showers of blessings

Earlier this year, Fred's family blessed us tremendously with a surprise baby shower for our little Eva. At the time I was early into my second trimester (about 16 weeks) and we didn't know whether we were having a boy or girl. It's hard to imagine us having anything else but our little Eva, but there was that time of uncertainty.

We were so blessed by their thoughtful gifts, words of encouragement, and wonderful fellowship. Every single family member was present, which was another blessing! Helen had asked what we call our little one. I told her Fred and I call each other "big bear" and "little bear," so we call our little one "baby bear." She structured the whole shower around that theme, and it was the cutest thing! We had paw-print cupcakes, children's books about bears, teddy bears, honey bears... Fred's mom even made salmon for supper, which was included into the shower.


Everything was so lovely, and we had so much fun with all the games during and afterwards. One of the absolute softest teddy bears I've ever felt in my life were gifted to little Eva that day by Elizabeth. I'm certain Eva's going to love it!

We always have such a great time with Fred's family when we visit, and I'm so thankful we will be seeing them for Thanksgiving. To all of you Bowmans: thank you for all the gifts and love you have shown us and our little one. We love you all. I can't wait to introduce you to Evangeline next year!
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 We recently were blessed again by another baby shower. This time we knew that our baby was a girl, so we had a registry at last! (although we dragged our feet on that a bit... I think I felt overwhelmed picking out everything we need for a baby... how does one do that?!) My sisters and Aunt Tammy hosted, and many friends and family were there to celebrate this new life and shower us with gifts! My mom and Suzanne even made it up from Florida, thanks to theirs and my Dad's dedication. That was a very special blessing of itself. Crystal and daughter, Kaylee, spent the majority of the week preceding the shower with us in our home, and that was one of the best visits we have had! We had the best time.

We received so many wonderful gifts, and had many laughs. I had lots of cider and I felt like I could have eaten the entire array of food I was that hungry. Denise made these amazing s'mores cupcakes and I just had to break my sugar-fast for them. I should have taken a close-up of them but I didn't take many photos. I just enjoyed spending time with everyone there.

Crystal and Haley are both pregnant (Jan and Apr due dates, respectively), so we had some pregnancy photo shots taken of us and our growing bellies (although they weren't showing much yet). By Christmastime we will all be showing somewhat, so we will have to get more.

I have yet to finish writing thank-you notes for this last shower, but to all of you who were there, and some of you that couldn't make it, but showered us with gifts anyway: I have every intention of sending words of appreciation your way to let you know how you blessed me and have helped make my pregnancy so special.

One of the neat things about this shower was the amount of children present. It really felt like a baby shower! There were two babies, two toddlers, and quite a few young girls. Three of my nieces are in this picture on the right: Shiona, Scarlett, and Katrina. 

I have just finishing washing all of the clothes, towels, stuffed animals, wraps and whatnot for Eva. It was so fun washing those tiny little outfits! Fred and I were oohing and ahhing over how cute everything was and how tiny she is going to be. Everything smells like baby powder, and we're finishing up the major renovations for her nursery. It's all becoming so real, and I can hardly stand it!

Little Eva, take your time coming until you are fully ready, but when you do come we have so much love we can't wait to show you.

(here are a few more pictures of our time with the Bowmans. Since we were all together we took some family photos)

 These two got engaged right before our trip out there! I've so enjoyed getting to know her better.

 The Bowman siblings

 We, shockingly, didn't have any of "just will" but I think he steals the show in this photo.

He's going to be Eva's big cousin!

 

The whole family!

remnants of summer

Ahhhh… the final scents and nuances of summer are lingering in the air.

I realized I am a bit selfish with summer. This is one of my favorite moments of the season. It’s when most people look away and start to imagine autumn. They notice the falling leaves, changing colors, they push scarves and pumpkin spice lattes a bit early, and they start planning autumn activities.

I do that sometimes (except I admit I have never really liked PSLs). But what I really enjoy is the moments left alone with summer. It’s just us two. I rest in the sun’s rays. I am rejuvenated by the cold splashes in rapidly cooling waters. I like to pretend it’s never going to end, even though I look forward to autumn.

It’s a bit odd perhaps, but I do so enjoy those quiet moments with summer. She’s still here, and she has 11 more days with us. And even when it’s technically autumns time, for a while after there are little slivers of summer hidden throughout the day. You just have to look for it.

The wind is so unique to each season, too. You can smell differences, you can hear them, but you can also simply feel the season in the wind. If you feel the wind today, it’s clearly both parts autumn and summer. It’s crisp and warm. This time should be its own season, albeit a short one. To me though, it’s just my own little season I enjoy alone. And I love that.

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Here are two baby bump pics at week  21 weeks (I am currently 23 weeks):

you might be pregnant if...

Clearly, there are obvious signs of pregnancy, but this list I've compiled is really just a number of realizations that have come to me during pregnancy. I may keep adding to this list, too, because... I've still got a ways to go.

You might be pregnant if...

... your dreams consist of intense make-out sessions with your husband.

... you can handle major things just fine, like no AC in August, but a tone from your husband sends you into tears (I'm not proud of this...)

... you ate three breakfasts and didn't realize it until lunch.

... you randomly find yourself completely confused in regular conversations (but you don't let on, because 'pregnancy brain' can only be used so many times).

... you feel like much of your time is spent in the kitchen in search of food.

... you've unconsciously begun to mark specific times of day by baby's activity.

... you achieve this zen-like acceptance that your pre-pregnancy body may become unrecognizable over time due to; swelling feet and hands, bigger bust and butt, the belly bulge, clothes and styles you didn't normally wear before, a cold-pack strapped to your head for the recurring headaches, and whatever else this pregnancy has in store for you. Am I also going to grow a third arm?

Feel free to add your own revelations! 

the first scents of autumn

Yesterday morning I walked outside and was met with a crisp and cool scent that hung in the air til noon. It was Autumn. She's a little early, but she was just reminding me that it won't be long til pumpkins and apple cider are household scents and the colors of the changing leaves are Nature's newest art show.

I'm not ready for Autumn, but that little glimpse helps me prepare. I still want to soak up the rays of heat from the sun and swim in the pool and go to the beach and do summery things. But that small reminder was sweet, because when this beautiful and hot season ends, another beautiful season will start.

Home life has been so sweet and gentle lately. Summer has been refreshing, and the newness of life seems to find us at every corner with a sweet surprise.

Fred and I are having a baby girl. This is our sweetest surprise of late.

I always thought of Autumn as a more feminine season because of its beauty and attention to detail. This new discovery seems apropos with our transition to a new season for some reason, as silly as it may sound.

Pregnancy is one of the most personal experiences I've ever had, and yet it's shared with soooo many by necessity. I don't really mind most of it, but sometimes I want to just sit there with Fred and feel her movement, so it is just us and our little girl.

Before pregnancy (and early on during the first month or so) I remember thinking "This sounds awful" when I would hear about certain changes. For instance; not sleeping on your back anymore, losing your stomach muscle strength, having to pee all the time, having to go in every month for checkups. Granted, some of that is bothersome a few times, but most of the time I forget about the discomfort when I think about her. If I had her in my arms, I wouldn't think about how much more comfortable I would be if I could rest my arms this way or that. I'd probably be lost in that little face, or at worst, sleeping. So goes my feelings thus far. At the beginning I was uncomfortable, but after seeing her in the ultrasound, and what is more, feeling her movement, it's been very easy to forget whatever comfort I might have had without her.

I feel blissful in the changes that are happening, which is unexpected for me.

hello food, my old friend.

I can eat again! Yay, huzzah, horray and all that jazz. In fact, there are days I forget I'm pregnant. Maybe not the whole day, but definitely for hours on end. The point is, I feel great again!

And with that great relief, I now can delve into the complications of my dealings with pregnancy in the age of technology. First of all, I'm thankful for the wonderful advancements in science, our better understanding of pregnancy and how it affects our bodies, and what can help or harm you or the baby.

But then... there's this vast mountain of information that, when all is said and done, we aren't quite sure if it's this way or that way, or if you should take this or that, or not do this, or definitely do that. I say 'we' as a society, but when you go down those paths you will find those who will stake their lives on one side or the other.

And that, my friends, is the dilemma. If you are one who relishes the thought of research, endless checklists, planning ahead to the last detail, then you cannot possibly understand why I'm sitting here, avoiding all possible articles that might lead me down a trail of endless reading and fact checking and researching. You might even think to yourself that I'm careless not to. In all fairness, sometimes it might be careless. But what it really boils down to is this: I haaaaaaaaate stress. I hate it so much. I hate how I let it affect my mood and actions towards others. I hate how it makes something I might never have thought anything of is suddenly the biggest challenge I'm facing. I hate what it does physically to your body. It's just nasty stuff. And I have realized that planning that far ahead, with that many details, and to that fine of a point can stress me out.

I didn't really know that about myself, but God did when He brought Fred and I together. Fred basically doesn't stress... almost ever. I mean, put him in a downtown traffic jam during rush hour and that is the most stressed you will ever see him. (this is so calloused, but it makes me laugh to see him like that... probably because it's rare, so I don't even know what to do with him)
*Side note: I loooove planning events, though, so planning the labor will be fun. It's just all the "will you swaddle/breastfeed/cosleep/vaccinate/bank cord blood/circumcise/cloth diaper/only use certain cleaning products/schedule naps/schedule eating/schedule play dates/do this method/raise them on this principle" etc etc can be quite overwhelming when you are still trying to figure out why pizza tastes soooooo good when you used to hate it (unless it's Chicago style.. I mean, come on).

What I do like to do is make a rough sketch of expectations. I find myself ending a lot of plans with, "and we'll go from there..." or "and we'll see how we feel after that." I like multiple options because I don't know how things will be at the time. I dislike packing for a trip, and the shorter the trip the harder it is, because you really should be able to choose a specific number of outfits. I just can't. What if that shirt is just wrong that day? And that dress is only comfortable on a slightly cool day. If there's a breeze I might want this sweater, but that might be too heavy if the sun is out.

You get the picture.

That said, I love it when people tell me what has helped them. It's personal testimony. I love hearing ideas and examples from others. Granted I may choose a different choice than yours, but it is nice not to hear just one side of things.

Ok, while we're on this topic I have these apps. I've mentioned them before. Well, I started feeling pretty good about what I was getting accomplished and how I was starting to get into a more regular and challenging workout, so I started to read them again. Wrong. The first article I read said, "Now that your nursery is painted and decorated, it's time to start thinking about furniture!"

What are they on?! Did I download the app for Superwoman's pregnancy? I mean... who has their nursery ready when they're barely four months preggo?

Speaking of how far along I am... here's another photo (although it was taken a week ago, there has not been too much change).

When life gives you The Lorax...

...make pancakes. 

In passing I mentioned to Fred how I would like to watch The Lorax but I had lost the movie. I left the room not thinking a thing about it, and minutes later heard the sound of the movie playing! I ran back in and hugged Fred almost in tears (hormones...). He bought it online for me. This was the other night, and I've watched it three times since, so... money well spent, time well wasted? 

But if you've seen The Lorax, you know the most compatible foods are marshmallows and pancakes, so that's what I had.

Anyway, Fred is sweet... 

and so are pancakes.

Also I'm hungry.

i'd like to thank you

As morning sickness takes an exit from the stage that is my life, I have taken some time to fondly remember and thank the things in my life that got me through those dark, dizzying, gloomy days.

• cereal - specifically Puffins and Cheerios. Where would my stomach have been without you? You made it possible for me to look my husband in the eye and say, 'Yes. I have eaten today.' For that, I thank you.
• Gardettos - that one awful night I had to visit the birthing center during a strong wave of nausea that never left, you were my consolation. I still remember how salty and crunchy you were, when everything else felt mushy and warm.
• fuzzy white blanket - those nights I crawled into bed shivering uncontrollably, knowing in a few minutes I would feel overheated, you moderated my temperature like no other blanket could. 
• Curious George - where do I start? Even before pregnancy you were the only thing that took my mind off nausea during sickness. Those hours of bed-ridden vertigo would have been even more bleak without your innocuous little episodes of calming sounds and soothing pictures.
• comfy pants - I love you. 
• Perrier Lime water and Tummy Drops - you two were one of the only reliefs from nausea I ever experienced. 
• Granny Smith apples - you darling granny. On average I would eat about 3-4 of these apples a day. They were the other nausea reliever I found. I will always look at green apples fondly.
• Couch - my dear friend. We have grown closer together these past few weeks, haven't we? I think you've become a part of me... I'm not proud to say this, but if a pie chart for my time spent during this first trimester were made, and the color blue was used for 'time spent on couch', I would basically have a blue pie chart.
• water - helloooooo beautiful. You are always welcome in my life - in any form. Drinking water, pools, oceans, ice cubes, sprinklers, what have you. The fact that I was nauseous the entire ride up to the waterpark, downed a sub in the car while sick, and didn't even care says a lot about your powers over me.
• cold packs - My Excedrin in gelatinous form. Even sans pregnancy, I don't really like the thought of taking medicine for a headache, unless absolutely necessary. Being pregnant, my options are severely limited and I'd rather not mess with it at all if I don't have to. Cold packs have been the #1 relief for my headaches. There were times I had two in rotation for hours until, a) I could fall asleep, or b) the headache went away. But having that cold pack on my forehead was a sweet, sweet solace.

Although a bit tongue-in-cheek, these were great reliefs to me at some point. In my most genuine moments of thankfulness, I think of Fred and all that he has done. Now it's time to celebrate! And also...to get back to work. Every day I feel well I want to use it to bring my outdoors and indoors back into order. De-cluttering and weeding are my biggest jobs staring me in the face, but I'm really enjoying having the energy to tackle them. 

And here's a baby bump photo.

beach life

So Fred and I are on vacation this week. We are in Florida, and we are walking distance from the beach. It's beautiful, sunny, sometimes a little rainy, but overall oh-so-relaxing. I really don't want to go home. If we move away from Milton, I'm going to push pretty hard for a beach home. I feel like I was made for the beach life.

Although........... currently I am a walking reminder to beach-goers to apply and reapply sunscreen diligently. Yep... I got burned. I was so careful last time at the beach and donned a beautiful tan, but this time I got sloppy and I'm pretty red in a couple places. The good news is, if the burn isn't too bad it evens out to a nice tan eventually.

But enough about tans. I am in my second trimester now! Woohoo!!! This means, I will soon be saying goodbye to morning sickness and all that it entails. I still have a few bouts, but overall I can eat most of what I could pre-pregnancy (although anything very potent is still on the outs... I can't imagine ever wanting it again).

One of the biggest turning points for me has been my energy! I was basically a floppy fish who had been out of water too long during my first trimester. When people looked at me I could see the pity in their eyes as I molded to whatever form I was sitting/laying/leaning on at the time. I would join family gatherings with half opened eyes and smile weakly, holding out limp arms for a hug which I mostly leaned into for support. I was a sad sack.

But on this vacation... I have been running! And swimming, walking, and actually doing chores like cooking a little and cleaning. But back to the running, which is what I'm most excited about... I ran the second day here (so, Monday) and it was sort of a granny run, and I averaged it at half a mile. It was a little more, perhaps 2/3 a mile, but I was thinking, "Way to go!" Because only a week before it had felt like murder to run 1 mile at the slowest possible running pace, and it took me 15 minutes. I was not proud of myself, but I also was too tired to care. Fred mostly was pushing me so I wouldn't wind up a couch potato; a thought that became increasingly more appealing as the weeks wore on. Every time I would look at one of my pregnancy apps or e-mails, it would say 'make sure to stay active!' and 'don't become a couch potato!' and so I made a decision:
I stopped checking my apps and e-mails.

Anyway, it felt like a good idea to try a run yesterday. I was feeling active, I was at the beach by myself since Fred had to work that day, and so I ran. After my first run, I had very low expectations, but I ran until I felt like I needed to turn back. I didn't need to rest, which was a really good sign, and I thought maybe I went almost a mile that time. I measured the distance and it turned out to be 2. I was pretty happy about that! Not only did I feel great during and after the run, but I outran my expectation.

Fred and I ran again today, but... I stopped a lot the first mile. Even with all the stops, he said it was well under a 10 minute mile, so I definitely have increased my speed. I feel almost like my old self, but my stomach is getting a little bit bigger. Oh... that reminds me, I need to take belly shots.
That sounds like a club drink.

thoughts on pregnancy

Ahh, pregnancy: that little glow you feel when you see the positive line on the pregnancy test; those flutters when you have your first prenatal; those nights you lay awake day dreaming about holding that little one!

Cue reality.

The ‘glow’ you’re feeling is most likely heartburn. The ‘flutters’ are really a bout with nausea and you’re losing. Those nights you’re lying awake are because you have to keep going to the bathroom, and the only thing you want to hold is your head because it aches.

So, that sounds awful, and it’s not great, but this is the price set for me and my first trimester. Not bad when you think of the reward, but it’s kind of hard to remember the reward for weeks on end.

And honestly, it hasn’t been like that every day.  I’ve had some great days! These last three are clouding the memories of the good days, but serves me right for choosing to post on a bad day.

Oh yeah… I’m pregnant. Surprise! I’m the better part of 11 weeks pregnant. I realized I needed to post something about this pregnancy when at least three separate times I mentioned something about my pregnancy to friends, and each one responded with, “Wait! You’re pregnant??” I dropped the ball, but here I am picking it back up again.

I actually didn’t drop the ball, I threw it. I decided I was too flipping tired to do anything like a post or announcement. Ridiculous, I know.

But I’ll spare you the humdrum lowdown on my morning sickness. Instead, I’ll focus on the comedy of it all – or what have you.

I grew up hearing about those funny pregnancy cravings. I still think on I Love Lucy that the hot fudge sauce Lucy poured on her sardines and ice cream looked like the best hot fudge I could ever taste. But instead of strange food cravings, it has manifested itself more in the form of ‘food tolerances’. Currently, most foods sound/smell abhorrent so eating is no longer ‘for funsies’ as it was during the very first few weeks of pregnancy (ahh… those glorious days of old), so for me to be able to think fondly of any food ultimately interprets to a run to the store and an armful of said desirables. 

So… here are my “food cravings:”

-        -  cold, super  duper, as-sour-as-you-can-get green granny smith apples. I basically want to be stunned for a split second by tart overload.

-        -  carbonated lime water

-        -  cheese puffs (no surprises here… it’s always a craving of mine) but I rarely indulge :(

-        -  smoked salmonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

-        -  tater tots

-        -  applesauce

-        -  unripe watermelon

Nothing too weird, really. Now let's talk about food intolerances...

My "food hates:"

-  sugary sweetness that is not chocolate
-  garlic anything, anywhere, I can taste it in its faintest proportions...
-  most meat, almost all beef especially (except for my aunt's brisket)
-  green vegetables... I hate you, green food... except you, Apples...you're the only one who understands me.
-  onions (obviously)
-  cheese that has not been melted
-  and anything that smells weird when cooked, has a powerful odor or taste, has a weird consistency

I have been recording little video snippets of life according to me for the last 4 or 5 weeks. They will eventually be on my youtube channel. On further reflection, they’re quick little whine segments. So be warned.

The fatigue got to me in the early weeks of morning sickness. There were days where it was a debate between bathing and eating. There were times when going to the bathroom merited taking another nap. There were moments when I had every intention of ‘doing something’ and wound up asleep on the couch. If I didn’t have sense enough I’d be very angry and disappointed in myself, but I know that’s only going to make matters worse.

I had a very memorable time at Food Lion a few weeks back. This was my first time shopping alone since sickness started, and I thought I was doing all right. Grabbing a bag of corn that said “very sweet” on it seemed to tip me over the edge. I darted to the bathroom as quickly as I could, but I didn’t puke. You know that moment right before the heave? That’s where it left me for the remainder of my time out. I realized I was probably going to stay like this for a while, so I looked around for some bag to take in case I was wrong. On the way home I had a bag attached to the steering wheel so I didn’t have to pull over should the need arise. It all ended happily, except still no relief, but I will not be buying frozen corn for a loooooong time, and I give it dirty looks when I pass it in the frozen vegetable section.

Also, *drum roll please* I am starting to show... faintly.

Well, in the words of Forrest Gump: "That's all I got to say about that."

when the hounds of spring...

potato tomato, tomato potato

I've been trying to keep records of my gardening this year through pictures, texts, sketches, notes, and videos so that at the end of this year we can evaluate what works and what does not work for us. Last year I had great success with my potatoes with very little work put into it. This year we at least doubled the amount and have tilled new ground for this. I am also trenching deeper than last year and mulching with ground leaves instead of shredded branches.

On the right is my baby spinach, which I harvested a lot of recently. I also think 'baby spinach' is a misnomer if ever I've heard one. They're massive, rich green leaves, and they taste oh-so-fresh!

I started my ground cover crops so far for: alyssum, one type of sedum, hens & chicks, and irish moss. So far the alyssum is coming up the fastest, and the moss is close behind. We have the tilled soil covered in leaves to keep any weeds from sprouting and choke out any little sprouts until these crops are ready for transplanting.

My kale seems stunted. Not sure why...
I noticed there were some pests in the broccoli so I sprayed my organic 3-in-1, which took care of them almost immediately.

We just finished planting our corn yesterday (May 5). We actually tilled and amended it this year, so it should actually produce well. Although last year, we got a lot of ears for what little work we put into it.

Pictured right, I ask with much trepidation: is this fire blight? What else can it be, though? And so I must begin to remove what I can, and come winter scrape off any infected areas I know of. This may be very, very bad for my orchard. I know of at least 3 trees with signs of fire blight. And I also know that it is not easy to rid them of it.

So that's my bad news... really bad news.

On the bright side, my chamomile is doing excellently. Comparing chamomile to lemon balm is like comparing night and day. Chamomile needs no extra care. Lemon balm will wilt away if I forget about it for a day. Transplanting is an abysmal success rate for lemon balm, while chamomile will spring right back within hours of transplanting, ready to stretch its roots into its new-found home. Lemon balm looks at me as if I'm strangling it and lets its outer leaves turn darkly brown and frown at me disapprovingly. I will not be doing lemon balm in starters anymore. Direct sow, all the way! Unless of course that turns out worse... :/

I also was unimpressed with my tomato seeds germination rate. It was in the 60-70% success rate range, and that is very low from my vast two years of experience.

Above pictured is one of my dahlias. They are doing very well right now in containers, but they're quickly getting too large for them. I just have to decide on a good location for them. I am not great with visualizing landscaping.

Lowes had a bunch of flowers on clearance, so I went ahead and landscaped a little bit around my arbor. I can't quite bring myself to go full-force with any landscaping yet, as all my seeds are not planted yet, but I am approaching it little-by-little. I went ahead and slightly beautified my arbor area. It was pretty unsightly, so this just cheers it up a big. It's mostly temporary since I want vines at my of these posts' bases, but I still have yet to stain the arbor so this is as good as I can do for now.

And here we have my snap peas, doing so well I could kiss them! Still no flowers, but I'm hoping for them any day. There's nothing quite like fresh snap peas.

I have also recently planted my beans (two of three kinds) and more tomatoes. I am transplanting almost every day. I will be focusing on herbs this week, and my niece Katrina will be coming to help me garden/finish painting my fence. I love having helpers, and she makes me laugh so much!
 May the weather be ever in your favor, fellow gardeners.

a fence intended

Progress! Almost our entire fence is up. Over half of the painting has been done. And, to the immense satisfaction of us both, Fred's "free" time will no longer be directed towards this endeavor. Now he will spend it in the garden with me (and of course here and there between other projects).

He's spent almost every waking moment working, whether it be at his job, or with his jobs at home. Honestly, a lot of it doesn't feel like "work" when it's fun stuff, like planting and harvesting and planning. But this fence... it's been work. He's done an amazing job, however, and it is looking awesome!

I have to say, Fred has the vision for these projects. He can picture something in his mind and then knows how to go about completing it. I have to start with small visions here and there. I get overwhelmed with details when I take in too much. It's been good, though, to work together on these projects because I pay very close attention to detail while he keeps the big picture in focus.

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The previous paragraphs were written a few days ago. Fred has finished hanging pickets and I've finished painting the front of the fence! Our driveway cutout is not painted, and there's always a "this and that" section "here and there" but our focus is now on the garden, again! When Fred got off work, he actually was able to do work he almost enjoyed. And it was in the garden, which was awesome. That guy has been working too hard. 

Today I was able to mulch some plots that were reeeeeally bothering me. They were covered in weeds! I'm looking into whether you can mulch garlic with leaf mold or shredded leaves... so far it looks like certain types of straw are recommended, but we'll see.

Fred got my compost bin going, so we have our layers getting started - finally! Vermicomposting, bin composting, and BSF composting? What??? Ok, no BSFs yet (Black Soldier Flies). They are truly amazing insects - read about em... they're like the miracle drug for everything: plants, animals, humans...

I mulched my blueberry bushes finally with pine straw to help with the acidity, weed and moisture control. It's a 3-in-1.

I also pulled most of my flowers out of my nursery and set them out around my garden and porch, which just brightens my day. I have two lupines that made it through the winter, and they look pretty amazing and hardy compared to how they were last year at their best.


Speaking of my nursery flowers, it is my understanding that bachelor buttons are an annual. However, perhaps because they were well mulched, or for whatever the reason may be... these beauties came back, fuller than ever. And I love that to freaking death. I feel like I am learning sooooo much more this year than last year, and yet things like this just pop up to show me it doesn't matter how much I learn - I can always learn more. That's why cosmetology interested me so much - there were no limits, it could always evolve and change, and I am definitely anything but a creature of habit. So, gardening is medicine to my aching soul for an ever-changing life.



And I know this is very random, but since Fred and I have put ourselves on a tight budget to get these projects fast-tracked and to be wise about our expenses, we've been cutting back on a lot of things that I surprisingly almost haven't missed (except meat.... I craaaaaaave meat all hours of the day. I could eat any meat any time... and almost any portion). But that's not the point! The point is, we always find the fun in situations that could otherwise bring us down, and with that in mind I've basically adopted this song as "our song" for these tighter-budgeted months.

more gardening and a little funsies

Here was the start of our arbor. We have lots of plans for the staining and decorating of it: hammocks, flowering vines, hanging strawberry plants, wind chimes... We finishing construction of it, but there is much to do before we can stain it... mostly regarding the fence you see in the background of this picture. There's the frame, and by now we have painted it and we are in the process of painting and hanging the pickets.
............. there are over 600 pickets.

 Anyway, one morning when I rose early, which did not happen often this past week, I was pouring my coffee and found this beautiful sight staring at me. These purple flowering trees are all over the area.

Anyway, gardening has been going well, but I am overrun with weeds. The problem is, three beds that were direct sown are overrun with weeds, and the seedlings are too young for me to poke around pulling the weeds out... I decided to mulch around the

 larger plants - spinach and mesclun, but my carrots are much too young for mulching or weeding at the moment.

And here are my tulips. I had some white and pink tulips, as well. I finally moved some of my nursery flowers into landscaping and pots. Below are a bunch of grape mascari, oregano, and tulips.

Unfortunately it's been very rainy so I have been limited as to what I can 

 do outside, but I have had lots of indoor starters going. I started Nasturtiums, Salvia, Bachelor Buttons, and something else I can't remember at the moment.

Our potatoes arrived, as well as some more chives and (for the first time ever in the Bowman garden) artichokes!

We still have much to do, but everything in it's time...

These are the first ever blooms from my lilac bush. This is their third year, and these two little blooms are very likely the only blooms I will get this year.

Also, there is a bee pollinating it in the picture! I looooove these bees. There's a large bee that has been chasing off wasps from our porch (which was swarming with wasps). So, between the wasp-chasing, the pollinating, and the amazing honey...

I love bees.

And here's a strawberry plant that's looking quite sturdy this second year. I planted 10 bare roots this last week, and have ten more to pot.

Speaking of strawberry plants, the picture below shows a leaf I snipped off a plant - if any of you know what these spots and discolorations mean, let me know. I took it to mean red stele, but I checked the roots and

 they were fine. I went ahead and worked in some pete moss into the soil to help improve drainage, and so far no more discolored leaves. We are getting a ton of rain lately, though, so I will be watching.

After we finish with mulching, planting and painting, I am going full throttle with ground cover crops.

I have so much sedum I am going to

 start with. This sedum here is stonecrop. It has purple flowers and can withstand light foot traffic. I'm going to place walking stones (like flagstone or something) in between the ground cover crops. All in good time....

The cucumbers have been planted and we have our tomatoes out, but I think when the heavy rains hit last week it washed up a lot of the seeds. I am planting some starters today or tomorrow to have a backup going.

 Our broccoli and lettuce has been growing really well. Let's just hope my broccoli actually flowers this time. Perhaps too much nitrogen last year?

Anyway, this last weekend we decided to go to a play in South Boston one of our friends was in. The absolute best part was when they decided to throw candy and snacks at the audience... Amazing!






We have had a busy week of work, and there's no end in sight... but we will work together, work hard, and get it done. Eventually...

Regardless, I am thankful for the ability to do the work required of me.

special date and home decorating

Sometimes Fred and I get in ruts:

"What do you wanna do?"
"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

I think most people do. But whatever, it happens and I can recognize it pretty quickly when it does. Fred likes repetition more than I do (except with movies because I cannot count how often I've seen The Lorax or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 1 and 2), so he doesn't tire of 'same old' as quickly as I do. It's a constant struggle that keeps both of us from resorting to negative traits, and keeps us striving for better.

One thing I like to change is our home decor. I get tired of that chair there, or that lamp there, or that coat of paint. In this case, it was a loud color for our walls. I also was wanting a separation from our dining area to our den.

We went with a shabby chic motif which really seems to fit our home. It's not new, and many things about it are imperfect, but we kind of like messy life... weird.

We also would like to repaint our den eventually, and I keep going back and forth with two colors. One day I will make up my mind. Honestly, I probably won't get to it until after harvest season, but it may take me that long to make up my mind anyway!

But back to the subject of ruts, recently I decided to spice up our evenings one night by cooking Fred dinner.

"Haha, very funny."

No, seriously. In our marriage, and especially over the past two years Fred and I make supper together (which is amazing fun) well over 60% of the time. And when I do make it all by myself *puts on big girl pants*, it's not a showpiece like this dinner was here.

I was inspired with an idea from my cousin, so I decided to make our at-home dinner date have a real restaurant-feel. I had Louis Armstrong playing (umm... yeah he was kind of the best), mood lighting, newly decorated dining room, homemade sourdough bread with dipping oil already on the table, and I served him like a waiter (which, by the way, was super fun).

It was a surprise, so I told him to dress up, and I wore heels, which made it 'for serious'.


We had pink champagne, homemade bread, shrimp and grits with asparagus, poached eggs (actually I boiled them since I didn't have a way to poach) and a roux to top it off.

For dessert? Chocolate fondue. If you're going all-out, might as well gain a few pounds, right?

And after dinner he took me by the hand and we danced. It was all very romantic.

P.S. Lemon pound cake is the best. I could probably eat the whole thing myself.

Anyway, there's a little glimpse of our life - however uncommon (because no, sadly we do not eat like this all the time...). Dance, be merry, eat chocolate, and redecorate!

 I love you, Fred! Life with you is awesome. <3