Everyday Ramblings and Backyard

Here's some things we've been up to lately.  I took down the dried flowers I had on top of my cabinets and instead put vases of fake pears and lemons.  Much cleaner I think.

My two playing under the desk.  Doesn't Zeke look so big?  He took his first steps today.  He falls a lot, but he looks so pleased with himself.  It is enough to make a mother's heart just melt.  He is 16 months today too.  Gwen is saying funny things and testing her limits a lot.  Sometimes when I ask her something she says, "Hum, let me think" and taps her finger against her temple.  Not very comical to her mother at the time, but... she is clever. 

Zeke fell asleep in his high chair today.  I was so surprised I took a picture.

 It seems like  someone just flicks a switch with the season changes here in Kansas.  Last week it was cold and sweater weather... today it went up to 91 and humid.  So... nothing like the heat to remind you to plant things.  I've gotten a little bit in the ground.  Let me show you around.

 I have cilantro on the left and a pretty plant my friend gave to me and hens and chicks that are struggling.

This used to be a table stand, but the table split when the wind blew it over in a storm... so now it is my basil plant holder.  Like my invention?  I was pretty impressed with myself.  I have three basil plants this year to make pesto and put on pizzas and pasta and things.

One of our neighbors sold us his swingset really cheaply and I'm so happy.  Ben is putting it together out in the backyard right now.  He has worked largely by himself taking it apart and now putting it together again.  It was a real beast to take apart.  Here is the slide.

 I transplanted some of my plants that were in this area.  This had rocks around it and I took those away and have planted some Irish mosses around there and hope it becomes my grassy knoll with a little gnome one day.

 Ben getting ready to put the swingset together.  He is an example to me on persistence.  He just keeps trying until he's got it.

One of our little rock wall planters around our tree in back.  We have coral bells and now hastas that I transplanted... oh, and some lilies.

 One more of Ben and the swingset.  It has four swings and a little tree house area thing.  Can you tell I'm so thankful for it?

Here's another rock wall planter that we've put in just in the last few weeks.  Those dead looking plants are actually allium bulbs that never have bloomed.  :(  Boo hoo.

Now on to the garden for this year.  I am excited to share that I have a wildflower patch this year for cutting flowers.  I put the seeds down and I'm waiting for them to germinate.

 

I bought an asparagus plant this year.  It looks like a puny little thing, but next year maybe we'll have asparagus... which I LOVE by the way.

 

Here are the tomatoes.  Six plants in all.  I think they do so much better in the raised bed than in the ground, so that's where they are.  I bought two of each kind.  Two heirloom kind called "Mr. Stripey" that I am totally excited about.  They are supposed to be yellow with red stripes.  Then in the middle they are called "bush Goliath".  I thought a little Bible in my planter would be good... and then on the right, two early girl plants.  They are supposed to yield fruit in 50 days.  We shall see.

 

I have two cucumber plants in the other planter.  I'm hoping for cucumbers the size of an arm this year.  I might pick up some bell pepper plants too or hot peppers or something.  I'd love to be able to make salsa and pasta sauce. 

 

Butterfly Mobile- Again

Ok, I promise this is the last post on the butterfly mobile.  I thought you might be interested to see how it looks hung.  I couldn't get many decent pictures that weren't dark.  It's up above Gwen's daybed in her room.  I thought it would be fun for her to lay in bed and look at.

Rainbow Beauty

Zeke

I can't get enough of this boy.  I love seeing him push this walker and seeing how happy he is walking behind it.  He is such a ray of sunshine to my day.

Project Update

So I've been working on my butterfly mobile.  It isn't done yet and this isn't the best picture in the world...but it's almost done.  I'll take a better picture when I get it hung.  I think it's coming together quite nicely. :)

This is my entry way with my hoops hung.  I love it personally cause it's cool and at least it's something to look at there that's not boring.  

Next project you might be asking?  GARDEN TIME BABY!

Projects and Proteges

I just can't seem to stop more projects.  This morning I washed my cabinets with bleach water.  Am I getting stir crazy or something?  Oh well, at least I'm not sitting around.  Today we got plants for our garden.  I'll tell you all about it soon, but suffice it to say we made it out of Target and Lowe's losing one sippy cup of milk and one dollar store toy.  But, we are all alive, so it's all good.

My friend Janna gave me some styrofoam and I covered it in canvas and then we painted our hand prints on there and it is now hanging in my room. :)

Have you ever tried "no pudge" brownies?  Well... we like them here at our house and we had some the other night.  Zeke found an interesting way to eat his.  Basically he put his blog of brownie on the top of the rocking chair, stood up in the rocking chair and bent down for a bite now and then.  We do not let him stand in the rocking chair, but the situation was so comical that we just lost it in between telling him to sit down and him laughing and smiling.

Zeke is very close to walking.  I'm ready to see him toddling around.

Beki's House

Today we visited Beki's new house. She has been living with us for almost a year and we've really enjoyed it. She has babysat so many times and been a sounding board for me many times too. I told her she is going to miss getting woken up by shrieks and gnashing of teeth. She can call and hear fits almost any time of day these days. (sigh)... but that's another post entirely. Her house is around 100 years old and it has a lot of character. Here are some favorite things about it in my opinion. So excited for you Beki! (she's my sister-in-law in case you don't know)

She has a lot of big and beautiful hasta plants.  Love them!

In her dining room she has these little candle lights in addition to a chandelier light.  I'm loving them!  They are so cute!

When I first saw this I said, "is that fat lady yours?" and Beki said, "it is now"... I guess the previous owners left her there.  Love her!  Now I want my own fat lady.

Look at these old timey light switches!

Love these windows!

and the built in "church pew"

This is not functional, but it's interesting.

What a beauty of a back yard she has. 

Music To Hear

My choir is singing this sonnet by Shakespeare and I especially like the last part I've put in bold print.  It speaks of how community or family together makes beautiful music.  I like the idea of Ben and I and the kids being individual strings that when strummed together make a beautiful chord.

Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy.
Why lovest thou that which thou receivest not gladly,
Or else receivest with pleasure thine annoy?
If the true concord of well-tuned sounds,
By unions married, do offend thine ear,
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering,
Resembling sire and child and happy mother
Who all in one, one pleasing note do sing: 
Whose speechless song, being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: 'thou single wilt prove none.'

Easter 2011

Today Mom and the kids and I went to a quilt show.  This was my favorite.  Lovely!

These are some pictures of our Easter weekend.  With five services that I sang at and an Easter egg hunt, whew... I'm tired.

It is impossible to get us in the right lighting and all looking at the camera at the same time... but here we are!

My dad and Gwen on Easter morning.  She thinks she must wear bracelets on her bicep no matter how many times I tell her otherwise.

Me and Zeke-a-boy. 

Me and my Gwen.  Yikes!  Is it just me or is she looking like a little kid??  She said she felt like Cinderella.  I think every little girl needs to feel like that sometimes.  I think this dress was once a flower girl dress... but she loves it.

Zeke hunting eggs.

Gwen hunting eggs.

We only had to wait in line for four hours for her to jump in here.  (kidding)

Ben's lizard face painting that a kid did.  I'm lovin' it!!  I told him it looks like a green panther.

Zeke and his daddy.

Rabbit Ladder

Gwen drew this yesterday... a rabbit going up a ladder.  :)  Happy Easter everyone!!  He is risen!

Sharing and Hoopla

This is Gwen sharing her ice cream with Zeke last night without being prompted.  SO SWEET!

and this is the arrangement I'm going to do (I think) with my hoops of fabric for my wall.