back at home~

Our week or so back at home has mostly revolved around a special birthday (papa's) and lots of gardening chores.

And deck-building on papa's part.

those 3 windows will soon be replaced by a set of french doors

Papa's birthday was celebrated with an awesome breakfast (I made it and really, it was awesome) of blueberry pancakes, bacon, fruit, fresh squeezed OJ and good strong coffee followed by some gardening (by me) and deck work (by him) and then a dinner of pizza and cake (yellow with chocolate frosting for this man of mine, and don't you try to tell him birthday cake is anything else).  It was supposed to be pizza, cake, and a movie (I used redbox for the first time and LOVE it!) but I've unintentionally developed a habit lately of falling asleep with Claire in her bed while I'm getting her down.  He says the movie wasn't all that great anyway. (probably because I wasn't there to snuggle)

The best way to keep leftover birthday cake from staring you in the face daring you to eat it is to eat it quickly and be done with it.  Ha!  Take that leftover birthday cake!

We had three nights of frost that left us scrambling around to cover up flowering fruit trees and shrubs, strawberries, and tender garden transplants. Night two claimed both fig trees, even though they were covered.  The arborist in the house says they will leaf out again, and so since they don't fruit until later (although, strangely, one of them actually did have two tiny little figs on it before the frost) I am keeping my fingers crossed that we may see a few figs this year.  Everything else made it just fine and Claire and I even shared the first strawberry from the garden yesterday. (!!!!!!!)  I think we are going to have a pretty sweet strawberry season in this little yard of ours.

This is our second spring here in this home, and it is nice to start seeing the landscaping coming together as we want it to.  A slow start, but it's a start.  We are just about maxed out on cramming garden beds and fruit trees/bushes (and hens and 2 bee hives) into our little back yard, and now I'm starting to dream about the side yards.

And about how I will soon be able to walk out of the dining room and onto a deck and just plant myself down on a chair and prop my feet up and bask in the sunshine and toddler laughs and chicken-talk to my heart's content.

This morning Mike left for a fire conference in Indianapolis for the week.  Tomorrow, I am supposed to drive out to pick up our bees.  Fingers crossed, all will go smoothly.  I am so ready to get started with new hives this year and once again hear that steady humming buzz out in the corner of the yard.