Wall Flower Gardens

I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog!  My apologies!  But I have been taking pictures.  I will definitely be starting the catch up process!

Here are some pictures of the wall gardens in the barnyard by the spring house.  The first set are spring pictures.  The second were taken more recently.

Marigolds are totally my favorite!

The Girls and the Erics Tackle the Barn

So last weekend, two of my incredible bridesmaids and their men, came over to help us clear out the bottom of the barn for the wedding!  The barn has a ton of flat space.  It used to house animals…pigs, horses, etc.  It was very choppy with the barn stalls.  The previous inhabitants had piled a ton of discarded trash into these gated areas.  It was almost as tall as me in some areas!  Well, we popped on our Pandora (Train Mix) and went to work.  We were sweating like crazy!  Kate and Eric got the first stall done.  Then Becca and Eric came over and provided the exact energy we needed to tackle the second stall.  They were AWESOME!  Eric H. even took down the stall walls with our limited tool supply (how do we have a limited tool supply around here?!?!).  He was so patient with me as I’m saying, “Watch the beams!  Watch the beams!”  He patiently explained that they were not support beams and that they were floating.  Roger got there and totally agreed with him.  Oh well, I’m learning!!!!  We sorted all of the wood…junk and usable.  I think we did an awesome job.  Roger and Rocky were totally impressed with our work ethic!  There were so many rotted small pieces from the upstairs awning down in those stalls.  PLUS tons of old cobs (as in corn on the cobs) from the pigs left under all of it.  (See the next blog I will post on the other things we found down there :/)  

Nolan came over too!  He was amazing as he completely entertained himself for a good portion of the day in the house.  He is such a great kid!  After the bulk of the work, we took him down to the waterfall and played in the water.  He also had fun playing with the hose and running around the yard.  Thanks for being so patient, Nols!  We owe you one!  

Seriously, the before and after pictures show the incredible progress.  I can’t thank you all enough for coming over, getting dirty, sweaty, and working their rear ends off!!!! 

Love you guys!

Before

After

Berries!!!!

It's berry season at hearthstone! We have been patiently waiting for them to ripen. I took a nice long evening walk this evening and picked some berries!!! How amazing is it that these are growing like crazy in our back yard?!?!?  So fun and DELICIOUS!!! 

Stones Visit: June, 2013

On the weekend of June 23rd, Uncle Chip, Aunt Debby, Uncle George, and Aunt Jean came up for our family engagement party!  This is the first time in many years that they have been back to Hearthstone.  I'm sure it must have been overwhelming, but I so very much appreciate their encouraging words and excitement for us.  It was amazing getting to meet them all for the first time!  There was lots of laughing, memories, and hugs.  They all were a huge help in last minute party prep and projects around the property!  Thank you!  It was a fantastic time with this side of the family and I just love their hearts!  Here are some pictures of the family visit.  Thank you all so much for coming up to share in this extremely exciting time in our lives!  We love you!  xoxo

Uncle Chip and I planted this redwood together!  It's not moving! :)