Hello, summer!

What a great Memorial Day weekend it's been. Perfect weather, lots of great family time, grilling, chillin' out ... I couldn't ask for much more. I especially appreciate having had some down-time with Steve and the kids. It's amazing what one extra day to relax on a holiday weekend can do for the body and soul. I'm exhausted from all the activity, but at the same time I feel refreshed.

Plus I have some cool new flip flops and bright purple polish on my toes. Summery feet can do a lot to make a girl happy.

And of course, I am thankful to be living in the greatest country on the planet, and proud of all the men and women who have given of themselves to make all our lives so stinkin' cushy. Thank you to all the military personnel and their families who make the ultimate sacrifices for our freedoms.

Let's see, what else is on my mind tonight ...

Three more days of school left for the kids before summer break begins. This is a good thing.

I've been enjoying spending time out in our yard. Hummingbirds come to visit the fuschia plant and the hummingbird feeder throughout the day. My little container garden is doing well and the tomato plants all have buds on them.

This is a perfect use for the corner planter the kids and I put together last summer. I've decided not to plant anything directly in the soil here because it butts up against our front deck and we will likely be tearing out the planter to do some modifications to the deck within a few weeks.

Here's the trellis I made for the climbing Mandevilla plants. It's an old metal gate that had been tossed to the scrap pile during a cleanup project at my in-laws' house. I've been eyeing it in their back yard for a year or two and finally decided to do something with it. My father-in-law helped me cut off the old, broken, rusty wires and hinges and I bought chicken wire and attached it to the frame with zip ties, then painted the whole thing with primer spray paint, then a chocolate brown Rust-Oleum spray. Originally I was going to attach it to the side of the house, but I thought it looked just fine leaning against it behind the plants.

The pink flowers on these plants are amazing. I've already gotten so much enjoyment from them and I can't wait until they're cascading over the sides of the trellis. They're supposed to be pretty fast growers, so it shouldn't take long.

By the end of this week the kids and I will be packing up to head to Pennsylvania to spend some time with Steve. I'm already making the checklist of things to take with us, and I'm excited about the opportunity to do and see more than we could there during the cold, dreary days of winter. Right now, though, I'm going to grab a book and a drink and sit outside and enjoy the last bit of daylight on this gorgeous evening before we start another busy week.

Happy Memorial Day.