Building the foundation

"Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work." 1 Corinthians 3:12-13

Remember seeing our gold, silver, precious stones, and wood? Today I'm going to elaborate on wood.

After playing with Legos, we're ready to build the walls!!!

New front steps: once we placed a few timbers at the correct width and height,Eric cut the timbers with the chainsaw to stagger the seams. A warped timber made a great work surface.

OK.

Maybe the chainsaw didn't work as well as we had hoped.

On to Plan B.

Do we have a Plan B?

Now we do! And Plan B worked like a charm!!

(Landscaping can be an expensive hobby.)

Ladies, this was the scene after we quit for the day: filthy, dirty feet!

Mind you, I was wearing shoes AND socks the whole day.

Bath time lasted a few minutes longer that night. :)

Building the walls

"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Before we started carrying 8' timbers to the patio area, we thought it wise to determine the layout. Being the visual learner that I am, Lego blocks worked great for this. The longer we worked at putting these blocks together, the more we realized the layout was not that difficult. Most likely, the plan would change as we went along anyway.

(Even though my son is now 19 years old and no longer living at home, I have always kept his Lego blocks. They are such great toys allowing kids to be wildly creative!)

Back to the patio

"Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly." Job 8:7

Back to the patio. We still have a great vision for this project.

Even though we had more dirt to remove, we decided another raised bed would have to wait. For now, all the extra dirt was piled where the holly tree stood.

Up until now, the boundaries of the patio have been cut in roughly. It's time to be exact. We purchased a can of orange marking paint and went crazy marking the boundaries and high/low spots - digging out and adding dirt where necessary.

Next step: drainage from the driveway.

Using the backhoe saves us so much time now. Before the tractor, digging this trench would have taken several days, at least. The rocks in the soil would have given us quite the workout. However, Eric was able to dig it in just a few minutes. Every time we use the tractor, we are so thankful God allowed us the means to purchase it.


Tools of the trade: 100' length of drainage tube, connectors, junction boxes with grates



Looks good!!

A day with Dad

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you." Philippians 1:3

Recently, Eric and I were fortunate enough to enjoy a day with my father. He's never been to the NW, so decided to make it a road trip. That was perfect since he's a huge fan of nature - he could see the sights and get lots of pictures. The trip out was a four-day trek which means the trip back was also a four-day trek. Having ten days vacation, that left 1 1/2 days with us. But that was perfectly fine. I'd rather have 1 1/2 days than none at all. Besides, he'll be back. Right, Dad? Below are a few snapshots of our time together.

First things first.
They thought it wise to make sure the tractor was working properly.

Removing a tree stump seemed to be the best test of the day.

Whew! That was hard work. Better take a breather.

Day two.
We started our ventures at Snoqualmie Falls with breakfast at the lodge. Then we trekked from the top of the falls to the bottom. Views are spectacular from either viewpoint.

Off to the piers of Seattle and Pike Place Market.

You can't go to Pike Place Market without stopping at the world famous Pike Place Fish Co.
And you can't stop here without buying.

Because watching them throw (and catch) the fish is the most fun ever! If you are even remotely close to the market, you must visit. Hearing these guys chant back and forth is quite amazing - loads of fun. Even if you don't buy, they'll throw so you can get a picture.

Fresh flowers from the market.

We watched her put the arrangement together right in front of us.

Only $15, too! What a bargain.

They found a nice home on the table on our deck.

A view of the port, as we drove home.

And the
Space
Needle,
of course.

We did
not visit
the Needle,
but who
comes to
Seattle
and does
not get a
picture,
at least?

Dad, thanks for a great visit. Love you.

Certainly a good thing

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11
This deck off the back of the house has become our favorite spot in the evening. You can see Eric (Hubby) relaxing with a good book. The trees keep the temperature cool even when the sun is shining. Eric's smoker/grill is located directly to the right of where I was standing to take the photo.

I absolutely love this patio furniture (from Target) which is a far cry from what I wanted to purchase one year ago. Please check out this post to get the background. For months, I shopped and shopped for the perfect patio furniture - stores, catalogs, internet. Finally, I found the perfect pieces. However, Eric just about choked over the price. "We may need to wait a while longer to purchase this set," he said very sweetly. What he really said: this costs way too much, please rethink it. What I heard: this is great, let's get it soon.

After opening my heart again to receive His instruction, my idea of the perfect patio furniture changed. No longer did I need "perfect patio furniture". I just wanted it be comfortable. We truly enjoy sitting here in the evening talking about our day, laughing together, enjoying a good book, or listening to the bird calls.

We truly have a good thing.

You Inspire Me

"Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that." 1 Corinthians 7:7
Just playing around with the photo software on my computer. This photo was cropped, tinted, highlighted, low-lighted, and whatever else I could think of.

Let me explain the verse I chose. It made me think of the different types of blogs I visit.

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am -
homesteading:
Down on the Farm
Homesteading Blogger
Muller's Lane Farm
(As long as I keep searching, I'll find more blogs on this subject.)

However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that -
gardening:
Petunia's Garden
cooking:
A Year in Bread
homemaking:
A Place Called Home
Making a House a Home
There is no Place like Home
photography:
Anna's Photo of the Day
Nature Trail
Photowannabe
Antiques:
Stuff in the Burbs
(I thoroughly enjoy each and every one of your blogs. You demonstrate areas I have not mastered and may never. However, bloggers, your insights & talents inspire and encourage me to stay the course - hence, the attempt at creative photography.)

Enjoy your weekend!

Doors of Bronze & Iron Bars

"I [God] will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through their iron bars."
Isaiah 45:2
After we planted our first raised bed, we realized we may as well make room for another. However, throughout the years trees & bushes have completely consumed our property making it impossible to landscape without removing them.

Take this tree, for instance. Actually, it's an overgrown holly - waaaaay overgrown. For a comparison, I took a photo of Hubby peering to the inside to see what he was up against.

After getting past the "doors of bronze" (the leaves - prickly little things), he had to "cut through their iron bars" (the vines).

Here's a photo after Hubby removed enough vines to control the direction of the fall. It almost looks like a tree rather than a bush. (Sorry for such poor quality - the sun took a siesta!)

Finally, the tree was conquered and has been transformed into...you guessed it - firewood!