Blog Archives June 2007

Summer = Motorcycles. They are everywhere. The loud ones, the quiet ones, with sidecars and without. I’m not a big fan.

My kids make me smile. They don’t have to try hard, fact of the matter is they are a great source of pride and joy. But, there are those tiny little things that happen in the middle of the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. The things that bring a big smile to my face and let me know that they are a true product of their upbringing.

Case in point, I am driving in the car with my three year old. She is hopping and bopping along to a Hannah Montana CD. Now, I can deal with Hannah Montana. Were it not for my children, I would never buy any HM paraphernalia, but she is okay as far as teen stars are concerned…she can write a catchy little jingle and I give her kudos for covering up her navel in a world of belly rings, tattoos, and muffin-tops.

So, back to my daughter…she is singing all the words to her favorite song and then right in the middle she stops and says “Mama, I don’t want Hannah Montana anymore. You play ‘Hey Jude’ for me?” Do you know how awesome that is? My daughter stopped listening to Hannah Montana, an icon in her eyes, to ask for The Beatles! Yay! It was a 20 second moment in time, but it just goes to show that a piece of my husband and me lives in her. Children learn what they live, and our taste in music is slowly permeating her life. Awesome. So insignificant on a grand scale, but so valuable to my heart and soul.

Tip for today: Do your children have any quirks, mannerisms, or favorite musicians that could only come from you? Write about it. Scrapbook it. Remember it.

As a recreational gardener, I have felt both the fruits and the frustrations of my labor. There are years where Mother Nature is right on and I am rewarded with prolific bloom for little effort. Then, there are the years where drought or relentless rain make a mockery of all my hard work. This year, despite increasing news coverage about global warming, all of my gardening stars were in alignment and I was due to have a bumper crop of all my favorites: coneflowers, phlox, blanket flowers, black-eyed susans, sweet potato vine, and yarrow to name a few. Then…in walks the gopher. Rascally little rat has devoured nearly my entire rock garden, leaving me only a few measly astilbe and sea holly.

But, despite my dismay over this sneaky little pest, I have tried to remain positive and focus on a couple happy little accidents that have taken place. I noticed that some allium, which I only had in a small portion of my front yard, has reseeded to the back. My peonies were stupendous this year. My container gardens around the deck and in the front yard look fantastic – they are colorful and lush. And, after five long years of only thick stocks and lush leaves, I am finally starting to get blooms on my hydrangea bushes (I can’t wait to see what color they turn out to be).

Despite the gophers who threaten to outsmart you, try to always remember your happy little accidents in life. No matter how bleak the forecast, we all have a few bright blooms to look forward to.

Have a great day!

It’s funny how a couple days can turn into a week…and then a week turns into ten days. Sorry for being MIA. Been focusing a lot on work, family, and daily life…you know, paying the bills, tending to the yard, doing laundry, and trying desperately to carve out some me time. I sold a couple items from my Etsy shop and that was pretty cool. It’s always a thrill to sell a handmade item, a little piece of you that is off to a new home.

While I am getting my act together and finishing up on all the things I HAVE to do, I thought I would tide you over with a little photo love! I took the girls out on a little Father’s Day photo shoot – turns out, donuts and paper hearts are great props. Enjoy…

I will be pretty sporadic on this blog for the next week or two. My day job has completely taken over my life for the short-term. Tons of high profile projects all due around the same time. It’s exciting, but all-consuming. Orders for the site will be uninterrupted, but in terms of my TTD, blogging has to be the first thing I sacrifice!

My boss took us out for lunch today. A little Chinese food and some laughs. It was a lot of fun. We got fortune cookies at the end and mine read: You are busy, but you are happy.