Fire Pit

Mr. PHT has been lobbying me for a fire pit for two summers, now. I relented last week. It helped Mr. PHT's cause that there are enormous piles of twigs sitting in our yard--one at the back of the house:



and one at the front.



The fire pit was built in less than two evenings. It's the quickest backyard project we've done yet! We had our first marshmallow roast last night.



I want to plant pretty things in those spaces: not twig heaps! I still don't know what pretty things and I'm not sure what will grow in this shady spot in the front. I plan to spend the cool early morning hours killing weeds and tidying: so I'd better get to it. It is rapidly warming up.

Incentive

I'll take all I can get to get those dishes done! I've been wanting a hand soap dispenser at the sink for ages. I found this at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's DKNY and even though it was marked down, it was still a splurge.



Worth every penny, though.

Decluttering, Friday Edition

Today, my focus was on the desk, dining room table and paperwork.

I have finished writing my chapter for the Narrative History of Canada. A small homeschooling publishing house is looking for a writer to undertake the project and like a fool I want to do it. This is the second chapter I have written "on spec" for them, and in spite of my best efforts not to get all worked up about it, I am a mess of nerves. I've even asked the kids not to speak to me today!

So, I did two 15 minutes sessions of mad, furious, de4cluttering today.

In the first, the desk and the table directly behind it went from this:




To this:




But the real triumph was this:

Honest--15 minutes. That's it.


Yes--the dreaded paperwork!

Isn't that a pretty tray? I knew I'd enjoy getting to the bottom of it when I purchased it back in May!

Decluttering the Boy's Room

(um, no, this picture is from bhg.com!)


This one is tough. Not because of the small boy--but because of my Big Boy. There are several items which my husband made for the small boy that the small boy doesn't play with anymore--and they are bulky. But, my husband is reluctant to part with it all and so while that stuff is neatly in the closet--everything else is--well, everywhere else!



I found room in the closet for his blankets and vacuumed and swept: he cleared off the top of his dresser.


(Hooray!)


De-cluttering and organizing this room is one of my projects this month.

August means Raspberries

Hooray! We have freezer jama again. I made them after supper last night. Well, OK, I had the kids pick the raspberries between rain showers and my husband had the job of crushing them and measuring. I even had my daughter help me fill the jars. But I put in the pectin and the sugar! That counts, doesn't it?

I found the design for the labels at http://www.countryclipart.com/welcome.htm

August Menu

Thank goodness that's done!
Big Shop is today!

15 Minutes declutter: Thurday edition

Talk about letting things pile up! I can't believe how much this was bugging me--and how fast I managed to get things under control--once I decidied to just muck in.




Yep: 15 minutes is truly magic. I even had time to sweep the floor.



I'm not entirely happy with the dining room table, though. There are a few projects on it that have been lingering for more than a few days. I don't know what to do with that stuff, though. (It's here because this is where I do my sewing, and it is a sewing project.)