Newsday Tuesday

Popping in with a "catch up" post! 

Lots of backyard projects, however, the biggest one is the firepit update. 

All the stones above and below the bench are now attached. 

One had fallen off but it is back in place and secure. It is now time to finish the corners and top but the hard part is deciding the best way to arrange the stones to finish those edges.  

Meanwhile, we have had company! 

Our youngest son and his wife were here for a visit which was so much fun.

One night we grilled a family favorite . . . SMASH BURGERS.

YUM!

 Mr. Wonderful grilled the patties while the kids grilled the onions their special way. Everything was cooked to perfection! 

And, to top it all off, the kids made a tasty batch of 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

SO GOOD!! ♥

Happy Tuesday!

DIY Backyard Fire Pit Makeover Project . . . UPDATE

Happy Summer!!

The weather has been so nice we are once again cooking and eating outdoors ~ Woohoo!

The weather has also allowed Mr. Wonderful to continue on his current DIY Project which is changing our fire pit seating from wood benches to stone.

First was cement for the back and top of the seating. Once that was finished he framed in the skirt and around the bottom.

He mixed a lot of cement for his one man project. 

So far so good. Once it dried he could prepare for the third step.

That entailed framing below the bench.

It went well and was ready to go as soon as the bench was dry.

TA~DA! 

The next step was to put on the scratch coat which are the horizontal lines. The cement on the rocks will adhere to the scratch and should keep the stones from detaching over time. 

🤞🏻 

I will be back soon to share the progress!

Happy Tuesday!

Fire Pit Improvement Project and more . . .

Today was such a beautiful day at school and at home.

It was so sunny and warm with barely a cloud in the sky. Except for this very determined, lonely little cloud.

It appeared to be letting go of its last bit of stored up rain.

It tried its best to send a little sprinkle for the flowers however it evaporated before it even reached the ground.

The cloud caught our eye while we were in the backyard inspecting our Fire Pit which is getting a big update.

Mr. Wonderful built our original fire pit in 2017  and it has gone through some changes and improvements since then. 

This time around he has decided to replace the wood, which took a lot of time and effort to keep in good condition over the years, and opted for a more weather proof, durable surface of cement and stone.

He poured concrete several days ago and now he is hoping to concrete the top of the benches this weekend if all goes well. But that is not all, oh no, that is not all.

He plans to add stone once the form is finished so there will still be work to do which means…

…I will be back to share the progress on our FPI Project.

Happy  Friday!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Taco about a great dinner!

Homemade Chili Colorado

never disappoints. 😉 

The hubs made the Chili Colorado and 

I made the . . .

Lemon Bars!

Wishing you a festive and 

fun-filled Day!

 

 

Happy May Day

Vatican City - A Walk Through History

Our first walk in Italy was to the Vatican on the afternoon of the day we arrived.

We could see a glimpse of the Vatican from our hotel so knew it was not too far away and set out  to walk and explore our surroundings.

The Pope returned from the hospital the next day, March 23, 2025, while we were in Rome. 

Two days later, March 24th, we went back, bought tickets and toured everything at Vatican City that was open to the public. 

It was all incredible, including the views!

We found a fun restaurant with outdoor seating for dinner which turned out to be a perfect spot to eat great food and talk about our day.

We walked back along the river. 

An amazing day!