Monday, July 30, 2007

I'm still here...

I'm just not blogging. I don't enjoy blogging without pictures. Trust me, this has been a very long two weeks without the blog. I am hoping and praying for an extra $25 on the next paycheck (midweek) so I may resume blogging with photos. Meanwhile, I have taken tons of pictures of the boys, us, the garden. We had grandma Anita and uncle Jason here all of last week; we explored the Madison and Milwaukee zoos, Jason and Theo fished up in Beaver Dam, we rode a train at East Troy electric railroad, browsed some antique malls, saw our family in Chicago one day, went to the Rock county fair where we saw Rodney Atkins perform one night, and George Jones another. Busy, busy, busy... lots to share.

We're all doing well right now. I am mustering up the desire to go the gym after Theo gets home from work, and also to not eat again before dinnertime. Right now I want to eat a huge dinner and lay on the sofa and sleep. I'm not used to running around as much as we did last week. Pooped. Hunter's still not talking much, saying only "cat," "dog," "Dah Dah," "Ha" which means (outside), and occasional "mama," but he's using more symbols like hello, goodbye, more, and love through gestures. He'll walk to and point at what he wants. He's more of a daredevil right now than ever; I can't keep him off the tables. Ben had such a good time with grandma. He's currently covered in fake tatoos from all the different places we went this week. Very funny. Theo was off all of last week, but he's back to work this morning after a quick stop at his neurologist (switched his seizure meds so he can regain his strength again). We are still planning a trip to California soon... e-mail me to get dates b/c I don't want to post them on the blog.

The garden is doing well. We've had 3 good cucumbers, endless beans, and tons of cherry & italian tomatos. A few good peppers, too. I added several herbs to the garden as well. The annual vines I put on the trellises are blooming and giant marigolds I started from seed are huge and in full bloom. My biggest project right now? I am working on the perennial border along the back of the yard. Jason and Theo helped me remove the grass and I've plucked some clearance plants from local nurseries and stores into it so far. So far the border has Wood's Purple aster, Purple Smoke indigo, sedum Matrona, 2 kinds of phlox, sweet william, bachelor's buttons Montana, Coral Bells Dolce Peach Melba, Astilbe, and several shrubs and other perrenials... Last night I started moving the perennials out of the vegetable garden and into the back border. I'm a little freaked to move an semi-established plant mid-season, especially in this heat, but I am not patient enough to wait until they come up next spring & overcrowding is problem right now. The master plan is to have almost all edibles and herbs in the vegetable garden. I will leave some roses on the trellises, and some perrenials just beside each trellis, but all veggies and herbs otherwise. I want to grow many more sweet peppers, squash, and cukes next year, and Theo had requested sweet corn. I will need the space. Big job ahead.

Nothing else to report. Photos to come soon. Promise.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Workout Me

So I figured out the cost for continuing to post images to the blog is insanely reasonable; next week I will be purchasing "space" to continue to post pictures here.

Meanwhile, we joined a gym. The whole family. And they watch the kids for us while we workout. Too rad. I went this morning for the first time (Theo's has a drill weekend), and I was expecting to be way out of shape, huffing and puffing. Not the case! I went on the trusty ellipitical trainer for an hour, switching intensity from 1-5 and incline from 7-10. Not the most intense workout, but for a beginner it was enough to make me sweat a whole towel's worth of ick.

I walked my normal nearly 3 mile walk yesterday, added veggies to last night's dinner to bulk it up, and I've implemented my old 7:30pm rule... years ago when I dieted I did not let myself eat after 7:30 pm. Last night, we got home from the grocery store at 7:40, and even though I had not had a weight watcher's dessert yet, I did not eat anything at all.

So this is day three of really taking my health seriously. The best part? For some reason, I don't feel hungry right now. Eating controlled portions isn't making me feel like I'm starving or dizzy. Thank heavens.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

What the eff?

I've been blogging for 7 months now, and I never knew posting my images to the blog would reach a limit? I was just informed that I have no more space for storing images on my blog. I guess I won't be posting until I can figure out how the heck to refresh my storage without paying for it. Gotta love the internet.

Strange Kid

My friend Sarah commented that he son put all his Little People in the silo of the Little People Barn; she asked if my kids did similar creepy things. Sarah, you have no idea!

As I type, Hunter is gently pulling clumps of hair from the cat and trying to attach them to my bare leg. No joke. Ben's really into filling containers, he's stored his little people and mega block people in both his lunchbox (eww) & dump truck. Yesterday he loaded his Sesame St. figurines into his trash truck, into the trash area, not the driver's seat. And, yes, he has a toy trash truck he specifically requested Grandma buy him. Both boys love to push their wagons and dump trucks into my ankles at full speed, apparently that's hilarious. They both make growling sounds Theo refers to as "devil sounds." Ben's really into lining things up in straight lines, anything from soda can at Me-Maw's house to trucks in his clubhouse, and I find this oddly OCD. He's also into hoarding and categorizing things. Hunter has already learned to open the brioler beneath our oven, and he puts his toys in there! He also uses baskets all the way from the living room to try and climb on top of the stove. Yesterday, Ben hit me with a spoon and ran away giggling. Ben sleeps with about 15 small stuffed animals and large doll I've had since I was a little girl. He's carried the tattered "Ghung" blanket for over a year now, and he sucks his thumb. Hunter can't stand upright chairs, and knocks them down hard and fast with a huge thud, that scares me every time. Ben tries to bury Hunter under blankets and pillows daily, and yesterday he started throwing his Elmo chair at Hunter's head. Hunter bites. Hard. I'm lucky to make it through a day without broken skin. They both try and ride the dog like a horse, Ben adds, "Giddy Up, Waura!" to his movements. This morning Ben sat right on the cat's back in the middle of the kitchen floor. No biggie. The cat just laid there looking at him. Right now Hunter is spitting on the cat. Toby's wincing, but not running away.
So, yeah, my kids are little looney. I'm okay with it. When they cross the line (see above) I try and put them in their place. When their just plain weird, I laugh.
Here is Hunter playing outside yesterday. I try and take them outside while the other naps. Great-Grandma Chris bought Hunter these overalls for his birthday; I love them!

Garden Goodness








Chalk it up to a good day...

Hehe. The weather was fantastic yesterday! About 78, with big, puffy, cumulous clouds and a light breeze. Ben requested chalk yesterday, so out we went to the patch of sidewalk in our yard with a bucket o' chalk. We drew a train, and hearts... very cute.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Brotherly Love

Theo's had a stellar week. Night before last he caught two catfish, his favorite. Last night, he went to an informational meeting about mixed martial arts, ju jitsu & muay thai kickboxing last night. Once we can come up with the funds, and he finds a gym he likes, he should start taking classes a few nights a week. Very cool.

I was so bored at home with the kids! I took out the camera to play.
This snuggle in the chair went better than the first.



Kisses, too!






Playing with some close-ups. I love close-ups. Hard to get with two very fast-moving little men... the sun was nearing setting & the boys were mega-sleepy when I took these. I asked them to look at something outside and they held still for a micro-second. Enjoy!

Double Delight

I rescued this rose from a pile of moldy roses at the Home Depot. I've been looking for Double Delight because it is one of the roses in my grandma's garden. I noticed the first bloom opened up last night; it smells incredible!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I guess the story goes like this: I stepped out to garden, and Theo got the boys ready for bed. Hunter climbed in the chair and pulled this blanket over him. Theo grabbed the camera.

Ben said, 'I go lay down with Hunter." Aww... how cute?


Well, we all knew that couldn't last...

We were the lucky recipients of some much needed rain yesterday afternoon, along with some tiny hail, too. The storms came out of no where, and dumped a ton of rain.


This storm drain was flowing a half hour after the rainfall!


After the rain Hunter and I stepped outside to see everything.
Pretty red Daylily:
Self-sowing Hollyhocks. So far, no Chatter's Double pink, but these bright pinks are pretty, too.
Hostas:

Butterfly Bush with Cosmos from seed:

Even with the trailing Lobelia out of bloom, this planter turned out nice. I have to water it nearly twice a day, but it's right by the back door, so that's easy enough. I just stuck a grocery store bag filled with dirt in this basket here, so there is little to no moisture retention.

Lantana:
Purple Coneflower with Russian Sage:

This is why I sought Bee Balm this year:

I know I show all the pretty things outside, but the garden and I have had a our first ugly battle of the year. This guy and his buddies are eating my plants. I have sprayed them, and taken to walking outside a few times a day to whack them off my plants with a flick of my fingers. Bastards.


Hunter found dirt. Well, mud, actually. We have grass seed in this area where the turtle sandbox used to be. One Happy Kid.

And, of course, there's nothing like a good lawn-mowing after playing in the mud.
This morning when I stepped out to Laura go potty I had Theo grab the camera. The morning sun was perfect, everything looked so pretty.
Phlox, "David" my favorite flower in the garden. Enormously fragrant, and blooms for a long time.
Black-Eyed Susan, Russian Sage, with Cosmos and Zinnias from seed.
Another Bee Balm variety.
An ocean of Rudbekia (black-eyed susan).
Bright Lights Cosmos:
More coneflowers with russian sage:
This is my most recent project. I put in Liatris, Pinks, Butterfly Bush, and Bee Balm earlier this year. I added the two $1.80 perrenial Lobelia here, too, as well as some more pinks I grew from seed. This will eventually be the perrenial border that goes all along the lilac at the back of our yard.