240/365 UV Filter

Allow me a moment to brag. 

First let me say we LOVE our pool and watching so many kids having a blast in it. However being pool owners has been a learning curve and we are very thankful to Sansom Pools for all their teaching and advice. I am sure they are very thankful for our credit card too! 😜

We are slowly mastering the chemistry of the water and how to balance it and keep it healthy. But it also involved a whole new understanding of intakes and output valves, water pumps (and priming those pumps which is an art in itself) sump pumps to empty the overflow, filters and cleaning filters, UV treatment, heater settings (and rather large hydro bills), bypass valves, winterizing, pool liner care and the list goes on.....

Today the UV Filter sprung a leak and we had to shut down the system. Chat GPT walked me thru the particular UV filter we have and possibilities to fix but alas - not worth it as it is 7 years old. Sansom pools confirmed everything chat GPT said and offered a temporary fix but they could not have anyone out to replace it until next week. They did have one in stock. $$

Since we have 6 children and 8 adults coming for lunch and an afternoon of swimming tomorrow and the pumps and filters are off d/t the leak, I wanted a fix today so we do not have cloudy water tomorrow. 

So I went to the pool store where they got the UV filter prepped for installation and I brought it home and installed it! By myself! AND got the system running again (priming that pump)...which can be tricky once air gets into the pipes. 

Ta da!  

We have a working pool. 

Now to food prep for tomorrow! 

 239/365 Five Crowns

Grand sleepover and they learned Five Crowns. I am amazed at how fast they pick up card games and do amazingly well at them. 

 238/365 Frog

There was a lot of rain Monday night and when the overnight tarp is on the pool is covered in rain, the frogs like to sit on it. There were five little frogs this morning.  

 237/365 So Sad

I bought this hand made mug at the artisan market this spring and today it fell off the dish rack! 

 236/365 Family

Happy birthday to our d-i-l Pam who is very much adored by our son and their three children and for very good reason! 

 235/365 Our Sweet Grands. 

Sure blessed to be here to watch them grow. 

 234/365 Ohio Buckeye

This large and very beautiful tree is growing in our front yard. Unfortunately I have learned that the tree leaves and nuts are toxic to humans and animals. As lovely as the tree is and as interesting looking as the fruit is,  it is not one I would have chosen to plant in my yard. 

 233/365 Pesto

Just froze a large batch of pesto. I may have been a little heavy on the garlic! 

 232/365 Reading Christiana with GrandPa

 231/365 Finished

Lucy finished her Lego Friends Beekeepers House and Flower Garden and she did the whole thing herself. It is for ages 12+ and she just turned 8. Well done Lucy! 

 230/365 Yellow Rocks

And while her siblings were creating a home for the fairy garden, Emma was very busy making all the rocks yellow. 

 229/365 Creativity

They spent over an hour in the back yard rock river bed creating a "home" for the fairy garden Lucy made. There was a secret path in and then hieroglyphics on the rocks to tell the story of the fairy garden. 

All I did was hand them a box of chalk... 

 228/365 Antipasto

We made 26 1/2 jars today. That should get us through the winter. 

 227/365 Coopers Hawk

One ver soggy bird trying to dry off at the top of a tree this am after quite the downpour. 

 226/365 Calla Lily - About 30 blooms now. 

 225/365 Pool Time

Another beautiful summer day! 

 224/365 Bumble Bee

 223/365 Composter 

It's new and I am looking forward to the magic. 

 222/365 Morning Garden Walkabout

 221/365  Travertine Table Lamp

 220/365 Coffee Table

 219/365 She Passed

Lucy got her front crawl down pat this week (and her back crawl) and managed to move up another level. Way to go Lucy! 

 218/365 Not Having Fun

Swimming lessons this week and they are outdoors in a non heated pool. It has been a rather cloudy, coolish and windy week so far and, well lets just say shivering in a pool for 45 minutes has not been fun.

 217/365 Cucumber

Picking 3-4 of these every day. 

 216/365 Hibiscus Fog.

It is a London Fog but instead of Earl Grey, herbal Hibiscus. 

We went out for breakfast at Pine Ridge Hollow. 

 215/365 Grandmas Helper 

She really wanted to help peel the veggies but they were a little too hard to resist. I am okay with that, LOL

 214/365 Colourful Cat

These people who do the faceprinting really amaze me. It was a shame to have to take it off to go swimming....

 213/365 Family

We went to family days at Pineridge Hallow. Feeding the goat and the bouncy castle were the highlights but at supper the kids still said the best part of the day was swimming in the pool. :) 

 212/365 Purple Coneflower

 211/365 Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to our son Mark. So proud of the kind, hard working, loving and Godly example he is to his three kids. 

 210/365 Cooling off! 

 209/365 Hair Cut

Jesse lets Grandma cut his hair. He likes visiting her "salon", but he giggles and moves a whole lot! 

 208/365 Calla Lily

 207/365 Beans

There are soooo many of them!! 

 206/365 Hydrangea

 205/365 Mango Chutney Making Kind a Day

 204/365 Golfer

Emma quite enjoys mini golf and she enjoys posing for Grandmas camera even more! 

 203/365 Tinker Town 

Jesse got a hole in one!! 

 202/365  Pottery

Our next creative adventure, today we made candle holders from clay. 

 201/365 Jesse

He is such a ham!!

 200/365 Miss Emma

She now lets me photograph her. :) 

 199/365 Lucy

Love her red hair! 

 198/365 Bookmarks

They arrived with their library books and scraps of paper marking their spot in the chapter. Well, we had to remedy that!! A little water colour paint and the laminator did the trick.  

...we also set up the studio!

 197/365 Breakfast

French toast muffins with Nutella in the centre, whipped cream and strawberries. Our new breakfast fav....although grandpa pancakes will likely remain #1. 

 196/365 Todays Art Project

It involved water colour paints, glue and a lot of salt. 

 195/365 Cooling Off

 194/365 Children's Encyclopedia

These moments bring me great joy. 

 193/365 Pool Time

Great times in the pool with 2nd cousins on a very hot and humid day! 

 192/365 Ta Da!! 

Finished! He did it all by himself.

 191/365 Calla Lily

My Calla Lily bloomed!! 

Last year no blooms - probably d/t 5 days in a hot moving truck and late watering. As well,  I did not realize how little sun they would get at the front of the house. This year they get great sun by the pool.  I am so happy to see the trumpets appear. There are five right now.