U Pick Apples

This fall being back in New York I wanted to take Hayden to pick apples and make lots of homemade goodies. We found just the spot at Behling's Apple Orchard and had so much fun with our friends Trevor and Kaylen. Hayden loved picking the apples and we made out with a total of 74 lbs. We canned some of them into apple sauce and apple butter, then we had to have fresh apple crisp and caramel apples, Hayden's new favorite treat.

Yummy, yummy.

2011 Outdoor Summer Projects

The first project up on the list of outdoor projects was a patio to place all our outdoor furniture on. Now we had now idea when we started what an endeavor this would turn out to be. We began by digging an 8-inch deep hole to hold the patio base made up of crushed stone and sand. Then we laid flagstone in the sand and here is where we stopped for the year. We plan on finishing it with some soil and ground cover plants that should fill in the gaps. We are so pleased with the way it turned out and now can't wait to use it next year.

Project #2: When we got to the house we realized the front was in desperate need of help. First we sanded and painted the deck, a 5-day project. Note to self never own a wrap around wood deck again, way to much maintenance. Next we covered in the underside of the deck to add to the appearance and keep dogs and unwanted pest out. Lastly we ripped out a bunch of unsightly bushes and trimmed up the ones we decided to keep before tilling it all and planting new hostas with a ton of bark. Whew, another project done!

This photo is actually half way through, the deck has been painted, we've ripped out some bushes and started covering some of the lower half.

Finally Our Summer Happenings

Finally we are blogging about our fun exciting summer. We started of the month of June saying goodbye to our friends in Savannah and once again packing up and heading North. We are excited to be back in our home in New York and have since spent many long hours once again on home projects (more to come on these later) and squeezing in a few fun activities before the summer was over. Here are Hayden's adventures in photos.

Hayden playing on Trigger's bed amidst all the packing.

First project: Paint Hayden's room

Hayden's first time painting with watercolors, mom's new keep Hayden busy activity.

Hayden's favorite exhibit at the NY state fair, the trains of course.

Sending summer out with some good old BUBBLES!