Quite Contrary..... How Does Your Garden Grow?

So, yes we are VERY late in getting our garden started, but we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little bit a fresh produce - especially after driving through California and seeing all of the fields growing everything from Corn to Sunflowers! Kind of made us crave playing in the dirt.

We had cleared this area last Fall anticipating that we would have a garden this year. This was quite the endeavor as we had to cut out the sod that was in this location. WOW, did that go over well with the Alaskan. See, that sod was laid just a few years ago with much sweat and effort, not to mention expense. So suggesting we remove it for a garden was just another of my crazy ideas that I wrangle him into to. And even more crazy was my suggestion that we MOVE it to another location in our yard. Cutting it out ( not to mention cutting out the old grass in the location we wanted to move it to) and moving it was no small feat which he begrudging accomplished with only a few swear words.

We dutifully planted some crimson clover as a cover crop which grew so well, almost to our knees. But this spring due to scheduling and vacations and a certain Shed Project, we never got to actually to prepping and planting the garden. (Well, in all fairness we HAD planted some herbs, peppers, cucumbers and blueberries in various locations around our yard since the garden wasn't ready - but it just wasn't cutting it.) So this past weekend with the laundry from our vacation finally done and all of the camping gear stowed away (and we had nothing better to do) we though we would FINALLY get some veggies in the ground! Really, we were both getting sick of how the yard looked (mud and weeds = not so attractive) and we knew that if we didn't get this going soon it just wasn't going to happen this year at all.

The area was FULL of weeds, we had mowed the cover crop in the spring but between this and the patches of left over grass it was frightful. The ground was dry as a bone, so it took quite a bit of muscle to remove the majority of what was there.




And then came tilling and mixing in some compost. YEAH! for big muscles!!! This machine packs some punch. A few times it really yanked him around. My job with the camera (sitting back sippin' a mojito) was easy :)

We have a pretty small space (and an even SMALLER attention span) so built only two beds to start. The beds weren't necessary but are nice to contain the dirt. To help with weeds and mud around the beds we laid gravel. We wanted to just start with a few plants for now as this is a trial of sorts to see how good this location is (tucked between the shed and the house we are hoping there is enough sun throughout the day) and how well we can maintain these crops. You know the whole best intentions. We are great at starting, not so good with finishing :) Check in at the end of August and we'll see if we are still enjoying this project.

We ran a drip irrigation system to hopefully automate the watering. We still have a busy summer ahead and don't want to be tied to watering.

We hope to add some hardware to these beds in the Fall that will allow us to add some removable PVC supports for the addition of a greenhouse like cover to the beds for spring planting. That should help us get some crops in earlier next year and extend our growing season just a bit.

We planted our plants, which also meant moving some of our already producing plants - not sure how that will pan out, we'll see.

So we now have a little piece of earth growing a few editable things like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, lettuce and beans. It's not much but it is a start. When all was said and done we stood back and looked upon the vegatables of our labor and all I could think was: "Next year we'll have chickens too!"

~ a country girl at heart trying to make do in the city

The ManShed

What started over a year ago with a dream and a book (with bunch of scribbled notes in the margin) is finally (almost!) complete!

We had to wait for the weather and our budget to cooperate to start this project - but that didn't stop Chris from practically wearing out the "How to build a Shed" book planning his new palace (too MANY hours to even count spent studying and sketching and calculating and compiling lists of materials) - and it took only about a month from start to finish.

It is quite an accomplishment for him.

We had an old metal shed in this corner of the yard. The shed was too small to fit our growing collection of tools and yard equipment plus Chris and DPJ didn't have any area to work on "projects", so we decided to replace it with a bigger better version. We moved the metal carcass of the old shed (basically the top and sides) to the other end of the yard so we had some place to put everything while the new shed was being built. The floor was rotted - which of course during the move I had to find out the hard way by stepping right through a spot in the corner! Funny, didn't realize I could levitate but apparently the thought of what lies under the shed helped me to uncover this hidden ability.

Chris and Seth cleared the ground and leveled it.And built the floor. And then, of course, surprise, surprise: it started to rain..... but that never stops anybody around here..... and it is why we own 50 tarps!

Ray helped get the walls
and trusses up.... It was a long day but very productive.

It was on to siding and windows......

and then the roof, which took the longest due to the steep pitch. Everyone giggles at the pitch (much steeper than necessary) but Chris says, "At least there will be no snow cave ins."




"Um, honey, it doesn't snow THAT MUCH here....." Damn Alaskan! It was funny (but kind of nerve-wracking) to watch him perched up there balanced on 2" of wood nailing shingles. Thankfully a few scuffs and a burnt bald-spot were the only injuries to report.So as of last weekend the roof is done (just the stringers need to come down) and the door is also on so we could put stuff away. We dismantled the old shed completely (which was crazy hard - 17 billion screws - but fun as we WHACKED it into pieces sometimes with a vengence!).

There are still a few finishing touches: gutters, trim, a porch, etc. that need to be done but the yard is put back together enough that we can FINALLY start the garden.

YAH!!! And there you have it: Chris' new spot..... His very own ManShed - soon to be outfitted with a stereo, a lazyboy recliner, a TV and his PlayStation. What..... you didn't think he was going to WORK out there did you?

Merry Christmas to All

To All....













...and to all a blessed 2009!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

....and all through the house were these cute creatures who I happen to call my family. I know time is passing faster than I think it should, but for now I am so blessed to have the pitter patter of these feet among me. For they will grow, and they will go, but for today they are still mine.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

DPJ started tackle football this year. He now has full garb.....

.....And a full set of bruises to match!

1st Day of School 2008

Aren't they adorable:Yeah pictures are fine on your front porch. I barely had to threaten them for this shot:But all that changed when we pulled up to the school.

Not that this ritual is anything new, we've only done it every year since kindergarten, but this year I got the full, "MOM!" including (but not limited to) arms crossed in defiance, eyes rolling and huffs galore, when I pulled over and hopped out to take this shot:
You'd think I was dressed in a Hawaiian mu mu with curlers in my hair insisting on a big fat kiss right in front of their classroom! (OK, no mu mu, but surely a kiss for your mama!) Notice the ready to bolt stance DQ has taken. If this shot has not worked too bad the next one would have been her backside running away.....

I'm sure DQ thinks that I lay awake at night dreaming up new ways to completely embarrass her! (no..... but sometimes on the way home in the car my mind does wander..... tee hee)

Fell in Love with a Boy

A funny thing happened on the way to my friend's wedding. I met a boy and fell in love.

It's been a long four years. And I won't lie, it's not been the happily ever after ending I thought it would be.

He's not perfect - he says "What?" more often than not when responding to something I've said. He remembers things I wish he'd forget and forgets just about everything else. He's dirty. And I don't mean in a fun, deep husky voice "What are you wearing ?" kind of way. I mean he works hard for a living and he comes home filthy and spreads his love on everything he touches. But he makes me laugh and looks into my eyes and doesn't look away. He is truly the most patient man when it comes to dealing with me. It is the right combination of persistence and patience that he has with me that just works. Which is a feat. After all, I am a piece of work.

He's curious. Which means he tries things. I like that. Sometimes he fails, but other times he succeeds. Sometimes he takes my advice (although begrudgingly) and then sometimes he doesn't. But on a Saturday afternoon when I pull in the drive way and spy a beautiful new gate to the backyard staring back at me, one I said we didn't need, but never the less looks so beautiful I cannot find the words to complain, I am so grateful he doesn't always listen.

He tries, and he gets it wrong (A LOT) but then again, when I least expect it he gets it right. Wrapping his arms around me answering me, "Why? Because I love you and I need you. That's why." I'm just so thankful he never gives up.

Uplifting

*** So yes, I've been a very BAD blogger lately. So much to post..... hopefully in the next few weeks I will be posting a bunch of stuff, but I plan to back date it, so it won't show up in the latest..... yeah I'm kind of weird that way... sorry!

What a weekend! zoom-zoom broke down which killed the trip to Seattle (sorry auntie!). Figured we had one car in the shop, might we as well tear apart the other one right? I know great logic. Chris had ordered a lift kit, new shocks and new tires for the jeep and he could wait no longer so he said.....It took him and Seth two days under the Jeep (literally!) to install....









And now..... It's so high my chubby butt can barely get in and out of it..... but as you can see, Chris is VERY happy with how it turned out........ and also has to jump in and out! tee hee!

Too Sexy!

I'm too sexy for my shirt - too sexy for my shoes.... too sexy... yeah!

Chris can so rock the after eye appointment shades, don't you think? Originally he put the little rolled up film over his glasses and as he was rocking out in the optical shop lobby (singing My Future's so Bright with some air guitar thrown in for good measure) the assistant gently advised him that these were actually suppose to go BEHIND his glasses. Who would have known? So properly affixed he took this picture as confirmation of just how cool he is! Maybe his eyes were so dilated that he couldn't see what these shades *really* looked like! Hard to tell.

Doncha wish your Monkey Bread was HOT like mine? Doncha?

Now when Chris woke up to find me in the kitchen pulling this out of the oven he says,

"That is a one sweet hot piece of Love...." with a growl in his voice and a look in his eyes.....

......and here I thought he was talking about me.

A Piece of Work

So... I know I can be "difficult" at times. But this? We-he-hell....

Me "I know I am a piece of work..."

Him "Oh baby, you're a WHOLE job site..."

What? Me? NOOOOOO........

Gung Hay Fat Choy

"Gung Hay Fat Choy means: Best wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year.

Chinese New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Can a hear an AMEN!!!) It is a time for family reunions, for honoring ancestors and for thanking the Gods for their blessings. (of which we have many)

Families make great preparations for this special celebration. Before the New Year, families settle debts and buy new clothes. (Well, the taxes are done, does this count???) The house is cleaned and food is prepared. (Got the food covered the house could pass muster I guess....) Homes are filled with flowers and fruit. (Got a couple of bananas...but flowers....hummm.... could I be so lucky as to get flowers today? Anybody? Anybody? ~silence~ that would be a no.)"

Any way you want to look at it I guess. I see it as another chance to have a new start.... or in our case: just another reason to have a special meal. Yes, surprise, surprise, one of the ways I show just how very much I love you is by feeding you.

And I'm gonna love me some family tonight! Broccoli Beef, Fried Rice, Kung Pow Chicken, Egg Rolls... all eaten with chop sticks and even fortune cookies...... all that will be missing is my red silk kimono. Go ahead, close your eyes and picture it. The mental image is good for a laugh, I promise. You know if I had one, I would be dressed to the nines!!!

O Happy Day

The project we (well, honestly, mostly HE) had been working on is finally done.

The Roomie has moved into his new room and we have moved back into our bedroom, and the kids each have their own rooms back. And I cannot tell you how blissful the first night was. We spent the whole night in our room, in bed, watching TV and just smiling at each other. Frankly I am still smiling ear to ear just reveling in FINALLY having our own space back.

It is hard to believe, really. 8 weeks ago, we had a shop, and now we have a room with a bathroom. It looks awesome. Quite an accomplishment for him. I am really proud of him and his perseverance. It’s been a long and hard (and unlike some people, apparently this isn’t something he uses to describe fun) project. But sadly luckily all things must eventually come to an end. No more long nights with him in the garage. No more trips to Jerry's several times a night week. No more sheet rock covered Chris emerging from the garage for a break. No more strings of epithets coming from the garage. Seriously, some nights I’ll be in the bedroom putting away laundry or reading and I could hear him out there through the heating vent. (You know that scene in Christmas Story where the Dad is in the basement? And he is just banging away on the broken radiator and cussing up a storm? Yeah…. That is exactly what I heard!) Then there were other times I would hear him: Ha-Ha! BooYa! Mutherfecker! It’s been an interesting ride, that’s for sure. But he did it. Each and every obstacle, he overcame. And when push came to shove he got the job done.

I don’t know what kind of “favors” I owe, but I assure you they are BIG…HUGE (I thought my knees hurt after installing the floor…) now surely they will hurt from bowing and kissing his.... feet. I tell ya! For all the times I walked into the room as he was working and said, “I was thinking….” And he’d give me that “Oh feck, here we go” look as I added to changed some part of the project. I’m sure that all of the gray hairs that he is sporting are my fault!

I guess he really does love me. Imagine that? Either that or he was really tired of climbing over me to get out of bed in the morning in that cramped little room.

So it was quite the scene on Saturday when the kids came home. I sent them in to their beds (which had both been in DQ's room until just that morning), to get their surprises from our trip, and the BIGGEST surprise of all greeted them: First it was DQ, "MY ROOM! ALL MINE!" DP Joe pushed past her and upon seeing that his bed was no longer in her room immediately turned and ran to his room, the door flew open and I tell you that look as he turned back to me, "MY ROOM IS BACK!" was priceless. Worth every minute of aggravation, every penny spend on screws, nails, sheet rock, molding, flooring and fixtures. Even if sometimes we had to buy them twice.

Merry Christmas

From Sunshine and Blue Skies.....

.....in Arizona!

Blow, Baby, Blow

My ears only hurt a little

but we could recognize most of the short songs and it was cute none the less!

Look at those cheeks! She is working hard.

A Gift for You

You know how I just LOVE to give home-made gifts for Christmas.....

Just let me know which one you'd like!

Missing!

Finally lost his top loose tooth! The bottom set are still growing in two rows like a shark! The dentist assures us this is fine and will correct itself.

What is too funny is that being the slacker parent that I am, I forgot my tooth fairy duties and a disappointed DPJ woke up to find no Pirate Booty awaiting him. Just his little tooth still where he left it. Try as I might to explain that the tooth fairy was just confused, he wasn't buying it. I told him if he left his tooth that I was sure the Tooth Fairy would find it while he was gone.

So the kids headed out to school with Chris and I immediately went in search of said tooth, figuring I would complete the swap while it was on my mind, but all I could find was a pile of change (a quarter, a few dimes, a nickel and about 10 pennies) where the tooth should have been.
I call the car phone. "Joe, where's your tooth?"
He replies, "Under my bed."
"Joe, I looked, and all I see is money..... did you take the tooth and leave money?"
"No..... Maybe the tooth fairy came!"

I eliminated all of the possible suspects (Chris and DQ). I know my memory is bad, but not that bad!! And it was too early for my meds, so I'm in my right frame of mind. Yep, it was him. That little shit pirate either didn't trust the tooth fairy at MY HOUSE or wanted to take that blasted tooth to school to share with his buddies. So he swapped his tooth with some change, so I would THINK the tooth fairy came. Hilarious how he tried to fake me out!

The Holidays are Upon Us

Yeah, even though Wally World hauled out the ornaments and fake trees and started playing Christmas music before Halloween was even over, it is never quite official for me until the TG bird's been cooked.

This year, though, Id like to do it different. It seems every year I get caught up in this wave of cooking, shopping and doing so much for everyone else, that I just lose myself. The commercialism of the season seems to take on a life of its own. I feel like I rarely have time to just enjoy the moments that matter when I am bombarded with the pressures to spend money, be perfect, make everyone happy, etc. I don't know how to not get sucked in, so I think I just need to turn it off.

So, we decided to mostly skip present exchanges with everyone. I won't completely forgo this with the kidlets, but it will be VERY scaled down and meaningful. And, about this, I am THRILLED! With just this small elimination I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can enjoy the season a bit more, without running around trying to find an appropriate, let alone perfect, gift for everyone on my list.

We've also decided to travel this year instead of gifts for each other. We are heading to the sunny part of the country. So, yes, I'm trading in my umbrella for a pair of shades for two weeks. But more than anything: a change of routine should be absolutely blissful.

Fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaa!

So, in honor of my more relaxed and calm demeanor I promise:

Not to cuss at the car in front of me that can't seem to drive more than 50 miles an hour on the FREEWAY in the left lane. Yeah, get going, or get out of my way!

Not to mutter an "Are you kidding me?" when the coffee person will not quit chatting with her fellow worker long enough to take my order. Hell hath no fury like me before my coffee.

Not to roll my eyes when the low paid Wally World worker only puts 3 items in one bag before she starts to fill the next one. Do you really think I want 50 of these plastic bags? Would help if I remembered to bring my reusable one in from the car, HOWEVER, last time I did SHE BAGGED them in a plastic bag. Yeah, she really did!

Not to give the look of death to the parent on the other sports team that can't help but CHEER when our kids get a penalty or make a mistake. A mistake on anyone's part does not constitute applause AS IF SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WORTH PRAISE. Even if your team benefits from the mistake! Rather: Cheer ALL the good plays (no matter who did them!). They are kids! Didn't you hear the good sportsmanship lecture at the beginning of the game? I can't believe we even have to state that out loud.

I promise not to sigh or tap my fingers on my desk when a customer say "I can't get in..." to which I ask "What are you trying to access?" and their response is: "I don't know." Well, if you don't know what you want, how can I help you? Like going to a doctor and saying, "It hurts." and he asks, "Where?" and you reply, "I don't know."

I will try to just let go and smile. Yes, smile. (Anyone want to try one of my happy pills???)

I promise to be more patient, more understanding and more forgiving. While it seems the world around me rushes, I will try to slow down, and relax. I will try to remember that there really is something so beautiful about the quiet of this time of year as things die and shed to eventually make way for the new again. And I will be grateful, because if this is the worst there is, then I am truly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving

My Turkey and His Turkey!

Gobble Gobble!

What I'm Thankful For

I woke up in a panic this morning realizing that I had not yet bought our turkey and trimmings. The panic wasn't about whether we would have anything to eat tomorrow (cupboards are seriously bare) or if the bird would even be thawed in time (is 24 hrs. enough time?) or would the store be out of key ingredients (no pies? are you kidding me?). No. It was more that since I work during the day, my only chance to go to the grocery store would have been after work. Holy Mother of God, the grocery store at 5 pm on the eve of the biggest eating holiday of the year? PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! What kind of stupid could I be waiting until the last minute? That is unless, I thought as I laid in my warm bed, I get up right now and go to the store. So.... guess where I was as 5 am this morning?

The sneaky little Thanksgiving elf (well, OK, I'm nowhere near little...) magically pulled off the holiday shopping in the wee hours of this morning. I was one of 3 people in that dawg-blessed store. And I must say, what a refreshing experience. No screaming kids, no frantic shoppers, no long lines, NO BLOODY Christmas music. Just me and a few shelf stocker. So, I guess 5 am wasn't so bad. And THAT, my friends, is what I am thankful for today!

I unloaded the car just as Chris was dragging his ass out of bed. "You paid that much for our turkey?" Yeah, I did. "You got that in a box?" Um yeah... while you slept, I shopped. You = snore, me = pushing cart around Wally World. Gotta a problem with that? "Yum, sounds good!" 'thata boy!

Tomorrow, I am working, so Chris is cooking. Another wonderful joy to be thankful for: coming home to a house that smells of baking turkey when I didn't even lift a finger. (OK, I lifted the groceries off the shelf, into the cart, into the car, into the house, in the freezing ass cold, at a butt-crack early hour, while he slept away without a care in the world. I think we're even)