Nostalgia

So putting up pictures of my gardens, specifically the Untamed Back Garden, made me think about what it looked like when we first did it.  As mentioned, we created the pond, waterfall and garden for our wedding, which was on 9-10-11.  The combination of a short engagement period (6 months), a date that was already decided (Roger's proposal included a T-shirt that said "GAME OVER 9-10-11") and the fact that we were not fitting in the "traditional wedding" category with becoming a blended family and already having one of our own left us to realize that the best way to have the wedding that we really wanted... was to do it ourselves in our very own backyard.  There are tons of DIY wedding blogs and posts out there, and at times I feel like I should put ours up too, because we did pretty good, and if we could provide an idea for another couple, or a money-saving tip, that would totally make us happy to feel like we've helped someone else out.  

But that is for another day, when I find that thing called Time.  

Today is for taking a look back at the Back Garden.  We had rented a digger (DIGGER! - sorry - that shout was for Riley, because that's what we do...) and dug it out.  I'm sure the garden itself was my idea, really, I would just have them everywhere if I could, but Roger gets the credit for taking my idea and making it happen.  He is the guy who knows what to do to get things to look like things that they are supposed to be. We added rocks, concrete, a pump.  Most of the rocks we already had, they were from the original front of our house, displaced when the bay window went in.  Parts of the garden went in a little at a time, but mostly I remember working long past when the sun went down, with family and friends hauling in large stones in a wheelbarrow, my sis-in-law Jenna and I laying down the weed blanket and planting plants, Roger's work lights on us, our roommate at the time Nicole refilling everyone's beer mugs as we put together the garden just a few nights before the wedding. I think we were finally done at about 3AM.  The final product was AWESOME.  Mostly because we did it ourselves with the help of our favorite people, and also because it looked nice.  

Hmmm, looking at this is making me really want to tackle those weeds and get it back to something beautiful!

Here's the whole thing with the stage leading up to it.  I did those steps myself one day when Riley took a 4-hour nap and was ridiculously proud of them.  Roger's cousin generously hooked us up with the stage for a discount as Hurricane Irene had just come through and washed away all of our grass seed on our recently dug up yard.  (Another story entirely).  It saved our guests from wallowing in mud at our reception.  

Can't forget to include our "Love Letters" up on the hill.  My idea but Roger's hard work creating the letters out of plywood.  I spray-painted them with Floral Paint and they are still going strong nearly 2 years later.  We haven't taken them down. 

The garden in action.  I can't help but remember that it was positively POURING just miles to the east and north of us... and we had sunshine and big fluffy clouds ALL DAY.  Thanks Grandmom, I knew you'd find a way to be there.  

A New Sheriff In Town..

**Added Garden Pics at the bottom a few hours after original Post!**

A brief Good Morning from the Sheriff...

She has proclaimed she is the Sheriff of Squares.  Squares being the cereal - Cinnamon Toast Crunch, not the shape in general.  That is some fresh-out-of-bed hair if there ever was any.  

Monday.  YMCA classes.  Some office work.  Rog and I had a productive weekend of sorting receipts (so fun. NOT!) and doing quotes and trying to find people's email addresses that were written down on random pieces of paper.  I'm still trying to work in some sort of basic filing system for jobs, invoices, receipts.  We went in the pool, Daddy too.  Homemade solar panels doing their job so far to make the water warmer.  We took a neighborhood walk.  Riley successfully had her first solo trash-pick.  A perfectly good green children's plastic rake, sitting on the curb with some other stuff up the hill from us.  She was so proud.  

The baby mountain goat (when sleeping, not climbing) has been (once again) sleeping through the night.  Which means I don't sleep at all.  At least not well.  Generally by the time I get used to myself sleeping through, then he starts getting up again.  But he has no issue with falling asleep in his chair:

Also, the mountain goat walked clear across the living room today, a little wobbly when he stopped to throw his hands in the air, but he made it all the way to the Mickey airplane toy that was at his heart's desire.  Later I observed him standing up, letting go, walking to the table, letting go again and walking to the other couch and then letting go again and walking back to the first couch.  

Big kids away to the beach this week with the other side of their family.  Looking forward to fun in the sun with their cousins.  

Next week we are down in NC for the 4th of July and to meet up with some Georgia fam.  

Another kid post is coming soon... but I am stuck... birth order? Or next birthday?  Hmmmm, which kid will it be?  

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Addition to my original post... 

I just went out and took some garden pics, which I do periodically to track growth and mostly remember what I had in from year to year.  I decided to share.  Enjoy!

The front pond.  The fountain is clogged again, due to algae, which is what you get when you have a pond in full sun.  The lily pads will continue to grow and help this and also we are going to be shipping in some snails soon.  But first we have do a 50% water change and scrub out some of the offending stuff.  Which isn't all bad... the fish like it and it contributes to the naturalness of it.  But we also like to see our fish!  

My current project.  Well, one of many I should say.  My vision is to have the look of an English cottage garden, without the cottage of course.  I want that semi-wild, continuous bloom look.  It's a slow process.  I haven't chosen all my plants yet and obviously as they are new they will not be fully grown in for a few years.  In the pic is Delphinium, Sage (salvia), Dianthus and some Asylum.  

Work in progress!  Patience!  

My first (and currently only) Square Foot Garden.  Read about Mel Bartholemew's SFG concept here www.squarefootgardening.org.  Cherry Tomatoes, Big Boy Tomatoes, carrots, sweet peppers, scallions.  A second SFG was planned but I never got around to building it.  Next year we will have much more!

The raised bed garden.  Not a true square foot, but it's 3 X 8 so it operates similarly if you want it to.  This year one half is all Riley's sugar snap peas, with pyramid trellises in the middle.  We've been eating peas for weeks now and they are just about done.  Not sure what we'll put on that side when we pull them out.  Cucumbers on the other side in the back and cantaloupe lining the front.  Potato tubs on the left outside corner are also doing quite well this year. 

One of the front gardens... recently pruned so it looks so bare!  But it was very overgrown and full of weeds so it needed it greatly.  Roger actually traded some skills with a landscaper so I didn't have to do it all myself.  So awesome since I was entirely behind!  These plants on all on their 3rd and 4th year.  Sedum, Bleeding Heart, Vinca, Phlox (2 kinds), Butterfly Bush and some lilies in the back. 

 One of my window boxes.  It's actually still alive.  Apparently when I'm pregnant it's way too much trouble to water these things, which don't get rain water unless it's Hurricaning and raining sideways.  And so we've stared at a few years of dead brown sticks sticking out of the containers.  But this mix is doing great so far.  Love it!

And then there's this.... the back waterfall pond and surrounding garden, which has MAJOR potential.  And that's about it.  We built this as pre-wedding prep and got married in front of this pond and garden, back when the Mulberry tree was still there, and so it's sort of special.  But it doesn't hold water well yet and gets grossly overgrown really fast.  It has poison ivy and a wild rosebush that refuse to die.  We have 2 plans:  1) Pull the plants all out, do the pond right, put in a proper part-sun perennial-filled garden or 2) Go after it with the big green digger and turn it into a shed.  The plan for now?  Watch the wild stuff grow and stay away from the poison!  

An Open Letter to Mommy, From RJ

Dear Mommy, 

I know you are busy today. 

 From small errands to basic cleaning to gardening to spelling and math work with my sibs to all of that office work for Daddy's business that just keeps piling up.  

Not to mention the end of the 9 (yes, 9) loads of laundry you and the big kids tackled yesterday, meals for everyone and maybe a shower.  

Well, I just wanted to let you know that today... I want nothing but you.  Not hungry, not tired.  Certainly not enough for a nap.  No way.  Not even when I rub my eyes for 20 minutes.  Not unless you're going to hold me. 

 I don't want to be wrapped, because really you're just tricking me to try to get something done while wearing me.  I'm onto you, tricky woman. 

 I don't want the toys downstairs, I don't want anything in the kitchen (highly unusual, I know) and I don't want my books or my Scout bear that sings to me.  I do love him, but not right now. 

I just love you and want to hold you so tight and cling to your neck and shoulder like a little lovey monkey.  

But of course, when you broke out that box of old toys from the attic, the ones I hadn't seen in a while, it DID keep me busy for a short period of time while you clicked away on the computer, getting done 1/2,000 of what needs to be in the office... until I got tired of those and found access to my beloved wires:

I was just trying to make sure you were connected to the internet... 

Love, 

RJ

Gardening and a Mountain Goat

***This post is like a double - I haven't been keeping up as well!**

Green seems to be our current color.  The gardens, decorative and edible, front and back, are thriving and growing and beginning to produce beautiful and yummy-licious things.  The lush green of Summer is nearly upon us, the rains have been plentiful and the Sun is warm.  Even the Pond garden is doing well, producing its first blue Water Lilies (2nd and 3rd year plants) and reproducing lily pads by the day.  

School is done.  In our digital world, Chase and Indy both received picture slideshow DVD's set to music to remember their school year by.  Pretty neat. 4th Grade Promotion was cute and fun.  I barely got by the frenzied week of class picnics and parties.  My Dad and Stepmom came to visit and stayed with us for 3 days.  We ate terribly.  Having moved to North Carolina 5 years ago, a state which apparently cannot produce a decent pizza, bagel, soft pretzel or cheesesteak, the 'rents, or more specifically, my Dad, insisted on enjoying these aforementioned carb-y culinary delights throughout his visit.  Nonetheless, any time with them is time well spent.  We did give them a Farmhouse tour, in which I believe they were impressed.  

Farmhouse update - we will soon be ready to pour concrete footers for the back addition.  So. Exciting.  

RJ, now 10 months, is simply all over the place.  Chase affectionately calls him the "Mountain Goat" for his love of climbing anything and everything.  From gates to stairs to people who happen to be lying on their bellies reading books, RJ will climb it and stand up to proclaim his accomplishment.  He climbs and stands on toys with wheels (ugh), he  piles toys in corners of rooms to climb up by using his hands on the wall corners to steady himself.   He makes a run for the stairs any chance he can get.  We don't have any gates permanently in our home, never have.  And now, there are just too many people in and out, up and down and all around for that to make sense.  My own kids would get used to it, but the kids that hang out here or come over would cause a problem and the neighbors might fall over it or even break it.  So you can see it doesn't make much sense.  Except for the part where it's supposed to contain the baby.  Yes, yes, back to the baby.  He's using baby signs, signing "more," "eat" and "all done."  He says, "cup."  Although with him, he adds an "a" so its more like, "a cup!" "a cup!"  Most of his pre-verbal sounds are in exclamatory mode.  He walks when it makes sense, but since most of his toys are still on the floor (exactly where I want them to be!!) he crawls a lot too.  He can walk 3 or 4 feet before he gracefully (psych!) plops to the ground to go after what he wants.  He is decisive, determined and strong-willed.  He will push you, pull you, growl at you and plainly remove your hand from his if you are in some way preventing him from getting to something he wants.  This has earned him the occasional nickname of "The Prince" as he seems to believe that he is.  He laughs.  A lot.  All the time, really.  At many different things.  At us singing.  At himself.  At his siblings performing antics for his amusement.  Everywhere we go, strangers call him "the happy baby."  He does cry, sometimes, when thwarted, really hungry, really tired or when upset at himself for crapping his pants so that he has to lie down and get changed.  He still falls, bumps into things, stands up and bumps his face/head/arms/self on all sorts of things that look and SOUND like they hurt, but he often does not cry at these.  But growls.  Obviously, it is the item's fault for being in his way.  And he always tries again.  He is not the type to sit and cry about it.  

Riley is learning sight words and reading Beginner Reader books.  It sounds early, it IS early.  I am very aware of this and am not sure of my full feelings on the matter.  But she has memorized most of the children's books we have and still voluntarily spends a good part of her day "reading" or being read to.  She speaks with the vocabulary of an older child and uses words appropriately.  She spends car trips asking me to explain what "rude" means or what the water cycle is. She still spits out a classic kid-ism once in a while, like "that man has a mustachio!"  To her credit, she is big fan of pistachios and doesn't know many men with a mustache....lol!  Ry is a very smart kid, and I say that not to brag, but to state a fact.  In a functional manner, having a very smart kid means it is my job as her parent to engage her mind appropriately, to present her with challenging but not overwhelming educational opportunities and to allow her to advance at her pace while at the same time allowing her to act her age.  Her intellect paired with her size (she has always been 90% since birth and although she is not chubby, she wears 2 to 3 sizes up depending on the brand) means people sometimes have no idea that she is 2 yrs old.  Not for long, of course, in less than 30 days she will be 3.  She is very much looking forward to her birthday this year.

The pool is being used every day, even in the rain, and rain we have gotten!  Roger and the neighbors are working on homemade solar panel pool heaters but the kids don't seem to mind the chilly water.  

We are, as a whole, ridding ourselves of "stuff."  We are paring down (again!!) on toys, clothes, random items, accessories, etc.  In a year's time, so much makes its way in, at holidays and birthdays and other types of events, and so again it is time to purge.  This year we are HOSTING yard sales, and driving the other way when we see them.  I have a great love of organization and cleanliness, but I am also entirely functional.  A completely clean and organized house would never be fun, creative and enlightening for a child (or for me!) and so we tend to live more functionally than otherwise.  But when something does get totally cleaned, spotless, beautifully organized, I stare at it... for those lovely 10 seconds that it lasts.... 

The Missing

So I lost something the other day, well, more like the other week, maybe more.  I lost it and I can't find it, even though I have LOOKED EVERYWHERE.  It's not under the couch (but there ARE tons of neat things under there), it's not in a closet.  It's not in the sink, the pantry, on the counter.  It's not hiding in the laundry (wouldn't have been surprised), it's not in the fridge (did THAT one or two times somewhere in motherhood) & it's not in one of Indigo's purses (everything you can imagine ends up in one of Indigo's purses at one time or another and she NEVER remembers putting it there).  

It's not in the basement, garage or shed (but you could probably build a brand new house out of all the stuff hanging out in those 3 spots).  It's not in our bedroom or any of the kids' bedrooms.  It's not in the office, under the desk, in the office closet or the filing cabinet.  It's not in the playroom and I even checked that little bathroom off the playroom that we generally forget about and rarely use anymore (it's been slated for rehab for a long time but we haven't gotten to it yet). 

 It's not hiding under bathtub toys, between stacks of diapers, in the shoe bins by the front door or behind the TV cabinet that goes in the corner but isn't a corner thereby wasting triangular space behind it.  It's not in one of my reusable bags that hang on the hooks, the hooks I hung up for hanging the reusable bags, you know, the bags that I forget every friggin' time I go shopping.  It's not in the downstairs fridge, although sometimes I DO forget about what's in that fridge until the basement starts to smell funny... it's not in the attic (just went through for our giant yard sale last weekend) and it's not in the car.  

I just can't find it anywhere.  

Days start, they continue, they somehow move forward and eventually they end.  

Still I look for it. 

Piles grow on the kitchen counter, the grill top, the island, next to the coffee machine and where my purse sits (good thing it can just sit on top of anything).  

Food gets made, leftovers go in the fridge, we forget about leftovers and make more food. 

I go grocery shopping, in a daze, have no idea what I bought by the time I get home, put it away and realize nothing matches up for a meal.  By the way, the store didn't have what I'd lost either.  

Laundry waits for me.  Like a dumped boyfriend, with a slump and a frown on it's face.  Stares at me when I walk by.  Sends a sideways glance in my direction with one eyebrow up.  "Please, please - come back!" it says as I walk the other way to avoid it.  Threatens to start growing like a vine out of control after a rainstorm, using the railing in the hallway and the foot of our bed as a trellis.  

Phone calls need to be made, appointments followed up with, paperwork filed, the office organized.  

I'm still looking for what I've lost!  You would think I would have found it by now!!  

There is one week left of school, and not even a "real" week.  Two regular days and then 3 noon dismissal's.  No homework anymore but there is BUTTLOADS of stuff coming home - papers, projects and random things with pictures of the kids on it that used to line classroom walls and hallways.  "Mom, no, we did that at _____ with _____ and then we ______ and so you can't just throw it out!" "We need to save it!"  OMG. 

The pool has been up and functional for a week (everyone's husband goes onto the roof and redirects the rainwater to fill the pool instead of using the hose, right? Right? RIGHT??) which really just means there is a NEW pile of stuff in the corner of the kitchen nearest the outside door - towels, halves of suits, pool toys, flip-flops.  

I really wish I could find what I've lost.  Maybe then... ONLY then could I possibly tackle the massive amounts of daily things that await me, gang up against me, pile up in stacks and towers, grin mischievously in my face and threaten to consume me.  

If you see it, could you send it back my way?  Stick a stamp on it and mail it to me?  Tie balloons to it and float it over here?  Send it by courier, maybe even wrap it with a pretty bow?  I mean, it's not very big.  It's doesn't weigh much.  It's not much to look at but it sure is important.  And I really miss it!





Please help me find my Bucket of Motivation!!!