Work Weekend & GIVEAWAY!

Ok, friends... I promised a post, but I don't have any new pictures to show you. Is that ok? Think you can do with just type?  I hope so. Maybe I can pull up a couple of older photos that hopefully I haven't used before...

We had a busy, busy weekend. We got up early Saturday and did about 10 hours working on the garden, the flower beds, the yard at the farm.  We have about 6-7 giant catalpa trees and they have just about finished dropping their footlong beanpods all over the yard. I HATE catalpa trees, but if we didn't have those we'd just have the big oak and the sycamore and some china berry trees (which I also hate).  SO, we raked as much as we could, burned most of it, and mulched a bunch more.  And all those huge beanpods open up and these little fuzzy white seedlings float all around everywhere and sprout in our sugar sand.  Such a mess.  We're constantly going around pulling up little sprouts.  The china berries are doing the same thing.  YUCK.

Anyway, we worked hard raking and doing all our stuff.  I planted my rows of carrot seeds. I had to wait until the moon was waning. I've had 'em for a couple of weeks but that was the first chance I got to plant them.  We had a really good rain Sunday night through early this morning so everything I have planted to now got a good soaking. I hope those little carrot seeds didn't wash away... My  tulips and lilies are coming up and my wagon of pansies has never looked better.  The snow and cold kept them kinda sickly looking but they kept popping back out and now since it's a bit warmer they're beautiful. Here's a pic that I took a couple of weeks ago, but they're all twice as big now and overflowing out of the wagon - I'll try to get a current photo!

We grilled hamburgers Saturday night for us and Josh and his girlfriend. They were so good. Flash forwards me to summertime!  Yea, it's almost here - at least spring is! We're having 75 degree temps today!!!  Another shower for tomorrow and then several days of nice gardening weather.

Sunday, we went to church, and then the rest of the day we spent at my  MIL's house cleaning up and getting the furniture moved out, the rest of the wallpaper off, etc.  The mud-guys and painters and the roofer are coming later this week to start their stuff and Sunday afternoon was the only day to do it. We were going to do the bulk of it ourselves, but when the roofer told us that he had a mud crew and a painting crew as well as excellent references, we decided to JUST GIT ER DUN.  We hope to put it up for rent in the next month or two.  Rental income will help us pay for MIL's care at the memory care facility. It's very expensive...

So, needless to say, I needed another weekend after this past weekend.  I kept nodding off in front of my computer yesterday.  Tonight we are taking MIL out for her birthday. I will go over after work and get her dressed and hair done - we're going to eat catfish - her favorite!  I know she won't remember it tomorrow, but for tonight - she'll have a wonderful time and we can imagine that all is well with her and just enjoy being together.  She's a jewel. I had the best in-laws in the whole world!  And my husband says the same thing about my folks! 

NEWS FLASH!!!  I'm coming up on my 200th post! I can't believe it!  I'm planning a giveaway and plan to make it very special because I let my 100th post get away from me.  So stay tuned.  I think this is post #193. May be a little premature to announce it, but I want to give you guys plenty of time warning!  Let me get my thoughts together about what I'm gonna do, and I'll be back in touch to announce the winning prize!!!  I want it to be special because you all have enriched my life so much & given in so many ways to me, and I want you all to know how very precious you are to me.  This is an outstanding group of women, friends and family that I have here in bloglandia & so I simply must do something befitting this great group of gals!