The Fountain is In!

As I talked about earlier, we planned on putting in pavers and a water fountain in the front landscape of the house. We had never done this before but we watched a LOT of diy shows and thought, "How hard can this be?" Well...

We cleared the pine straw from the section we were working in.

We dug down about 5 inches and leveled the space out.

Yes, I dug too. I'm a bit of a tom boy and can handle getting my hands dirty.

We put gravel down for a sturdy base.

We put sand in and tampered it down to even everything out and to make a level base.

Time to put the pavers in. These pavers had a certain pattern that they had to be laid just one way. It was a little difficult but we figured it out.

Once all the pavers were in, we swept paver's sand over the whole area like grout to mold and seal it together. We sprayed a fine mist over the area.

We actually waited a week before we put the fountain in because the pavers needed to set at least a day to handle the weight of the fountain and water. But finally, we were able to get started on building the fountain.

It was easier to put together (not to lift and move around) than I had originally expected. And before we knew it, we were filling it with water and it was completed!

Now I just need to build up the area with plants. That will have to be my next project!

Tye Dye Egg Dye

It's not Easter without dying up some eggs. It's a family tradition in our house. We always dye eggs for Easter.

There's no more dipping eggs into colored water around here. There's a new concept. You put the egg into a bag and add the dye to it and rub it around in your hands. They come out beautifully.

Jasmine gets the concept.

Maya quickly catches on.

Kiera would rater get messy and use her hands.

Will they ever get too old for this?

Nope, still smiling!

I'm Going on an Egg Hunt

Early Saturday morning before anyone woke up, I snuck out of the house with 123 candy filled eggs. I hid them around the yard high and low, over branches, under fences, in holes and covered by pine straw. Then I went back inside and waited for the girls to get up and eat breakfast. I reveiled my secret. I brought them outside and released the hounds.

Jasmine found them along the fence.

Kiera was excited to find some eggs.

Jasmine searched the overgrowth and found an egg.

Maya found eggs hidden in the trampoline.

Kiera found eggs under the canopy.

Maya has her eyes fixed on an egg.

We counted them out to see if we had found them all. 12 more were still hidden out there somewhere.

Finally, we found all the eggs and it was time to see our prized candy.

Happy 11th Birthday Kiera!

Kiera invited her friends from her school and the block to help celebrate her birthday. We started off having pizza, played games in the yard, listened to music and just enjoyed having everyone around.

We gathered around the table and sang," Happy Birthday".

Kiera made a wish and blew out her candles.

Time to cut the cake and share it around the table.

She was so happy to have all of her friends come out.

We surprised her with a new bike. She was not expecting it and was so happy to get it. I know she'll be riding it all over the neighborhood. Maybe I should think about putting a gps tag on it so I'll know where she's at at all times.

Staying Busy

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I can't believe it's been two weeks already since we went to the beach and my last post. Last week we spent (somewhat) glued to the news to see if the budget was going to pass. If not, then we'd be stayin' home doin' nothin' 'cause we would be savin' every nickel to pay bills for months to come. You've got to love how they'd just put off paying the troops like they don't sacrifice enough already, just for your freedom! But.... since it passed, we've relaxed and got some home projects completed, yea! Let's see...I fertilized the front and back yard (God, I hope I did it right). I guess we'll find out in a few weeks if we have stripes or not. I re-stained our patio furniture. You know, you don't realize how bad it looks until you put a coat of stain on it. It's beautiful now, like new. And I gathered supplies for Kiera's birthday party that snuck up on me. And this weekend we'll be...having Kiera's birthday/sleepover party. Charlie and I will FINALLY be putting in pavers in the front landscape and setting up the fountain we bought, oh, seven months ago. And I'll be staining the fence. So much to do, so little time. Hopefully our little projects won't cost huge prices. Pics. to come!

Spring Break 2011

Whew, we are home from spending our spring break in Myrtle Beach with our extended family. We met Charlie's mom and dad, sister and her husband at the beach for a week of relaxation and fun. It was quite a bit chilly to say the least. We woke up to 39 degrees and rain, record lows for this time of year. We played a lot of cards, wii games, hung out and shared old stories. Once it warmed up, we took the kids to play mini golf. There was some serious competition going on.

If you make a hole-in-one on the last hole, you win free golf for a lifetime at this place. I almost made it.

We had some good talks along the beach.

It was soooooo cold and windy.

But it was a beautiful day, we had to get out and enjoy it.

We caught a shark! Just kidding!

We had a great photo op and I took advantage. I love this picture with Charlie and his angels.

I love how the girls love to hold on to daddy and walk.

And they love to skip down the pier holding hands.

We had fun but I'm so glad to be home, back in my own bed. We are back to reality and normalcy tomorrow. Not much of school left. The days are winding down and summer will be here before we know it.