Garden Update and other mindless, nonoffensive info

I can't believe there are actual sprouts in MY garden! I cannot believe, with the brown thumb I am cursed with, that there could actually be new life! I must give a lot of credit to T who actually planned out the irrigation system to make it "sweet" - I mean water is the most important part!! But, whatever the reason, I am so excited to see my new green babies pop their little heads up out of the dirt! Little do they know that they will either be sacrificed to allow for ample room for others to grow or they will be plucked from the dirt at maturity to end up in my salad bowl topped with a little fat free Catalina! Hey, that's destiny for ya.

So here is a tour of the garden as of today:
I believe these are the radishes peeking through. The first two rows are radish seeds mixed with carrot seeds per my SMom's suggestion. The third and fourth row only have carrot seeds. Therefore, I have concluded these are radishes due to the fact that the 3rd and 4th rows are not showing any sprouts as of yet.




Here is a close up:



No sign of the green onions that I planted from seed and the garlic and shallot are still hiding as well. But my sweet onions that used to be in a cardboard box waiting for the garden:




...are looking AMAZING now that they are in the actual garden! They are LOVING it! They look thicker, greener and taller. I couldn't be more excited!




My peppers are remaining about the same. A little bit of growth has been noticed. I took a flower off of the chile pepper per advice I have been given. I guess for peppers and tomatoes you want to deadhead any blossom that develops before it reaches a foot tall so that the plant can use the energy it is dedicating to the blossom to growing taller and fuller, thus producing more fruit. Here are my peppers as of today:



And my tomato plants (which have grown significantly since planted):




No cucumbers popping out of the ground yet but one row of lettuce is making itself known! I just noticed this today and I was super excited to see some growth. I can't remember which variety this lettuce is but, once I get my garden log together, I will send that info along. But lettuce nonetheless...




My herbs - the cilantro is really taking off but the others are pretty much the same (or at least I can't tell the difference). The only one I am really concerned about is the pineapple sage. Its leaves are not looking so good so we'll see how that goes. I know our Super Walmart up the road has bins of them so I can replace it if it bites the dust.




My mint - looks to be spreading. I have always heard that these herbs are VERY hard to get rid of so it may be right down my alley! I have limited it to a small pot so that it doesn't take over anything else. How cool will it be to use my own mint for my Derby party mint juleps?




These are Tay's plants. The geranium's name is Jewel and, yes, there are glass marbles in the pot per Tay's choice. And part of the reason her name is Jewel. Tay picked her out, picked out the pot, helped me plant her, helped me paint the pot and waters her when she is here.

The other plant, the succulent, is Orphan Andy. We found him laying in the Home Depot parking lot on the way out last weekend. We didn't see anyone drop him and he looked to be left with no home. So we took him. Tay picked out his pot and we are going to paint it next weekend. She doesn't mind that his full name is Orphan Andy but asked me if she could just call him Andy because that's easier! =]




The latest garden development is one that T just pointed out to me while I was doing this entry. I had to take the camera downstairs to check it out. It's my garlic, it's sprouting too! It may be hard to see in these pics but you are looking for a greenish brown oblong looking sprout:







That's the latest update! We are about to head out for a bike ride and then come back for me to make some Baked Ziti for dinner. It is a new recipe I found so I want to try it tonight. Tomorrow will be gym and then lunch with Steph, Lauren and Ryan. I am hoping T can make it too.

Oh, and we finally bought a refrigerator for the garage. I have been wanting one to hold soft drinks and beers so that we can clear out our kitchen fridge. Plus the extra freezer space will be nice for meats that I may buy in bulk! It will be delivered on Friday! Yay!

Well, I hope this entry didn't leave a scratch on anyone. I am looking to make the blog a little less exciting for a while...well, until someone else gets their feathers all ruffled because of garden envy! Haha! Kidding (I think).

Time to ride off into the sunset...

On a lighter note

Ok, enough drama for a while. Let's all lighten the subject a bit. So, you wouldn't have an official desert motif in your backyard without an awesome chiminea! T and I have been wanting one for a very long time. Our brick patio was designed specifically for a chiminea to be placed in a particular spot. We finally found a great deal at Home Depot and it was a color we really liked. You are supposed to prime it with a "small" fire first. We weren't sure what they meant by small but here it is:













I mean, how DO you take a pic of a fireplace in the dark? Oh well. I just love it. We enjoyed sitting around it yesterday before we started the grill for dinner. We will have to take full advantage of it in the next month or so before the summer hits! In the summer you have sweaty pits 24 hours a day!

Thanks to all of my awesome friends that have sent me wonderful messages and left comments for me. I really appreciate your friendship and your kind words. And that's all I will say about that so as not to offend. =D

I think I am going to get off of here and take a break from cyberspace for tonight. It has been a very eventful day here on the ol' blog! But I bet you are all super excited to have some real entertainment for a while. I know my life tends to make my entries quite stale at times. It can't always be fun and games! But, when the drama kicks in, that's always good for reading! Just another Judge Judy day...

See you tomorrow!

And yet another fan...

I am going to take a moment to pick this one apart so that my response and my intentions are perfectly clear:

Wow - I have to agree with the other poster - judge much??
No, I don't

I understand this is your personal diary, and I can choose to read it or not. Trust me after one read I won't be back.
I am sorry to hear that you won't be back to get to know the poster even better. But, trust me, no loss of mine. Especially since you hide behind your mask of anonymity.

It's wonderful that you're happy with your choices...but try not look down on the rest of us in the real world who deal with the occasional "embarrassment of misplaced items or dusty furniture." I'm not sure why that's embarrassing - it's life for lots and lots of us who love our husbands and our families and somehow have happy, healthy (although it sounds like you'd beg to differ) home lives even though we choose to work outside the home.
Since you obviously misunderstood my intent and obviously do not know me very well, let me enlighten you on my situation. I grew up with a Mom who was (and is) a career woman. I watched her work her way up through the ranks and made it to the top. As a little girl, I always watched my Mom get ready for work - leaving with a nice suit and heels, hair and nails done, briefcase in hand. I wanted to be that. I went to school to be that. I graduated college to be that.

And, why would I bash career women with families? That would be like bashing my Mom. I had a great childhood and wouldn't have changed it for anything. I am proud of my Mom and my Dad for working as hard as they did to give them and me the life we had. I always thought that would be me someday. And it was - until six months ago.

Due to lies, deceit and manipulation, my husband and I decided that I needed to get out of a company that I was working for. It was difficult because I really wanted to grown within this company. However, this company was not organized or budgeted well and, in turn, blamed me for their shortcomings that stemmed long before I arrived.

T and I talked about options. My looking for another job, staying home, etc. We decided (although I was very hesitant) that we would try having me stay at home and possibly start a family of our own. I was very hesitant because I have always had a job...a career. I have always held my own, paid for my own and took care of my own. I wasn't sure how the financial arrangement would work and it made me nervous. But we decided to give it a try.

After a couple of months adapting to this concept, I have come to realize that I really enjoy having the "job" of taking care of the house, myself and my husband. Yes, I took care of a house, myself and my husband when I had a job. It was hard (see, folks? I have walked that path) but I did it. I have always been a stickler for a clean house. I have had embarrassing moments in my life when people would drop by and the house would be in disarray. I don't like that feeling. Never have. Do I care if other's houses are like that? No! Do I think you have to be a stay at home person to have a clean house? No. Do I think that those who have careers are not as good as me? Give me a break, folks.

I repeat, I was having a great day - I felt high as a kite. I know you don't know me, or some of you do, but these moments come and go. Just like everyone else. I ride the roller coaster of emotions with the best of them and this is the "real world" for me. I was merely sharing my happiness so that my family (who this blog was always primarily intended for) could know that I am feeling good about life.

And, just to clarify, if I had to jump into a career tomorrow, I happily would. I loved working and enjoyed the industry I worked in. I always thought that I would be in a career and never thought I would be a stay at home. But I also never thought I would want children and I certainly never thought that; I would be pregnant and put a baby up for adoption at 17, that I would be broken into in the middle of the night while I was sleeping at 24, that I would be divorced and remarried, that I would have a miscarriage. I didn't know any of these things would be on my path to Euphoria. But they were. So, with all the bumps in the road that I have survived, a simple entry to share my happiness with my true friends - my parents - shouldn't have been scrutinized or turned around to be about you...Anonymous. This is about my life and my happiness, not about you or your need to justify yours.

As far as being ready "financially, mentally and emotionally" for children - trust me, you are very likely ready financially...but you can't get ready mentally or emotionally. You've got now idea how children rock your world when they arrive. You can talk to parents, you can read all you want - but nothing can prepare you for the reality. So go ahead and gloat about how prepared you are....and re-read these posts when children do enter your life, I think you'll be surprised at how they come across from a completely different point of view.
Mentally and emotionally ready for children (or child) has to do with the fact that I never thought I ever wanted kids until the past year or so. Then, when we did get pregnant, I was at first excited and then terrified that this wasn't what I wanted. When we had the miscarriage, I realized that FOR SURE I indeed wanted to be a mom someday and that was what I was expressing here. The fact that mentally and emotionally I KNOW I want to have a kid someday. I never said I was prepared or know what to expect. And I am certainly not gloating about anything. I will be as prepared as anyone else...maybe a little more so only because my husband has been through the preparation for it before. But I wasn't trying to minimize your parenting or your point of view.

I'm thrilled for you that you're happy and fulfilled - it's great that you've made it to that point in life. And, I hope that you are blessed with the child(ren) that you so clearly want. But please, please, please walk a mile as they say before you judge those of us who have chosen different paths to our euphoria.
You are "thrilled" for me? That's nice. I don't even know who you are but that was a nice thing to say amongst your obvious fury. And, yes, it is great that I have made it to this point in life. It has taken all of 37 years to get here and I am reveling in it while I can. And thank you for the hope of a "blessing". I don't necessarily believe in "blessings" but I do hope that nature will take its course. And, my anonymous friend, I have walked many miles on many paths - most of which you will never set a foot on. So, I will ask you the same favor, don't judge those of US who are on this path when you have NO idea what I have seen along the way!

Final words. I wasn't going to publish this comment because I couldn't believe there was someone else who was getting so uptight about something that had absolutely nothing to do with them. But I am one that needs to understand. I asked my Mom what she thought about my original post - was I being judgemental? She said:

“I am living the dream that other women can only continue to dream about –“

This is the only thing in your blog that maybe someone could misinterpret--Like career girls aren’t fulfilling their dreams maybe? Maybe they misinterpreted your happiness that you could keep your house clean and raise children and career girls can’t do all of that successfully. I don’t know. I wouldn’t worry about it.

Was that it girls? Was I minimizing your career dreams by saying this? I should have said "some women" instead of "other women". Ok, I will apologize for that. I know for a fact from the experience of my own family life that career women rock and I would never minimize that fact. But get off my ass. I worked very hard and built an awesome career. I never knew that this would be the life I would lead but I have come to realize that it is one that I enjoy greatly - sorry if that offends you. It certainly shouldn't. And, Mom, you are so right. After this response, I am not worrying about it.

The thing is, and I repeat, this is my blog. My diary. My "newsletter" home. I don't post in an effort to make friends. I post in an effort to keep up with my friends. Also, when I write in my blog, I never go back to re-read or edit my posts. They all come from my heart and that's how it will remain. I want it to be raw - like I am sitting across from my folks at the dinner table having a conversation. What is really funny to me is that only one person commented on my entry regarding my lack of belief in religion and that was my Dad. But this simple "happy" post made me Career Woman's Most Wanted! The human species never ceases to amaze me.

This is the last post I will write in response to all of this. But thank you for those who have stood behind me in this mini-war and fought for my integrity. You are the ones that truly know me best and I appreciate the support. But, whether it is justification, jealousy or misunderstanding, these comments are just...anonymous. And that should say it all...

Responding to anonymous...

It's great that you are happy with your choices, but they are what is right for you and not universal. My home is not embarrassing, and my furniture is not dusty (today!). My children are happy and healthy and we have a wonderful home life. Being a stay-at-home anything is not the lifestyle I would choose, but I don't assume others feel the same way. Maybe you didn't mean it that way, but your post comes off as a little judgemental. I wouldn't trade lives with you, but I'm glad you are euphoric!

I don't know who commented on my last blog with this response - I guess they will remain anonymous (and I know it isn't my Dad who is the other anonymous fan I have). But, thank you for your comment. I since re-read my blog and can't seem to find the judgemental tone. But I am sorry that you feel that I was judging. I am never one to judge and, since it seems you must not know me well, you would know why. I have had too much shit happen to me to judge ANYONE for their choices and decisions. I was simply reflecting on a time of my life where I feel complete and happy - and it has been a long road to get here.

I obviously said nothing about YOUR house or YOUR family. I was talking about MY house and MY family. As you said, it is what is right for me. And I never would have imagined that this would be the situation that would be right for me. When I was talking about not having an embarrasing house, I was saying that because I HAVE had that before and it is nice not to have that now. There are many personal experiences I could share with you to prove this point but, since I don't know who you are, I won't get into details.

A blog is a personal diary that happens to have accessibility to a public forum. I don't mind that fact and, if you are one that received the invitation from Facebook or MySpace, please become a follower so that you can get to know me better. I absolutely LOVE feedback and I rarely get offended. And I can say I am not offended now. I am more surprised that anyone would think I am being judgemental because I am celebrating my life and accomplishments. Hell, you have one better than me anyway. At least you have your kids that are healthy and happy.

I am very happy that you wouldn't trade me places. I wouldn't trade with anyone either. We all need to feel happy and complete in our lives. It is certainly too short to wish we were someone else or living someone else's life. I am sure your house is beautiful and I can completely respect those that work and can keep up a house at the same time. As "judgemental" as I may seem, I have been there. So I know.

I have already spent more time on this than I really need to and, who knows, maybe this was just someone that was passing through the blogging world and happened across mine. But, if you are a distant friend, family member or acquaintance, please don't hesitate to share your name or, at least, come by more often so that you can get to know the person I really am.

But I must finish by saying that I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I am completely and totally happy with nothing to bitch about (at least not at the moment - I am woman). Thank you to my Dad's comment congratulating me on a happiness that has been a long time coming through some thick sludge. One comment or twenty won't break the smile on my face.

And now to get my robe and wig....

Euphoria

I woke up today with intense gratitude. I appreciate T for the opportunity he has given me. I never really considered being a stay at home anything because I was always so career driven. But, now that we are going on the six month mark, I can't imagine not taking care of our home...and of our family...the way I am allowed to do now.

If and when a baby Spencer enters the picture, it will have such a pleasant environment to grow up within. A clean, stable home with a Mom that will be able to give undivided attention and a Dad that will be working within the home - lunches as a family, an occasional bike ride in the middle of the day and a schedule that will, hopefully, allow Mommy time to get some things done around the house. Play dates with other stay at home Mommy's that I know and a beautiful room with a dark wood sleigh bed crib, changing table and awesome rocker (T and I have SUCH the same tastes!!). When that day comes, we will be ready - financially, mentally and emotionally.

Funny, I was on one of the websites that I frequent that have other pregnant people or people trying to become pregnant. Someone posted an article regarding parents over 35. It was so interesting...and true. It spoke of the benefits of being an over 35 parent - financial stability, life experience, settled in career, and just more well rounded as a person. I couldn't agree more. I have had moments where I wondered if was a bad idea, us trying to have a baby at "my age." But, believe it or not, I am very YOUNG compared to one out of five mom's out there. Many are well over 40 and don't have any regrets or concerns. They all agree that they feel their maturity makes them much better parents. I can see why they would feel that way. I have learned a lot, changed a lot, grown a lot, and have become a completely different person in the last 10 - 15 years. That is what I can offer a child.

Today is a beautiful day with many reasons to be thankful. My handsome, successful husband is making his way home from a business trip, my beautiful stepdaughter will be wrapping a bug hug around my neck when I pick her up this afternoon, my furry babies will cuddle up with me as I wait for T to walk through the door tonight, my muscles are pumped and ready for the gym next week, my heart is healthy and my house is clean. I no longer have to walk into a workplace that I dread or a dead end job where I feel stuck. I am definitely a lucky June Cleaver!

On another note, I am about to head out to visit iceland. It is quite a drive but it isn't to the country. It is the iceland we all know as Michelle's apartment. I am picking up Tatum today (after driving to the airport to get the car seat out of T's car) at 5 PM. Although I am not going to iceland the country, it will still take me a full two hours to arrive due to the airport stop. But, no worries, the ice will not have thawed and the glare will still be there. All this means to me? That I have to wear makeup, somewhat do my hair and make sure I look my best. Or as close to my best as I can four days pre-hair appointment + a convertible top that WILL be down for this drive.

In closing, some pics to entertain (or to fill in space):

The garden completed:



Just another wider shot:



A repeat look at the herb pot - I LOVE this pot!



Our very pretty Oleander that is loving life...



And blooming!



One of our Red Yucca's that now has THREE stalks!!



And the other who's stalk is almost as tall as me!



Everything is blooming so nice:



The Hop Seed Bush:



Momma's boys at the door (and my feet in the reflection):



My little Lavender in her BIG world! We have such aspirations for her!



Go ahead and call animal cruelty. It's true. Our babies are spoiled beyond healthy!



Brrrrr...I feel the ice now...

Another day in the life...

As much as I would like to bore you with my exciting day of scooping pup poop, I will skip that part and fill you in on the latest with the garden. I finally finished planting all of my plants and sowing all of my seeds. Here is the CAD diagram of the garden:




From left to right:
Carrot seeds (first row of carrot seeds are mixed with radish seeds per SMom's suggestion)
Green onion seeds
Texas sweet onion bulbs (I am not sure if they will grow - they were the ones in the box)
Shallots
Garlic
Bell peppers
Hot peppers
Tomatoes
Cucumber seeds
And, over in the jut to the left are the lettuce seeds ('Buttercrunch," Romaine, Spinach and Green)

For herbs, I have:
Main pot
Rosemary
Italian parsley
Flat parsley
Pineapple Sage
Cilantro
Sweet basil

Wood planter
Chives

Separate pot #1
Mint

Separate pot #2
Lavender

With a little tweak of the irrigation which T will help me with upon his return from the Windy City, the garden is complete and ready to produce fruit. Or die a slow painful death - whichever comes first.

Tomorrow should make for an interesting and exciting day. I am picking up Tatum from her Mom's since T won't be back in town early enough to do it. What I didn't realize until about an hour ago is that the car seat is in T's car. And T's car is in the parking garage at the airport. So, not only do I have to drive across town to pick up Tay, I have to first go to the airport, find T's car, grab the car seat and then fight rush hour traffic to pull up to an icy stare! I guess it will be a makeup and hair done day tomorrow. I usually keep my look pretty simple when I am working at home, but, when I am up for possible scrutiny, I will do my best to look my best. Gotta make her hate me more!

Nothing like watching a little Dog the Bounty Hunter to ease my nerves after watching an episode of Ghosthunters by myself. Ugh, I know better than that. But Dog always makes me feel better. I will need to post a pic of T and I dressed like Dog and Beth two Halloween's ago. It was pretty funny. I touched my fake girls all night!

Tonight one of my best friends came over for dinner. This is twice in one week that I was able to hang out with her. That's good and bad. Good because I love our hang out time. But bad because she is going through a real tough time right now. I sure wish the happy fairy would come pay her a visit. She is due. She is so due.

Other than that, it is a poop scoopin', meatloaf makin', garden finishin', TV watchin' time of my life. But I always appreciate the opportunity that my boss has given me. I am super excited for him to get "back to the office." And the timing might be interesting this month...if you know what I mean...'nuff said.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode: Icy Stare From Eyes That Glare

PS - possible pics will be posted tomorrow of other blooming plants in our botanical garden out back...

You know you live in Tucson, Arizona...

I have lived in the wild west of Tucson, Arizona (or Marana which is like the countryside suburb of Tucson) since Feb 2006 (is that year right?). Anyway, long enough to compile a checklist of how to know you live in Tucson.



You know you live in Tucson, Arizona if:

* your local artist is nature and the painting is the sunset

* hummingbirds are a year-round resident

* winter traffic comes to a crawl because of all the retired snow birds

* the only excitement for local meteorologists is monsoon season between July and August

* River Road runs along a dirt wash that only has water in it once a year

* A few passing clouds is a common weather condition

* Funnels come from the ground up in the form of dust devils

* you have to swerve to avoid a tumbleweed crossing the street

* a common sighting while sitting at a traffic light is 20 illegals being loaded into a border patrol van

* you use the mountains to determine direction - i.e. Fingerock is North

* 60 degree temps sends an artic chill through your spine

* stray "dogs" are actually coyotes

* you have celebrities living on one side of you and a native american community living to the other

* the ice cream truck has Christmas songs as part of their playlist

* you have to call your insurance company because a saguaro fell on your car

* on weekends, the Walmart announcements are made in Spanish

* a common traffic occurance is road rage between a BMW and an oversized four wheel drive pick up truck

* your kids are out of school for the rodeo

* if your spiders have more hair than you

Ok, the garden is built, the irrigation is placed and the soil is ready. But am I? My seeds didn't do so well so the five starfoam coffee cups of pepper plants and tomato plants are sitting on a dinner tray outside adjusting to the life of a free plant. I don't know how they will do but they take after their mom. They are determined to live no matter what the conditions!

So the soil is placed and, on Sunday, we planted carrots, radishes and part of the bunched onions (also known as green onions) in their predetermined areas. We also bought the most perfect pot for my herb area. We went back to Pottery Blow Out which is a local shop that my Mom found a couple of years ago on a visit. I saw the pot and had to have it. Here is my herb garden (well, minus the lavender and mint):

Today I bought some chives, a pot for my mint and more peppers and another tomato plant. I sure hope I can get the rest of the planting done tomorrow. I need to get it done. By the time I get to it in the afternoon, it is shaded and windy in that area and I become a whiny 4 year old. Maybe tomorrow will be more productive.

But, tonight...productivity has taken a backseat to chillax-tivity.

Oh crap the dirt...

What a day! I woke up this morning at my usual 6:45'ish in the ol' AM to take care of the babies and to have a low key morning before our "9 AM - 11 AM delivery" of soil. Around 7 my phone rang. I happened to be in the potty so I was unable to answer but assumed it was Steph (my MIL) who sometimes calls me on her way into work. I will call her back.



Well, when I came out of the potty, I looked at my phone and didn't recognize the number. Could it be the doctor stalking me about my blood work again? I listened to the message and, thankfully, it wasn't my doctors! It was Pioneer Landscaping (do you think they will pay me for all of the advertising I am giving them on the world wide web??). No sooner than I listened to the message, my phone rang again. Same number. I answered. The guy on the other end was eager for me to answer my phone. He was already having a bad morning. He had calls upon calls and, so far, no one was answering. I answered. Because of that, I was able to get my "sandy loam" soil before the 9 AM minimum delivery...yeah, within the next 45 minutes!!! OMG! I'm not ready! I was still in my jammies, still had to get my Circle K ice tea and still had morning activities to take care of...yikes!



But I agreed to the 45 min delivery. I mean, of course!!! More time to get things done! T had a call scheduled for 8 and for 8:30 AM. But at least I could get things staged and get things ready to go full steam. The goal for the day was to get the soil done at a time that was beneficial for T to go to a school open house for Tay and for me to hit the grocery which I usually do on Thur - but yesterday I was in the trenches of the garden shopping!



Anyway, the guy with the HUGE dump truck (with the reverse beep noise) pulled up at 7:45 almost on the dot! I went out there and we talked about where to dump the soil. I must admit, I was a little scared about the quantity of dirt that might be in the truck - you sure couldn't see from where I was. After signing some papers and pointing some fingers, he whipped his dump truck around and made his way to the bottom of our driveway. He lifted the bed and the majority of the dirt poured out. OMG...that's a lot of dirt!! But that wasn't all. He started to pull away but there was more. OMG...we have to shovel and wheelbarrel it to the garden. Yikes.



Here is our pile of dirt:











Oh, what? Doesn't look like a lot? OMG!!! I did most of the shoveling and wheelbarreling before Todd was able to because he was working on the irrigation for the first two or so hours. Which is really good time for all the irrigation that needed to be done. But that was also a lot of time of shoveling and wheelbarreling. Oh!! But we had to put together the wheelbarrel(s) first - we have two. I tried to start the process while T was on a conference call. It didn't work out so well, not to mention it was quite cold in the ol' Southwest!! My blood is thin!!



Anyway, once one wheelbarrel was complete, T went to work on the irrigation system and I went to work on the shoveling and barreling! Talk about back breaking work! OMG!!



Once T was done with the irrigation, it was well past lunch time and I was ready for help! T hit it hard and I helped (like Shake-n-Bake). A lot of the time I was trying to even out the soil with my hands or tools (that were more cumbersome than helpful) while T was shoveling and hauling. Hey, I did half (or much more than half), it is his turn.



All in all, here is the final product by 2:15 PM today:






Compared to:






The little white heads in the first pic is the irrigation that T coordinated! It is awesome! Now we are ready for plants! That's the latest on the garden-to-be.

Leave It To Beaver Episode 3, Volume 2

How does it feel to be the lucky one who sends off her handsome husband in a suit and then makes the house perfect for when her man comes home? Oh, that would be ME! Yes, that's right. I was playing the best June Cleaver since the 50's, giving a wave goodbye to her executive husband as he leaves for business meetings yesterday. My goal for the remainder of the day was the same as June's. It sure makes one appreciate their life.

Well, other than the cramps from my AF visit. I am sure June had to deal with this as well. Probably while wearing an uncomfortable A-skirt and tight sweater along with heels and pearls. Wow. Glad some things have changed and sweatpants are acceptable for stay at home wives! Oh, and the heels have been traded in for flip flops!

For dinner last night, I made T his favorite dinner. Spaghetti with homemade sauce and garlic bread. He got home a bit early while I was still in the process of vacuuming all two floors of the house (including the steps which are such a biatch). But he was way too excited to care about that! His EQ arrived for our new sound system and that was his first (and only) priority when he walked in the door. Luckily (for me, I'm sure), the time it took him to set it up was the time it took me to finish my vacuuming. No sooner than I got the vacuum in the closet the tuning CD was inserted and the EQ session was beginning. Low end hums that shake the windows and high end frequencies that even make poor, slowly becoming deaf Jackson beg to go outside. Seemed like a good beer break outside on the patio!

But, to be honest, my little Ward Cleaver sure knows how to tweak some sound! This sound system sounds like something I used to strive for when I was in the corporate theater industry. It is clean, crisp, powerful and plain ol' SWEET! Testing 1-2, 1-2.

Well, today June and Ward decided they would be getting the garden started. First, we had to decide on soil. I had called around to different places - Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart - to find the best deal. We were thinking originally that bags would be better. It sure would eliminate the possibility of a huge pile of dirt in the front of the house to wheelbarrel back to the garden area. That just seemed like a nightmare. Well, until we found out the price difference! To do soil in bags, we were looking at a price of AT LEAST $350 or more and would have to make two trips with my MIL's husband's truck with huge pallets that weigh more than a ton each. Hmmmm.... Well, the guy I talked to at Walmart gave me a tip under the table (even he admitted that he didn't want to lose a sell but wanted to let me in on a tip). Pioneer Landscaping. They will bring a dump truck out with the ideal soil for veggie gardens and dump it for $25/cu yard. Turns out, we can get the amount of soil that we need - and the best quality - delivered for a complete total of $175. DONE!!

Today we bought the lumber to make the raised bed along with additional irrigation needs. We got started around 10 looking at soil (before we made the final decision of Pioneer) and then had lunch at 11:15. We got back on the road heading to Home Depot at 12'ish. We picked up the material that we needed, unloaded the truck and built the entire frame before 6:30 PM. Not bad for a days work! We are sore and tired but we (or maybe I should say I) am ready for some soil tomorrow. Pioneer will be dumping our load (haha) between 9 am and 11 am. Since T changed pick up days and times for Tay until tomorrow after their kindergarten school orientation, we have all day to get the soil out of the front of the yard. What this means for the June in me? I will be putting on some shorts and a tank and hauling soil in a wheelbarrel while getting some sun AND exercise! Final product, a garden ready to accept some plants! Poor souls...they will be meeting their maker soon. Haha.

I am really proud of what our sore, old bodies (well, my old body and his acting old body) accomplished today. Please note that we didn't clean up our tools in case we need them tomorrow. And, the camera battery died after this one pic so I wasn't able to take any close ups. Anyway, take a look - STAGE 1:

Before:



Stage 1 - framing complete



Back breaking to resume tomorrow!

St Patty's and other exciting news about nothing...

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!

T and I had a great weekend last weekend. Very low key and a lot of together time. Much needed after his Europe tour for two weeks. We are finally feeling back into the groove - just in time for him to head to Chicago next week. But it will only be Mon thru Thur and, after the two week stint, this will seem to be a fast trip.

Last night I made pot roast (recipe to come on The Dirty Details) - T said it was the BEST pot roast he had ever had and that included the last one I made! I felt like a very successful domestic engineer! I fed my man some red meat that was the best he ever tasted! Not to mention the smell that a pot roast in a crock pot does to a home! It is the best fragrance for a home. I am adding it as one of my faves. We had ranch, cheesy mashed potatoes and croissants with melted butter and garlic salt. It was a hearty, southern, stick-to-your ribs meal.

The calorie intake was ok since we have been riding bikes almost every evening - even after I do an hour and a half at the gym. I have no problem splurging with that kind of routine! My legs were like spaghetti last night during our bike ride since I had done 45 min of cardio plus all of my leg weight machines! Then a 5 mile bike ride. I was quite tired.

However, through the slits of my eyes, T and I worked on my garden plot. He is certainly a perfectionist and it took some time to complete but here is the plot:

Well, after much effort, the pic of the plot was way to small for you to see. I will see if T can save it a bit larger so that I can post it.

It looks like we will need 132 cu ft of soil (GULP) so we/I am going to call around tomorrow to find the best deal and the best way to do it. We will be able to use Steph and Jim's truck on Thursday all day so we will be able to get the material, the soil (GULP) and the pots for the herbs. We are planning on laying it out and getting the entire thing built this weekend. So, while he is in Chicago, I will be able to go out and plant/sow what I can and determine how many plants I will need to supplement my weak supply of seedlings. I am just really excited to get it started. We will be building a small 3 or 4' high gate/fence that will be the entrance to the garden. Of course this will be a cool effect but it serves a purpose. It keeps Jackson out of the garden. I don't need him to fertilize the plants and I don't need him eating them either. I am VERY excited to get started! I really hope it does well this year. We have big dreams of canning tomatoes (Mom, I will need your expert advice hear) and pickling pickles! And I hope to have peppers coming out of my ears!! And the lettuce!! Yum! Fresh salads every night (or every other...or whenever I am lucky enough to have some).

I am excited about some upcoming events that I am planning! The first will be the fourth annual Derby Party in Arizona! I was very proud of Lauren that she knew the date of the Derby! But still disappointed in my sweetie who asked me when the Derby was! It's all in the training, folks! But we will be having another Derby party and I am very excited to be a domestic diva so I will have more time to make this the blast of the year!

The other exciting event will be Lauren's baby shower - family style. Because of all the peeps she knows, she will be having two. Her best friend is hosting the "friend" shower and I will be hosting the "family" shower. It may sound strange, after the emotional roller coaster I have been on since the miscarriage (or since ALWAYS), that I am excited about planning a baby shower. But I have come to realize many things lately. One, I am sure that T and I will have our chance - no doubt in my mind. Two, family is so important and I want to be there for my niece (they are having a girl). And, three, I have learned that I have an awesome life, awesome family, awesome friends, an awesome stepdaughter and an awesome husband. Even without a baby, my life is complete. Having a little 'us' would be icing on the cake.

All this being said, AF (Aunt Flo, you know her), has come for a visit. Good thing I cleaned! Haha! I was quite sure that this month would be out for us due to the timing of his trip. But that's quite alright. We have a whole year and a half before I call it quits on trying. =] I honestly believe we WILL have our chance!

So T has a new sound system for the TV - it is theater quality. It is soooo huge! I will take a pic when it gets completely set up. He is working on it now. We have to cover the front cones because they are rimmed in yellow (huh? pimp my speakers??) which stands out like a sore thumb. But we have some great ideas to cover them. There is a sub that literally rattles the windows! But T also thought ahead (as boys do in this department) and ordered an EQ as well so that he can tune it to be perfect without rattling the windows. Boys with their toys....

Well, I haven't much to say...the top has been down, the wind in my hair and the days have felt great...as have the nights. I am truly on a mood upswing and intend on sticking here for a while. It is so much better than the alternative.

I will leave you with some pics:

My female hummingbird perched in our Mesquite tree:



She's taking a drink:



This is a second hummingbird, might be the male (we have a female and male). I also saw a third one zoom by today! We are the buffet of choice for our feathered friends:



So awesome!



The back of the house from the fire pit - see the two brown pots by the columns? They used to have firestick plants (like the one out front - refer to past pics). They died and we replanted with Jasmine. Which is special because of our feline baby Jasmine. And they produce fragrant blooms that the hummingbirds and butterflies will LOVE!



Close up of our Jasmine



Our Red Yucca that has a stalk!! No, TWO stalks!! They will bloom. We are very excited!



Happy St Pat's and I will be back tomorrow. T is going to Phoenix so I can catch up on housework that I didn't get done today and I am sure I will have time to post a blog!

Kisses!

What a Sunday!

What a beautiful beer Sunday it was today. But the beer was short lived. I had a couple at lunch and another two at home before my head started rebelling. Plus the bloated feeling set in. I just wasn't feeling it much after that. But my awesome Sunday continued.

T is super excited. We are getting our new sound system for the TV in the living room Wednesday. With a bowl of popcorn and a soda fountain installed, we will be one heck of a movie theater! But these are definitely boy toys and T is an expert at obtaining them! =] I must say that I am looking forward to them, too. My Paul McCartney concert DVD will be a definite test run!! (Oh, and did I mention that he also bought an EQ system? Boys will be boys).

Anyway, today we went to Lowe's so that he could get shelves for the speakers. As I have mentioned many times, T is a perfectionist so I am sure it will look awesome! You know me with the ol' camera. I will take pics so that you can judge for yourself.

T flew his radio controlled plane a little today. Our neighborhood is so awesome with plenty of wide open areas to do things like that. If anyone was looking out there windows, I am sure they were concerned for the passengers of this flight! There were two crash landings. One took off the bottom battery pack but that was easily fixed with some electrical tape T had in his trunk (always prepared). The second crash landing was a face to face with a fire hydrant. It didn't do as much damage - just a few little "bruises" on the wing and a knick in the front left tire. The bird will fly again...

After the bumper planes, we went for an 8 mile bike ride. It was a gorgeous day and one that should not be wasted with indoor activities. Another reason I love our neighborhood - so many bike paths and so much to see. Other reasons Marana is cool? This morning when I went to get our paper and my ice tea, I saw about 10 or so hot air balloons. We also watched the crop duster plane fly right by our house numerous times on his way to take care of the farm land around us. I love that! And the ecosystem we have in our backyard is second to none. Beautiful butterflies, two hummingbirds - a female and a male, dragonflies and even prehistoric looking moths. All attracted to our blooming plants outside - especially the salvia. We spent a lot of time out there today. Our Mesquite trees are coming back with a vengence (sp?). There is new growth all over them. We are very proud of the house and of our yard. We often tell ourselves that our neighbors are highly envious of our coolness! Haha!

I am working on a cleaning schedule so that I am sure I hit everything with a deep clean everyday of the week. I am pretty excited to get that organized so that I always know what to expect from myself. Just random cleaning isn't making the cut for my anal personality. A list will be super great. I will share it on my other blog (link to the left) when it is complete. Also check out the dinner we had tonight over there. Since it came from my head and not a recipe, there are no exact measurements but I wouldn't want you to feel that limited anyway!

Tomorrow I will be posting some pics of new plants in our yard, the Red Yucca that has two large stalks growing out of it (which is how it will bloom) and whatever else I can find that might be of interest. For now, I am off to get settled on the couch. Celebrity Apprentice is on tonight. That's some fine TV watching, folks! Haha! I have missed the first two, only catching the end to see who gets fired. Tonight I am watching the clock and ready for some Trump action.

Hope everyone's weekend was awesome as well! Would love to hear from you!

Welcome to the Spencer's

Today will be mostly pics and a few mindless comments that could be tossed in file 13...only useful for boring bathroom reading.



Today has been pretty much the same as most days. Hit the gym with an entire hour of cardio and 20 min of abs. Hit Walmart briefly for last minute house items such as milk, toothbrush heads, fabric softener and so on. I was a little worried about my condition - being out in public with a sweat soaked wife beater and my form fitting work out pants. But, once I walked through the doors of Walmart, I knew I had nothing to worry about. I should have been frequenting a 5 star restaurant in my attire compared to others in that store! I don't know how bad I may have smelled but I kept my arms tightly in the down position and hoped that having the top down on my car helped air me out a bit.



Since my arrival home, other than a salad lunch and doing a few Home Depot surveys in hopes of winning a $5000 gift card, I haven't done much. But I did upload pics. I thought a walk through of the house would be beneficial for family and friends that haven't seen it (by the way, ummm..a visit would work better than pics!!)



Enjoy!

Front of house with garage open (we were working on cleaning up my car after the bonnet replacement)

Welcome to our home

Standing in the foyer

Look to the right, T's favorite purchase (until recently when he bought a new sound system for the TV - should arrive in another week)

Look up from the entry - our cool paintings on canvas from IKEA.

Behind the loveseat in the living room is our "media" area that houses our big red love sack and the Mac (which hosts all of our pics and feeds our apple TV)

Leading from the living room into the dining room area.

The dining room table and T's telescope as seen from our kitchen area. Artwork by my Dad!

From the dining room looking into the kitchen including the breakfast eating area (although we eat much more than just breakfast at that table)

Above the kitchen cabinets is artwork that my Dad and I did when I was about 9 years old!

Proud Mama of a very organized and stocked pantry

Powder room off of kitchen

Mirrors above toilet from IKEA.

The conversation piece in the bathroom. A disgusting pic T took while in Puerto Rico for business. Someone threw this nasty poo filled toilet over the side of the road. And we are strange enough to frame it and put it in our bathroom!

Jazzy taking a sip out of the huge bowl of water.

Laundry room is opposite the pantry and adjacent to the powder room.

Let's head upstairs - the multi pic frame is awesome and was a gift from MIL

Just one more set of steps - our master bedroom is in view

The view from the upstairs loft landing. Hi Jackson!

Another view - hi Kizzy!

The cleaned out "crap" room that used to be the "craft" room which may (hopefully) be a baby nursery someday...

But is currently a plant nursery

And houses an awesome quilt made by my SMom and her sisters! It has everyone's hands from their side of the family stitched on it!

Tatum's room - I try to keep it as clean as I can...

The new and improved, clean and organized office/craft room

Tatum/guest bath looking from the hallway

And then facing the hallway - cute cartoon pics done by my Dad a long time ago. I love them. I am going to add pics of Australian animals (that we took on our honeymoon) in colorful frames for over the toilet and over the towel rack)

Master bedroom from hallway - the mirrored divider "cleverly" hides one of the litterboxes!

My nightstand with my parents' photos - I truly miss my folks!

Looking at the master bath - no door...hoping to eventually put a curtain or something cooler in that spot so that we don't blind each other with light in the early am

Master bath from toilet room

The other direction

Looking out to the hallway - the door leads to a walk in closet that has many shelves. And the shelf above the chest of drawers will have a wedding pic added to the center of it.

Guest room/blue room/dolphin room - also the cats love this room and it does have the second litter box.

Our new addition to the yard - a Sago Palm

The bigger picture - my onion boxes will be moved when my garden is built

Horseshoe pits (official distance apart as well) - the one not shown tends to second as Tay's sand box!

Brick patio (that was built by T's awesome friends as a wedding gift - as was the yard). It needs to be straightened up a bit (coolers need to disappear) but it is a great place to hang out and grill!

The covered patio with the bar level table

Pineapple Sage that we bought at Home Depot last night!

My collection of cookbooks in the dining room!

Our rockin' bar!!

The future garden - in the next two weeks!

Whenever I have time this weekend I will take more pics of my seedlings! They are really growing! I had to transplant my tomatoes into starfoam cups to allow more room for their roots! Yay!

OH! And check out my new blog that will have recipes, cleaning tips/advice, gardening stuff, etc. The link is to the left of the blog entry at the top (under the blog pic).

Kisses!