Two steps forward.. one step back.

That is what it feels like in the backyard. They built the first wall Friday...and then covered it up today to start the second wall. We have two giant piles of dirt and I know that they will get bigger before going away. The dogs are having a hard time not being outside whenever they want. But I am beginning to see the future shape of what it will look like. Still have a lot of work to do!!

Major Construction!

We have spent a lot of time and effort to clear our hill of years of neglect...We have put out over 100 bags of green waste and replanted trees and ground cover. Now the professionals have stepped in and started the major stuff. Yesterday they had the jackhammer going and started the retaining walls. Here is one side. I will post progress reports.

Fall is here!

While at Juliet's game yesterday, Izzy and I took some time to take some "portraits" of her. The trees in the canyon were turning golden and the park was beautiful.

Izzy is 12 ! !

Izzy turned 12 yesterday!! Can you tell by the look on her face what she got as a gift? As I sit here, I keep hearing the ting of her text messages....We have created a monster already!!!

We had a small party and went to a local plant store and made stepping stones. It was amazing how much each stone reflected the maker's personality! Then we came home and had pizza and ice cream. Izzy had specifically requested an ice cream cake so I bought a large one. The directions said to put at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to make softer..well when I opened the box, I had a very flat cake!!!

Where has this month gone???

I can't believe how fast this month has gone. It has been a busy month with back to school activities, soccer and yard work! When I say yard work I mean that we have cleared so much stuff out of our back yard...approx 60 trash cans full..actually more than that but I lost count around that number. Loki even helped by removing some old edging!!

First Day of School

The girls were both nervous as they go to new schools this year. Of course, Braxton got out the door before I could get a picture!! One in middle school and two in high school!! Where did time go?

End of Summer...almost!!

The end of summer is coming soon. The kids have registration this week and all that goes along with that. We also started working on our yard..mostly cutting down the overgrown plants and pulling weeds. We did work on our sitting area and with another day or two, it should be done. We have a huge pile of dirt that we need to get rid of before the area is complete. Here is a pic of my favorite plant in our yard. Our plumeria. It started out a a little stubby stick 12 years ago and is now this beautiful plant.

And a close up of the flowers..can't you just smell them!!