Cause we are CRAZY....

So here's my garden. Previously all my plants were in the ground but this last winter we had so many freezes (and I forgot to cover them... oops) that all the plants but my jasmine died. So I moved them all to containers when I replaced them. It has worked out to be so much nicer in my small space since I can just move them when they grown too large for their spot.
unfortunately the bark has been driving me up a wall it tracks in to the porch area, looks messy and seems to get all sorts of garbage stuck in it...plus the bugs that crawl in it ... gag!

I also hate that the grill takes up one whole side of our small planting area. It's a large black sun blocking blob. We got a huge grill when we moved in thinking we would have all sorts of gatherings ... unfortunately that hasn't really panned out. I think we will be replacing it next year with a smaller one that we can keep in the garage (Florida humidity eats grills so this not cheap grill is already biting the dust) I am really thinking about making a list of all the things people who are moving to Florida need to know about Florida... I just thought people grilling outside their garage was hick-ish... Now I know keeping you grill inside keeps it from rotting.

So Uber finally gave into my pleading to do something about it and we got to work Friday. We cleared the mulch (reusing it in the beds behind our house) and Uber broke up the ground and got it all leveled out. We had to carry all of the extra dirt (actually clay) out by hand and dump it in some sand dunes near our house.

I carried all of these bricks... 340... from the truck... which wasn't close uber estimates it was a good 75 feet away.

Saturday we got up early to beat as much of the heat as we could and got to work.

I decided on a herring bone pattern. But turned on its side so there wouldn't be any diagonal cutting. Uber was very worried when I laid it out the first time on a diagonal... I was just trying to figure out the correct pattern.

The sides were too small for the pattern so we just laid it staggered.

Halving the bricks.

Here's me laying my half. I would say we split the work evenly on this project... which is saying a lot because normally Uber does most of the heavy work.

Uber doing the final sweep with sand.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about this. I really wish it could be seen from inside the house.

Pavering around the corner allowed us to tuck the grill along the side. I love how you can tell how much space we have out here now. Before it looked so crowded.

It took us roughly 7 hours to get about 70 sq feet laid.... I think it was totally worth it... though we are both completely exhausted.

I think I may make this picture my screen saver I like it so much. Did I mention everything worked out perfectly with the pavers in the pattern I wanted? I could not believe our luck we started in the front left corner and it all laid out perfectly we only had to cut 4 bricks to fit in a few of the tighter spaces... this is of course not including all the halved ones... which there were only about 15 of, which is still not bad.

Uber finally picked all of my cherry tomatoes for me... I can only reach the ones on the bottom...

then he made me this snack... yum!

Hope you all had a good weekend. Im off to try a finish another project I have going... I have this list of old project that I was supposed to get done before Mum and Dad get here NEXT WEEK but I dont think it is all going to happen... oh well!

P.S. This is my hundreth post!! I wanted to have a give away but it just isn't going to happen right now... Hopefully soon though.

Memorial Weekend - Part 3

On Monday we went to a Suns game. I haven't been to a baseball game in YEARS. It was fun... though the teams weren't spectacular... it was minor league and it really only got good at the very end. 'Our team' still lost though.

I was VERY hot and I was kind of grumpy... ubers cute though.

This is Roberto he LOVES baseball and he is the one who invited us. He's cool because he hangs out with us and asks us to do things ... are our standards to low? Just kidding. He is awesome- and he's single soo.... if anyone is interested.

Uber fed me so I smiled.

Here's a clip of the not so good team.... we took quite a few and this is the only one that they actually hit the ball in.... only watch this if you have nothing better to do...

I have something REALLY fun to show you tomorrow... if anyone is still reading. Hello?!?

Memorial Weekend - Part 2

Were doing this in the wrong order since blogger only seems to attach videos to the bottom.



So Sunday we took Kristen to the beach. However we have one of the worst setups down here as far as eating on the water goes... you can't do it and actually see the ocean unless your cool with going to Joe's Crab Shack... which I think is just totally lame. Sure as you are walking down the beach you will see a lot of beautiful buildings serving yummy food and drinks on huge terraces under large umbrellas and you will think - Hey I can eat there! But you would be sadly mistaken because they are all country clubs and you aren't welcome there. (yeah I am slightly bitter about this, and you would be too - they're food is VERY good.) So we heard about this place called Lulu's and it is situated on the inter coastal deep on a road where you would never have found it without someone telling you about it. It was SOOO yummy and very very fresh. We even ordered alligator- which is very good by the way. We will totally be bringing Mum and Dad here when they come (in 13 days!!!!).

So back to Saturday we finally got our golf on. I think we all enjoyed ourselves I made up a video from the footage we took. I was hoping Kristen would get on this because he is the video maker among us but so far nothing has show up so you get a sample of my newly acquired skills. Music choice is courtesy of Uber. Kristen is nothing but a victim.

I think this gives you a pretty realistic sample of a day golfing with us... only I am not as good as I totally cut it to look like... however the chasing and far to close picture taking of the wildlife is completly accurate. Also I take full resposibility for the wrong way shooting... I was leaning completely across Uber while he was driving to catch that... of course I take video the wrong way quite often so really... I am just cool like that...

just trying to keep it real around here. I hope you guys like it... though I will be suprised if you watch it (its not that long by the way)

Memorial Weekend - Part 1

We had a blast this last weekend. Our friend Kristen came down for some fun in the sun and Florida completely didn't cooperate. So Friday we headed down to St. Augustine and goofed off for a little while.

Yeah, so this is a terrible picture of Kristen... but I am cute... and that is all that matters. This picture was taken at the Casa Monica Hotel where we had a scrumptious lunch consisting of Rostli and Caprese Salad. Totally unexpected and very good.

We headed out and walked down through the historica area to the Fort. Here's what it usually looks like -- take note of the moat

Here it was friday...

Same thing again

There was a TON of water in there- infact that was the theme of this weekend... water. I have never seen it like that!

Goof Balls

More of the same.

Close ups because people think walking up and sitting down right in the back of a picture is the cool thing to do.

It was a little windy- and it was starting to rain so we headed back in for cover and ran across the American Legion building which Kristen is a member of so we ducked in from the sprinkles and rested. It was a VERY cool old building right on the river (well across the street which is as close as you get to the river)

And a video... because it's funny... though you might not think so... the alligator oven mitt is a gift from Ubers Mom and it is REALLY fun to play with (obviously) also note that it is 2am because Kristen got in late and we went out for dinner. I honestly dont know the last time I was up this late... None of this explains why he is doing this though... this is just Kristen... and this is why we love him.

My Week

Tomatoes were used for hamburgers

Pepper was used in pasta

Cleaned and hosed off the porch... finally filled in every hole we could possibly find and so far no more lizards have gotten in. Ahhh!!! What a relief!

Sunday this started... and it hasn't stopped since...seriously we are flooding... I am REALLY hoping it is going to stop by tomorrow we have company coming in for a weekend of outside fun... at the moment not sure that will be possible... we were low on water... you should see the river it is CRAZY full now it's not as bad as the tropical storm last year but it feels like it... it's just a north eastern.

I just minutes ago finished this custom order growth chart - terrible pictures but it is going to it's new home tomorrow so this is the best they are going to get.

It's for 4 children 2 boys and a girl (the 4th isn't known yet). Monkeys, butterflies, and a turtle were requested.

I am really digging it.

Butterflies

the monkey.... this had me worried but I LOVE him! I think he may be showing up again.

I snuck in a cocoon and caterpillar. The turtle is hanging out in the grass.

I used my very first tag see it?

Well I am off. Hope you all have a good weekend!

The Invites

So here is the reveal for what I have been working on for the last week. I am SOOO excited about it! These are for a 50th wedding anniversary (it's the parents of the 25th anniversary invites I did last summer which I showed you in my very first post). She wanted hers to have pictures like her daughters did. I was planning on having these printed (I couldn't handle piecing that many together) so I started brainstorming and then I remembered that Jennifer had posted her daughters birthday invites last year, which were gorgeous. They are the accordion invite by Kodak and they were perfect for what I was wanting.

They had a very formal 40th party so she wanted to go casual for their 50th with a luau theme. I had a blast designing them. The graphics are all mine from scratch. I have a hibiscus in my back yard so I took a ton of pictures of the flowers and leafs and went from there.


I am still missing one picture from the back but I couldn't wait to show you.

Close up of the front. I looked at a picture of scroll work to help me make mine. So I guess that isn't completely from me but it's not an exact copy of anyone else's either.

Needless to say I got A LOT of use out of my Wacom tablet - it ROCKS by the way! I sketched out all of my flowers scanned them in and then turned them into the graphic below. Each piece was a separate file that I inserted arranged and then tied them all together to make them look like a plant.

I really like them. I was really worried that I wouldn't! I hopefully will be sending them to be printed by the end of the week I am just waiting on final approval of wording ... and that last picture. I will show you them again when I get them back from printing.

Oh wait I didn't mention that these are a total suprise for the mom. She thinks she knows what she is getting but she really doesn't. We had to be all sneaky to get the photos collected because she has been very involved in the planning and knows everything that is happening. The switch up and all the photos will be a surprise from her daughters. (I am a really good salesman...I REALLY didn't want to cut and piece these!!! ... not that I am charging for these they are friends)

Let me know what you guys think I am so nervous about these!

**please let me know if you see any grammar issues as long as it is before Friday after that please keep it to yourself I won't want to know at that point!!**