sad to see it end...

As much as I love Fall, I really am sad to see summer come to an end. It seems at the end of every summer John and I look back and feel like we didn't do as much as we'd like. For example, we wanted to go camping all summer but never did. We have a long list of things we didn't quite get to. I guess that just leaves a lot more things to do next summer.  

We did have a GREAT summer! We had two main goals and we completed them both: build a pergola and paint our adirondack chairs.The chairs were a huge pain, but we got them done! As for the pergola, it was quite an ordeal! It took A LOT of work, but it was well worth it! I have to hand it to John, when ever he does a project he goes all out and does such nice work! It it were up to me, we'd have all the projects done in 1/2 the time, but the quality wouldn't even compare!! For example, with the pergola John had us stain the stupid boards at least four times!!! Seriously, I would have put one coat on and called it good!! I know I did my fair share of complaining, but truthfully I'm must more satisfied because of all the hard work! We really enjoyed our patio this summer. We had a few BBQs (wish we could of had more) and ate most of our dinners outside. It was also nice having a shaded area for Eleanor to play outside. She spent many hours with sidewalk chalk, the hose, bubbles and anything else she could haul out there!!

We also really enjoyed all our flower pots! This was the first year they all lasted the entire season. I was surprised at the few flowers Eleanor pulled. She loved smelling and touching them.  

And, this summer was our first attempt to a vegetable garden. Our favorite was the swish chard and the basil leaves! I've made TONS of pesto, both creamy and regular. I also made a lot of Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. Soooo good!! We let a lot of banana peppers go to waste. Our tomato plants were a little late, but we're still getting some good ones. Our squash struggled a little. I think we got maybe 4 zucchini and about 6 summer squash. Overall we were both pleased with our efforts. Nothing beats fresh veggies our of the garden!! Next year we are definitely going to add a lot of green beans, more tomato plants and work on our squash.