Hi! from Happy Valley...

Just popped in to say hi. I've been under the weather for the last few days so I haven't felt like doing anything but sleep. I am still exhausted and achey, so I am going back to bed to get some rest before I go to work for the week.
See Ya

Projects that we finished, I think....

We created this patio a few years ago. It is one of our favorite places to hang out.



Just imagine yourself sitting there on Saturday morning drinking your coffee listening to the birds waking up and watching the dew drops drying on the rose petals.



Light the candles, sit with your sweet heart and listen to the frogs croak on a warm summers evening.



My favorite projects are creating my little planters filled with flowers. I think that the hardscape needs a little color and softening.



This is where I go to escape from all the kaios going on inside the house. The family room and kitchen are almost done. Just need to finish the backsplash and put the flooring down in the family room. Then we are done.

Projects to complete...

I think sometimes that we get in too deep. We start the next project before we finish the ones we have. So here it is, the list that is nagging me.

1. finish the tile backsplash in the kitchen.
2. Paint the kitchen.
3. Install the laminate wood flooring in the family room.
4. Finish the new patio area.
5. clean the garage (you have no idea how bad it is).
6. Gravel the RV parking.
7. New bark dust for the yard.
8. Fix the lawn mower (the John Deer doesn't run like a deer).
9. Build a garden/storage shed.

So, now I have written it. That means that I (we) have to finish something. Right?

See Ya

Patio Project

The long weekend is over and the hubby got some work done on the new patio. Here are some pictures of the progress.



Day one progress.



Day two.




Day three, the wall starts.

I can't wait to sit out ther with a glass of wine and roast some marshmellows.

Licorice helps.

Here I am, sitting here trying to type while Licorice keeps dropping her ball on my keyboard & waiting for me to throw it for her.
Well it has been a long week before the 3-day weekend. Hope we can get some time in on the new patio area. I will be nice to finally have the yard somewhat complete. Now that the kids have grown we don't need the trampoline and have decided to level the area and put in a fire pit. Some place where we can hang out and roast wienies and make smores right here at home. It will be like camping without even leaving the driveway. No long drives to the camp grounds and everything we need in the kitchen. We can have mini staycations all summer long. I will take pictures of the progress as we go.
Licorice finally gave up and is now sleeping with her paw on the ball. I guess she wants to be ready just in case I want to throw the ball.
See ya

Awhh.... To be Loved!

After an evening of dinner on the table with candles and wine. Kind of Hallmark, don't ya think? I have forgiven him. We sat and talked and just spent time being together. No computers or TV. It was wonderful to just be together. After almost 24 years we can still just be. For me he makes room to take up space. An opening in our hearts for each other. In this day and age of technology, it is nice to have some nice music and wine. Just sit back and know that my baby loves me and I love him.
See ya

Men are amazing!

My husband made a comment this last weekend that I have been thinking about for a couple of days. He told me that I was the only person that he knew that let the laundry pile up in the utility room. Since I am the only woman he has lived with other than his and my parents. I'm assuming that he is comparing me to our mothers. The mothers that were stay at home moms. Moms that's only job was to take care of the family (wonderful moms might I say) They took care of the home and all that was and lived in it. I have always had to work to help with the bills. If I hadn't worked we would never have been able to afford a house. We would still be living in a run down apartment.
Still, that comment hurt and made me feel inadequate. I think of all the plans I had when I was younger and how as life happened the dreams have either gone by the wayside or changed altogether. When I leave the house by 7:00 AM and return around 5:30 PM. My evenings are filled with cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning it again, doing our laundry and putting it away, cleaning bathrooms, grocery and gift shopping, and other things as they come up. We have 2 daughters, a grand daughter, 4 dogs and 3 cats. All of these need to be cared for in some form or another. There are days that I feel lost in kayos. I go to bed at night exhausted and aching.
I think that men today forget that the wives of today have careers and jobs as well as being home makers, we have a lot more on our plates than our mothers did. As far as I am concerned, we are Wonder Woman's. I don't want to say that our mothers who stayed at home had it easy, they had their hands full also. My mother took care of the pool, made sure that all the neighborhood children were looked after, took care of the home, had dinner on the table at 5:oo every night, planned vacations and camping trips.
When the day is done, I feel like I should be doing more. Why is that I feel guilty when the house is not perfect. They just point out that it is a mess and act like we are over reacting when they tell us.
Come on guys, you put the garbage out once a week (and need to be reminded), mow the lawn once a week 4-5 months out of the year, other yard work periodically and repair jobs as needed. Think maybe you should do a little more to help out? Then you have the nerve to have a mid life crisis. Are you kidding me! Get over it and do some laundry.
Sorry to complain, but I needed to tell someone how frustrated I am. Oh yea, did I tell you that I gave up on waiting for him to do the tile backsplash and I am doing it myself. Another thing for me to do, while he watches CSI, House and plays video games.
See ya

Back with progress on kitchen!

Woo! hoo! Got 2 rows of the back splash tiles installed in the kitchen. Working on cutting the tiles around the receptacles and switches. then the last row needs to be cut to fit. Got interrupted by Mothers Day and my birthday. That is out of the way and now I can get back to it. Hopefully I will get it done this weekend. I will post pictures. It is going to look awesome.
By the way I didn't get the family room flooring done for my birthday. I still have 400+ square feet of mahogany laminate stacked in the family room. Been there since August. 2 1/2 months away from a year. Can you believe it?

See ya