We have a winner!!

"But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Romans 8:25

Our winner is allotment lady! Congratulations!! Please give me your mailing information so I can get it mailed. It's all boxed and ready to go. Here is your showcase...
Purchased at Cracker Barrel -
a bottle of 100% pure maple syrup
a package of Glee gum [the way gum used to be - with rainforest chicle]
Bluegrass Highway CD [how could I not include something bluegrass?]

Purchased from my sister in Arkansas -
A Little Bit o' Luck sample set from Lucky You Personal Spa Collection [moisturizing hand/body soap, exfoliating hand/body soap, tranquil bath tea (3 bags), perfect moisture hydrating lotion, creamy soy body butter, sugar mousse body polish, soothing bath salts]

Thank you for being so patient with me. I do appreciate all the comments even though you had no idea what the prize was. And please forgive me for waiting so long to post the winner. Never again will I post a give-away and then go on vacation. We got home and the next day it was a week later. :-(

100th Post Give-Away!!

"And Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many years have you lived?' So Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty.'" Genesis 47:8-9

Paula's paraphrase:

And her blogging friends said to Paula, "How many days have you been blogging?" So Paula said to her blogging friends, "The days of my blogging are way more than one hundred!"

True. I think my first post was December 31, 2006. It just took awhile to get to my 100th post because I don't blog every day and I've taken off more than a few days in a row.

However, my 100th post has arrived and (following blogging tradition) I am hosting a give-away!! Just leave me a comment and I'll toss your name in the hat!

Usually the hostess will display the items for the give-away; however, I don't have them yet. Tomorrow I leave for vacation back home (KS), and while I'm away I'll find little goodies to pass along to you!!

Thank you for visiting me today. Don't forget to leave me a comment and I'll see you in a week!!

(PS - If you live near Wichita KS, Topeka KS, or St Joe MO, let me know! I may be right around the corner!)

Ready for the rain

"For the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock." Matthew 7:25
Boy, did it rain! But, we got the area filled and leveled before the rains hit!! As you can see, everything leveled out quite nicely. In this case, I was thrilled to have two days of rain.

This photo shows the patio as we come down the driveway. We've added solar lights along the walls that don't serve as steps. Eric now calls the patio the runway because there are four rows of lights running parallel to each other. It's much more noticeable from the front door.

Next thing on the agenda is to get the soil ready for grass! Finally!! After living here for over a year, we're going to have grass in our front yard!!!

Holding it all in

"And I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me, and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, 'Let us arise and build.' So they put their hands to the good work." Nehemiah 2:18
This is the beginning of the final section of wall stemming from the patio. Here's the plan - run it parallel to the house and the trees, wrap around the end of the trees, and taper down to the yard. Then pound in all that rebar, back-fill with dirt, level it, and plant with grass or ground cover. Sounds easy enough, right?

We thought so, too, until we ran into tree roots. In fear of a pine tree crashing through the roof of our house, Eric opted to work around the roots rather than cutting them. Good decision. :)

Perfect!!

Tah, dah!! Finished with the wall.
Now, who's going to clean up that mess by the trees?

Show & Tell Friday - It's finished!!!!

Welcome to Kelli's Show and Tell Friday! Do you have something special to share? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item. If you'd like to participate, visit Kelli at There's No Place Like Home and add your name to the list!

"I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor - it is a gift of God."
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
The patio is finished!!! I tell you what - there is no greater reward to physical labor than to see such outstanding results. Yes, I know I'm bragging. But this is exactly how we pictured it in our minds.

The largest section is level with the driveway which turned out to be more beneficial than we realized. Eric wants to place potted citrus trees in the corner along the center wall. Once we get the greenhouse put up, he can move the trees in there for the winter. I like that idea!

Next project: taking the retaining wall around the trees and leveling all the dirt. Stay tuned!!

Back to the patio

"I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Romans 12:14

Some may not enjoy yard work in the least; however, Eric and I are quite thrilled to be working outside. We love being unclean!! (You know what I mean.)

We've started work on the last section, but it's been so long since I've posted so I thought you'd like a reminder. Click here to see where we left off.
The walls are built and it's time to remove the soil. Eric had to use the tiller to loosen the soil inside because it had been there so long and was quite compacted. We removed enough dirt to get down to 5" below the surface of the patio.
Guess who had the camera for this photo? Eric is always saying we have too many pictures of him and not enough of me, but he never thinks about taking a picture. Today, he remembered!

PS - Please excuse the quality of the photos. My digital camera decided to take a leave of absence without filing the proper paperwork in advance. The 35 mm graciously stepped in.

Count Your Blessings Monday

Thank you, Marci, for giving us an opportunity every Monday to not only count our blessings, but to share them with others. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing. Please put a link back to Marci's post and add the URL of your blog post on Marci's Mr. Linky. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. Many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us.

This week I jumped the gun. I posted this yesterday. If no one had commented yet, I was going to change the post date and start over. However, I had comments!! (That's one blessing in itself.) Please check here for my blessing this week.