Spring Break 2010

Our usual Spring Break vacation includes camping. One year we went camping over Easter weekend and the Easter bunny was able to find us. The kids still remember that the Easter bunny used REAL grass instead of the yucky plastic kind.
A couple of years ago we treated our family and went on a cruise for Spring Break. SO FUN!

This week we aren't camping. We aren't cruising. We are staying.

HERE

We made a list of fun local things we could do. The list included a trip to Brattonsville, SC, Discovery Place Museum, Carowinds, Uptown Charlotte to have lunch with Dad, and/or The Raptor Center.

The first to be checked off the list was "lunch with Dad". Friday we rode the train into uptown Charlotte and met Dad for lunch at Brixx Pizza. It was fun and a nice change of scenery.

Since then we have been working on things around the house. Mostly to avoid the unseasonably HOT weather. (I caved and turned the a/c on yesterday) Things like...

early morning prepping the garden for planting

Getting contacts and then being frustrated when we have a hard time getting them in. (no photo for fear of increasing frustration)

Reading books on Pirates,

assembling a ship,

and then pretending to be pirates.

Finishing school projects that are due next week. (again no photos due to frustration levels)

photo coming soon
we are currently without faces

Rocking our faces off with our amazing ROCK BAND skilz!

We are ready for the rain forcasted for tomorrow. We want the 65 degree weather so we can enjoy a day at Carowinds.

Garden Party!

The garden is started! I was so industrious this morning and went to Lowe's (and then Home Depot and finally Pike Nursery, UGH!) to get the vermiculite, peat moss, and compost. Oh! and the rest of the plants/seeds. But by the time I got home I was hot and tired and honestly a bit cranky. (Home Depot no longer sells vermiculite? Some garden center!) So I took the afternoon off. Not very productive of me, but hey, it's my garden.

Later in the day (5pm) I finally felt a need to get it done. So here are the photos. Though the garden isn't complete, I am off to a great start!

Garrett hefting and pouring compost for the garden.

Okay, I know this isn't the most flattering photo of me. Keep in mind that Eli took this one and I had pretty much lost all feeling in my face because he took his dear sweet time!

Here's the cukes and beans (seeds planted)

From the top, tomatoes, and onions.

Here is part of the garden behind the family room (where the garden was last year) There is another box this shape and size mirrored to the left. This has carrots and onions in it so far.

Still to plant: zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkin.

Fall Harvest

This year our garden contained the usual tomatoes and cucumbers but I decided to try something new! I also planted watermelon and sweet potaotes. The watermelons were ok. They were sweet enough, but they were grainy and had seeds! Since it was my first year growing sweet potatoes I wasn't sure when to harvest them. I knew they were ready about a month ago when I stumbled upon a perfect potato poking out of the ground. But then school started and a day turned into a week and then a month. Finally, this was the weekend, so Noah and his friend Grant helped me dig them up! You would have thought they struck gold each time they dig one up.