From The Rose Garden

And they smell just as gorgeous as they look! xo

Yesterday And Today

Yesterday the girls set up our "summer table" and spent a good deal of time on the porch reading and knitting. Setting this spot up last year was one of our favorite things, and we all felt that it must be continued this year (and each summer as well). With the renovations taking place this summer I think this spot is going to be even more essential than it already was. 

In the evening, after dinner, the four of us spent some time tending the garden. 

Support was given to the peas and to this sweet Morning Glory that we were surprised to find growing in one of the garden beds. 

 The gnomes finally made it their spots in the garden beds, too. 

The day ended with the girls and Gretchen snuggled together in their "new" room. They've clearly missed sharing a bed, and there's talk that once they're back in their usual room that they'll be pushing their beds together again. 

 Today. 7:38am. The storage container arrives. 

 This will house most of our belongings for the duration of the renovations. 

By 7:48am the container was in it's spot in our driveway and the empty truck was on it's way back to the lot. 

 Mid-day. 

 "Mama, we have our own dance floor!" 

Awaiting the addition of the larger furniture.  

 We did our first Camp Google experiment today. 

 The girls wondered what the eggs would do when different amounts of salt were dissolved in the water. It was decided that the only glass where the amount would change would be the middle one. 

It was fun to see the different results, though we all agreed that seeing the eggs at three different levels (like shown above) was our most favorite! 

Couches tipped on their sides + a table cloth = one super cool tent!

We're happy to have the boxes in the container and the house one step closer to being brought back to its usual gorgeous state! Thank you to everyone who helped us as we got ready for the renovations to begin. We are especially grateful to those who: loaned us bins and boxes, helped us pack, shared their knowledge, wisdom and suggestions with us, who are providing construction free shelter to our sweet guinea pig, and to those who have offered us places to escape to when we need a break from living in a construction zone. We are so blessed and so grateful to all of you and truly cannot thank each of you enough! xo

Grace's Morning Glory

(Photo by Grace)

There was much excitement in our house this morning when Grace discovered that the first Morning Glory flower had blossomed! She had noticed yesterday that there was s bud, and the first thing she did this morning was head out to see if it had opened. She was thrilled to find that it had and came in right away for my phone so she could take a picture! There is something so magical about these sweet flowers that open during the day and close at night. We cannot wait to have the fence near the gate covered with these lovely flowers! What a perfect addition to our beloved garden! xo

In The Garden

We are just over the moon at how well the garden is doing this year! These raised beds are proving to be a very wise choice as everything is growing with ease. The plants are flourishing and we are starting to see small vegetable appear (peppers, zucchini, cucumbers). It won't be long before this garden is bursting with wonderful produce (with more than just lettuce, that is)! If anyone local is in need of lettuce please feel free to stop by and take some. We have more than enough! 

Today

Today was full of goodness. We started our day with a trip to Mamas N Divas to get our first pedicure of the summer and we followed that by a stop at Uhlman's for ice cream (I had the salted caramel chocolate covered pretzel. It was to die for!). After ice cream it was off to the spray park in Hudson. We headed back home for a little lunch, a little quiet time and then more time spent outside (this time in the garden). We chatted with the neighbors, chatted with my mom, had dinner and headed out for the girls to get to their haircut appointment. It was a good and full day and definitely one of our most favorites! xo

On Not-Back-To-School Day

Happy Not-Back-To-School Day, friends! May this next year of living, loving and learning together be your best yet! And we hope that this Crappy Pictures post is the cherry on top of your Not-Back-To-School Day sundae today. Enjoy!

{This Moment}

{This Moment} - A SouleMama Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. We wish you a fun filled holiday weekend!



It Takes A Village...

to plant a garden!