A project we actually finished!

Jeff and I have known for a while that our retaining wall in our backyard was in need of

 repair.  So we got a plan and actually started and finished in the same weekend.  I know it is a shock to us even!  Samantha was gone for the weekend, but Mackenzie was right in the middle of everything and being a great helper.

  We had to tear out about 25 railroad ties, but thankfully most of them were rotting out and weren't as heavy as they could have been.  Jeff had the new wall design, which called for digging out a hole about two feet into the dirt we are trying to retain.  I worked the shovel so much that weekend that I had blisters and calluses already started.  Not to mention that I could hardly close my hand for a couple of days.

  

 Mackenzie is sitting next to a hole helping us fill it in with the dirt. (Yep, we put her to work- Mommy and Daddy were tired!)  She liked throwing the dirt into the hole.  She loved being outside for almost two

 days straight.  We did have a hard time getting her to keep her shoes on though.  She loves to take them off and then every once in a while she wants them back on. We had fun and actually got the new wall in before the weekend was over. YEAH!

Wow!

I was just passed this video and think it is great for everyone to hear!  As an adopted child I am so blessed.

Samantha's First Field Trip

Samantha has been studying the farm. They have studied the animals and made butter in her class. Her first field trip was to the 4H Farm in Yukon. Farmer Tom showed the kids insects (hissing cockroaches) while Mommy was busy dropping off Mackenzie at mother's day out. Oh, man I missed it. I arrived in time to help Samantha make ice cream in a plastic baggies and then get to eat it.
Samantha got to see some goats and pet them and touch their horns. Then we went outside and fed the chickens and ducks. Next were the rabbits and the kids got to pick leaves to feed them. We had so much fun. My pictures are a little blurry, but fun none the less.

Oh, What a Beautiful Day

Hello. Today is really going well. I am catching up on lots of housework and working hard to get all the things done that you think need to be nice and tidy all the time. While taking a break I came across this video. It is great. I just needed a laugh to help me put life in perspective today. Hope you enjoy the video. It takes a couple of minutes, and you should turn off the music in my side bar to fully enjoy the video here.

First Day of Pre K

Samantha started Pre-K yesterday.  We had a "Peek and Play" on last Friday to meet her teachers and play in her new classroom.  On the way there she told me she was scared.  I asked her what she was scared of and she looked at me calmly and said, "What if the room is orange?  I don't like orange."  So with a small laugh I told her that her room wasn't orange and even if it was it wouldn't be bad.  

Yesterday she was so excited to go to school.  I was ready with the camera to catch some great stuff.  We went out front of our house and took some pics.

Once we got to school we had to go upstairs to get to her classroom.  Here is a pic of her going up the stairs. 

 

Her friend Matthew was going to be there and she was ready to play.  We got there a little early and chatted with Matthew and his mom LeAnn (one of my great friends).  Here is a picture of them together (I promise Matthew gave me the best smile ever right after I clicked the picture!).  

The School was having a farm theme and they had a great barn set up for the kids to walk through to get to class.  I'll add the pic later having problems getting it loaded.

All in all she had a blast at school and enjoyed all the activities she got to do. YEAH!

Computer Help Needed

Okay, I am not having problems today, but the other day I was not able to do anything on the computer.  I found this video and just had to share.  It definitely helps to have a laugh.

Bathroom Update

Okay, I am finally posting some pictures of the bathroom.  It is actually painted now, and I'll post those pictures in a couple of days.  I didn't like the way the first color came out- way too yellow.  So I am repainting it with a lighter color.  The last step is some finish molding and stuff around the mirror area.  That is going to wait a little while because we are ordering it.  But once the paint is dry we can finally move back into our bathroom! YEAH!