Necessary projects

In September we had to take some preventative measures to insure our basement stays dry next year.  Our driveway has a tendency of draining all the water into this little basement window (above).  Here you can see it after they removed the sidewalk (forgot a before photo) and below is the retaining wall we had removed.  It was made of old railroad ties, which had rotted out and was beginning to crumble from all the erosion.

When the Amish & Mennonite workers were done, we had this beautiful sidewalk, window well and cement retaining wall.  I can't imagine how the water can get in there now.

I also had an opportunity for patience as before the workers even left, someone's little footprints were accidentally imbedded in the corner of the new sidewalk. :)  Not a major thing in the grand scheme of life.

A fruitful harvest

We had a great garden harvest this year and take a look at these heirloom tomatoes!  Beautiful!  I've been able to put up lots of pickled foods and sauces, not to mention what we got to eat fresh.  So tahnkful for God's bounty.

Here is a shot of our garden with the heavy mulch we laid down around it.  It was wonderful not having to weed it this year and very rarely did we have to water it.  It may just be worth all that work.

Family Reunion

At the end of July, we made the long drive to Maryland to have a Murphy family reunion.  It was a full week but since I'm so far behind, I'll just share our "big gang" photos.  It was great to catch up with everyone and make some new memories.

The original Murphy gang - in all their silly glory.

The kiddos enjoying their grandparents.

Oh yes, and Boo had such a great time painting this milk house door with her Uncle Randy.  Grandma loved the end results on her property and a new relationship has bloomed between these two.

Memory Lane

This is Jen and we go way back to Junior High School.  It's fun to look back and remember all the things we've experienced together, even when we eventually moved in together as roommates.  Life gets busy and living in different states keeps us pretty far apart.  What a gift to me when she opted to drive 7 hours to meet me in CO this summer!  Bless her!

We spent two relaxing and refreshing days in Breckenridge, CO, enjoying the beauty of nature and of each others company.  We stayed in this mountaintop resort (look at the top left of the photo and you can imagine the view from our room) and it was amazing.  Most importantly was the joy we had in sharing what God has been up to in our lives and families over the years.  Two days just wasn't enough but it was SUCH a gift!