Have you ever seen a flower down, Sometimes angels skip around, And in their blissful state of glee, Bump into a daisy or sweet pea.~Jessi Lane Adams
Now it is offically Autumn and my love for the season mixed with doing things with the boys... everyday I'm seeing orange!
We've done some color mixing to make our paper pumpkins, had carrots and oranges as snacks, found some apples that have orange coloring to them, played with orange play-dough and even made our own orange juice w/ Great-grandad's juicer.
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown
I am super proud at Mike for all the hard work he's put into our second-story addition! Doing everything on his own, what a great talent God has bestowed upon him! It's been a little over a year since we've taken the roof off our little home and in a few short months we can utilize the rooms upstairs! Whoo-hoo! Here's the progress so far...
Boys Bedroom- all it needs is touch-up on the trim on the floor
Stairwell and landing- Just awaiting the spiral stairs to arrive in a few weeks then this will be complete and we can add carpet to landing
If you're ever in the market for spiral stairs we found the best place in PA. They handcraft each order in their workshop, which we took a tour of and were thoroughly impressed with! It was a day trip for us to drive there and back but truly worth it!
Our bedroom- Mike and a friend are installing the flooring this evening, then it's completing his closet and the room will be done.
Bathroom tile is almost complete too- he did amazing for his 1st time w/stone and mosaic!
I'll be sure to update when the stairs finally arrive and our house will no longer be livable for a few days due to tearing out walls and everything messy being centered in the kitchen area!
What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. ~Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden, 1871
This summer has been a good one for the flower gardens surrounding the house; big blooms and great re-growth! I've tried my best to keep up with the weeds- when I get the $$ I'm definitely having a company come out to put down the matting to block weeds- it would take me forever and I don't have that kind of time to take away from being w/ the boys- keeping up with the weeding, pruning, feeding and watering is enough for me!
But just this past week I've come across an abundance of creepy crawlers- the boys are enjoying discovering new bugs everyday!
They've even taken over the new play equipment we have back there for the boys. So every time we go to play it's a ritual for Gavin to say "shoe" or "stick" when he sees a spider making the playhouse a home or a bee buzzing nearby.
Don't get me wrong, I know spiders are great for the garden by catching pesky bugs (though I never see a mosquito being wrapped up for dinner!) but I can't stand them to be near me- let alone near the kids when they play. You never know what kind they are around here. Just yesterday I saw a clear and black striped one with hair and face that gave my insides the chills.... I think I'll have to invest in a picture book of bugs to know which ones are poisioness just to be safe.
A herd of beetles also made a home in my rose topiary bush a few months ago. When I say a few, I mean 50 I've counted, procreating like they have Spring fever- ewww!
I think they, plus the spiders and fungi due to heavy rains here lately, contributed to the disease of the main part of the branches- double ewww!
This used to be the focus of that particular garden but now it's such an eyesore! I've tried my best at nursing it back with medicine and pruning but time will tell this little one! I did some research on roses and found some interesting tid-bits that'll I'll pass along if you ever come across these symptoms.
The three most common problems are blackspot, powdery mildew and Japanese beetles- of course it looks like I have all 3! Blackspot is a fungal disease and the primary problem that weakens roses. In arid climates, blackspot is uncommon. However, where nights are humid, you can expect to see black spots appear on the leaves, which will eventually wither and fall. Healthy plants with good natural resistance will survive small outbreaks, but highly susceptible plants need to be sprayed with a commercial rose fungicide; use as directed on the label. The video below is very informational as the Maryland climate is just the same.
Then if that's not bad enough another bush just being established this year looks like it too has a disease.
Man, between all the house duties, keeping up with the boys and taking care of the flowers, I'll never have time for a vegetable garden next year like I hoped!
