Ohio Garage Sale Mania

The annual Navarre garage sales were this past weekend in Ohio.  What? Miss the sales because I am 8 months pregnant?  ha! Eight hours walking from sale to sale? No problem!

I wouldn't miss it!  I can't miss it, it an Arnold tradition. 

Ernesto was going to Vegas for a golf outing, so we went to the airport together and split from there.
I took our baby with me (obvs).  He loves grandma and grandpas house.  There is so much to get into.

We were outside a lot so he was either digging in the dirt or trying to get my dad to take him on the tractor/start the lawn mower.   There was also this classic push mower, which is coming to Atlanta for our tiny yard. I think we all know who will be taking care of the grass this year.

The weather for the yard sales was perfect.  Sunny and 70's.  There was a huge turnout too.  Where it is usually my mom, sister and I, this year there were many add-ons.

On a side note: boy do I look huge! 35 weeks pregnant and sale-ing...thats how I roll!  Amazingly, my ankles did not swell.

I had a really good day for "finds."

 As you can imagine, our van was packed with finds due to the amount of people.

A couple of my favorite things? 

Brass lion (LOVE!), milk glass vase ( I already planted succulents in it), a bird house, carved wood candlesticks from Mexico,  wind chimes......

 2 small terrariums, brass lantern, copper wind thingy, blown glass plant waterer, outdoor tablecloth. Oh...and plants, several succulents!

I didn't get Mateo too many new clothes this year, but he loves his new moto that his grandma bought for him.  He quickly figured out moving forward and back.  A tricycle will be mastered next. 

I flew home Sunday night and despite a 2 hour delay (due to weather) we had a good flight.  No napping, but at least all of his energy was happy!  His papi did not have good luck getting home from Vegas, but now we are all home and happy to be together again.  That was probably "the last trip" before baby.  It was a good one and now I am ready for one month of nesting.

BEBE #2 - WEEK 33

Garden Progress & Our Cool Fence!

I have been sitting in Octane Coffee House (close to my house) for 5 hours now.  Blogging and belly shots really take time to keep up with my friends. 

I was so behind, I told Ernesto I have to leave the house to get this done.  I do put mateo to bed early every night, but I am tired by then and don't feel like being on the computer much.  We have been so busy during the day- playing gardening, jewelry making that I even missed a few belly shots. Bad blogger!  I did post new ones tonight though, so if you are curious about the growth of my belly (which has been significant the last few weeks) here are Week 27 and Week 31 and now Im finally up to date with Week 32.  Whew!   I can't believe I only have 6 weeks left (mas o menos). 

This is how I left my boys at 530p today.  

 Scooping dirt.  Because our yard has a slight slope we need fill dirt.  Luckily, there is plenty to be had for free if you search Craigslist.  This is load #2 and we will probably get one more.
You can see a little glimpse of our finished  fence there, but I have a lot more to share.

First though,  a special thanks to my mom and dad for coming down to help.  My dad and Ernesto were outside for 3 days building this thing and my mom was taking care of Mateo while I made jewelry. It was a joint effort for sure.

 Ernesto had  most of the posts set so when my dad arrived they started screwing on the boards.

 It went pretty quickly.  Because the boards are going to shrink some we did not leave a space in between each board as originally planned.  This was a decision made by the men.  They guaranteed that the boards will shrink and space out about 1/4-1/2 inch.  "It won't be uniform", I argued.  I lost. Oh well,  I really like the solid look too.

 Here it is coming along.  We used 12 foot boards and 4x4 post every 6 feet.

 Notice above, the sod we laid three weeks ago was coming in nicely (compared to the first few days).
But that is nothing compared to what it looks like today.  We have lush, green grass!

Ernesto had to mow it last week and after all the weekend rain it needs mowed again. 

Here are a few pics capturing the whole yard/fence. What a difference, right?

 We left this corner open because we are planning to build a pergola and patio in that space. The dirt border around the whole fence will be more garden:)

 Here is my hard worker.  I am really proud of him.  He has been working non-stop and it is so satisfying to see everything coming together. You're doin' a good job mi amor!

At the end of the cement driveway we are building a long and skinny shed.  (4x14?)  We are going to have a gate to enter a small skinny garden that will lead to our entertaining paradise. Ha!  Sounds good right?  We will get there. 

In the front yard, my collection of blue pots still grows.  And see the big white elephant to the left of the door?  My mom got that for me at a yard sale and I think it is so cool with the blue pot on top. Thanks again mom!

 What a difference two weeks and a lot of rain can make in a garden.  Just look how everything has grown and spread out.

 I am so happy with it.  My passion for gardening grows too.  I can't resist buying a few plants every time Im at Home Depot, and I love walking other gardens and talking about plants.  I guess I have my mom to thank for that.  She is a true master gardener.  I actually brought home more plants from her garden when I was there last week.  And I bought 2 climbing rose bushes.  Im not a huge fan of rose bushes, but I love climbing plants so I thought I would give them a try.

 I added some stepping stones that lead back to the vegetable bed on the [south] side of the house and planted Creeping Jenny (the chartreuse ground cover pictured above) so the edges will be surrounded with plants.  Im hoping this will fill in quickly.  I may pick up a few more plants to help it along.

 This side garden is what I will concentrate on next.  I have one raised bed where I have already planted 4 tomato plants (Bush Cherry, Grape, Roma and a yellow Sun Country).  I will be adding a few hot pepper plants, cucumbers up my bamboo teepees and a bunch of herbs.

 Whew! Still a lot of work to be done!  I really don't have much time left to work.  I figure after mid June, the garden is on its own.  I did buy a timer and soaker hose for the vegetables.  I will set it to water for 5 minutes every morning at 5am.  Im hoping this will be the key to a big harvest!!

Cinco de Mayo - Birthday Trip

A couple of months ago we decided we would go to Mexico for our last "family of three" vacation.

We got Mateo's passport back, and it is the cutest passport that has ever been printed.  I could be biased here, but I mean, take a look at his mug shot and tell me different.  

Our family vacation turned into Ernesto's [41st] birthday trip.  I was loosely planning a trip to the Cancun area, and by loosely I mean, I said that we were going.  I didnt make any reservations (of course!)  so the day before we were supposed to leave we were talking to my parents and they offered Ernesto an all-inclusive golf trip to sunny Ohio for his birthday!  You could imagine my surprise when he said he liked the idea.  (He is a true golf - ass!) I always like the idea of visiting my family, so I was happy if the birthday boy was happy.  The little mexi-can loooooooves his Grandma and Grandpa, so I knew he would be happy.   (We will just have to use that passport another time.)

The guys played 54 holes of golf!!  A birthday wish come true! 

Mateo got a couple tractor rides and lots of time to play in the dirt of grandmas garden.  

On Cinco de Mayo we had a family cook out complete with tacos de lengua.  Also my dad smoked a pork but.  De-lish!  I baked the birthday boys favorite....chocolate cake!  It was a perfect day hanging outside in beautiful weather. 

The only bad part was that I forgot to take the anual sombrero picture collage.  Ugh!  I have been doing this for a couple years (see here and here) I had the sombrero all ready and totally forgot.  Missed moments really upset this blogger. 

Mateo helped his papi open the gift from us.  A new grill (in Atlanta) and accessories. 

Later that night the Mateo and his cousin splashed around in the tub together.

An since we are talking about cuteness- here, Eleanor sips her virgin margarita in the breeze.  

We flew home Tuesday morning and I had an extra suitcase checked with more plants from my mom's garden.  There is a lot of space to plant in our new back yard:)

BEBE #2 Week 32

3D Ultrasound for Bebe #2

Happy Monday!  Hope you guys had a great weekend.  My parents flew in Saturday morning and we have been working non-stop in gardening and guys are putting up the fence. What a difference.  Ill have some photos to share soon.  

Last week Ernesto and I made an appointment at StorkVision in Buckhead for a 3D ultrasound for the little mexi-can #2.  When we had one done for Mateo he was sleeping and in the wrong position for good shots so I thought let's forget it this time.  Ernesto insisted that we go though so BOTH babies have this momento.  Well, lo and behold, bebe #2 is camera shy as well and slept the entire time...with hands curled up in face.  I drank a sweet juice, went outside and ran a lap, and did a handstand.  The baby didn't stir.  I hope this is indication of a good sleeper.  It is what happened with Mateo and hes a great sleeper.  Fingers crossed. We managed to get one decent [half] face shot, an ear, and a foot.  No video worth sharing.  Oh well.  Even with just this little glimpse, I'm pretty convinced that we are going to have another gorgeous baby.   

Just for kicks, let's take a look at both babies.  Hmmm.  Boy or girl?  What do you predict??

BEBE #2 - WEEK 31

Backyard & Garden Progress

Where have I been?  Where are my belly shots?  I just need more time. Period.  Is that going to happen in June when I have this baby?  Ha! The last two weeks have been spent on gardening and the back yard re-do.  My front garden seemed to grow in overnight.  It is looking beautiful I must say.  The bright chartreuse color of the Creeping Jenny in front makes the whole garden at this point.  We added a few nice big rocks and I got the mulch down last night.  Now we wait. 

There is already a lot blooming and so much more to come.  I really love gardening. My mom has taught me so much, sometimes I surprise myself when I am talking about it to others. I have come a long way.

The vegetable garden has yet to be planted, or even built for that matter.  The whole south side of the house will be dedicated to veges and Ernesto promised me that this year he will put soaker hoses on a timer. Yeah! 

I have a little gardening helper this year too.  Mateo loves loves loves shoveling dirt from one pot to the next.  

Side note: Must. Get. Sandbox.

These 3 blue beautiful pots (above) are my latest acquisition from....wait for it....TjMaxx/Homegoods. (Surprise!) They have the best pottery every Spring.  Not the cheap ceramic ones either.  These are heavy clay pots made in Vietnam.  Just like you would see in an expensive garden store.  I can't resist.  I know I have a problem, but they look so good lining my front stairs. 

OK...now on to the back yard.  Let me first remind you of what the yard looked like before.  I took this picture last summer and although Ernesto (and my dad) had built these awesome raised planter beds, the whole yard was a mess.  No grass, ugly trees, kudzu outta control, etc.  

Now here is the area after a couple weeks of hard labor (done by Ernesto of course!)

This pic also taken through a screen from upstairs. 

We had thought we were going to have to hire someone to clear/level out the yard, but once Ernesto got started working he said he could just finish it himself.  Her borrowed a friends chain saw and cut down several trees.  We did have to pay to get one tree down that was hanging over the neighbors house.  The worst part was getting the stumps out.  This took him days.  

He rented a tiller and prepped the yard for grass.  This little guy was obsessed with watching.  Every time it was turned off he signaled for "mas mas."

My mom flew down for two days last week to help me.  I just had to cry to her on the phone at 930am and she was on a 11:45 flight.  God, my mom is the best! I just can't say that enough.  I have a jewelry show coming up and really need to make some inventory, yet I wanted Ernesto to work on the yard. 

My mom played with Mateo for two days and after she put him down for his naps, she went outside and helped Ernesto with the yard!!  I can only hope that I have her energy when Im her age.  Heck- I wish I had it now! 

The next sep was laying sod.  We didn't want to wait for seed to grow, it's almost May, we need a yard pronto!  Besides the sod wasn't too expensive and worth the [almost] instant gratification.  We do have to wait for the roots to take hold and for it to turn green of course.   We planted Bermuda grass, which unfortunately turns brown in the winter, but with full sun in the south, we were told it was the best option.  This is day one. 

Here on day four, it is already looking more green!  Also notice how much better the planter boxes look against the grass. 

It's not a huge area, but our yard feels a lot bigger.  We don't need a huge yard, we just need it to be functional.  Mateo will be loving it this Summer.

We aren't even close to being done yet.  The fence is next on the list.  Ernesto is ordering the wood tomorrow and hopefully in a week we will be enclosed!!
We are going for a horizontal fence.  Something like this one with an inch or so in between the boards.

via pinterest

The wood comes treated, but we are undecided if we will use paint or stain. 

This little drawing from last summer still depicts the "plan" except the garden will be moved to the front side of the house where there is more sun. 

I am just dying for my pergola covered in wisteria.

Also,  I am trying to tell Ernesto that we can build our little shed out of pallets [that we get for free on Craigslist] but he is not convinced.  Have you guys seen this?

There are some really cute sheds out there. (just search pallet shed)  Even if he doesn't like the look, my plan is to have is covered in vines anyway, so why would we side it to match the house??
Either this creeping fig

or a bushy ivy would be so beautiful, don't you think?

I think I'll let Ernesto finish the fence before I bombard him with more projects and ideas.  One thing at a time.  Little by little, our "estate" is taking shape, and I am loving it!