Yard In Progress

We've been working on the back yard for over two years now.  Major improvements include the addition of a vegetable garden, removal of junipers, and the re-edging of the flower beds.



Before

We ripped out the shrubs in front of the deck and placed the garden there.  We then proceeded to "shovel prune" the overgrown bushes around the fire place.  The center of our replacement plants is "Harison's Yellow," also known as the Yellow Rose of Texas, that Janice got from her grandparents place in Ohio.  (Yes, with only one 'R' that is spelled correctly.)  We placed an arbor behind it for Don Juan, a red climbing rose.  We 'recycled' several Peonies, both to anchor the corner of the garden and on the far side of the roses.  We've also placed roses, centered on the "bays" of the veggie garden, with Irises in between.  Again, two of the four roses are recycled.  You can see them in the before pictures below if you look carefully, behind the junipers.

After

Before

The rose bush in this picture is behind the Juniper on the exterior corner of the house.  Doesn't it look sad being choked off back there?  We also reused the Buddleja which is the short thing in the corner below and we've placed Phlox to either side of it.  Behind the Peony on the exterior corner, we have placed Echinacea as well, with Aster in front and Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) .  So, why are these five plants important you may ask?  They all are flowers that attract butterflies!


After - Butterfly Garden

Before

The rose bush that we recycled from here is behind a juniper, just to the right of the corner of the house.  See that little bit of red?  The centerpiece of this section of garden is a Hydrangea, centered on the section of the house without windows.  (You can't really see it because it hasn't really greened up.)  We will be adding holly bushes around the front of it to frame it.  The picture below also gives the best look of our red brick edging.

After

Little Gnome

Mommy thinks Cassandra looks like a little gnome in this outfit because the shape of the hat and the overalls.

I just love the look on her face in this picture.

Visitors from St. Louis

Some friends of Mommy's and Daddy's were in town for a family wedding.  Because they won't be traveling this way again for quite some time, they stopped off to meet the Empress.  Cassandra was very pleased with their visit, and though they couldn't stay long, she still decided to reward them with a smile.

Squirmy

Although we found this onesie in the boys section, we felt it was appropriate for a child labeled 'Wiggle Worm" before being born.  Under Mommy's hand, it says "Squirmy" which is an unbelievably accurate term.  She has also taken to pulling on the leash for the plug almost constantly.

I Have Something To Say

Cassandra has become more talkative in the last few weeks.  She regularly takes the plug out and tells us what she is thinking.  She still has some difficulty in getting the plug back in.

Happy Baby Part III

Happy Baby™ put in an appearance today.  Cassandra is definitely proving to be a social person.  She lets the staff know how disappointed she is in them when they leave her all alone in the room.  She is smiling in this picture because Mommy is being silly again.

Not Ignoring the Camera

Like all little children, Cassandra occasionally does something that just really amuses her parents.  When eating, Cassandra usually puts her right hand up by her ear and pulls.  Tonight, instead of an ear, Cassandra pulled her hat.  She looks like a little hedonist sucking down dinner with her hat pulled down over her eyes.

Of course, we had to get a picture.  After that, we pulled the hat back and Cassandra seemed a bit surprised.

She continued to keep a watchful eye on the camera after that.