Shower Part 2

I could have never done this project or any other project without the help of Jeff. He has pretty much taught me everything I know about construction. He has been here since I first bought my house and has helped me do everything. I love that he is a perfectionist and has an unconquerable attitude. He can do everything and will do it well. The other great thing is that he helps me after his day of work.

We floated a slant in the floor, then add the polyurethane membrane. We then floated the floor with a metal mesh prepping it for the tile. Next was the wall boards. We cut out 3 cubby holes for shampoo, conditioners, etc. Again we have lots of little helpers. (This was august 15th through the 17th.)

Blossoms!!

Every spring in Las Vegas I can hardly wait for the blossoms on the trees because that means it is time to plant my garden! The blossoms are from our Tilton Apricot tree.

I love my garden. It is a total financial loss, but I enjoy the work and fresh produce. I also love to watch things grow. There are always new challenges and rewards.

I usually over do it, not a big surprise for anyone that knows me. The first year I drown my garden. I went out every night and over watered it. I have tried a couple different watering techniques over the past couple years and feel like I finally got it and am doing the best yet. Thanks Mike!

I have planted all sorts of plants. Beans, peas, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, corn, hot peppers, sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, strawberries, melons, pumpkins, garlic, green onions, and all sorts of herbs. Most everything dies or doesn't produce fruit. This year I decided to stick with the basics-Tomatoes, peppers, spinach, basil, and cilantro. It is my little salsa garden.

The big problem this year is our new patio cover. We LOVE or new patio cover. It helps keep us shaded and keeps it dry out back, but it blocks the sun to the garden. Every year is a new adventure.

I had to take out the remains of our winter crop. I got a lot of spinach, beet greens and too many turnips. Turnips probably won't be a repeat next year.

I have lots of 'helpers'. Ella has been the big 'help' this year. The first year we did a garden, I can remember Adam stomping on all my plants. Nice. My kids are my biggest pests. My little fence has gotten bigger every year. It has never helped keep the kids out, but seems like a nice protection to me.

I am looking forward to a great gardening year! I am already craving BLTs. yummmmm...

Rough week

Last week was a little rough. Ella totally biffed it and had the HUGEST fat lip. It had gone down before I got the picture. I guess she got a little to much speed running down the driveway and kissed the cement. Ouch! Every time we go out the garage Ella runs like she is escaping from prison. We always have to chase her down. (I'm not sure what is in her mouth.)

Ethan said a branch got his cheek. Who knows.

Adam has some sort of conjunctivitis, which he kindly passed to the rest of us. Pink eye? His eyes are pink, but not the disease you're thinking of. I am sure that is in the near future. You get a lot more than a public education at school these days!

Philmont Brothers

One of the best parts of Philmont was male bonding! I love my brothers, brother-in-laws included. Infact Trent wasn't even a brother-in-law yet. These are a couple pictures of us!

Homemade Skeleton

I made my own skeleton! I have a patient that is a butcher and he helps out at a game processing place, so he hooked me up with a deer spine. I borrowed a huge pot and burner from Skinny (Dave Sharpless). Ethan seemed a little worried that he maybe the next to be boiled in the giant pot. He wouldn't go outside and was very suspicious every time I came inside.

The carcass boiled most of the day. Then I hand picked all the meat off the spine and gave it to a neighbor's dog. Yummy, yummy. I have to admit that I had a little taste. It was good and gamy. Then I put the bones into a large pot inside and boiled them with a water/bleach mix. The pot wasn't to happy, nor was Emily. Then I let them dry outside for a day. They turned out great!!

The aligned, anatomically correct spine on our coffee table was a bet. Emily didn't think I could put it together in 5 minutes. I love a challenge. Thanks to my veterinary course, it was easy!

Shower Part 1

I started this project on August 14th. The demo turned out to be the easiest part! It usually is. I had it all ripped out to the studs in one night. I have lots of little helpers. I am glad to say we are currently using it , but it has been a saga. Of course, all of our project are...

(sorry the pictures are in the wrong order)

Nutella

Nutella is one of our most favorite sweets. I found out about it on my mission. I've been hooked ever since. Every once in a while we let the kids have some. Never leave your kids unattended with it. I think she likes it!

Philmont Feet

These are some of the feet shots from our trip. I love that Todd's socks can stand on their own! Equally impressive is that David's scars are dirt resistant. Maybe it will be a new medical break through! I was posing to get a good picture of the blisters on the bottom of my feet, but the picture just didn't seem to come out that way. Good for laughs. And it couldn't be complete without Todd's bloody leg. He was charging and got tripped up by a rock. I will include the chipped tooth later. Fun Trip-even for our feet!

Philmont Friday

I LOVED this trip! The best part was spending two weeks with my brothers and dad. My ultimate Man-cation!!! I am so happy that my dad took me when I was 14 and then took all of us when Mark was old enough. I thought I would start with a 1st day picture and a last day picture. I love the stark contrast. The only thing that didn't change was the smiles on our faces!

Hiding places

This is Ella hiding in the cabinet right next to the dishwasher. She is in her favorite Pjs too!

Smoothies

I love my smoothies. I usually have berries and vanilla ice cream, yummm. Ella has started to enjoy them with me. We are supposed to have our own straw, but Ella and I don't mind sharing. We (Ella) always seems to get confused which one is which. She also has the little habit of holding the back of your neck when you are close to her. I love you so much Ella!!!