Summer Wrap-Up

Summer is over! And I've been a bad blogger this month mainly because we have been outside working so much. Here is a summary of the end of our summer, and some updates on the progress of our outdoor projects. It was a fun {but fast} summer. We worked on projects often. We also enjoyed our fair share of fairs, cookouts, fireworks, birthday parties, bonfires, bike rides, and fishing/kayaking ventures. I'm sure Andrew wishes there had been more fishing...

The vegetable garden was a success. All varieties of the tomatoes did well, and I was able to make some sauces. We are still harvesting yellow tomatoes, and Andrew said he saw another cluster of Roma's that look ready. The cucumber plant TOOK OVER, but after it yielded it died, so I was able to rip it out and let some of the plants around it finally see the sun. It choked out our red peppers, but we did get some surprise green peppers a week ago. Our lone spaghetti squash was a true beauty...but when I brought it inside I noticed it had a small hole. I figured I would just cut that part off. Then when I came home from work the next day, it was soft and leaking. It also smelled terrible, so I had to throw it out. Oh well! Next year we will switch things up a bit - we didn't get as many red beefsteak tomatoes, so my goal is to maximize those next summer for a little more BLT action.

We took a trip to Lakeside, OH to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. It was perfect.

The patio continues to be a great place for gathering and sitting by the fire. The grass filled in right up next to the pavers like we hoped it would. There is one low spot where we might need to add some dirt and grass seed next year, but overall it's come a long way from where we started. We look forward to using it well into the Fall, which we are now ready for & welcoming with open arms. Andrew is already pretty anxious to buy a few pumpkins for the front stoop. Speaking of the front...

We also shuffled things around a little bit with regard to the landscaping. Earlier this summer I had planted some ground cover {a variety of different ground covers, actually} in front of the stone wall. None of them really ended up growing into the picture I saw in my mind. Andrew wasn't really a fan either, but neither of us could figure out what to do to improve things. So we just let it all sit for a while. When we got back from our little Lake Erie trip, I was inspired to do some rearranging! The cottages up in Lakeside have cute little yards, so I returned home with some good ideas. I moved the ground covers and consolidated them around some rocks, used leftover patio pavers to make a little path to our hose spigot, and we planted our boxwood and some mums. We might add a small decorative tree beside the spiral arbor vitae, but for now we are content.

The deck (read about here and here) is definitely coming along! We had family over this weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday, and we were happy to put the steps on it so people didn't have to leap off. We still want to add railings to the steps and caps to the 4x4 posts, but for now it's functional and we are enjoying it. We were able to get a nice set of furniture for it at a very reasonable price, too.

Our plan for Fall and Winter is to switch gears and work on a few things inside of the house. So check back in periodically to see what we're up to next.

Thanks for reading!

Declan

Here we have a nice BIG canvas for a nice little baby. The canvas is 18 x 24 inches - the largest birth announcement I've painted - and it is for Andrew's cousin who lives in Columbus. We happened to be in town for a concert the night before, so we stopped over the following day to drop off the canvas and have lunch. We had a great time catching up & meeting baby Declan for the first time. He is quite the snuggler!

Phase III - The Rebuilding Process

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate the fact that rebuilding a deck is hard? Maybe not if you are in construction by trade...but hard for a biologist (Andrew) and a nurse (me). But that will not stop Team Farber! I'm a sucker for doing things myself and so is Andrew. It takes a lot for us to want to wave the white flag & pay a professional. Sure, we'll gripe a little along the way if the project isn't coming together as envisioned. But fact of the matter is, we love the feeling of admiring the finished product we made with our own two (four?) hands {and the hands of others who pitch in. Fist pump for the pitcher-inners!}

   

Andrew & I originally set out this summer to completely renovate the back yard. We built and planted a raised garden bed, leveled earth and laid a paver patio, and last but not least: THE DECK. So here we are in September, with Fall peeking right around the corner...and we basically blew our original deadline. Yep. Blew it. But are we 80% finished? Heck yes we are.

Things have been kind of weird & unpredictable this summer with regard to inclement weather. Rain kept pushing work on the deck back a day...back a day...back a day. Well summer is made of days, and we started running out! Additionally, we like to get off the property every once and a while for date nights, baseball games, mini-golfing, ice cream runs, bonfires & cookouts with friends. Those are all crucial parts of summer, too.

Luckily, we did some major damage on the deck over the three-day Labor Day weekend. The deck boards and 4x4 posts were already in place. Andrew and I spent the majority of Monday building the railings. 11 sections with 6-7 spindles each. At the end of the day, his wrist was numb from drilling and my thighs were burning from squatting & holding wood plumb with the level. But we felt totally accomplished & went out for celebratory wine and eats at Gervasi!

Everything is coming together and looking even better than we had hoped. All that remains is installing the railings and adding the two sets of stairs. The end of the Farber Backyard Update is in sight. When we're totally finished, we want to have a big bash to celebrate our new outdoor spaces.It will be nice to sit back and appreciate all of the hard work!

Thanks for reading!

Kid's Bath Sign

Hey everyone! Just popping in quick to share this canvas I did for Andrew's cousin, Tara {that I'm delivering it to her tomorrow at a family cook out, yaaaay!} She plans on hanging it in the kid's bathroom at her house. It turned out pretty well - and hopefully the kids will do as it says…

PS: Putting a votive filled with Q-tips on top of a mason jar filled with cotton balls is a great way to spruce up the bathroom & put those spare jars to use. Try this!

Quick Tomato Sauce for Two

Today - with the help of my MIL - we made homemade tomato sauce! It didn't take long at all, and we got to use ingredients from our very own garden. I've never made sauce before, so I found a basic recipe online and tweaked it to my liking. Can't wait to try it!

// Ingredients

• 30ish ripe Roma tomatoes (I threw in a red beefsteak & one yellow, too)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

// Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wash tomatoes. With a paring knife, cut an X in the bottom of each (this makes it easier to peel the skin off). 
2. Add the tomatoes to the water and leave for 30-40 seconds, or until the skin begins to curl & peel.
3. Remove the tomatoes from the pot and rinse in cool water. Peel the skins off and remove the stem area. Pour the water out of the pot. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and place them back into the pot.
4. Add the oil, garlic, salt & basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes, or until sauce has thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. 
5. Pour into airtight containers and store. Your sauce will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Yields 16 oz. {aka the perfect amount of garden fresh sauce for a household of 2!}

Birthday Bash

This month has really flown by! It feels like summer goes by faster with each passing year. Life sure is busy. It's so nice to be able to step back from all the "busy" and get together with family to celebrate special occasions. This past Sunday, our family celebrated my sister Francie's 30th birthday. We threw a little party, and I wanted to share some of the highlights on the blog. Enjoy!

A group of us assembled early in the day to decorate before the arrival of the birthday girl. She knew we were having a cookout, but we wanted to incorporate some extra special touches for her extra special day. Balloons, streamers, garlands...we went all out!

Francie loves candy. We set up a candy bar of glass jars filled with chocolate truffles, gum balls, lollipops and sour watermelon slices. We included fun little colored plastic scoops and treat bags so guests could take some sweets to-go at the end of the party.

The streamer backdrop behind our cake table was really easy to make - I layered 3 different colored plastic tablecloths and cut them into strips, braided them at the top {about 3-4 inches} and let the rest hang. It only cost me $6 and it ended up looking super!

The menu definitely hit the spot - steak & veggie kabobs, butter rice, a mixed greens salad & plenty of fresh fruit. We even had Champagne Grapefruit Mojitos {recipe here} So yummy! 

Have I mentioned that our younger sister, Maris, is a pastry making machine? She was in charge of dessert, and she made grilled cherry peach mascarpone cake. It was marvelous! 

We played corn hole, bocce ball, croquet, and chased the little cousins around the yard. 

And of course, we sang "Happy Birthday", ate the fancy cake, and watched as presents were opened.

It was an excellent party complete with good weather, good food, and good company. I don't think you can ask for more than that! Thanks for reading the birthday bash recap, and have a great Labor Day Weekend! We're planning on {finally} finishing our deck, kayaking, and enjoying some R&R!

Custom Canvas Wedding Announcement

Here are some shots of a custom piece I did - It was given as a bridal shower gift.
The canvas commemorates important "firsts" for the couple: first date, first kiss, the address of their first home, and the date when they will tie the knot and first become MR & MRS. I think it turned out really cute!

Best wishes to the bride & groom!