Weekend Wrap-Up

Caption Contest Winner!! This week's winner is Nadine with her, "I'm so gorgeous I have to lick myself....yum!" I chose hers because she then informed me that she did, in fact, lick herself.

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Weight Watchers Update: Well, Week 2 is done and in the books. So far I've dropped 9.4# in two weeks!! Lemme tell ya, it's much easier to walk and I can almost fit into pants that are three sizes smaller. Steve is doing this with me and he's dropped 6-7# in two weeks. This is my third or fourth try; this is his first. It helps having someone else participating.

Start: 258

Current: 248.6

10%: 233

Goal: 220-ish

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What a weekend! First, the weather has been spectacular the last few days. A couple of storms but much quieter than in weeks past. The past week I've been slowly working of a landscaping project that is, oh, about 6w behind.

Steve and I bought the girls a swingset and the area that we wanted to put it needs to be graded a bit and I wanted to edge it in brick for mowing. So here's the finished product:and

This is on the N side of the backyard. Round about where Mal's red swing is there used to be a Western White Pine tree. That is, until we took it down last spring. The area where the tree was was a temporary zinnia bed, for I had other plans but needed color in a very green and virgin landscape.

Because of all the rain my project was pushed back; WAAAAAAAY back. The total project is only about half done as it is now too late to effectively transplant anything. So I'll wait until this fall when it cools off before I'll finish. And I'm ok with that.

As much as I want these project completed I have to keep telling myself that at our old house it took me the better part of 10y before the landscape was to my liking. Why do I expect myself to get this done in two or three seasons? Because that's who I am.

Anywho, next to the crab sandbox is a little garden that isn't big enough for a whole lot, so I planted 6 Double Knock-Out Roses. In the past I've tried regular roses; they looked great the first year. The second year? Not so much. Then someone informed me of Knock-Outs. Haven't looked back since. This little rose garden leads right up to the NE gate.

The play area, as you might guess, is huge. This is a huge chunk of the backyard gone; less for me to mow! Saturday we bought 3 cubic yards of oak chips which are especially for play areas as it doesn't splinter like regular mulch. We even got a trailer and hitch free for two hours. And that's not the best part! The trailer was HYDRAULIC!! Didn't need to shovel off! Pushed a button and it all slid out! Not surprisingly all of the mulch has been used. For those not "in the know" a cubic yard is, essentially, the amount contained in one bulldozer scoop. Times three. That's a lot of mulch. And we have half a wheelbarrow left.

The bare spot in the corner will be my vegetable garden. I have two pumpkins coming up and I need to get my herbs in the ground. I still need to get some more chicken wire and fence it off so wayward bunnies and dogs don't destroy it.

Grilled this weekend; last night was some steak and chicken thighs for the rest of the week. I grilled some asparagus spears drizzled with sesame oil and Montreal Steak seasoning. Good eats.

Tonight is Game One in the CWS Championship of Fresno State against Georgia; the Bulldogs against the Bulldogs. Fresno isn't even ranked and defeated #3 North Carolina. I believe this is Fresno's first trip EVER to Omaha, so of course you have to pull for the underdog.