Saturday at the Pool

Note to self: Next time remember to check the swimsuit of the youngest boy before we leave for the pool. By the 3rd child, elastic tends to wear out. Of course we didn't discover this until after a disastrous pants-removing dive into the water. The playground is a bit tricky when wearing a towel "skirt".

Price of Gas - Thursday June 25

This is the price of gas without any "Fuel Perks". Looks like the price of gas is receding slightly after peaking last week.

Weekly Update

Sunday was not only Father's Day but also the official start of Summer. Time seems to be flying by. My two older boys are enjoying their Volunteen work at the library and all three boys are on the Swim Team for our local pool. We have our 2nd meet tonight. (oh joy! 3 hours baking in the heat tonight! I may have to "accidentally' fall in the pool.)

As if you don't already know, I have been getting much joy out of my vegetable garden. Pictured above is my meager harvest from last night. I picked some lettuce, dill & chives this morning to make a salad for lunch. After years of trial & error, I have finally learned the benefits of fertilizer. I recently started using Scott's Miracle Grow for Tomatoes and Miracle Grow for Flowers & Vegetables.

Sunday we went to a local Blues & Jazz Festival and I took a bunch of photos. One of the main reasons we love festivals is for the Funnel Cakes! Also crafty souvenirs such as t-shirts and hats.
We also stopped by the adjacent Carnival and took in a Nature Walk. I broke the photos into 4 posts. This way it seems like we had 4 separate days of vacation as opposed to 4 hours!

This time of year, I find that time flies by and there are never enough hours in a day to keep up with my blog and fellow bloggers. Hopefully this is a quiet weekend so I can catch up!
Well, ...I'd better get to work now! Hope you are all having a great week!

Sunday Morning in the Garden - Happy Father's Day!

Yellow Asian Lily

Sweet Pea

Daisies

St John's Wart (with tiny bee)

Squash Blossoms

Yellow Squash

Snap Pea

Green Pepper

This is my favorite time of year! Every day is like Christmas in my garden. I had to post a few of my favorite pics I took this morning before I left for a local festival. ( If you click on the photos, you can see them full size. )

My snap peas are coming in nicely & my squash looks promising with lots of big yellow blossoms springing up. I also have my 1st green pepper coming in.

On the flower front, Sweet Peas are coming on strong as well as my lilies. I can't wait for my Star Gazer's* ( may be a hybrid of sorts) to open. My daisies are also popping up all over.

I kind of turn this place into a garden blog this time of year. Hope to have some festival photos later.....

Hope everyone is having a lovely Father's Day!

Wordless Wednesday - Garden Report 6/17/09

Cone Flower?

Fairy Forest

Tiger Lilies

Grape Tomato (1st to turn red!)

Pepper Plants

Peas are starting to flower!!!!

Sum It up Sunday - Summer is Here

As with many of my bloggy friends, this past week has been busy with end of the school-year activities.

Party Time
Last weekend my middle son turned 11. We took 7 boys swimming, to the movies (Night at The Museum 2) and then dinner. ( Note to self: boys stop ordering off the kid's menu at this age, be careful when choosing restaurants ).

Summer Fun
Wednesday was the last day of school and 5th grade graduation. I now have 2 middle-schoolers.
These 2 boys are volunteering at the local library as "Volunteens". They help sign up and give out prizes for the Summer Reading program. The photo above is my eldest on his first day.

My boys have already completed their reading tracking sheet. I also signed up and need to catch up. I wonder if I can count "blog reading" as part of my reading time??? If anyone has any good books to recommend, let me know; I have a lot of catching up to do.

The boys are starting their summer swim team practices at our neighborhood pool. Great exercise and helps fill a few hours a day. They are also signed up for a few short "camps" for music and writing. Otherwise this should be a pretty relaxed and lazy summer.

Garden Report
My garden continues to evolve. Strawberry season is over and I need to harvest my lettuce. The heat will turn my greens bitter if not eaten soon. (Good thing we have family coming in tonight!)
Looks like I should have a good crop of tomatoes and hope to be able to harvest some cherry tomatoes soon. My peppers are also coming along nicely. My dill has started to flower and needs to be given away.

I am anxiously checking my snap pea vines daily for signs of pea pods. This is our 1st year for planting peas and I am worried I started a few weeks late. I also am hopeful for a better year for my yellow squash and cucumbers. I limed the soil and am fertilizing on a regular basis. I daily scan for blossoms. None so far....

Rising Fuel Costs
Gas Prices are on the way up... This is my first fill-up last week where I am finally over the $2.00 mark. I paid $2.559 with my 20 cent off Kroger Marketplace Fuel Perk.
Speaking of perks,l I need to put some coffee on and get motivated to clean and grocery shop. We will have a house and yard full of relatives late today!

Wordless Wednesday - Garden Report

Salad of Mixed Greens, Chives, Dill & Strawberries from garden with chicken & blue cheese & raspberry vinegrette

Chives

Cherry Tomatoes

Chili Peppers

Jalapeno

Vegetable Garden with Dill Forest

Snap Peas

Sweet Peas ( Can't eat these but they're pretty to look at!)