Weekly Wrap- Up: The One With Memorial Day
We had a pretty busy week. We spent lots and lots of time outside; some working, some hiking, some crafting. So far our summer is shaping up to be a lot of fun.
Friday was our first official day of summer vacation! Ian left early in the morning to go with his father to work and the younger boys and I had plans to meet up with some friends for one last hike through Purgatory Chasm. We had a great time. In the evening we went to my mother- in- laws to help her clear some brush and clean up her yard.
We had plans to work on our garden over the long Memorial day weekend but Ian headed off to work with his grandfather on Saturday morning anyway. The younger two boys helped my husband and I pull out all the old stone, dead plants, and shredded weed blocking fabric from our old garden. We took a break for lunch and headed out to buy new weed blocking fabric and one new plant to put back into the garden. Evan took a turn at running the excavator and helping to clean up all the piles of stuff we had taken out of the garden while Alec helped me layout all the new fabric. Ian arrived home in time to plant the new plant in the garden. We headed back out to go pick up some new stone and stopped for an ice cream dinner. While my husband used the excavator to begin spreading stone in the garden the boys went swimming and Alec packed a bag for a sleepover.
Ian headed off to work on Sunday morning and my husband went to get breakfast and another load of stone while Evan and I got ready and did some housework. Evan, my husband, and I all spread out the load of stone and both Evan and I got a.another lesson in running the excavator. We went to town to get another load of stone and Evan asked if he could be done helping for the day since neither one of his brothers were around to help. We had more than 1/2 the garden done at that point so we agreed. He went to play and my husband and I had to get one more load of stone which actually allowed us to finish the entire garden and we had just enough left over to completely re-work one of the other smaller gardens in our yard too.
We enjoyed a nice break from all work on Monday. Ian did head to the shop with my husband and I and we ran another few soil samples before heading home for lunch. We went for a nice hour long kayak ride before dinner and saw an otter, some birds, and caught a few fish (which we immediately released). My mother in law came over for dinner and Alec helped me make a new recipe; lemon cheesecake with blueberry compote. We ended our night with a few games of cards.
Alec had karate on Tuesday and I spent that time running a lot of errands. We each cleaned two rooms of the house before lunch and then as soon as we were done eating, Ian headed off to work with his grandfather. The younger two boys and I tried to make bouncy balls and then they headed outside to play in the yard and in the woods.
On Wednesday we had to head to the appliance store; our dishwasher died (again!)
after just 2 and half years we had to replace it. I hate picking out new appliances mostly because we have such awful luck with all of ours. No matter how much we spend or what brands we try we seem to go through an alarming number of dishwashers, microwaves, and the like. We also decided to swing by the library, head out for a hike, and go to lunch as a special mid- week treat! Before heading out I asked the boys to clean a bathroom each and then we met in the side yard for a quick art project. We made marble paper using water, spray paint, and watercolor paper. Be sure to come back Wednesday to see HOW we did it. It was so fun and we just love our results. I ended my day with a quick trip to the doctor's office with Evan. He began complaining of an earache this morning and I am so glad we went; turns out he has an ear infection and they had to put him on antibiotics.
We had plans to meet up with friends for another hike on Thursday. We ended up hiking for well over an hour and then all the kids (and the one dad that hikes with us) cooled off in the lake playing Marco Polo and having chicken fights. It was a beautiful day and we were all content to spend the day by the water.
Health/ weight loss weekly tracker:
Linking Up With:
Friday was our first official day of summer vacation! Ian left early in the morning to go with his father to work and the younger boys and I had plans to meet up with some friends for one last hike through Purgatory Chasm. We had a great time. In the evening we went to my mother- in- laws to help her clear some brush and clean up her yard.
We had plans to work on our garden over the long Memorial day weekend but Ian headed off to work with his grandfather on Saturday morning anyway. The younger two boys helped my husband and I pull out all the old stone, dead plants, and shredded weed blocking fabric from our old garden. We took a break for lunch and headed out to buy new weed blocking fabric and one new plant to put back into the garden. Evan took a turn at running the excavator and helping to clean up all the piles of stuff we had taken out of the garden while Alec helped me layout all the new fabric. Ian arrived home in time to plant the new plant in the garden. We headed back out to go pick up some new stone and stopped for an ice cream dinner. While my husband used the excavator to begin spreading stone in the garden the boys went swimming and Alec packed a bag for a sleepover.
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| Our garden before we began working |
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| Pulling out dead plants, all the stone, the weed blocking material, and even some dirt and sand |
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| Evan takes a turn in the excavator |
Ian headed off to work on Sunday morning and my husband went to get breakfast and another load of stone while Evan and I got ready and did some housework. Evan, my husband, and I all spread out the load of stone and both Evan and I got a.another lesson in running the excavator. We went to town to get another load of stone and Evan asked if he could be done helping for the day since neither one of his brothers were around to help. We had more than 1/2 the garden done at that point so we agreed. He went to play and my husband and I had to get one more load of stone which actually allowed us to finish the entire garden and we had just enough left over to completely re-work one of the other smaller gardens in our yard too.
We enjoyed a nice break from all work on Monday. Ian did head to the shop with my husband and I and we ran another few soil samples before heading home for lunch. We went for a nice hour long kayak ride before dinner and saw an otter, some birds, and caught a few fish (which we immediately released). My mother in law came over for dinner and Alec helped me make a new recipe; lemon cheesecake with blueberry compote. We ended our night with a few games of cards.
Alec had karate on Tuesday and I spent that time running a lot of errands. We each cleaned two rooms of the house before lunch and then as soon as we were done eating, Ian headed off to work with his grandfather. The younger two boys and I tried to make bouncy balls and then they headed outside to play in the yard and in the woods.
On Wednesday we had to head to the appliance store; our dishwasher died (again!)
after just 2 and half years we had to replace it. I hate picking out new appliances mostly because we have such awful luck with all of ours. No matter how much we spend or what brands we try we seem to go through an alarming number of dishwashers, microwaves, and the like. We also decided to swing by the library, head out for a hike, and go to lunch as a special mid- week treat! Before heading out I asked the boys to clean a bathroom each and then we met in the side yard for a quick art project. We made marble paper using water, spray paint, and watercolor paper. Be sure to come back Wednesday to see HOW we did it. It was so fun and we just love our results. I ended my day with a quick trip to the doctor's office with Evan. He began complaining of an earache this morning and I am so glad we went; turns out he has an ear infection and they had to put him on antibiotics.
We had plans to meet up with friends for another hike on Thursday. We ended up hiking for well over an hour and then all the kids (and the one dad that hikes with us) cooled off in the lake playing Marco Polo and having chicken fights. It was a beautiful day and we were all content to spend the day by the water.
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| Ladyslippers |
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| Cinnamon ferns |
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| Irises growing in the middle of the woods |
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| Taking a little break before turning around and heading back to the starting point |
Health/ weight loss weekly tracker:
Friday: Gained 2 lbs (YIKES!), hiked for 30 or so minutes, cleared brush for 15 or so minutes. I made sure to eats lots and lots of extra vegetables and to keep strict tabs on my eating.
Saturday: Lost .6 lbs, worked in the garden raking up stone, pulling up plants, and sweating to death in the 86+ degree heat for just about the entire day.
Sunday: Weighed in and lost another 1.6 lbs. Worked in the garden for most of the day shoveling stone back into it and spreading it around.
Monday: I weighed in and gained another .6 lbs. Went for an hour long kayak ride.
Tuesday: I weighed in and gained another .6 lbs. I tried not to panic too much that the numbers were going up and not down since my calorie/ exercise tracker kept saying I was right where I needed to be. I chalked it up to muscle weight or water weight and vowed that I would not get discouraged and quit. Numbers aren't everything. I worked out for 30 minutes using the elliptical and did a bunch of housecleaning and housework.
Wednesday: I weighed in and lost a full lb! I cleaned house for 20 or so minutes and then we hiked for nearly an hour.
Thursday: Weighed in and lost another .2 lbs. We hiked for an hour and a half in the woods.
Down another .2 lbs for a total of 5.2 lbs lost. I sure wish I had managed to keep up the 2 lbs per week loss but I figure at least the numbers are still going in the right direction.
Tuesday: I weighed in and gained another .6 lbs. I tried not to panic too much that the numbers were going up and not down since my calorie/ exercise tracker kept saying I was right where I needed to be. I chalked it up to muscle weight or water weight and vowed that I would not get discouraged and quit. Numbers aren't everything. I worked out for 30 minutes using the elliptical and did a bunch of housecleaning and housework.
Wednesday: I weighed in and lost a full lb! I cleaned house for 20 or so minutes and then we hiked for nearly an hour.
Thursday: Weighed in and lost another .2 lbs. We hiked for an hour and a half in the woods.
Down another .2 lbs for a total of 5.2 lbs lost. I sure wish I had managed to keep up the 2 lbs per week loss but I figure at least the numbers are still going in the right direction.
Oh how I LOVE seeing you in the excavator, I'd be in there too, love any kind of "equipment!" The guys are outside in one pouring the concrete as we speak. Such a great week and proud of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have driven the loader and the truck before but I was hesitant to try the excavator; especially since it was in our driveway and I really did not want to have to repair that.
DeleteI love seeing kids using big tools and learning new skills. All the excavating and crafting, outdoor and family time sounds like a great week! #FabFridayPost
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun.
DeleteWhat a great way to teach the kids practical skills and have lots of fun too.
ReplyDeleteI love when they can learn practical skills while having fun.
DeleteHow many kids can say they got to take a turn in the excavator, right?! So fun!! Hope you have way better luck with this next dishwasher!
ReplyDeleteThanks, me too! We realized that in the 14 or 15 years we've lived here we've gone through 4 dishwashers! I told the family we must be eating too much if we have to run the dishwashers that ragged.
DeleteYou have had a busy week and so many fun ways to learn here. I seen some ducks and ducklings this morning and was so mad I didn't have my phone with me. Thanks for sharing at The Weekend Blog Hop #Weekendbloghop
ReplyDeleteIt was very busy but so much fun.
DeleteYou guys are always so busy! I don't know where you get the energy. ha ha It's hard to remind ourselves that numbers are not everything when it comes to losing weight, isn't it? I always seem to plateau quickly, which is frustrating. I gained about 20 pounds with my recent pregnancy, but have lost 40 from my last pregnancy weigh-in. I've been stuck there for weeks, but we've been working outside a lot and I can tell a difference in the way my clothes fit! #fabfriday
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where I get the energy from either but I do find that exercising each day is helping me feel like I'm not so tired and run down all the time.
Delete