato plants we have and they are very colorful. We have both the girls tomorrow. Rylee will be her around 8:30am and Beth will pick up Jojo after school. Also the air conditioner guy will be here to service the unit in time for summer.

Rain and Humid day...

It rained most of the night last night, but did not cool off that much. We had to get up early and go see Dr. Bill for adjustments. After that we hit a couple of nurseries for flowers and then came home. The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. I had to do laundry as we are about out of everything. It was too wet out to really do anything in the yard, so we spent the rest of the day inside. The back yard is really starting to come to life again after a long winter nap.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot...

We were up and out the door this morning by 8:30am. It was going to be another hot and sunny day and we had lots of things to get done. I started trimming the stuff in the back yard and Beth did the weed whacking out front. After I was done, I scooped the poop, but I missed a few according to Beth. But how could you see them, the grass was 6 inches tall. Beth began cutting the back yard and I worked on planting the flowers up by the mailbox. I still have space for about 5 more, so it off shopping tomorrow. It is also the start of the daily watering of plants. Yea me. After I finished the bed by the mailbox I moved to the bed by the flagpole. We had about 10 annuals for that bed, but could use a few more. Beth had finished the back yard so I used the blower to clean the grass and whirl birds off the side walk. I planted the cigar plants in the head planters and finished off by planting a couple of plants in the 2 tier planter. It still needs 2 baskets of plants. It was about lunch time, so I heated up some left over pizza and we ate in the garage. It was cooler than the house and we were both dirty. After lunch, Beth made a couple of passes in the front and I used to blower to clean off the sidewalk and driveway. I picked up the remaining stuff in the driveway and I was done for the day. I came in to a cold shower and boy did it feel good. The pool would have felt really good today, so it is not even close to be ready. The pool fairies come Thursday and open and then it has to heat up and not be slime green before we even think of getting in. I had to wrap Payton's presents as we were going over for dinner and cake. Beth finished cutting and hopped in the shower. We headed over to DJ and Maggie's house. they had their air on and it felt good. We had dinner and Payton opened his presents. We came home around 7pm and headed downstairs where it is about 15 degrees cooler. Beth is watching the Phillies game and hoping for a series win against the Mets. We are ahead, but things can change at any minute. We are hoping for rain tonight and the cooler weather it will bring. Being hotter here than in Phoenix is so very wrong. I some how managed to get bit by something again. I have 3 quarter size welts around both elbows and a welt the size of a baseball on the back of my arm and boy do they itch. Nothing really seems to take the itch away and scratching only makes then bigger. If I only knew what is was that caused it, I would surely stay away from it. Today's picture is of Payton and the motorcycle he got for his birthday. Happy 3rd Birthday Payton.

Flower Shopping with Rylee..

We were up at 7am this morning as Rylee was coming at 7:45am. Dawn and Jo have a softball tournament and it was just going to be too hot to have Rylee out there all day. So they dropped her off and to the softball fields they went. We fed Rylee her morning prunes, squash, and bottle. We then headed to the nursery to get out spring flowers. We put her sunglasses on and loaded her into the stroller and she was fast asleep. Guess the flower education will have to wait for another day. We selected the plants we wanted and headed home. Beth put Rylee down to finish sleeping and I headed outside. I wanted to get the tomato plants planted and start on the flowers by the mailbox. I was able to get the 4 hanging plants done, but the Shepard's hooks we have are not tall or strong enough for the other plants. So on to the next project. I started the tiller and tilled the dirt first. Then unloaded the 8 bags of dirt and spread it all out. Beth was not having a good time with Rylee and she had a blowout in her diaper and pooped all over Beth's shirt. So I came in and took a quick shower and took over baby duty. We were able to get her down for a quick nap. Beth took a shower and then headed to mass. Dawn and Jo came by around 730pm and we had pizza before they headed home. It was really hot here today, 91 degrees. It is going to be a little cooler tomorrow, but not by much and maybe some rain later in the evening. I want to get the plants we have in the ground before then, so we ware getting up early again tomorrow. Today's picture is of Rylee sleeping among the flowers. I love her little baby sunglasses.