Weekend Wrap-Up: Garden Edition

My first March in NC held cold rain and snow -yuck!- so the past week of 80* has been a beautiful surprise! We have been taking walks each evening after dinner and finally agreed that Spring is here to stay. Time to break out the trowel and big hats!

The girls took a trip to the nursery while R dug a new shaded flower bed in the back. The front is now awash with viola, pansies, creeping phlox, and early snapdragon. Ferns are hung between the columns and the boxes are fertilized, waiting for daylilies. All of this new growth, intermingled with the bulbs we planted in the fall, makes for a beautiful scene.

The back is full of color, too! The large planter is overflowing with pink and red geranium and the twin pots with a mix of rosemary, strawberries, and lantana. The new shade bed holds camellia and winter daphne. We are just waiting for the bougainvillea to come out for the large upright planter and Chinese snowball to accent the deck.

Plans are in place to set blueberry bushes along the fence next spring. I’m hoping to expand the shade bed in the fall to include Lenten rose and hydrangea. The front island may end up with some more rose bushes before the summer is over.

R took charge of the vegetable garden this year, putting down seed and compost two weeks ago. We are hoping for watermelon, zucchini, and peppers this year. He also threw in a mix of leftover cool weather seeds, including radish, broccoli, and pumpkin. You never know what will sprout in our garden!

Little K has taken over both yards. It has been so much fun watching her teach herself to hoolahoop and jump rope! I built a quick-and-dirty corral for her kickballs in the back and she has been covering the front drive with drawings. She has also taken charge of watering all of the new plants. Too much fun!

Reading on the front porch swing has returned as my favorite pastime. I am digging back into Marlena de Blasi’s “A Thousand Days in Tuscany” and just loving it. Each chapter leaves me hungry for a quiet life of food, wine, and mountains. I can’t wait to try her recipe for fried zucchini flowers!

We celebrated St. Patties Day in our own way: steak and green mashed potatoes with a green angel food cake for dessert. Alas, no pictures.

Coming Up: Wednesday Weigh-In. See dspence’s daily tracker and find out how many pts were really in that green angel food cake.

Next Week: Spring Cleaning and Birthday Prep. Will the house be mopped before dspence turn 31? Find out next Monday!

And, Later: Donor BCPs to Commence in April. Will dspence's relationships survive the hormones?

All this and more…

Weekend Wrap-Up: What 18 Hours of Dog Ownership Taught Me

Two weeks ago, a total cutie pie was brought into the office.

After playing ball and taking some walks I decided that, if I can’t have a baby, a dog would be a fine substitute. We filled out the adoption paperwork and were offered the chance to bring Duke home for the weekend.

Now, the little guy above couldn’t come home with us because he tried to attack Little K twice but the staff suggested we give another dog a try through Sunday. This new dog was totally sweet, very laid back, and loved to lay on your lap, giving kisses.

But, after just 12 hours, it became clear that a dog just wasn’t for us. We waited another six hours and then called the farm, explaining that we had learned that our family wasn’t ready for a dog and asking if we could bring her back early.

So, we did. And none of us miss her.

Lesson #1: Appreciate what you already have.

We have a sweet kitty named Naminae. The past month or so, I’ve been complaining about her. I don’t know about the other cat moms out there, but sometimes you are just DONE with scooping the litter box. And the constant smell of either poop or bathroom spray. And sweeping up the litter that gets tracked all over the house. And the cat hair on everything.

But you know what’s great about Naminae? I don’t have to take her to the bathroom. Ever. And she doesn’t wake me up at night, ready to play. And I don’t have to watch her with Little K. And she doesn’t have to be on a leash. Rock on.

Lesson #2: Take care of (Invest in) what you already have.

After we dropped the dog back off at the farm, Little K and I headed to the pet store for supplies.

To recap, my top complaints about the cat: The scooping, the smell, the tracked litter, the cat hair.

Well, there’s nothing to be done about the poop or the smell. Everybody poops and it eventually has to be disposed of. At least, with the cat, I know where it is and can change up the spray. However, for the tracked litter, a specialty litter mat has solved that problem. We’ve had this extra large mat on the floor for two days and I haven’t had to sweep once. Win!

And, for the cat hair, we picked up a FURbuster brush on super sale plus a $10 off coupon. When we got home, I cracked that bad boy open and removed about a pound of hair from our girl. She has basically stopped shedding since then! Saturday grooming will now be a regular part of our routine.

Lesson #3: Enjoy (Use) what you already have.

While we were at the pet store, we picked up some new toys for Naminae. That in itself is irregular for us but we went a step further: we picked up toys that require us to interact with her! Since Saturday, we have spent HOURS playing with Naminae and have been having a great time. She may not play fetch, but there’s nothing funnier than seeing her go nuts over feathers and ribbons on a stick.

Lesson #4: Don’t wait for an excuse to live your life.

One of my main arguing points for a dog was that it would encourage us to spend more time out in the yard. But you know what? The yard is there whether we have a dog or not. When Naminae needed a break from playing, Little K and I headed outside to fly kites, jump rope, hula hoop, draw with chalk, and kick a ball. It was the most time we’ve spent outside since autumn and you know what? It was awesome.

So how will I be applying these lessons?

#1: Well, for starters, I am going to remind myself how good life is right now. That the kids are pretty self-sufficient. That I can sleep through the night. That we can decide on an outing without much extra planning. That I’m no longer dropping $1000/month on day care. And that I get 6 weeks each year to enjoy my husband without any children needing attention.

#2: I’m going to invest in our children’s future. R and I are working hard to pay off our credit card debt. Once we are able to get everything paid off, we can start putting away for the kids’ higher education. Other things are only a few years away, too, like piano lessons and karate. Now is the time for us to prepare for their future.

#3: I’m going to take the time to enjoy our children. We re-instated family movie night on Saturday, chores after church on Sunday, and at least 4 meals around the dinner table together each week. These moments will help us continue to blend our family and hopefully help us feel like a family of four.

#4: And no more excuses. I’ve put off many things in the hopes of having another child (losing weight and getting back on stage come to mind). No more! I’ve put together a plan to lose the weight and get my voice back in shape. It’s time to start becoming me again!

So there’s your weekend wrap-up. Here’s to a life well lived!