Boat Parking Part 1

We recently purchased a boat...great, exciting, super fun...except, we didn't have a place to store it!  We decided to take the plot of grass between our garages and turn it into a boat parking pad.  The first thing we had to do was deconstruct the fence separating that plot of grass from the road.  (We'll reuse those fence materials to create a gate - stay tuned!)

The first thing we had to do was lay weed barrier on top of the existing grass.  The goal was to get this completed before the stone delivery; however, as you can see we ran out of weed barrier! Very frustrating, but we were just excited they could deliver the stone so quickly we dealt with it.

The stone delivery was fun, nearly 4 tons of stone!  It didn't look like much till it started pouring out of the truck.  Wheel barrow by wheelbarrow the stone was spread out over the area.  Once a thin layer was laid we focused on the edging.

We found a neat recycled product.  It's made from old tires, it's very bendable (70 degree angle) and easy to work with.  Each piece is 4' long and is shaped like an L.  The L sits on the ground providing a 2" edge to hold the stone in.

PhotoSource: Lowes.com

We had to cut out the grass before laying the edging to keep it level.

Once the edging was put in, the rest of the stone was spread out.

The moment we towed the boat onto its new parking spot was victorious and well worth all the hard work!

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Green Smoothie Update

I received several comments about being afraid to try a spinach smoothie so I thought I'd post an update that we have maintained our smoothie love!  I have posted a few different recipes including a smoothie that isn't green.  (Click on the smoothie photos below for recipes.)

Green Smoothie Recipe I

Green Smoothie Recipe II

Through all of these recipes and some further experimenting, I have discovered a few things that I thought I would share for those of you considering conquering your fear of the vibrant green smoothie!

1. The banana is necessary for proper consistency.  I haven't found a substitute for the banana yet.  I tried making it without the banana, but it just didn't work.

A Non-green Fruit Smoothie

2. You CAN hide things in these smoothies.  If you have a picky eater this is a great way to ensure they're getting their daily vitamins & minerals!

3. Unsweetened coconut or almond milk work great!  In fact, I find I crave sweets less by using the unsweetened milks.  You can even get unsweetened chocolate almond milk, which adds a nice hint of chocolate.

4. Coconut milk keeps you filling full longer!  Coconut milk has more fat (healthy fat) in it therefore it keeps you feeling full longer!  The almond milk is filling as well, but just doesn't seem to keep that hunger growl away as long as the coconut milk!

5.  A spinach smoothie (as well as the non-spinach version) provide us with energy and make us feel alive!

I've been making a batch of three smoothies at a time.  I love using the Ball plastic freezer jars - they allow me to freeze the smoothie or just put it in the refrigerator.  I also just stick a straw in it and use it like a cup - anything for less dishes!

My favorite combination? Coconut milk, kiwi, pineapple & spinach!




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