With daffodils mad footnotes for the spring, And asters purple asterisks for autumn - ~Conrad Aiken, Preludes for Memnon, 1930
We started the day with the fire cheif and fire dog trick-or-treating at Grandma Thompson's house, the boys had so much fun showing off their costumes!
Couldn't have asked for a better time on our hayride with the neighbors this year, everyone seemed to really enjoy the new wagon the Talbot family so generously crafted! But boy are we spoiled now, riding in style is completly different than walking to each house as we had to do in Glen Burnie growing up!
Been quite busy around here with all the construction but we're managing until the stairs come in (which are now overdue) and we can all utilize our own bedrooms. The boys are doing their best to adjust to sleeping in the same room, as we are to sleeping on the couch :)
Gavin helping to put Carter's crib together in his room
Carter looking through the new hole in the wall we're taking down between the kitchen and our old bedroom
No more sleeping in there!
Kiddos had to wear ear protection during dinner because of Daddy's nail gun
Pulling up old flooring
New view from the front door (doorway into kitchen filled in half way to now become a breakfast table breezeway and our old bedroom door widened to accommodate traffic flow to stairs)
"Watering is like telling our spouse, "I love you." the more you do it, the better the result."
I know when I've slacked on watering my gardens, the leaves are droupy and some may lean over or get crunchy if it's been too long since they've gotten good hydration. Funny thing is that same goes for the boys too!
With all this cool fall weather creaping up on us the boys and I have been playing outside and at parks more frequently. I usually bring juice boxes for portability and ease of use since they arn't that good yet at drinking from a bottled container. But the juice boxes hold only so much and I can tell when Gavin's face turns red and he starts to become sluggish or Carter's steps turn to a slower pace than his normal hand waving run when he's charged and ready to go. It also effects their, sorry for the lack of better wording, going to the bathroom. They never go enough in a day if they haven't had water to help flush out their system.
They love their water just as much as their juice or milk but here lately I haven't been giving it to them due to us going places without sippy cups. If water is in a cup they'll drink it right down and get all the hydration they need for outside play but if it's in a bottle they'll only take a few sips (half water in the mouth and the other half on their shirts) and go running back to play.
That said, a big helper in getting my kiddos to drink enough while playing is to have their sippy cups on hand for frequent re-fills or using straws. If they ever tire of the water then all I have to do is add a packet of those Crystal Light water flavors to make instant juice and I know it'll be gone by the time we leave to go home!
Just reminding everyone the importance of watering the garden and your kids to help them stay healthy in this fun new season :)
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!
