Hanging my head ...

Has it REALLY been over a month???  I really don't know where the time went ... but it went.  I don't remember it being a particularly busy month ... working long days at my full-time job (but short weeks) has been difficult this year ... the university has made four day work weeks in the summer mandatory.  I LOVE the Fridays off but hated the long days ... it's TIRING!!  To make up for my absence, I have lots of pictures to share ... hope you enjoy ...

First up ... the greenhouse ... I promised to take pics and keep everyone updated on the progress ... we're ALMOST done!!!!  The cedar siding (which is being painted barn red) is finally getting delivered tomorrow.  I'm soooooooooo excited to finally start seeing an end in sight ... and I know hubby is too.

The walls starting going up while Quinn was home on leave the latter half of June.

Looking at the pictures of Quinn make my heart ache tonight ... I miss that kid ... ALOT!!!!

Look at Shelby Girl and her boy ... I SWEAR, that dog is smiling ... she was in seventh heaven having her boy home ...

The brick floor ... the gravel to the left is under where the wire plant shelves will hang ... I'll be able to water freely and not have to worry about flooding the inside of the greenhouse.

This is the entrance and will be sided and trimmed in the barn red cedar siding ...

This is the front view ... I can't WAIT to see it all sided and trimmed and painted with the sign hung.  The only things left to paint on the inside are the skylights (my job and NOT looking forward to it - I'm scared to death of heights) and tomorrow I'll finish painting the leading in the stained glass window so hubby can install it on the back wall.  Once the siding and trim are finished, it will be time to hang the wire shelves across the front windows and build/install the potting bench and pot shelves on the back wall.  And then more work on the outside digging out all around it and filling it with rock ... framing up and building the brick pad outside the entry.  Next spring should be a dream come true ... playing working in the dirt ... I can't wait.

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Two weekends ago, my friend Terri and I drove out to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and met our internet friend, Deb and her hubby and granddaughter.  Deb, Terri, and I had a day of antiquing and shopping together in Marion, Iowa.  Fun, fun!  Deb is so fun to be with ... except for the fact that it was incredibly HOT and HUMID, it was a GREAT getaway weekend.

Terri, moi, and Deb (thanks Bria for taking a picture for us!)

On the way to Cedar Rapids, Terri and I stopped off in the little Mississippi River town of Le Claire to visit the American Pickers (seen on the History Channel).  A fun little side trip ... barely even out of the way ...

It was drizzling just a bit that day ... and the shop was filled with people ...

Mike and Frank weren't there ... but Danielle was ... isn't she a cutie?  Even sweeter in person than she is on the show ... her smile just lights the place up ...

I love this guy!!!!  And his arm even waves up and down ...

I couldn't decide if these heads were cool ... or kinda creepy ...

And that ... that ... that's ALL folks!!!!!

Just for fun, I wanted to show you the volunteer gourd plant that came out of the compost bin (and has now totally swallowed said bin, you can't even see it anymore), it has swallowed three zuchnni plants, has grown up through two trees in two different directions and is on it's way up my neighbor's garage roof!!!!  lol  This girl knows how to rot some GOOD compost!  lol

I zoomed in on the gourds growing up in one of the trees (the one closest to the neighbor's garage) about ten feet in the air.  I've never seen a gourd plant with so many gourds!  There are so many hidden in the trees, on the neighbor's garage roof, and all over the back of the garden, I have no clue how many there are.

Piper in her "cooking skirt" helping Grandma Tinkerbell in the garden ... I didn't capture the surprised look on her face when no carrot came out with the stems ...

Got one!!!!  She absolutely loves to go out to the garden, pull a carrot, and stand on a chair at the kitchen sink scrubbing it nice and clean before she gobbles it up ... she LOVES carrots ...

Picking the cherry tomatoes ... I couldn't get her to try one though.  I'm thrilled that she loves being in the gardens as much as she does ... my very own little garden fairie!!!!