Home-Busyness

I love how life has forced me to learn things I may not've thought I'd be interested in, and I love the satisfying thrill that fixing problems can bring! On top of that, I really have felt like this home was specifically prepared for our family in so many ways, from little things like how the sprinklers are rigged in the square-foot garden area, to our loaded fruit trees and flowers.  Here is a peek into some of my day to day "excitement":
First, I drove the van mirror into the garage (and crushed it) backing out--I was looking right at it as it happened and going slow!--I should probably not be allowed to drive, or be forced to take 10 courses of driver's ed, but the good news is I ordered a replacement mirror for under $40, watched a few youtube videos, and (in 2 hours even though the videos did it in 20 minutes) totally removed the door panel, replaced the mirror, and got the electric connections together so that it is as good as new!! 

 Then came Summer Olympics, and enough motivation for me to figure out how to get more TV  than Netflix. We researched and tried Sling TV, only to MISS Opening Ceremonies and the first few days of events (and some awesome Women's Gymnastics!), but I researched and ordered a super antenna, borrowed a ladder, and after watching more videos, reading articles, climbed up on the roof--twice-- in the early morning hours so my hands and feet wouldn't burn, and I connected that thing through the connection of the previous owner's satellite hookup!! AND IT WORKED!!! What's more, Uncle Scott happened to stop by the very morning I completed said hookup, just to say hi for a bit, and when I told him what I'd done, he got right on the roof, and was able to straighten and stabilize my antenna, save me a wire, and truly make me feel like Dad was watching out for me, nudging his little brother along to lend a hand after I'd done as much as I could handle.  Silly to put so much effort into a TV, but it meant such a huge amount right then, and was still a pretty major success all the way around!

 Not quite as new an effort, but finally got the (little) girls room unified a bit by repurposing a quilt upside down, and hanging a $15 canopy and old curtains-YAY!

I also hosted a shower for a dear friend's daughter, and our neighborhood ward comes out in full-force love every time.  Since we re-used the "Fall in Love" theme, I hated not having a wreath on the door, so when I found some weeds I loved for the table vase, I thought I'd also try throwing together a wreath....using real grapevine from our...grapevine, and putting all these weeds on it from the empty lots on our street-ha!

And Crazy Hair day! The skills I really need are being better prepared with items like pipe cleaner and hair chalk, but here are this year's last-minute versions:

Then, our yard!!:
Our garden is overflowing, and though that includes in potato bugs, our trees were HEAVY with pluots and peaches, our bushes clear into October bursting with raspberries, and more zucchinni squash, peppers and tomatoes than I often know what to do with! We made MANY batches of fruit leather with the SWEEEEET pluots (and promptly ate it all--so much for preserving), bottled an even 70 bottles of peaches--thanks to Brian's help one of the days! Both peach trees lost limbs b/c of the heavy fruit! What abundance!! We have so many blessings to count!!--love this harvest time of year! (there are even pumpkins growing "wild" next to our mailbox in the empty lot next to us!)