Remembering ...

Finding Hope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWc_EKLs4E

Yard work!!!

I never thought I'd say it, but I have really enjoyed working in the yard.

I tried back in IL to have a green thumb - inspired by my most amazing neighbor and dearest friend, Ms. Marie. I think it was the wrong climate for me. Too hot and muggy. To freezing. I started an amazing perennial garden along the entire edge of my yard. I loved it. Easy maintenance. But I didn't work in the yard like Marie. Our vegetable garden was more like a weed garden.

Here, the weather is amazing! I really enjoy being in the yard and letting my mind wander.

So, the yard ... Remember last year? We inherited a yard that was in horrible shape. Even our neighbors said that some previous owners had it replaced a couple of times. After they left, the next couple of owners didn't do anything.

Needless to say, it was in sad shape. We only cut the grass 5 times last year. We even had a company come out and fertilize, etc. for us. I thought if we had someone taking care of the outside, we could focus on the inside (kitchen remodel, etc). I didn't see much improvement by the end of their treatment plan so I thought I'd take on the task myself. It couldn't be that hard. This is a picture of our grass last year AFTER I started treating it myself. Before I started doing my own treatments, the grass was mostly brown. I wish I had a before I took over picture. Just imagine it mostly brown.

The spring I over seeded, fertilized and used PatchMaster by Scotts over 1/3 of the backyard (yes, it was in THAT bad of shape). I love patchmaster - by Scotts. It worked like a charm. There is a huge difference in the lawn now! We had to cut the lawn 5 times in the first 3 weeks into the growing season!

I have also been working on the landscape rocks every morning since the kids have gone to school. I just reset the pathway rocks on Saturday. The rocks were almost level with the pathway gravel we added a couple of months ago. I was seeing erosion of the new gravel into the landscape rock and decided I needed to raise the rocks to create more of a barrier.

I added clematis to the fence/wall shielding the hot tub.

I also cleared out a section of rocks along the fence and chopped some bushes out two weeks ago as well. I want to put a small garden along the fence and in the corner next Spring. John helped me dig out the stumps on Labor Day.

Devil's Head

Labor Day morning we headed out early to hike up to Devil's Head. It is the last of the eleven original Front Range lookout towers. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

John's family did this on Labor Day when he was a young boy.

We even took a family picture in his traditional spot during the hike up.

We met the Ranger who keeps watch. He lives in the cabin below the tower. He has to walk the 170-something steps every day to his post and not the 1.4 miles one way from the trail head to the steps.

We all received a card that said we hiked to the top of Devil's Head.

People even wrote their names on papers and posted them around the inside of the cabin. There was a note from a 3 year old that hiked it on her own after 2 open heart surgeries. Another note was from a 94 year old woman that hiked it August of this year.

The view at the top is AMAZING and BREATH TAKING!

YouTube video - Fan of Level 42 ... Go Heather!!!

One of my favorite people in HS, Heather B., created this YouTube video to invite her favorite band (Level 42) to do a live concert in the US. Heather was creative, funny and amazing in HS ... she's still the same! Way to go Heather! Thanks for putting a smile on my face ... just like the good ol' days!

Check it out! I knew Heather would be famous one day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kco6G1X691w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kco6G1X691w
Check her out!!!

*The link should be fixed!

Bibliography - works cited - website - FREE

For those of you with students that are writing papers, here is an amazing website that will help build your bibliography/works cited page http://www.bibme.org/ It will do formating for MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian.

PLUS IT IS FREE!

Gotta try it

My hand was forced. We were going to run out of milk before Monday arrived. I have Silk Milk (Soy Milk) on hand for Julia since she is lactose intolerant - not severe though. I decided to crack open our one can of dehydrated milk. My brother and sister-in-law raved about this milk. I had my sister pick up a #10 can of this dehydrated milk for us to try out.

I grew up drinking dehydrated milk aka paint water. YUCK.

When my Bama and Papa would come to visit, they would treat us to "real milk". They still fondly talk about how excited we were when they would walk through the door with the milk jugs in hand. "COW'S MILK!" we would all cry out.

Sunday was the day. I made dehydrated milk.

I tried it. I liked it! Morning Moo's is DE-LISH.

My kids are asking me to make more; they prefer it to "cow's milk". Julia even likes it ... and can drink it. There is less lactose in morning moo's so it makes it easier for those who are lactose intolerant to drink it.

I've ordered the 50 lb bag for our food storage and daily use. It works out to be $1.62 a gallon when you order the 50 lb bag. The kids are demanding that this is what we will be drinking here on out ...

(Oh, and the glass containers - from Wal-Mart - seems to me to keep the milk extra cold!)

Tour

One Saturday in August we enjoyed seeing where John works. Afterwards they had a picnic/BBQ for us!

(Kerst and Kendall are standing on a box ... they are not that tall yet!).