Summer 2021 recap

Hey guys!  Wow, I haven't posted since late April.  That is a new record FOR SURE. Not much has been going on, so I guess I just thought it would be too boring to post anything!!  Haha :) This one will probably be fairly boring too, but I'll do a catch-up for May til now.  Spoiler alert:  Not much has been going on... Just lots of hanging with Guinness and lots of yardwork.

Our Spring and Summer were filled with TONS of yardwork and yard-related things, including some tree removals!  We had a few trees that were looking quite dead, and with the storms we got last year we wanted those trees gone before any big storms hit so that our house had a chance of surviving. Here are a few pictures: 

Here was the super dead tree that hung over our house!  To be more precise, it hung over our bedroom... So that made me really nervous!  It looked great last year, but it just died sometime over last Winter and no leaves showed up in the Spring!  So, this one is gone now.

Another picture of the very dead tree hanging over our house. 

And then on the right of this picture you can see what was left of our huge tree on the side of our driveway... We didn't even know this one was dying, but the tree removal guy pointed out a few things that showed that this tree was dying too, and he gave us a great price on this one since we were having the other tree removed at the same time!  They just had to have a crane in our driveway for both, so he gave us a good price.  On the left, you can see some huge limbs from both trees laying on our lawn. 

Here's a truck carting away a bunch of our tree pieces!  They had to make 2 full trips to get all of it hauled away. 

Here's a fairly close-up view of the tree stump.  Can you see how hollow it is?  The tree was fully dying, and it probably would have fallen during one of our big storms.  So, it's a relief that's gone!  It was so huge it could have landed on our house, or on our neighbor's car or house.  

In addition to the tree removals, Kevin and I did a lot of manual labor and ripped out some huge bushes in our front yard that were suuuuper old and not doing well, plus they got demolished by the deer over the winter.  This last winter was QUITE snowy and the deer got desperate for food because snow stayed on the ground for many weeks at a time, so they started eating plants and bushes in our neighborhood that they had never eaten over previous years!  All of our plants are deer resistant and the deer don't like them or want to eat them, but if they're desperate enough they'll eat almost anything. So, our bushes looked terrible before the deer demolished them, and then there's definitely no way they were going to look healthy again after the deer took them out.  So, we spent 2 weekends ripping them out.  Here's a picture from a few years ago so you can see what this area looked like (and keep in mind this is BEFORE the deer made them look way worse): 

So yeah, this was WAY healthier than they looked when we ripped them out.  It's an azalea bush on the left, and there WAS an azalea bush on the right but it died years ago so it had to get ripped out... And we tried to plant another azalea bush in that spot but the deer ate that over winter and killed it. And I forget what kind of bush that is in the middle in front of the window, but that thing hasn't looked healthy the whole time we've lived here.  

So, here it is after we ripped out the bushes!!  It took us TWO weekends to do it because it was really hard work plus it was like 95 degrees both weekends so we were overheating... We were having to use an ax and a maul (I just learned what a maul is this year!) to break up the massive roots for these bushes. 

And we bought 5 little boxwood bushes to put in that area!  Boxwoods were literally the ONLY bushes in our neighborhood that didn't get demolished by deer over this last winter... so... they must really hate those.  I also read online that they're very easy to take care of.  I do see them ALL over our neighborhood so I think they're a safe bet!  My fingers are crossed that they thrive in our yard.

And I planted marigolds in front of the boxwoods, because deer also hate marigolds! Those will probably die off once Summer is over though. 

Oh and that's a tiny little dwarf Alberta spruce tree on the right side of the pic.  They get to be 4 to 6 feet tall which seems pretty perfect for that corner. 

Here's some lavender I bought for right by our front steps!  Deer supposedly won't eat lavender, and mosquitoes HATE lavender, so I was like YESSSSSS let's plant it by our front porch to keep mosquitoes away!!  

And I planted some marigolds next to our walkway too (and you can see the lavender plant just to the right of the stairs!). 

Oh and I got this hanging plant for by our garage!  

So, besides all the yardwork and tree removals, we haven't done a lot!  We've gone to Valley Forge a few times, and I got pictures one of them times!  We have figured out that we have to go VERY early in the morning for the heat and humidity to be tolerable, plus there's no crowds if you go there early.

And here we are hanging in our screened room after Valley Forge.  Guinness was enjoying some breakfast al fresco: 

I hope you have all had a really love Spring and Summer!  I'm soooo happy it's almost Fall though!!  I'll try to be a lot better about posting, and OF COURSE I will have a Fall Bucket List!!!  I'm soooo excited for this crazy Summer heat to be over, and to start enjoying all the amazingness of Fall!!  

April so far, and the Academy Awards

Hey guys!  Spring is definitely here!  We've been enjoying the Spring weather, and our yard has been soooo demanding already.  We've been doing lots of yardwork, so that's been keeping us busy!  We've also been going for lots of walks with Guinness, and hanging out in our screened-in patio in our backyard whenever we can. Today we just put down a bunch of grass seed in our backyard, so fingers crossed that grows!  

Our daffodils!  They were really beautiful this year. 

Guinness napping on his little cot in the screened room.  

I also had my 40th birthday earlier this month! And it was on Easter this year!  My birthday was pretty great this year, thanks to Kevin and all my friends and family!  Kevin and I made a birthday cake, and it turned out really well!!  It was sooo tasty.  It was chocolate cake with white frosting, and a TON of sprinkles.

One other small thing going on this month, is that I started a sourdough starter, and it has finally been ready for some sourdough bread!  I've only made sourdough bread once so far (last weekend), and it turned out soooooo good!!  I was really proud.  I was dumb and didn't take a picture of the whole loaf, but I did take a picture of the inside after I cut it open!  I was really proud to see all the bubbles in the crumb structure.  haha :)

The Oscars are tonight!  I'm not sure if I want to watch or not, but I have enjoyed trying to watch some of the Best Picture nominees!   I will for sure keep an eye on alerts for who wins each award, but I don't know if I actually want to watch the ceremony this year.  For the Best Picture Nominees though, here's my very quick rundown: 

1. Nomadland - I liked this one!  It was very unique, and Frances McDormand did a fantastic job (as she always does).  I think this one might win?  I was definitely a fan of this one, but it isn't my pick. 

2. Mank - We did not watch this one! 

3. Promising Young Woman - Carey Mulligan deserves Best Actress for this one. This movie was GREAT, and it was very powerful and brought up a lot of very important topics.  During the first 5 minutes I thought I had it kinda figured out as far as the plot, and I was SOOOO wrong.  It was great.  Kevin and I are both still thinking about this movie a lot, and it's really stuck with us.  We still have conversations about this movie.  I would be SO happy if this one won Best Picture, but I don't think it will.  And it's not my pick, but it's FOR SURE my #2 pick!!  And I think this one has a better shot at winning than my actual pick. 

4. The Trial of the Chicago 7 - This was FANTASTIC.  Every actor in this movie did such an amazing job.  Everyone should see this one!!  It was so good.  I absolutely loved it.  It's not my pick, and I don't think it'll win.  I think Sacha Baron Cohen should win Best Supporting Actor though. 

5. The Father - I didn't watch this one.   

6. Minari - I just finished watching this one, so I'm still thinking about it and processing it.  I thought everyone in it did an amazing job, and it was definitely a powerful movie.  It isn't my pick for Best Picture, but I have a strong feeling this one might win!  I think it'll be Minari or Nomadland winning Best Picture. 

7. Judas and the Black Messiah - We didn't get a chance to watch this one, but I still really want to see it! 

8. Sound of Metal - This one is my pick for Best Picture!  I don't think there's ANY chance it will win, but this is the one I would pick if I got to vote.  It was a really, really, really amazing movie.  I highly recommend this to everyone.  And Riz Ahmed did a fantastic job.  He's nominated for Best Actor, but I think that award is going to Chadwick Boseman this year. 

So, in summary, everyone should go see Sound of Metal and also Trial of the Chicago 7.  For Best Picture, I am hoping for either Promising Young Woman or Sound of Metal, but I think Nomadland or Minari will win.  For Best Actor, I think it'll be Chadwick Boseman, and for Best Actress I want it to be Carey Mulligan but I kinda think it will be Frances McDormand again this year.  Best Supporting Actor should go to Sacha Baron Cohen for Trial of the Chicago 7, and for Best Supporting Actress I'm hoping for Maria Bakalova from Borat, but I think that's a longshot... but I'll be rooting for her, and if she doesn't get it then I hope it's Yuh-Jung Youn from Minari because she was excellent. 

That's our April so far!  I hope you're all having a really great month so far!!  

March Recap and the Academy Awards Best Picture nominees

Hey guys!  I'm going to do a quick March recap even though March isn't quite over yet!  And then I'm going to quickly go over the Best Picture nominees because Kevin and I are going to try to watch at least some of them.  

Our March was mostly uneventful, so this recap shouldn't take long.  One fun thing I've been doing this month is growing some salad greens in the AeroGarden I got for Christmas!  It's been pretty fun to watch the progress, because salad greens grow FAST!  Here's some photos of the progress: 

After about 3 days I could start to see some little leaves if I looked down into the holes of the pods

After a few more days, the lettuces were pushing through and almost touching the plastic domes!

Then it was time to take the plastic domes off 4 of them because they were really starting to grow! 

Then they really started to go nuts!  

And here's pretty much where we are now!  I've been eating some already, and it's delicious. 

Our St. Patrick's Day was pretty uneventful this year.  We had a few Guinness beers, and watched a few episodes of this old travel show called The Getaway that had some Ireland episodes.  Oh and I put out our little St. Patrick's Day decorations! 

We've had some lovely Spring weather in March!  Guinness has been looooving it, and I think he is super over the Winter weather this year too. We've been going for a lot of walks on any nice days, and we've also just been hanging out outside, including in our screened room in our backyard. We bought Guinness a little platform bed for the screened room to get him up off the gross floor out there for his napping, and he was hesitant about it at first but now he's loving it! 

Here's Guinness napping on his platform bed! 

And now for the list of the Academy Awards Best Picture nominees, with what I know about them so far (not a lot...).  We haven't seen any of them yet, and I don't think we'll even try to see them all this year, but probably most of them. 

1. Nomadland - I know this one stars Frances McDormand, and she's nominated for Best Actress, and she plays a nomad.  Oh and it's on Hulu I think. I've heard it's good?  So I think we'll definitely try to see this one. 

2. Mank - I know this has something to do with Citizen Kane, it stars Gary Oldman (who is nominated for Best Actor), and it's on Netflix.  That's pretty much all I know about this one, and honestly I'm not super excited for it, but maybe I will be if I watch a trailer or something. 

3. Promising Young Woman - I know almost nothing about this movie, except that it's supposed to be AMAZING.  I kinda want to go in blind for this one, so I don't really want to find out more about it or see a trailer or anything.  I do know that it stars Carey Mulligan, and she's just amazing in everything she's in (and she's nominated for Best Actress!). 

4. The Trial of the Chicago 7 - I know that this one is based on a true story of the trial for some anti-Vietnam War protestors in Chicago in the 1960s. I know this one is on Netflix, and quite a few people have told me it's amazing and I need to see it.  So, I'm excited to see it! 

5. The Father - I don't think I'm up for watching this one.  I know it stars Anthony Hopkins, and I know it's about his character suffering from dementia.  I'm sure it's great and I'm sure Anthony Hopkins is amazing in it, but I just don't think I'm up for it. 

6. Minari - I know that this one stars Glenn from The Walking Dead (and he's nominated for Best Actor! Yay!), and it's about a Korean family that moves to a farm in America.  That's all I know, but I've heard it's AMAZING so I'm excited to see this one!!!

7. Judas and the Black Messiah - I don't know anything about this one except that it stars the lead actor from Get Out (and he was amaaaazing in Get Out).  I definitely want to watch a trailer for it to get an idea of what it's about!  

8. Sound of Metal - I know this is about a heavy metal musician that loses his hearing, and I've heard nothing but great things about this movie!  Quite excited to see this one too.  And it stars one of the guys that was in Rogue One (loved his character in Rogue One!), and he's nominated for Best Actor too!  Yay! Oh and I think this one is on Amazon Prime?

So, that's all 8 of the Best Picture nominees!  I think I want to aim for at least 5 of the movies, but we'll see what happens! 

I hope you're all doing really well!  Happy Spring!  Get ready for tons of flower and bird pictures coming soon!!  :) 

February recap

Hey guys!  I didn't post at all in February so I wanted to make sure to get in a post before March was over!  I'll do a separate post about March.  Our February was pretty uneventful except for a whole lot of Winter weather, and Valentine's Day.  This Winter was insaaaaane, and we had so much snow.  And it was so cold for so long that the snow really just stuck around for a super long time.  Usually it'll kinda melt and go away, but it just stayed and stayed.  There are many yards in our neighborhood that still have a bit of snow.  Here are some pictures from our Winter weather in February, and then I'll talk about our Valentine's Day! 

Look at how deep the snow is!  Guinness was having trouble running in it to play frisbee. 

But, he thought it was SUPER fun to dig in the snow and bury his frisbee! 

Here he is on a different day running for a frisbee!  Look at that focus! 

Leaping to catch a frisbee! 

Jumping up to try to catch a snowball! Look at how deep the snow is! 

He was loving the snowballs! 

Look at all of these crazy icicles!  They were all over our house, and some were HUGE!

And now for our Valentine's Day!  We wanted to get out of the house but still be super safe, so we drove to Hershey, PA to Troegs Brewery because they have been GREAT about curbside pickup, and they had some really great Valentine's Day specials.  So, we drove there and picked up our curbside order, and then we drove to a picnic area to eat it!  It was FREEZING on Valentine's Day (the high was in the 20s), so we ate pretty fast, but it was still really fun!  And then we drove back home and watched The Thing (the 1982 version OF COURSE.  It's so amazing). 

It was braised short ribs, cheesy polenta, and roasted parsnips. It was SO delicious! 

And we brought paper plates to eat on, and we split a beer!  It was freezing, but still lovely.

The Thing!  Kurt Russell just being amazing. If you haven't seen this movie, you should definitely watch it as soon as you possibly can.  

So, that was our February!  Tons of snow and winter weather all month, and we had some fun celebrating Valentine's Day.  I'll do another post very soon about our March, and also talk about some of the Academy Awards Best Picture nominees because we're going to try to watch at least some of those!  I hope you've all been doing really well!  Talk to you soon!