Getting Settled

Little by little, we are making our mark around here.  This place is becoming ours, smudges and all.

A huge breakthrough came when we were finally done unpacking enough boxes that the moving company could come reclaim them along with the plethora of packing paper stuffed into them.  I assume they wanted them back so they could recycle them for use the next time some employer was willing and able to overpay to relocate an employee.  Either way, I was glad to clear them out of my house.

There's a never ending list of things that need to be done.  There's a dwindling trickle of money with which to do it.  And there's never enough hours in the day, especially for Shaggy who spends so much time away from home.  But, life is long.  We don't have to get everything done at once.  Thankfully.

As much as we're longing to do some serious front porch sittin', we have to get this house both more liveable and ready for winter.

The dogs needed a fence.  Well, acutally the dogs loved not having a fence, but we needed a fence to prevent them from galavanting all over the woods, eating who knows what, and then finally returning home to vomit all over the living room.  That was unpleasant.

Shaggy was wise enough to recruit K's help from the inception of this project.  Because she helped design and plan the whole project, she felt ownership in it and was more than willing to get up early on a Saturday and pound posts into the ground in her pajamas.  Good girl.

Weeds thrive around here, along with everything else green and growing.  Since we've never had any kind of garden or flower beds before, the kids got their first taste of pulling weeds.  Some of them had more fun than others.

They definitely liked the inherited wheelbarrow more than the actual weeding.

And the front looked miles better when we were finished.  Too bad we'll have to do it all over again in a month.

One day, we decided to take an expedition to go walk the property line.  This is what our crew looked like before setting off.  Some of us brought more useful tools than others.  I especially loved B's ensemble.

Let's take a closer look.  Backpack, with books and toys?  Check.  Sun hat?  Check.  Dolly?  Check.  Bubbles?  Check.  Awesome outfit?  Check.

Unfortunately, she made everything harder for our little expidition since she was afraid of the vines and the leaves and the spider webs and the mosquitos.  She insisted on being carried the entire trek.  She'll have to grow into the whole nature-loving-thing, apparently.

 This boy, however, was born to be the ultimate nature lover.  He doesn't mind weeding.

Or doing whatever-you-call-it with this wicked looking tool.

And he thoroughly enjoys mulching dirt to plant blueberry bushes.

 We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous fall day to do this.

 I'll hold my breath that these plants will do better than some others I have planted. 

 We had to invest in a very tall ladder to reach those gutters that were growing baby trees in them. 

Sanding this deck was quite the adventure.  The hardest part was finding enough days in a row without rain.

And getting rid of all the acorns.

We get A LOT of acorns on that deck.

Then there was sanding to slightly lessen the likelihood of splinters.

B wasn't much help with this project, really.  But she sure wanted to be in the middle of it every step of the way.

My three apple-munching muskateers.  Watching Daddy paint the deck.

I'm so grateful for all the time and effort this man puts into providing for our family.

And I can't imagine a better setting for the next chapter of our life.