Sunday, March 2, 2014

Marching In

Jill's birthday is March 4th ( as in march forth!) but Tuesday will be a work/school/scout meeting day and so we celebrated on March 1st. 

When we asked Jill what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said she wanted us to work in her yard.  Like the house she recently purchased, the yard had once been quite well cared for, but had gone through a period of neglect and abuse, so we have a job to do getting it back in shape.

Of course I'm not much good for anything yet, but Tom and Jake are quite handy.  Tom and Isaac worked for a while on the smallest tree that needed pruning.  Isaac bailed out and Tom continued on until Jake arrived.

 Jill lent a hand when she was not running kids around.  Irene had gymnastics in the morning and Isaac had Lacrosse in the afternoon.


I was in charge of lunch and Jill drove me to make a Subway sandwich run after having taken orders from the crew.

After lunch Jake and Tom got the power tools out to dramatically reduce a wayward tree.


 Then they began cleaning up, reducing the big mess into controlled piles.

There will be some firewood for the fireplace and we will ask the aid of a friend with a pick up truck to haul the rest to the transfer station where it will go to composting.

It was pretty much an inside day for me, but I kept track of the comings and goings and the progress.  I put a bow on the china hutch that was part of Jill's gift, and decorated with flowers.
 The planter bowl will go outside on the front porch after serving as a centerpiece, and eventually get planted out into the yard.
 The cats kept me company.
 Tom and Jake got done early enough to go home and get cleaned up and rest a bit before we all met up at BJ's for dinner, where Jan and Ann joined us.

After dinner we gathered back at Jill's house for gifts and dessert.  


This will be fun to play with when the yard gets cleaned up and the spring/summer weather arrives.
Jill loved her new Sounders hoody, a gift from her Mom and Dad.
 The Sounders Soccer season kicks off next Saturday.  Jill is set.
Jill requested cherry cheesecake for her dessert.  I guess I forgot to take a photo of my homemade creation, but I can attest to the fact that is was yummy and enjoyed by all. 

And now we have officially kicked off the month of March.  Today it is cold and non-stop rain, just nasty.  We got the housework, laundry, and grocery shopping done.  It's just about time to settle in for the Red Carpet.

Yep. I'll be watching the whole Academy Awards extravaganza, and having seen many of the nominated best pictures and acting roles, I have opinions!

14 comments:

  1. I'll be watching the Oscars too, although I've seen fewer than you. We seldom go to the movie theater any more. I love to watch the stars in their finery stumble through the corny dialog that was written for them.

    Jill's new house has a nice big yard. Is she planning to have much of a garden?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sitting here along with you, watching the Oscars. I was thrilled when "20 Feet From Stardom" got the best documentary. I saw it twice. Loved it. You are awfully busy for somebody who is not completely recovered yet, Linda. An inspiration. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nothing like a little help and power tools to get the job done. I see somebody stands on the top of the step ladder like I do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would say Jill's birthday was done up right!
    I was a bit horrified to see the ladder/chain saw combination. I would not have been taking pictures. I would be ready to call 911. Your family is more coordinated than mine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a neat idea Jill had for a Birthday present. I will remember that next time I am asked. Super job was done though I too was nervous about the ladder/chainsaw event.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jill is beautiful, as are her children. Oh that green grass -- lovely! Wow, they really trimmed that tree. Beautiful flowers in the planter. Looks to me like an all around great family day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. what a lucky daughter to have family to help out with her new home and yard!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jill is one lucky birthday girl! Looks like fun was had by all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like a perfect day to me...even the work! I love that kind of outside work! You have such a beautiful family!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy Jill. Aloha from Hawaii.
    What awesome gifts.
    I like the China Hutch, too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, Jill scored big time with this celebration. She deserves it. I loved the happy spring feel I got from reading this. Jill's birthday is the day before my daughter Amy's birthday. Amy will be 40 tomorrow. Happy birthday to Jill. Today is her birthday. I hope it is a happy one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is quite a tree trimming crew! Happy Birthday to Jill, it looks like she had a great day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! You really made Jill's special day EXTRA special. All that yard work alone would make anybody smile. That was a LOT of work. You are such a fabulous supportive family. So much happiness on this happy birhthday!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to read your comments. Since I link most posts to Facebook, you may comment there if you do not have an account. I have eliminated Anonymous comments due to spammers.