Our Cup Runeth Over...

Avid readers of my blog will recall the covert operation to recover Bear from being lost forever (read about it here). That was a rough day, but all turned out well in the end. I go back to that day, sometimes, when Mason brings Bear along on errands or a vacation.

Mason's classroom assignment today: write a true story. Mason chose to write about the day his friend was nearly lost...

Mason's memory never ceases to amaze me. The only detail that wasn't accurate is the restaurant. His version of the story nearly brought tears to my eyes and truly makes me understand his relationship with Bear. They will be friends for many years to come.

Water Drainage 101:

Mom always told me to marry a carpenter, auto-mechanic or plumber because you're always going to need to have something fixed on your car or around the house. I never was good at following sound advice, but I did marry a golf course superintendent. How is being married to a golf course superintendent a good thing, you ask?

We've lived in our house since August and I love being a homeowner. I love that I can paint my living room walls hot pink, if I wanted. I love that Mason has a safe place to play and plenty of room to do so. Since moving in, however, I have dreaded the rain...

Our driveway and front walk meet at the bottom of a slope. When it rained, water collected. When it rained hard or for several days, water really collected. I would often have to walk through ankle-deep water to get into my car on those days. Mason needed a life vest and rescue boat. Poor kid.

After some gentle persuasion (or not-so-gentle) and some suggestions from his landscaping buddy, Kirk, Brian agreed to take on the daunting task of fixing this problem. One day, I came home to a yard devoid of grass and a rather long trench dug into the ground. I'm glad Brian gave me the head's up to use the garage door so we didn't fall into the hole.

Brian, our guest blogger, will now describe the process in technical terms...

The first step of the process was to install a catch basin to divert the water away from our driveway/sidewalk. After securing the basin with cement, I'm quite sure that no amount of water will move it.

One critical component of all drainage devices is the simple matter of making sure the water can run down-hill. In the distance you can see that I, the wonderful and multi-talented husband (not to mention handsome), am using a transit to ensure the water will flow from top to bottom. This is a photo of Cortni "helping".

For our yard, I decided to use a bubbler emitter on the end of the drain to let the water out of the pipe. This emitter will allow the pipe to completely fill with water and slowly drain out and spread evenly throughout the yard.

Once everything was in place, dirt is moved back on top to cover up the masterpiece.

Of course it helps if the dirt is packed in. Here you can see I am using a fancy tool to do the required job – my feet.

The process didn't come without difficulties though. The builders who built our house decided to dispose of excess bricks and rocks in the front yard and incorporate them into the soil. Oh well, nothing is easy right?

Our builders also decided they would save some money in the building process by covering our clean-out spout with an empty tub of butter. Very professional!

Once the drain was installed, I thought it would be a good idea to test it out by running water through the pipe.

As you might be able to tell, it worked! Job well done!

I Scream, You Scream...

...for S'mores. Okay, so there isn't a rhyme for s'mores and I didn't want to think of one. So there.

When we were looking for a house to purchase last summer, a fireplace was not even on my list of requirements. I still feel like having a fireplace, that doesn't warm the entire house, is a waste of wall space and limits my choices for furniture placement. But, I'm liking the ambiance it creates on a cold winter day and that Mason can make s'mores any time we have graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.

I find that, on evenings as cold as it has been, I am disappointed to come home and not find a fire in the fireplace. Who would have thought? Plus, I enjoy the smile on Mason's face when he discovers a package of chocolate bars in the pantry.