Finished treehouse

Welcome to our treehouse. The siding is on (but still needs to washed), it's insulated, has electricity, and the oops section of the hardware store provided some cheap paint ($5 a gallon). Tom even found an ingenious way to make those beds fold down against the wall. Sure, it's overdone and sometimes I wondered if my husband would ever stop working on it. He was obsessed with his creation. But really, how can I complain about a man who spends his free time building a dream treehouse and doing it responsibly? I'm so thankful he isn't off playing video games or racing cars. Seventy-80% of that thing is salvaged building material or donations of leftovers from friend's work projects (Amanda's wood for the door, Brian's insulation from remodeling his basement, the neighbor's torn down garage). We tried to find ways to make the girls contribute---they bought the paint (and did some painting)and the bean bags, chair and rug. Teaching them to shop at garage sales and only buy furnishings for their treehouse was a good lesson in self discipline. Sometimes as we browsed they would hiss, "Mooooommmm, we aren't looking for _________." Now, if I could only convince Tom to make the inside of our house look this good with new coats of paint...

But if you are ever in the neighborhood, come check it out (Chris, we could use the front porch of the house or of the treehouse!). And if you know anyone with a slide we could have, we would be grateful.

Tidbits

I'm back. My friend's wedding in Colorado was perfect. I cried and cried I was so happy for her ( to those non-criers out there--please note: all strong emotions, even anger, make me cry--it is as annoying as it sounds!). I felt like a proud mama, beaming with pleasure at how she is living her life and excited about the wonderful man she married. I wish I had a picture to share, but I left the camera here, on purpose. Above you see one thing I've been up to. My yard is small, and trees around here are so old, there isn't much sun. Hence, my 4'x25' garden. I use the square foot gardening method which I love. It looks so organized. And even though it doesn't matter, I grew most of the tomato and pepper plants from seeds this year. I love being in control of the entire process so I know the whole history. Maybe I'll start using my own seeds too.

And Tom, when he isn't coaching soccer or teaching, is working on that tree house. Since the last picture I posted, it has gained shingles, a deck, a ladder and a door. All that's left on the outside is the siding. We scored a toddler basket ball hoop from the neighbor's garbage and the girls like to play basketball--from the deck of the treehouse!
The above picture is from the spring program at Kempton. Kassy's preschool class sang cute songs. But in this picture, I mostly admire the lovely jump. See those pointed feet? I guess she learned something in ballet.
Kassy graduated from preschool a week and a half ago. Here she is walking the bridge to Kindergarten. Her teacher put on a fancy show complete with gowns and the cake below. Next to the cake is Kassy's plate of gluten and dairy-free cupcakes. Orange-vanilla flavor. Yum.
Last weekend was Kassy's ballet recital. I still don't approve of all the money parents pour into those things. But Kassy did a great job. She remembered her dance and for once she smiled big on stage instead of looking so somber. And gosh did those girls look adorable.


Ok, here's why I left the camera at home this weekend. Hadley and Tom had a big soccer tournament, see the team above. They had a tough schedule. A game at 8 am, 11am and noon. We knew the noon game could be a tough team; we hadn't anticipated the 11 am being a tough team. I had to leave for the airport after the 11 am game and I knew when I left that our team needed to win the last game of the morning by two to advance to the semifinals. They only won by one, which meant we tied with another team. Because both our team and the other one scored the same number of goals in the morning games, they had to look had how many goals were scored against us. For us, it was zero. Our team advanced to the semifinal. I was on a flight to Denver. We won the semi final round (5pm) and took the final game (7 pm)into double overtime. A goal in the last minute of the second overtime prevented a kick off. And yes, this year, Tom and Hads won. But I think Tom was more excited than Hads. Upon my return, one of the moms told me she didn't know 8-year-old soccer could be so exciting.

Progress

Remembering the past weekend is exhausting. People, dogs, hammer, nails, wood, dirt and general craziness. My in-laws, 4-year-old niece, Tom's grandma and two dogs were here. We ate, played, worked, ate, went to soccer games, slept and ate and worked. The house was full of stuff that was out-of-place, full of yelling, fighting, smiling and giggles. Great grandma faithfully cleaned dishes. Grandma Pam and I refereed the girls as they loved each other. Tom and Grandpa Chris worked and sweated and made progress on that treehouse we have been anticipating for over a year. And my girls, for five glorious days relished in pretending they owned the two dogs that lived in the backyard and in being like their friends who always have grandparents at soccer games.  It was a great visit. And thanks to a brave grandma who took all non-workers to the park and Wal-mart, I was able to plant my garden. I turned over the dirt, added peat moss, vermiculite and blood meal to the dirt, divided it into squares and planted lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas (all the frost hardy veggies). Tomatoes and peppers are still waiting inside for the weather to warm and the cucumbers, beans, and carrots will get started from seed at the end of May. 

And while, there is much to do, the treehouse is currently wrapped in a giant blue tarp and is probably horrifying the neighbors since it looks vaguely like a scary monster in the sky. It is waiting for shingles and siding. But still, I think you will be able to admire the hard work and imagine the adventures the girls will soon have in their backyard retreat. Hads keeps saying, "Dad and Grandpa must love us so much to work so hard on our treehouse." They must. Without further ado, behold the beginnings of the treehouse.

Rainy afternoon post

Oh I've been anticipating today all week. Warm weather. Warm dirt (and yes, Smart Aleck, it smells like worms!) It was one of those mornings I wished every one would quite eating so I wouldn't have to stop to care for such needs. I had a garden to prepare. In fact, everyone in the family had big plans today, though none of the plans included fasting. I got the garden cleaned up, but the soil isn't prepared and won't be until that nasty 1 pm downpour and subseqeunt rainshowers dry up. But before that oh, it was nice, warm, and I even felt a fondness for the returning humidity. All the fun came to an end before the day was half over, thanks to some dark grey clouds. I didn't manage to capture a few treasures to share.

Do you remember the base (above) Tom built last spring for a tree house? It has been sitting in the back of our tiny city lot, waiting. All last season we were waiting for a neighbor to tear down a garage so we could get free wood. When he finally did, it was too deep into the school year and soccer season for anyone to attempt building the tree house. So this morning, the wood came out of our shed, I mean garage, and Tom started the tree house platform. Next weekend Grandpa Chris will arrive with tools and serious progress should be made!


Sorry I didn't turn this picture, but guess what I found in my garden? Carrots! In Montana, I knew a lady who planted carrots in late August, covered them with hay, and dug them up in the spring. On a cold November afternoon last year, I dumped a bunch of leaves on my garden, hoping to encourage more worms, and maybe pick some of the not-yet-ripe carrots in the spring. I didn't really think the leaves would be sufficient, but here they are. We washed them, peeled them and yum!
Surprise number two this morning. I was getting ready to dig up this brilliant green clump of grass. I got half way done when I realized they were chives. Oops! The parsley and thyme also reseeded themselves and are already growing strong and healthy clumps. Yippee!
The girls think warm weather means it is time to entertain the neighborhood by putting on princess clothes, running everywhere and singing loudly. I just wanted you to know that though they may be 5 and 7 now, their core values are still the same. LOL. After I took the picture, I told them to get out the tree until the leaves come out.

Finally, I need some expertise. These little flowers (about 6 inches tall) have all the markings of the mum family. They are growing on my the south side of my house. I have three plants like this. I've never heard of a member of the mum family blooming in April. Do you know what they are?