Goodbye to summer
We seem to say every fall that summer flew by. But this one actually did fly by, enough that we knew it was flying by all through the midst of it. We'd look at each other and wonder where these days were going. I'd say we blinked and it was gone, but looking back there are some great memories to remind us that a lot of greatness happened during that blink.
Tomorrow is October, so it's time to bid a proper farewell to the humid season by sharing some thusfar unshared moments that defined our summer.
Our garden was something else this year. We kept it looking pretty nice, given the blessing of a new tiller. We canned maybe 15 quarts of green beans, and ate and gave away probably just as many. Cukes, squash, and zucchini did better than in previous years. The tomatoes didn't come around until everything else had given up the ghost, but they have been plentiful.
While we were in Florida, the beetles ate our corn. All of it. All of it. Every single stinkin ear was picked clean. Talk about your disappointment. Hope last year's ears hold out.
But y'all, my black eyed peas. They did better than anything else in the garden! I have a good ten quarts frozen, which will be devoured along with a thick slice of cornbread on those bone-chilling winter days, southern comfort food at its finest. So, so happy with how they grew and that the blasted groundhogs and bunnies and beetles left them alone.
Aden and Poppop spent some man time together this summer, as they so like to do. They are two peas in a pod after all. The Lego rocket was purchased almost immediately after we arrived home from Florida, and completed together within probably 3 weeks. And of course our little daredevil is quite fond of riding the four-wheeler at the farm.
Improvements all around. We made a pretty good dent in our to-do list, better than most summers. Pretty sure the inspiration for our hard work came from the beautification happening around us. Nana and Granddad gifted us a new driveway. It is now completely smooth and two feet wider, meaning we don't have to step into the mud or mulch to get in or out of the car when it's raining. It also has provided the boys some ample new bike-riding space. We are all so thankful.
As if that wasn't enough, Giga painted Brandon's and my bedroom as a surprise for me while I was away at camp. I left nineties coral-orange walls behind and came back to Revere Pewter, be still my heart. It is so soothing and grown up. Now, again thanks to Giga, every room in the house has been yanked out of the decades-old crayon box and pushed ever so closer to farmhouse-ish. Love.
We enjoyed the pool when we were able to go, but didn't go nearly as much as in the past. Not sure exactly why. I would say age difference and bickering, though they had no trouble at the ocean. Kinda strange. You'd think that water of any kind would be endless entertainment. We've resolved to think over whether it's worth the money to join next summer. We'll see. I've grown spoiled by it and would hate to see our splish splash fun disappear.
We did have some great lake time, playing together on "our" beach near the bridge and watching Aden learn to tube.
Trey took back up with golf lessons, bringing his game up to a very impressive level. It seemed every time he had a lesson, I got one of these texted to me with the caption, "don't tell mom" as the two golf-lovers played a few holes, just to get some practice in.
Fulfulling a much-deserved promise to Aden, we had a makeup birthday party. At Jump, because, according to Aden, "Everything is bouncy there and they even have bars on their glass doors, so I can't break them." Bless his heart. The kids did have fun. Went to Sweet Frog afterwards where everyone made themselves at home, annoying the other customers and cracking up the cashier. How we roll.
Screens were a battle this summer, as we had to fight the boys tooth and nail to get them to spend any time outside. "You are not zombies! There is more to life than that screen! When you're old, you'll want stories to tell, and not just, I played some great video games!" Oh for the love of Pete. And when they finally got outside, and finally got over themselves, they actually did have some fun.
It was a fun summer. Fast, full, and fun, just the way it should be.
Tomorrow is October, so it's time to bid a proper farewell to the humid season by sharing some thusfar unshared moments that defined our summer.
Our garden was something else this year. We kept it looking pretty nice, given the blessing of a new tiller. We canned maybe 15 quarts of green beans, and ate and gave away probably just as many. Cukes, squash, and zucchini did better than in previous years. The tomatoes didn't come around until everything else had given up the ghost, but they have been plentiful.
While we were in Florida, the beetles ate our corn. All of it. All of it. Every single stinkin ear was picked clean. Talk about your disappointment. Hope last year's ears hold out.
But y'all, my black eyed peas. They did better than anything else in the garden! I have a good ten quarts frozen, which will be devoured along with a thick slice of cornbread on those bone-chilling winter days, southern comfort food at its finest. So, so happy with how they grew and that the blasted groundhogs and bunnies and beetles left them alone.
Aden and Poppop spent some man time together this summer, as they so like to do. They are two peas in a pod after all. The Lego rocket was purchased almost immediately after we arrived home from Florida, and completed together within probably 3 weeks. And of course our little daredevil is quite fond of riding the four-wheeler at the farm.
Improvements all around. We made a pretty good dent in our to-do list, better than most summers. Pretty sure the inspiration for our hard work came from the beautification happening around us. Nana and Granddad gifted us a new driveway. It is now completely smooth and two feet wider, meaning we don't have to step into the mud or mulch to get in or out of the car when it's raining. It also has provided the boys some ample new bike-riding space. We are all so thankful.
As if that wasn't enough, Giga painted Brandon's and my bedroom as a surprise for me while I was away at camp. I left nineties coral-orange walls behind and came back to Revere Pewter, be still my heart. It is so soothing and grown up. Now, again thanks to Giga, every room in the house has been yanked out of the decades-old crayon box and pushed ever so closer to farmhouse-ish. Love.
We enjoyed the pool when we were able to go, but didn't go nearly as much as in the past. Not sure exactly why. I would say age difference and bickering, though they had no trouble at the ocean. Kinda strange. You'd think that water of any kind would be endless entertainment. We've resolved to think over whether it's worth the money to join next summer. We'll see. I've grown spoiled by it and would hate to see our splish splash fun disappear.
We did have some great lake time, playing together on "our" beach near the bridge and watching Aden learn to tube.
Trey took back up with golf lessons, bringing his game up to a very impressive level. It seemed every time he had a lesson, I got one of these texted to me with the caption, "don't tell mom" as the two golf-lovers played a few holes, just to get some practice in.
Fulfulling a much-deserved promise to Aden, we had a makeup birthday party. At Jump, because, according to Aden, "Everything is bouncy there and they even have bars on their glass doors, so I can't break them." Bless his heart. The kids did have fun. Went to Sweet Frog afterwards where everyone made themselves at home, annoying the other customers and cracking up the cashier. How we roll.
Screens were a battle this summer, as we had to fight the boys tooth and nail to get them to spend any time outside. "You are not zombies! There is more to life than that screen! When you're old, you'll want stories to tell, and not just, I played some great video games!" Oh for the love of Pete. And when they finally got outside, and finally got over themselves, they actually did have some fun.
It was a fun summer. Fast, full, and fun, just the way it should be.
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