Path Progress...

Although Candace and I both work in different roles within the medical field, we have been trying to lay low as much as possible by staying home and following the local state guidelines for Indiana. It has given us some more time to focus on home projects, including finally finishing the pathway from our back gate. It was certainly a sense of accomplishment getting it done - and the kiddos enjoyed helping, too! :)

 We raised the pathway with top soil and put in a drainage pipe before putting down weed fabric.

 We then added the stepping stones and a row of bricks.

 We finally used small rocks and pebbles to cover the weed fabric and complete our pathway!

We had quite an audience during the process - all waiting for us to go inside so that they could enjoy their evening meal of bird seed! :)

Great Horned Owl...

 A great horned owl flew over our house and landed on our neighbour's roof a week or two ago. It was a beautiful sight to see in these times. The photo doesn't do it justice, unfortunately. :)

Shipwreck Island...

Building with Lego is a great form of temporary escape from the headlines of the world - especially when you are in self-isolation mode. Riaan and I made a pirate island with the old Lego pirates from my youth. It was lots of fun! :)

Sunday Family Cycle...

We went for a family cycle on Sunday, 8th March. It was a mild, late-winter's day, and we cycled across to the banks of the White River to the west. The kiddos love their cycle rides with Mom and Dad - although our eldest child is almost getting too big for his bike seat! Sunday, 8th March, was also the date of the 109 km Cape Town Cycle Tour - which I used to do each year in South Africa - and so it was pretty cool to go for a cycle to commemorate this special event. My dad, brother and nephew all cycled in this year's edition of the Cycle Tour. :)

 Wearing my Cycle Tour "Club 21" shirt on Cycle Tour Sunday.

 Family selfie before our ride.

 Cycling over Prairie Creek to the west.

 White River visible through the trees.

Enjoying a brown cow - a Crawford tradition - after a good 20 km cycle. A brown cow is a mixture of Coca-Cola and milk. :)

Bonfire on a lovely Saturday...

We had a beautiful Saturday here a couple of weeks ago. We did various projects out in the back garden and also played with the kiddos. We ended the gorgeous day with a bonfire to burn up the dead sticks that had fallen from our maple tree over the winter. We drank cups of hot chocolate and enjoyed the warmth of the fire on a chilly night. :)

 Signs of spring. Tiny flowers in the grass.

 Our sedum plant has come up after its winter sleep.

 Tiny succulent plants growing at the base of our maple tree.

 Riaan playing rope with Rusty.

 Rusty loved it!

 Yummy hot chocolate by the fire! :)

Sunset on the Drive Home...

The sunset on the way home from work recently reminded me that there is so much beauty in the midst of the chaos! :)

Technic Catamaran...

This is some of my favourite moments: Building Lego with my kiddos! They helped me build this cool Lego Technic catamaran recently. Riaan absolutely loved it! The catamaran has many working parts and it actually floats!

 Riaan helping with the boat's construction.

 Floating in the bathtub - just before we bathed Rusty.

Eliza and Riaan playing with the Technic catamatan. :)

Outdoor Work...

It's been a challenging few weeks globally, and with all the depressing news I've lost interest in maintaining this blog of late. However, I will continue and hopefully my posts can brighten someone's day! :)

We've had several lovely days - interspersed with stormy, rainy days - which have allowed us to spend time outside working on various garden projects. We recently put up a raised garden bed to allow us to grow our own vegetables! We are excited about this little project. We have also put up a mounted flower bed on the fence and Riaan's bird house that he made back in November finally has a home!

I'm sure I'll be putting up more photos as the plants (still to be planted) begin to grow! We're excited for summer!

 Mounted flower bed.

 Raised garden bed.

 Filling it with our own compost and top soil.

 Ready to be planted with veggies!

I've also been working on filling this flower bed with pebbles.

Backyard Birds...

A northern cardinal (back) and a junco enjoy some scattered bird seed. :)

Cherry Ghost Fun...

We drove past the Cherry Ghost the other day and Riaan wanted to know why it was called the "Cherry Ghost." I told him that I didn't know why, to which he replied, "I think it's because of the white marshmallows that are in the hot chocolate. Ghosts are white and so are marshmallows." This kid! 😄