Scenes from My Street....

..In Minnesota(and I am sure other states/cities) we say we only have 2 seasons...Winter and Road Construction.

This year - it is our personal turn to deal with the road construction..in front of our home. Our road is closed from April to October for them to install new water lines, gas lines, sewer connections, roads, curbs, sidewalks, grass and boulevard trees.

Yes, we can rid ourselves of our lead pipes circa 1910 and now flush our toilets without fear of back-up into our tubs and basements...aahhh...progress and modern living. There is nothing like living in the big city. This 100 year old home is going to feel so refreshed.

See that cloud of dirt/dust way down yonder..that is what the inside of my house looks like now daily...I will need lots of help dusting when this is over.

The kids love watching the big trucks(I will not name any of these, as I have no idea what they are called...) dozers, diggers, cranes, trucks, etc all look the same to me..and when the girls ask me what they are...I call them "worker-doohicky truck thing-a-bobs" and then I tell them to run down and ask Owen, our 5 year old boy neighbor.

What I like about this project - is not watching the trucks..but watching this every day..yes, I am shallow..but I should get some benefit out of this inconvenience too...and why they heck do you think I am making my children have a Lemonade Stand every day now.

..oh my , he is wiping the sweat from his brow..I think I am getting the vapors(oh wait..we don't get those up here in the North Country...)

xoxo, t

Child Labor Laws...

..do not apply here...

To help pay for the increase in gas prices, groceries, insurance, and utilities...I have put the girls to work.

So far they have made $8.50 - about half what it cost to buy the goodies to have the stand in the first place.

They are yelling "lemonade..lemonade"...like I don't know what they are doing there.....admire the lovely table set-up...

..yes, Eloise made the sign herself..do you think she is ready for Kindergarten?...

..homemade teddybear bars(thank you Grandma)...

..flowers(weeds) from the field...

..homemade lemonade(thank you Target)....

...the pourer, server, boss-lady...

..and her assistant/cashier cutie...

Please stop by for some refreshments soon - we have special deals for blogging friends.
xoxo, t

Things I cannot do...

..or perhaps just will not do...

Fish.

I actually have enjoyed many a time on boats, docks, shores..fishing in lakes, rivers, oceans...but I cannot/will not fish when worms are anywhere in my area...not in the boat, not on the dock, not near me, not on a clock...sorry, I just started to sound like Dr. Seuss.

So, I am so glad Papa is here to teach the girls to fish. I can fish in the backyard..and I actually really wish that the squirrels would catch their plastic bait. However, I would not be so kind to throw them back.

Grandma's Visit...

Jed's Mom(officially called "Grandma" in our household) was just here for a week. The girls had an amazing time with her, as always! It was very nice to have her here to help while I was in Nashville for our Fall Matilda Jane conference. We hope to see her again soon!
xoxo, t

Mom, are you really leaving us...

..yes, but only for 2 days. It's not that bad. Sorry to be blog-free for 2 days. Talk to you all on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!
xoxo, t

The Lawn Chair Gardener update...

..and other ramblings...

So, things are-a-growing and things are-a-greening. My gardens are lush, full and well, full of weeds..but the flowers are in bloom and just lovely. Thought I would share a few non-weed pictures.

My lovely window box..

..yes, we have some Tomatoes...

..and Lilies....

...and..oh wait, sorry I was out front and saw my 52 packages ready for my hot mailman(I mean professional Postal Carrier) to pick-up...just took this picture in case you were wondering what I do for fun in my spare time...

..and while I am out here - have I ever shown you our doorbell? It's seriously one of my favorite things about our house. It really suckered me in to buy the place...

xoxo, t

Our New Room...

..we've been busy the last few days building our new sun room. Can I just say how incredible it is to add more outdoor living space to our gracious and happy home.

..you can find a cozy spot to read...

...and feel the outside breeze...

..and really enjoy my lovingly planted window box...

In all seriousness, we moved this old, stinky, loved couch out to the curb a few days ago. It was the first piece of furniture that Jed and I bought together 8 years ago. It has been our everyday couch - that has been spilled on, puked on, cat-scratched on, eaten on, peed on, nursed on, probably baby pooped on..and well..well loved. :-) Finally I had enough of the cleaning of it, scrubbing of it and well, probably smelling of it, and threw it out to the curb for some lovely college kid to own. We figured that if it wasn't taken in a day, we would just haul it off...however, after 3 days we find ourselves enjoy lounging at the curb in the evening. Tomorrow we plan on adding an end table, lamp, t.v. and fridge to the new room. YeeHaw! Our neighbors must be thrilled.

Matilda Jane, Rainboots and Skinny Legs...

We went for a stroll this week after a rainy evening of snuggling up together....

The girls loved jumping in puddles and "washing their hair" in the rain on the leaves...

The whole time, I just kept looking at Eloise's legs, thinking that I DO feed the girl and the girl DOES eat A LOT..so why are those legs so darn skinny..and why don't mine look like that anymore...