Ok...I don't have pics because of various reasons....the main one being that our computer is bogged down and I can't download any at the moment. Argh.

Anyway, I'm tickled because I was able to adapt a pair of shorts from Salvation Army to fit my expanding preggo-belly! I can't stand anything on my tummy right now, as "small" as I am. So underbelly has been my fit of choice lately. And these shorts were just perfect, with enough stretch to fasten after adjusting.

I started by ripping them almost to the sideseams and then trying them on, pinning the waistband where I wanted it to fit. I just trimmed away the extra fabric, and sewed the waistband back on...made easier with my upholstery sewing machine. I think I could've used my normal machine, but I wanted stronger thread.

Anyway, it didn't take too long and now I have a pair of shorts that fit...for $1.19! After browsing the web and looking at the cost of maternity clothes, that has left me searching for alternatives.

I'll try to take pics to post later...I have another pair I'm going to alter the same way in a different wash, and a pair of pants too. The latter will have to have a hook closure or something to give me a bit more room...heh. So far so good though! I am just tickled pink...lol.

The house project we've been working on all summer is the sun porch. You ever have those projects that seem easy, but require much more time, energy and money than you ever thought possible? This has been one of those...heh.

We took out the old carpet only to discover the board underneath was rotten and smelled like cat pee. So we ripped it out, to uncover the porch boards underneath.

Meanwhile the carpet is sitting in the hall the whole time...grrr.

So we finally got it cleaned out...

...cut the new board and nailed it in...

...and got the new carpet roughly cut to size.

I think we worked on it every night last week! Today I'm going to set the nails in the baseboard, caulk the holes and cracks, and maybe get the touch-up painting finished. Whew. I'm so ready for this to be done! There are huge boston ferns in the entryway and living room, waiting to be hung in their new home. I couldn't stand to see them killed by the frost, when there's room available.

So when it gets all done and the plants moved back in, I'll post some more pics to show it off!

Well, last Saturday dH decided to take the tree down. One of the few we need to remove this fall. Only this one was the biggest, in front of the house close to the street. A giant diseased maple whose time had come, with its dropped bark and bare limbs over half the tree. What a sad thing to undertake.

So we got up and started in about 9:30, before traffic got too bad. It was a little scary at first, with me trying to be strong enough to pull a branch out of the way with rope so it didn't bust the gutters or break a window.

Thank goodness we are lucky enough to have the best neighbors possible. Who has neighbors that show up and start helping, taking time out of their Saturday? Without them, we would have been in a mess! For one, our ladder was way too short to complete the job. And it would have taken forever for just the two of us.

So they helped until noon, when we got it down to the trunk part.

Then we had some friends from work show up with their wives and kids and chainsaws, and they went to town on the huge parts.

Meantime, the kids played in the back with the dogs and chickens.

And by dark, all that was left was a foot high stump. Whew. And lots of raking and stacking and such. But the majority....done. Amazing.

And I'm so glad to have everything getting back to normal now, even though I feel like my house is naked and I can't hide anything now. Time to work on the front beds, especially now that the hostas will be in full sun and the ferns.

Oh...and I'm assuaging my grief with thoughts of our new tree, coming shortly. It will be a 10ft. Snow Goose Cherry, growing to about 30' x 30'. We saw one at the UT Botanical Gardens this past spring, and it was georgeous!! So we're excited about that. Hopefully we can find a place to dig a hole big enough...I want it close to the where the maple was. And it will be fun to have something that's not so common. Here's a pic through the trees.

So that's that. Now we just have to take out the black walnut, (in the power lines and messy) and this other smaller tree that's dying and blocking my garden light anyway. And trim back the maple in the back yard that's hanging over the house.

And weed all the beds to prepare for pansies and such...and rake leaves to add to the compost...and till the garden to prepare for the launch of lasagna gardening....and I better get started or this will never get done!!