a little dirt

this is our summer garden.

a little lot smaller than we would like,
but there are many reasons why we've decided to put our time and effort into some other projects.
of course i'm sure it will be the perfect year for a garden,
but we're keeping it simple.
ben enjoys looking after his two tomatoes.

we really only planned to get one,
but they were buy one, get one the day we went plant shopping.
better odds.  :)

and a smaller garden does not mean less dirt!
i can't believe how much dirt can cling to a three year old,
but it makes me feel good to know he is exploring and playing like a kid should.
no nature deficit disorder here!

intoxicating

our backyard has a massive border of lilacs.
they look the best they ever have -
probably because of a super heavy pruning jake did the fall before last.
the fragrance is amazing -
i could stand outside all evening.

back at home

jake and ben came home last night! 
i worked until 7, so they stopped to see me when they got to town around 5:30.

i was so excited to see them both!
jake was gone wednesday and thursday,
and ben was staying with grandma and grandpa since last friday - he had a wonderful time!
ben even came home with a name suggestion for baby sister that grandpa helped him come up with...
not sure if i should share it or not - i'm afraid it might stick. 
until then, ben thinks it's hilarious and we all have to laugh too.
thanks grandpa!  ;)  i think she may already have a nickname. 

i've been busy working everyday this week 6-8 hours at my part-time job, so it did help the time to pass but it was still such a different place without my almost-three-year-old and without my husband for a couple of days too.

once i was home from work last night, we all went outside to water plants, scour the garden for veggies in need of harvest, and enjoy the warm, breezy evening.

this is what i get when i ask ben to smile - what a cheese!

confession - that tall grass behind ben is our garden this year...

what can i say - we've been busy and the weather has been less than desirable.

 it's definitely a hunt to find the vegetables!  but there are some - they're just hiding.

and LOOK...  now that the temps have been lower than 115,

and we've had a little precipitation....

we actually have tomatoes!

So glad we are all home together... and it's the weekend!

another sign

Fall is coming!

Our Autumn Joy Sedum started blooming today. 

Today we did some cleaning and shopping for birthday supplies.

Tomorrow is cake baking day!

in the evening

Since I know the end of summer is upon us, 

I decided to snap a few pictures around the yard last night.  

We had just returned home from our walk and trip to the playground.  

It was cool, overcast and breezy - a lovely evening to be outside!

sweet potato vine and begonias in our front planter

 tricycle and begonias - love the colors!

the last of our garden

sweet autumn clematis in full bloom - beautiful!

clothes drying on the line

Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer too!

sweet autumn

I've just started to smell the fall coming, and I am really excited because fall is absolutely my favorite season.  We were married in the fall, we moved into our first house in the fall, and our son was born in the fall.  

This may sound crazy, but I believe each season has it's own smell.  It's hard to describe, but to me the smell of fall is crisp and earthy - like a cool day spent raking leaves when a few neighbors have started burning wood in their fireplaces.  And even if you don't buy my smelling technique, fall really is coming - I promise.  

Tomorrow is already the last day of August!

Another of my favorite signs that fall is on the way is our Sweet Autumn Clematis in bloom.  I've loved it ever since I learned about it back in my horticulture days.  So it was wonderful to find that we already had one established in our backyard when we bought our house.  It has just started blooming over the last week, and the fragrance is truly is sweet.  Our clothesline is also right next to it, so I love hanging laundry just because of the sweet smell.  

 

Hope you all had a great Monday!

Keep checking back this week for more details about my shop.

(and a giveaway or two!)

self sufficient

Since I am trying to learn something new everyday about blogging, today I thought I would try adding a link.
Here I go...