Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The pool is open for the summer!


We had a lot of trouble keeping water in our pool last year 
at our new place. 
The ground looked level, but it wasn't!
This year Mr. H. spent several days preparing a level spot 
before he sat the pool up for the summer.


And, of course I was fascinated with the process!
First he used stakes and string to lay out the boundary 
and see how much drop there was in the ground. 


Then a dump truck backed through our yard
with a load of dirt.


It backed right up to the string boundary,


and dumped the load of dirt that Mr. H. had ordered.


It's too bad my four year old nephew wasn't here.


I have a feeling he would have thought the dump truck
was pretty cool. ;-)


Then Mr. H. removed the string and stakes,


and made a permanent form for the pool area.


Then it was time to spread the dirt!




He made an nifty little contraption to level the dirt.



When the ground was level,
he spread out a tarp 
and set up the pool.


And now I don't have to spend my summer
hollering at children to not lean on the side of the pool!!!
Which I might have said once
or a thousand times last year.;-)



Thank you Mr. H.!!!



The pool
is open!

Homegrown Tomatoes!


We're enjoying a bumper crop this year!


Nothing better or more summer-y
than fresh ripe tomatoes! 


What is your favorite way to enjoy farm fresh tomatoes?


Mine is simply sliced and salted!


Hint ~ never put a tomato in the fridge!
It steals the flavor. :-)

Heritage Schoolhouse is now on facebook!



You can now follow Heritage Schoolhouse 
at the all new


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Garden this morning...


We have a few ears of corn growing!
It's just crazy to me 
that we put a tiny seed in the ground 
and 10 weeks later 
these tall corn plants are standing there!


I love how the tops of the corn plants look.


A bell pepper.


We've got some fruit on the better boy


and the early girl tomato plants.


I'm so pleased that the garden is doing this well,
considering the extreme drought we are having 
here in central Texas.


I'll be making my second batch of 
refrigerator pickles this afternoon!


And, we're loving all the tomatoes!
The roma and the grape plants are doing very well.
They take just about two days 
to ripen perfectly on  the windowsill.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Summertime Is Here at my House :-)


Some Things I Love About Wonderful Summer

backyard swimming pools
flip flops
watermelon
lemonade
fireworks
swing sets
bar-b-q
sundresses

kitchen curtains dancing in the breeze
lightening bugs

cook outs
beach towels
suntans
garden fresh tomatoes
ankle bracelets

canning
homemade ice cream
summer movies
daisies in a mason jar

parades
swimming holes
cicadas 
cherry pie
stacks of library books
popsicles
shell jewelry
picnics
tubing
honeysuckle
hammocks

suntea
peaches
blackeyed susans
butterflies
grilled corn on the cob
hot pink toenail polish
rope swings
the beach!
floppy hats
dewberries
4th of July
aloe vera gel
farmer’s markets
sno cones
sleeping porches

s'mores
shade trees 

ladybugs
sand castles
road trips
bare feet
straw purses
blue bell ice cream
ripe strawberries

drive in's
homemade pickles
 carefree children


illustration courtesy of All Posters
"Summer Brook" by Bill Makinson

Monday, May 30, 2011


"We who are left how shall we look again
Happily on the sun or feel the rain
Without remembering how they who went
Ungrudgingly and spent
Their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?"


~Wilfred Wilson Gibson

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Rob the Turtle


Our neighbors went out of town for the holiday weekend,
and asked us to keep "Rob" for them.


Little "Rob" is less than two inches in length.


I really enjoyed keeping him.


I think I need a turtle!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The giveaway winner is...



Tabitha

Congratulations Tabitha!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered.
I really enjoyed seeing who visits Heritage Schoolhouse! :-)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011


"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier.  The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."

~Margaret Young

Come Along With Me


and I'll introduce you to the animals
at Heritage Schoolhouse! :-)


The chickens will be 10 months old this week.


I enjoy them so much.


Miss Dolly is my girl.
She never pecks me, always follows me around,
and if I stop for a bit, 
she likes to stand in between my legs. 


Miss Tammy has been a bit broody
some days.
I've tried to tell her that her eggs are never going to hatch, 
but she doesn't seem to listen. 








Miss LuLu is growing.
She likes to eat!
She gets along very well with the chickens.
And, bless her heart, she tolerates 
being dressed and having her nails painted
by my daughter!


She and Daisy are best pals.


Here they are trying to sniff out the kittens 
living under the shed.


There they are!



So cute!





Ol' Cooter will be 13 1/2 years old next month
and he sleeps most of the time.
He hasn't lost his appetite though!



And a friendly little turtle 
was in the middle of the drive this morning.  


If you're stopping by from the
Barn Hop thanks for visiting!

There is one more day left to enter the
Mary Jane's Farm magazine giveaway! :-)