Backyard projects and one muddy little lad

Our yard has been getting a few upgrades recently.

My wonderful husband planted some posts and dug up the grass for my little garden. We’re going to put some wire field fencing around the area so that my little dirt digger won’t be able to dig up all my plants on a whim.

This is basically the state of the garden right now. The grass from the area is turned over in the hole to let the dirt dry out so we can hopefully shake some of it back into the garden. We also have half a bag of mulch left from planting our new tree that will be perfect to add to the mix.

I still haven’t quite decided what to plant exactly. I know I want tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zuchinni and pumpkins, but I may throw in a few extra things for fun. Maybe a raspberry plant or two (to be moved if they decide to spread) and a few pretty flowers around the edges. :)

Ranger had to do some dirt playing of his own while daddy worked. He loves his dirt.

And I love his little baby face :)

Along with his scrunchy elbows and long eyelashes. such cuteness.

The other morning he came to me looking like this:

Yes, those are his pj’s under his sweatshirt :)

I asked him where he found the mud and he went over to our brand new little tree where the freshly watered mud was.

Our little baby and his little baby tree.

Mud is apparently lots of fun. He was saying “bleh” in the above picture.

I let him play a few more minutes…while I took pictures of the cuteness of course.

And once we got the perfect happy picture…

It was time to clean up the baby and mess up the tub.

I decided the easiest way to get everything clean was to drop him in the tub fully clothed and gradually rinse everything out. He loved it. :)

Our yard is getting very fun :) And only set to have more upgrades eventually. A little shade on the patio would be nice so Israel (an almost architect turned physics major) and my brother-in-law (a landscape architect) are working on a plan to turn it into someplace where we can happily spend time during these hot summers. :)

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Does anyone else have a garden? what do you like to plant? What did you plant this year?

House Tour: Master Bedroom

I finally got our bedroom pulled back together. It took a couple hours of folding laundry, matching socks and digging, but eventually the piles of clothing were beaten into submission.

I love our room in the evening. The window faces west for lovely evening light. We can see into two neighbors yards since our room is only a few feet from the fence, but it is lined with light and pretty trees so when we look out we mostly only see green leaves and foliage. It’s quite lovely.

We have a bathroom off our room. It has two sinks and a tub and shower. It will be shown to you once the countertop is visible again.

My closet space tripled. It’s a little ridiculous. Hopefully the used-to-be-perpetual pile of clothes in front of my wardrobe will continue to be a has-been and never be seen again. We shall see.

Another thing we have really enjoyed about this house are the interesting rooflines and high ceilings. I tried to get a picture of the one in our room. It’s fun.

We like our house a lot :)

That cherry coke…

Oh yes. So I have too much energy right now. Sort of. It’s more of an inability to shut down the brain, that sounds closer to right.
That cherry coke.. Had a lot of caffeine! It should have a warning label: “Do not drink after 4PM; Internal brain happenings may be jumbled or excited while physical and mental energy remain limited and unavailable.”

Anyway.

I’m sorry.

Maybe I won’t do it again?

No promises here.

However.

I feel like I have a quite a few posts in the works in my head though they’re all still jumbled messes at this point. And therefore still in an unretrievable format.

Sadly.

So here is a post just to say hello, I guess…since nothing else of intelligible note is coming to mind…

So hello! How are you? How was your monday?

Ranger and I stayed busy today for my sanity (the very short business trip stole my husband away and wearing the child out for sleeping is necessary…though it didn’t really work this evening). We went shopping, then napping, then picnicking and play-gym-ing, then walmart-ing, then partying and, eventually, bedtime-ing.

Yup.

Song {Five Minute Friday}

Five minutes to write freely today. Join us at Lisa Jo’s with the word ‘song’.

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That song comes on.

The one with the beat.

Your face lights up as I turn to watch.

And you dance.

Your head bobs up and down and side to side
Dancing that wild crazy dance your mama and daddy taught you.

We dance wild and different.

You laugh when I lean into the music and wiggle a little in the front seat of this old car. And then we both dance.

Though soon the moment is over as I turn back towards your daddy driving home.

We sit in the car and just listen to the music and each other.

That song brought the moment together and we all have joy from it.

Song to you and me, little man.

Pulls us closer.

ocean extravaganza: that trip we took a month ago

We took a week at the Oregon coast a couple days after we moved in to our new house at the end of March.
It was grand.
I alway enjoy having a week off from cooking, lots of people to share the child’s wildness with, and just breathing the ocean air. This year all my grandparents, my parents, siblings (minus one who we saw only on our last day there) and nephew all came. It was a party basically.

We had a flat tire on a saturday night just after everything closed on the way there so we spent the night in legitimately fancy hotel (spring break, y’all. everything was full). Just think Eloise at the Plaza and tone it down two notches and you’ll about have it.

We spent that sunday morning at Costco and a new tire best friend. And eventually made it to the coast and the beach.

Ranger did pretty well on the drive though he didn’t sleep as much as I thought he might. The new toys were a hit. Most of the snacks I brought for him were kind of a bust since apparently babies have more self-control/self-preservation instincts than adults and can’t eat junk for hours on end. Ah well. His favorites were the keys and cell that beep. My favorite was the child-proof baby cup fail.

I got him a fun little snack cup with handles and those little flaps on the top to prevent spilling while still allowing snacking…well. He thought the game was to empty it out as fast as you could. The car was basically a disaster. Mhmm. Fail. But an utterly hilarious fail.

Our first day at the beach we walked down to the water to show Ranger the water.

It didn’t really work. The tired travel child was out in daddy’s arms by the time we got there.

Israel coached me on a self-portrait so we got the best background. :) always the photographer. :)

We were blessed with lovely warm mostly dry weather for much of the trip though and there were many opportunities for Ranger’s 2013 introduction to the beach.

He got two mouthfuls of sand before he finally looked at the third handful with disgust and put it back down. He decided playing in it was more fun.

We also got the chance to try out a my sister’s baby backpack and went on a pretty hike to a beautiful waterfall.

Of course Ranger fell asleep again… :)

Other random moments:

Our whole group the only day everyone was there :)

It was fun :)

Comfort {five minute friday}

Joining up with Lisa Jo for another five minute friday. It’s been a while.

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Comfort.

We live in comfort in this first world full of highly available excess. We may think we need this and that and something more, but in reality most of us have quitr enough and are living in a comfort unknown to the general population of the world.

We rely on running washers to keep our hands soft and days free of excess work so we can continue on in our habits of play and enjoyment.

We keep our grass green and trimmed because comfort is having water for the grass.

Comfort.

Our lives seem to be lacking in not too much (though our ever-present lists of wants and needs might say otherwise), but slmehow we are never actually satisfied with what we have.

We live im physical comfort while our minds wear away the hours at tasks deemed worthwhile and even pleasuable but somehow this specific mind doesn’t fit in with that thought.

We live in spiritual comfort as we don’t go too far to challenge our own self’s well-being when mYbe, just maybe we’d be better off if we hung out feet out over the edge and expirimented with the new.

Comfort.

Do we need it?

Easter, finally.

Sooo, easter was a while ago but these pictures have been burning a hole in my pocket. And today seemed like the day for an easy post so here they are. These are just a few from our own little hunt in the back yard. It was so warm and sunny!

Bubbles had to happen first.

Ranger had fun.

He tried a Peep. He likes sugar. Guess he’s normal. :)

The helicopter egg collecting technique is preferred.

Then there’s more daddy involvement which means more fun to be had.

Though he did figure it out on his own as well.

“What is the point of this strange ritual?”

A first and an account of last tuesday!

Today is a first! I wrote a guest post!

Yes fun. I know.

I’m at my mom’s blog, Owlhaven, today sharing about last tuesday

My sister and I are planning on sharing a post at my mom’s blog now and again. Today it was my turn and I’d love for you to join me for: another day in my life. Interesting or ho-hum last Tuesday was the day I tackled! Thanks for reading!

Liebster Award

A couple months ago I was nominated for the Liebster award by Gillian at Growing Up Gillian. I was honored of course, but time has flown by and I am just now sharing the honor with 5 more bloggers. I am following Gillian’s edit of the rules and sparing myself by limiting each thing to 5 instead of 11.

I started following Gillian when she shared her 31 days of Thoughtful Thrifting in October and I’ve really enjoyed reading Gillian’s blog as she updates, remodels and paints her old but new house as a pregnant lady. She just had her little baby a couple weeks ago and I’m sure she will keep sharing her projects and thoughts with us. You should definitely go check out her blog if you’re interested in houses, home projects or thrifting…and most likely babies. :)

Here are the original rules:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs.

So here goes with the abbreviated version:

Five random facts:

1. My ‘to-read’ list on goodreads is about 80 books long.
2. I cannot (don’t like to) sleep barefoot.
3. I kept a private blog before I started this one.
4. I ate too much chocolate around valentine’s day and am only just recently able to sometimes enjoy it again.
5. I love the fridge my husband got me too well. Apparently he chose it thinking I would like this type the best. He was right. I’ll have to share a picture sometime. It’s beautiful.

Gillian’s Questions:

1. What is one popular design or fashion trend that you just cannot get on board with?
   Uggs and pre-ripped jeans. Not too bad really. I’m sure there’s something else out there that bothers me more, but those are just things I can’t do.
2. Have you won any other award/prize/contest before? If so, what?
   Yes. The One Lovely Blog Award a few months ago. In my college spanish grammar class I won an award for being the most creative writer and had one of my essays read aloud by the profesora. I was pleasantly surprised. :) other than a scholarship or two and some church things that’s probably about it.
3. What is one new skill that you would like to learn?
   I would like to learn how to dig/plant/take care of a garden on my own. This summer shall be my first solo attempt though my dad has elaborate gardens every year.
4. Do you have any birthmarks/scars/tattoos/other unique identifying marks?
   I have a piece of pencil lead (graphite, actually, I suppose) in the top layer of my left foot. I accidentally pulled the top of my foot across a nice sharp pencil 10 or so years ago. It seems like it’s there to stay.
5. What is one item at the grocery store that you like to splurge on?
   Bagels! Or donuts if I’m really short on self-control that day. Although those might be too cheap to count as a splurge.

My questions for you:

1. Are you a Lord of The Rings fan? I’m not…but since my sister and best friend loved the series growing up nd my husband loves the movies now, I have an inordinate amount of random LOTR knowledge. Yup.
2. How do you feel about organic food? Worth it? Pointless? Sometime yes, sometimes not?
3. Favorite summer activity? Swimming!
4. How and how much do you tend to participate in potentially politically or religiously loaded conversations via the internet or anywhere else?
5. What type of books do you tend to go for at the library or bookstore?

Nominees:

• On Being a Homegirl
• fromamummysheart
• Barren to Blessed
• The Pink Briefcase
• I’m sure she has more than 200 by now, but she’s too good not to share. The Wild Love

To all my readers: feel free to answer my questions as well! I’d love to heart it! And also make sure you check out these lovely ladies’ blogs!

Stream of consciousness: spending words

The last couple days Israel has been out of town on business, so ranger and I have been left to go it alone. And I have had extra words building up apparently. This post wasn’t going to be this long. But ah well.
Here we are anyway.

The last couple days.

For your pleasure and perusal.

Wednesday we made our way to Costco with some of my family for eye appointments. We had to coincide so I wouldn’t be caught trying to keep ranger out of the optometrist’s expensive equipment and trying to communicate whether the first option or the second option was better. The eye doctor saw me, my mom, and my brother in an hour window. It was a little ridiculous. I guess their methods have gotten a lot better since I started going 15 years ago? (How has it been that long?)

My first pair of glasses were big and round with gold frames when I was 8. I loved them and wore them on a gold chain around my neck so I wouldn’t lose them when I took them off to read. (And just an aside to any young people who might be reading my blog: don’t try to read by the light of your red numbered alarm clock. It will kill your vision.) My eyes have deteriorated much since then and when I take my contacts out I have to remind people that I cannot see their face or whatever screen/book they are trying to show me clearly unless I am less than 11 and a half inches away.
But the good news is they seem to have stopped getting worse and I am in the same prescription I was 3 years ago (yes, I swap out my contacts much less often then I should).

Anyway. Long story short. Wednesday. Costco. New contacts. Family. Fun times. Mocha freeze = my new addiction…except I don’t have addictions that cost money. So maybe my new splurge.

I also found a running tank that I’m hoping will work well for this summer when it’s ridiculously hot and I’m 7 months pregnant. I’m thinking I’ll probably go back and get another one after I try a run in this one, cuz you can’t really beat 12 dollars for a running top. Especially if it actually works out (i.e. doesn’t hike up).

You can pretend I just went on a run or just going on one. But alas. It was an off day :)

Even though the weather is still technically lovely and cool (60-70 everyday) I already feel like the weather is hot. 70 feels like 85. And I am only 21 weeks along.

Just starting to really show to everyone.

Who knows how I’ll be when it’s 102 outside.

Gracious.

I guess we’ll get up early and stay inside during the day? Or go to the pool half a mile down the street from our house all the time :) i love outdoor pools.

We might have the whole ‘getting up early thing’ down already. I kinda hope not, but just judging by yesterday and today the new bedtime is 8 or 8:30 (hallelujah. He was stuck at 10 or 11) and morning comes right at 6AM (talk about cranky unicorns). We shall see.

The good part about that early morning thing is he ready for a nice long nap by 8:30 or 9 and then we have the rest of the day to do everything else.

Yesterday, after he woke up, we gathered some food and went for a day to start spending my birthday money. Very fun. I ended up finding a t-shirt, two pairs of knee-length shorts ith flexible enough waistbands for later pregnancy use (hopefully!), and a prettier wicker laundry basket our bathroom at the Idaho Youth Ranch Thrift Store for 14 dollars.

I am very happy with these shorts!

Then we went across the street to Ross and found some running shorts with more space for my growing tummy. Hopefully they work a while. I’m interested to see how they end up working out for me since they are different from my only other pair of running shorts in that they have a built in spandex-y set of shorts underneath the lighter material. That way if your thighs happen to rub together like the average woman the shorts don’t hike up and leave you with less coverage than you started with. (I’m not the only one with that problem right??)

So those are cool.

Then we headed over to winco and picked up 8lbs of strawberries for 6 dollars and spent a little more of my birthday on beginning canning supplies (pectin, a few jars, and sugar). Strawberry jam, here I come!

Then we were home the rest of the afternoon. Ranger played outside in his water. I read. Too much.

Amazon money for birthdays is like Christmas!

Birthday books:

• Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed
• Mighty to Save Softcover
• Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning
• Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe

I may have to review a couple of these later as I am quite enjoying them and would love to be able to consolidate my thoughts!

Later yesterday evening we went to see a friend’s graphic design show. very fun. Ranger liked it because I fed him a gummy worm. i liked it because I got t see everything my friend has been up to for the last five years and see how much her style is distinctly her.

Then it was almost bedtime so we ran on the greenbelt (far, far away from where my friend saw a mountain lion yesterday afternoon. I know, right?!?) and drove home.

My strategy worked and ranger was asleep by the time we got home. All I had to do was transfer him to his crib and then change him the next time he woke up. Much easier than 2 hours of fighting bedtime!

Today is shaping up to be much like yesterday in the hour of waking. We’re going to hang out with my family (and maybe use their washer since mine is broken and Ranger is fresh out of jammies!) when Ranger wakes up from his nap. And then come home and scramble the house back to order before Israel gets back tonight.
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(Links included are affiliate links. I gain a small percentage if click through to amazon and purchase something.)

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How is the weather shaping up near you?
Anyone else in need of a new summer wardrobe?
Any runners or swimmers? Any other former lifeguards? Water lovers or haters? :)

Thanks for reading, all of you. :) I love to hear about who you are.