houseguests

sooo... two milestones: we have owned the house for two months AND we had our first weekend houseguests!  

the first one is self-explanatory, so on to the second : ) phil's parents came to visit for a long weekend.  the whole one bathroom thing made me nervous, but it actually worked out fine.  most of that is due to the fact that his parents wake up early and are extremely considerate about taking showers quickly and before you even wake up (!), but still - it wasn't an issue at all.  we had a great time being tourists in the city, eating at home, working in the yard, and just catching up.  we went around the mall (as in, the national mall), toured the vietnam memorial at night to avoid the heat, and went to the top of the old post office.  if you've never done that, you should!  it's free, the view is AMAZING (see photo), and it is not crowded.  and since the washington monument is closed due to earthquake damage, it beats that! the top of the tower is open - which means a great breeze on a hot day : )

i made lamb burgers with feta and roasted tomatoes and sweet potato fries with yogurt and mint dipping sauce.  and chili dogs.  and taco ring.  and key lime pie.  and roasted veggie fritatta muffins.  and we went to jettie's, my new favorite!  good weekend! we are so grateful for all the time they came to spend with us - and for the garden help : ) the neighbors even noticed!  

oh and here are a couple of photos of the "backyard" i was talking about... 

before back fence

after back fence

so, as you can see, ehhhh... still not awesome. really just cleaning to prepare for the next phase, whatever that may be. and i have the actual area behind the fence where the tomatoes and eggplants are, but it does not look like an after. it looks pathetic. i will post as it looks more lush. the tree has grown around the chain link fence, so i'm trying to train the ivy to cover it. and maybe some peas and hyacinth beans on the rest.  also, the trash and recycling cans... ick. what do i do with them?? there is nowhere to put them out of the way. work in progress. 

also, new goal: post at least once a week. we'll see... : )