Goodbye chicken coop!

Our backyard is the bain of my existence.

Or something like that...it's definitely given me a run for my money over the years (this July marks 5 years in our home).

One of the greatest eye-sores back there is the decrepit chicken coop in the back corner.

At first we played with the idea of getting chickens (insert blog link here that I couldn't find), but I really didn't want to have to deal with all that...can you blame me?

And so we just ignored it, assuming one day we'd take it down...letting the snakes have somewhere to live in the meantime (cause we're nice like that). But we never did...year after year.

And then we were doubly blessed by my sister and her little family moving here....because Joseph likes to do outdoorsy kinds of things....namely....tearing down the coop!

I'm so excited!

And we are going to repurpose the wood and use it to make some raised beds for a garden!



It's not completely done, it will take more than an afternoon to completely clear it away....but even with just 75% of it torn down, it looks so much different!!

{Pretty}

You don't even know how ecstatic I am to see these beauties popping up!

 Seriously....I don't have a green thumb...we've figured that out thus far...what with the ripping up of all the foliage around my house...etc. etc. I have more of a purple thumb....with glitter. Lots and lots of glitter. Green...well, no thanks. Err...I mean YES PLEASE. I want to be able grow and sustain life in my yard....its just muy difficulto.

BUT! I may be onto something! I actually followed the directions {gasp...*queue James falling out of his chair} on the package of bulbs last year and planted them when they were supposed to be planted! This is my second attempt...I planted a few 2 years ago...but never saw them again. I think the stinkin' squirrels got to them...but this time....I dug deep and covered them with ROCKS!

And how cute! They pushed the rocks away and up they come. I seriously got teary eyed when I got all up-close-and-personal with these little babies...."awww....thank you for growing!!"

They are either: Tulips....or Iris....or....this other bulb I planted, can't remember the name {of course}. But I bought 3 different ones...each that were supposed to bloom at a different time, 1st, 2nd 3rd.

 And they aren't the only things growing! I dont know what these are either...I think they might be the Iris? Or onions, lol. Ü I thought they died in the Snowstorm of 2011....but they surprised me by surviving! I can't wait to see how they bloom!

Vermin.

So, we watch this show....Billy the Exterminator on A&E (new episodes on Weds @ 9pmCST). Billy is basically like the Dog the Bounty Hunter of the animal pest world...not human pests, like Dog. The show takes place in Louisiana....where it seems you can find EVERY kind of nasty critter out there. And they are HUGE. Gah....gives me the heebie geebies just thinking of it. Anyways....it's a pretty entertaining show, Billy flies his freak flag pretty high. Looks kinda normal there, in his cowboy hat....

But don't be decieved...he ranks right up there with the Dog the Bounty Hunter do. Who ever cuts his hair needs to be smacked. It's not even a regular mullet...he's got a party in the front AND the back, which should really be illegal.

So...the show is kinda of like Discovery Channel's Verminators....which is a gross show too, dealt mostly with inside bugs....Billy deals with the outside variety...wrestling gators and the like.

The show gives me the creeps...all the critters and vermin out there...especially this weeks show about a house covered in spiders (ick! we have a lot of spiders, but not like THAT) and the girl who lived in a roach-infested trailer with her 3 SMALL CHILDREN, good grief! And I'm actually contemplating removing the show from the DVR line-up completely, keeps giving me bug nightmares. But it's that show....when you have like 30-45 minutes before you actually want to go to bed, so instead of actually going to bed like a smart person, you watch just one more show....Billy or the Duggars are our one more show...

But where was Billy when I needed him yesterday, when this big fella shows up on our pool deck. It was a bit overcast after lunch, so I was going to let the girls swim one more time before naps. And there he was....just hanging out. I called James in panic, the words rattlesnakepythonwatermoccasin running thru my mind. Then as we were figuring out what to do, trying to figure out if a neighbor was home to help me kill it...it slinks off the deck INTO THE POOL and flippin' SWIMS around like he owns it! Seriously! Like I will ever let my girls into the pool again?! (I did, tho, today...but not before a thorough check of all bushes and then standing guard with a shovel.) And another question, how the heck did it get out of the pool? *This* might explain it.

Take a closer look:

So, then...when I see this stray mama cat and her 5 stray babies, I can't help but worry a little that the big bad black snake might get himself a tasty little meal. Run, kitty, run!

You have to look close, but you can see two of the babies climbing on the wall behind mama (she and I were having a stare down, she didn't leave that stance until I had gone back inside the house).

We have ourselves a regular wildlife refuge back there....James thinks we should start charging admission ;).

These are a few of my favorite thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings....

I had to pay hommage to our movie of the week (thus the title): The Sound of Music...or in other little persons words: Mary Poppins with the Kids movie. We may have to invest in the soundtrack.

Today really has been such a beautiful day....we spent a while out in the yard, cleaning up the pool, watering the house and what not (yes, I have to water my house...which I have not been doing 100%, which is why it's a-crackalackin').I have a butterfly tree in my back yard. One of the bigger trees seems to be quite the butterfly magnet these days. I love to lay back in the pool and watch them fly back and forth. They are friendly little bugs, too...attaching themselves to your shirt and taking a ride around the yard.
This also used to be where the previous house owners had a tree house. Perfect tree for it, huh? Too bad I saw this wicked looking spider last fall all tangly-webbed up there...I'm so not a bug person.

I stood by the tree for awhile, trying to get the perfect picture...and in the meantime got about 100 mosquito bites, urgh. I counted maybe 10-15 butterflies, all Monarch species (I think). And then, as I put my camera away, this HUGE, beautiful, bright orange one comes flying out of the limbs of the tree....oh it was so pretty.

I googled "Texas butterflies and trees" but didnt get an answer as to why there were so many. The only half-answer I got was that Texas is the Monarch's stop on the way to Mexico for their winter nesting.

My favorite shade of purple.

They bloomed overnight!

I will now stop posting about flowers. If I go on any longer, I might puke a rainbow....today was that beautiful of a day. Ü

The Earth Laughs in Flowers - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday while doing lovely yard work (said with sarcasm)...I noticed that our Iris was about to bloom. Our one Iris plant. The ONE plant that survived me ripping up the yard Ü. But yet, not MY Iris...I meant to plant a whole bunch of them this winter, so they would be ready for spring. But I was lazy, and it was cold!

I'm just hoping Bella doesn't pick it when it blooms. She is notorious for that.

And I have a feeling it's going to bloom fast, and then be gone....if I remember correctly, thats what happened last year.

They are just so pretty in full bloom. Iris' were part of my wedding bouquet...being one of James' favorite flowers, too.

Farewell foul beast!

Dearest Lawnmower,
I feel as if ending this torrid relationship now is best...to keep going on as we are would just be unfair to us both. In the beginning, I knew it would not last....yet buying you at such a cheap price was just too easy! Then as the days went on, I could feel you slowly wearing thin.
I feel as if leaving you in this condition would be heartless...but I know that it's not entirely my fault. You allowed yourself to be pushed around by a 12 year-old! What did you think would happen??
But...the truth is plain to see...you can be replaced.
Oh, some may shake their heads at that and cry "Fix him!" but for me there is no going back. You are not the one for me.
Hugs,
Sarah


**Background to this horrible tragedy:
1/2 thru the mowing the backyard, one of his wheels fell off. (sniff, sniff) And because I had to go thru the torture of mowing the rest of the lawn on three wheels, I will forever be jaded.
Farewell foul beast.....

just call me a ROCKSTAR!

Look-eeee what the delivery man
dropped on my front porch!
Ain't it purdy?

I can now finish up around the pool...
too bad its like a massive mountain with no end!

But I'll try to keep the complaints to
a minimum...I finally get to ROCK OUT!

Clearer shade of blue

Yes, people...the picture below has NOT been touched up,
it IS a blue pool (a BIG thanks to Scuba Steve), we finally have
A BLUE and clear POOL!!!!! It took long enough..
we got "professional help"...hehe, finally, right?
James was doing an awesome job...but there's only so
much you can do with 1/2 hour here and there.

To get the pool "in shape" to me doesn't just include
the clear water....I've wanted to and am in the process of
clearing out everything around it. I've shared with you
pictures along the way....And I'm getting SO close!

With a little help from my princess worker.
(In a skirt, with a shovel, no less!)
She kept stealing my shovel...so I invested in one
just for her...saves me some chasing time!

I like to post this picture every once in awhile...
just so I can SEE the difference I am making.
This was taken right after we bought the house...
which was amazingly a year ago this month!

One of my main causes for distress this week has been
this dumb lawn...how much there is to do, how
much it's gonna cost me to get it where I want it
to be, and how much I just want a YARD that my
kids can play in and be safe in!

Step by step I'm making progress, I'm really wanting to
do Desert Landscaping around the pool to reduce
water usage and also to help reduce mosquitos
since we will be swimming alot at night when Daddy
gets home. I just want to get it DONE, so I can
relax and enjoy something for once...I feel like I
haven't stopped in the year we've been in this house...

The week in review

This has been a pretty interesting week, to say the least...alot going on both good and bad! The girls started off the week by giving me no personal space of mine own, such a kind, kind gift! This is them RIGHT next to mommy while she does her hair!

Monday night Bella had her second Blast Ball game of the season, which was alot of fun...James only had to chase her out of the outfield once and only once did I have to chase her as she ran totally OFF the field! It's all good...we did get some pretty good video of her batting as a lefty.
Tuesday seemed to start out a pretty good day, until I come back into the living room with Bella talking all about "bugs"...to find my tile covered in small little ant-looking creatures. I was totally horrified, especially since I was expecting Kelli and her boys to come over! But, Kelli being the trooper that she is Ü helped me squish bugs, figure out that yes, they ARE termites, and finally figure out that they were dropping from the ceiling. On suggestion of my exterminator, Million-dollar Phil...we taped up the cracks in the ceiling to back them up. That night, someone came out and assessed the situation, measured the house and wrote up a bid for us....we scheduled for Phil to come and do the treatment for Thursday.

Wednesday was a pretty laid-back day...I got alot of yard work done:

I'm trying to clear away all the brush from around my now blue semi-clear pool (yay for no more green pond thanks to James' hard work!) so that I can landscape and get some cool stuff going on there. I had entertained the idea of hiring a landscaper, but then the termites decided to make their entrance and eat my money! But it is slow going, tedious yard work...hopefully I can find a tiller or something to help it along!
Thursday Phil came and drilled about 8 holes in my floor, down into the foundation...and then in the ground all the way around the house, too. The concrete holes are a bit unappealing, but I'll take a bit of cracked tiles and holes over termites any day. Phil actually told me that people get really upset w/ these tiny holes....I guess I understand...wait, no I don't.
And a picture of the taped ceiling/wall/overhang for kicks, looks quite ghetto-fabulous.

Thursday night was supposed to be Bella's second Blast Ball game this week, but we get to the ball fields and it's deserted...so the girls got lucky and we all got ice cream from Sonic!
Aube makes this hilarious scrunched-up-nose face, which I can never seem to catch...and Bella wanted to show off her cute 'funny' face, too!

TGIF...Friday finally came! And we had a nice treat of Jenny and the boyz coming over to play. They gave us several photo opportunities...but this one was the most hilarious! The little musical genius' were going to town!

I guess the week isn't over...but hopefully Saturday will be enjoyable....James has some great plans to play capture the squirrel tomorrow! **Crossing fingers**

From a much sunnier day....

Bella and I took a few days last week,
when the sun was out and shining,
to work on my "flower beds."
I have GREAT plans for these flower beds,
I just hope I can pull it off, I was not
blessed with a green thumb.
Bella LOVES the chance to be outside
and especially to be a "helper."
On this particular day, I needed
her help in watering...
But what makes me giggle is one
of the conversations we had:
Bella: Mommy, I helper
Me: Yes, you are!
Couple minutes later...
Bella: Mommy look!
CHOCOLATE MILK!
mmmmm!
Me: giggle giggle giggle

Bella's Chocolate Milk
There's enough to go around!

Poor ole pitiful me....

So..this is the second time today my face
has been red as a beet!
Bella has speech twice a week, so I drop her off
and then go walking with Aubree around
the neighborhood...and today
I decided to walk UP 7th st...
I was huffin' and puffin' by the middle
of that hill! And then this afternoon...

I decided to take advantage of the nice weather
and rake some leaves....
HOW can there be SO MANY leaves???!!
There this old guy that walks around
the neighborhood offering to rake yards.
I always say no (because I'm cheap)
but now....as my yard is starting to come back
to life...and I NEED these leaves gone...
Im wishing I would have said yes.
My BACK is wishing I had said yes, too...
and my ankle...since I always seem to roll
it when I work outside!

**and why didn't ya'll tell me I had a mustache? HUH? all ya'll...in trouble!

Hello Semi-Fall

Granted, I haven't lived in a place where there has been actual FALL for maybe 9 years.....Las Vegas had NO changing of seasons with beautiful color (even though the fall weather was SO NICE), and here...well....its cold in the morning and in the afternoon its wonderful! Today I went out and did some yard work while the girls slept. And it was the perfect weather for it. When we first bought the house I would be sweating to death and couldn't get done with the project fast enough. I absolutely love the weather that we are having now! No sweating, there was a great breeze, and lots of sunshine out!Im starting to clear out the rest of the bushes in the front of the house. I KNOW I should be out back working there, but that is just too overwhelming to bear right now...maybe next week ;).
Bella got some fresh air today, too....she loves to just run around the front yard while I work. She spends alot of time poking at things in the dirt pile left behind by the foundation people. Not so sure what she's finding in there....lots of web worms out these days...cute fuzzy little buggers. ick. I, however, in my digging out of the bushes, found a baseball and some sort of round saw thingy...fun.
Once I get my other computer up and running, I'll finally post some picture!
Tomorrow James turns 29! So cool...

All is well!

I received an email from my PopPop today asking me if everything was ok, since I have been neglecting my blog ALOT! So...here's a little update for you :).
Everything is well in Kirchmann-land....this week has been a long one, for some reason. The days are short, and I don't seem to have the time to do all I want...but on the flip side, it's STILL NOT FRIDAY...well, now it almost is. I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday, then was mildly disappointed when I remembered, that NOPE...just one more day. Then its the weekend! YAY!
Bella is starting to talk a ton more, I am still needed as an interpreter though...like today at Walmart, she was saying something to the lady at the fabric counter, and I had to repeat what she said, "Yes those are pumpkins" and the lady said "OH!" and laughed...hmmm....I could understand her perfectly, whats the matter with you??
She is also starting to share her knowlege of all things speaking to her younger sister. On the way to Walmart this morning, she thought it was just HILARIOUS to blabber at the top of her lungs, b/c right after she would finish her sentence, little Aubree would try to out-do her big sister with a grunt or scream.
Speaking of learning...this morning I went into a dark bedroom and found Bella laying on my bed, shining a flash light at the ceiling....I thought "oh cute" and then was a little annoyed with her b/c she was like "mommy, mommy, mommy, look" and we needed to leave. Then tonight, James was telling me that he and Bella had laid on the bed last night, in the dark, shining flashlights at the ceiling for like 30 minutes. He would "chase" her light around the ceiling. And then I felt bad for getting irritated, she was just trying to show me something new she had learned! Oh well, I bought her some new clothes today ;P.
I feel like I actually accomplished something with my yardwork today. We had the foundation fixed before we moved into the house, and the foundation people left big gaping holes on either side of the house, with a big mound of dirt off to the side. I had been meaning to get around to filling the holes before they did more damage, but had been keeping myself busy with pulling out bushes and chopping back overgrowth....I FINALLY got around to it this afternoon and filled the hole!!! It looks so much better!! AND that part of the house may not fall off....how nice. I also made us a little concrete area to stack the garbage cans out of extra blocks we had lying around. Ahhh.....I can finally check something off my list. And I can rest easy tonite with my popcorn and hot chocolate :).
Love to all....I hope this was a good update, Grams and PopPop!
OH OH OH...and last but not least....James...he is doing good, too....he's working, not much else :) and he is very excited for tomorrow to be Friday, too. We are going to a Parenting Network Night hosted by Deloitte at some pizza place with go carts and miniature golf. Should be fun, and I'll try to post some pictures...gotta get some batteries for the camera!