Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Preoccupied

Father's Day this year was also the first day of Summer, so obviously I've been pretty preoccupied with my seasonal passion - Gardening. I was so excited when Fadra first announced that Stream of Consciousness Sunday was coming back as it gave me some motivation to dust off this blog & do a bit of writing again. My Tumblr has gotten much more action as I use it mainly to post photographs. It's been a busy transition from the end of school to Summer Munchkin activities so a few weeks of posting have been missed. Hopefully with the end of Baseball and Summer Hockey still a few weeks away, more posts will get done here each week.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...



Morning comes quickly when I realize I've skipped a day of Allergy medicine.  It's been a particularly bad year for Allergy sufferers, like no year in the past. It started with my son. After a conversation with his pediatrician, she advised me that the Claritin we had been taking was the bottom of the strength chain as far as OTC meds go. I quickly switched him from Claritin to Zyrtec because he is usually much more sensitive to the triggers than I am.

The switch was successful for him, but I thought it made more sense for me to use up the Claritin we had left in the house - those pills can get costly when you are taking them for months at a a time.

Until I played a round of golf after work one day a few weeks ago, not realizing I had forgotten to take my daily dose. Of course the grass pollen counts have been sky high, so the next morning I felt like I was catching something. Took a hot minute to realize I felt like crud because of that one little white pill.  I switched to Zyrtec as well because the pollen counts did not look to be going down for quite some time. Took about a week to have the new medication to build up in my system & to feel like my old self again.

After transplanting up 10 pepper seedlings yesterday and putting down 1 1/2 cubic yards of cocoa bean mulch in the backyard landscape, again it hit me about 5:00 am this morning that I missed taking an allergy pill. I took the pill, then checked on my plants to make sure nothing got tossed about in the storm last night. After a shower & doing my hair & I checked to see if Fadra had posted yet & she hadn't, so linking up will wait.  Perhaps she's been preoccupied too.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Perceptions Cloud Reality

As I write, AMC is running a Mad Men marathon. Just finished watching my first episode. while it's intriguing, I'm glad it wasn't a show I felt a need to watch. The main character Don Draper seems to be rather crazy in an obsessive, compulsive & controlling sort of way after having had a messed up childhood.

It's been a stressful week at work but a relaxing week at home. The first week in a long while that I wasn't running a million miles an hour trying to meet every obligation. Was even able to see a few girlfriends & celebrate a belated birthday over appetizers & a glass of  wine.

Fadra has taken a couple of weeks off from Stream of Consciousness Sunday posting, but we're back on again this week.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump:



What did we do before the internet...

When feelings of depression overcame us.

When a friend passed away.

When you lost touch with someone who you thought might be your friend forever.

When you couldn't get a hold of your weight & felt hopeless.

When your kids actions made you feel life your control as a parent was slipping away.

When you couldn't find a job that paid a living wage.

When you are homeless and are feeling like there's no light at the end of the tunnel & things will never improve.

All these things passed by my eyes via social media this past week.  Social media is that place where we all feel as if we need to put our best foot forward & show the world that everything is perfect.  Picture perfect posts get likes & heart-warming comments and who doesn't want those things. But sometimes it's ok to be perfectly imperfect. It's ok to extend an ear to a friend who could use someone to stop for a moment & listen, to offer advice or just be a virtual shoulder to lean on. 

There are so many seemingly perfectly decorated homes which stay immaculate & impeccably organized & photo-ready at the drop of a hat which grace the pages of blogs & Instagram - but yours is far from that, no matter how much you shop & rearrange & tidy up your home is just too ordinary to showcase to anyone. But that is the rule - not the exception as the internet would have you believe.

And that's just fine...because perceptions cloud our reality.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

May Showers...Early Flowers

It's Mother's Day 2015 & I have a healthy jump at this season's Gardening.  Yesterday was the better of the two weekend days & I took advantage of it - transplanting a few starts from seed into 10 containers on the deck. Today is pretty much a wash out as it began to rain in the early afternoon just after I paid for a few things at the local nursery.

Last year for Mother's Day my MIL gave all of the girls - her daughters & we "outlaws" tulip bulbs. While I'm a pretty good container deck gardener - learning a little more every year, I'm a rookie landscape gardener.  We dug up the existing borders that line our backyard patio beneath the deck. Hubby let me take over the bed & do whatever I pleased. These are the tulips that were planted last fall.  I had no idea which varieties they were so I just planted them & prayed they would come up & look halfway decent.

The anticipation was immense, but totally worth the wait:

 

 

 

 

I also received a Home Depot basket of bulbs from my big & little boys with both Daffodils & more Tulips, so come fall, those will be added to that same bed & hopefully they will all return next Spring, filling out the bed even more.

 

 

For Mother's Day today, hubby got these fun birdhouses to add to the deck, which has become a haven for so many birds, bees & butterflies.

 

 

These blooms always appear early under the shade of the deck.  I don't know off-hand what they are called but they're so pretty & unique.

 



 



The gardening process is always a marathon - not a sprint.  It always takes a few months to get everything into place & then before we know it the season here in the Twin Cities is gone in a heartbeat.

 

Open Season

Drought abounds here in the Twin Cities. The temps are crawling up. We desperately need rain because there wasn't much snow this past winter & we haven't had much in the way of April Showers.  

I have a really good head start on my deck garden - started a few seeds in early March. The progress is rewarding... we had a late crop of some varieties of Tomatoes last Summer & Fall because I waited a bit too long to start the seeds. 

Not everything I planted sprouted though - live & learn. I'll know better not to pair certain things that sprouted early (tomatillos & various types of tomatoes) with seeds that need more time like Peppers, Parsley, Peas, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach and a number of other veggies.

Planting a few of some seeds because I wasn't sure which would sprout. No doubt I'll do that again - no guarantee how much of which seeds will germinate.

Pictured below are the Black Krim, Hillbilly, Yellow Pear, Garden Peach, Roma, Super Sweet 100s, Honey Delight, Tomatillos & the one Austrian Winter Pea that sprouted out of 12 (yes that made me very sad.)

I'll blog the progress as the weeks go by.  It may be a couple more weeks before we no longer have lows in the 30's & I can move these babies to containers out on the deck.

One of the things I love about Spring is the opportunity to re-fresh our home decor, including finding new ways to utilize & display pieces I don't use that often. 



This pitcher is from the now defunct Taste of Home Entertaining line. Unfortunately I am not the Multi-Level Marketing type & never did much more than sign up to sell it, then buy a few pieces for personal use at a discount.  The kitchen window view I put on Instagram just didn't do this simple & classic arrangement justice, so I brought them outside into the sunshine.

But it's Sunday & with our beyond crazy schedules, I've skipped a couple of weeks, so check in with me next week for a 5 minute Stream of Consciousness brain dump...

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Changing Landscape

I'm back at it - pulling thoughts from my cluttered head & putting words on a page.  Such a bizarre week - an unexpected death in our extended family.  A father, only 50, who had been diagnosed with stage 3 Colon Cancer, but most likely due to fatal complications from chemotherapy & a genetic heart condition he was called home way too soon, leaving behind a wife, three kids, his parents, his 2 siblings & a myriad of friends & family.

Others in my circle have experiences heartbreaking losses, or are dealing with a family member with disease diagnosises requiring aggressive treatment. It never seems fair or just, it just is.  We are left to do what we can to support our friends & loved ones as best we can.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...

Spring is arriving sooner than normal for Minnesotans.  It's barely April & my husband has already played his first round of golf.  I have high expectations for this year's growing season, the efforts more planned & calculated than ever.  

When we moved into this home coming up on 10 years ago, the lansdcape was beautifully done - the work of the previous owners, who left behind meticulous records of everything planted on the property.  It was overwhelming to say the least - I knew nothing about maintaining landscapes or distinguishing between a dozen differn't types of fertilizers. I still don't.

So since Hubby had proclaimed the outside of the house his territory to maintain & the inside was mine, I let him go at it.  But outside of lawn care & anything other than trimming hedges back or cutting back hostas at the end of the fall, he was just as lost as I was in that department,. As he slowly started to decontruct the existing landscaping, attempting to make it a lower maintenance effort from year to year, my love of gardening started to emerge.

I started with filling pots with colorful arrangements of flowers to brighten up our front walkway & steps, then branched out into the world of container gardening on our deck. Over the years, my love of growing has blossomed. Last year 27 containers filled our deck & each year I am anticipating more & planning how to do things better, getting more yield from my efforts. Our landscape continues to evolve. Last fall, I planted new tulip bulbs, a Mother's Day gift from my MIL last year. Blanket Flowers, Zinnia, Lillys & strawberries will edge our home again & for the first time I'll plant more Blueberries in the yard & grow a couple patio varieties along with a few strawberries on our deck.  I intend to plant some wildflowers on the edge of our marsh. A peek at this year's seedlings...

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Mid-Life. The Here & Now.

It's almost 3:00 pm on Sunday - much later than when I'm normally sitting down to write this post. While online late last night I noticed Fadra had not yet done her writing so I gave her a little shout-out on Twitter & found out her internet had been down, plus she had simply forgotten to write her own post.

All is good now - she & a few others have linked up - but after I do there will still be plenty of room for you to do the same - so get after it.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...

So Munchkin Hockey is back - for a short while. You don't realize what a huge part of your life it is until you are away from it. Ran into an association mom who is on a different team in our game league and she claimed to be going through withdrawal - in only a week found herself missing the comraderie & conversations with other Hockey Moms. I know exactly how she feels. 

Wouldn't call it mid-life crisis, but things are changing - priorities shifting from my own to that of my son's as has my sense of self worth. Haven't spent as much time on myself as I do making sure my son's life is in order. Beginning to think that needs to change. That saying "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"totally applies here.

Someone posted on Facebook last night 2 questions which had to be answered in 2 words: 

1. Are you happy?
2. What made you answer the way you did above?

My answer was - Yes, Gratitude

I did not lie - I'm extremely grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, but I would be fibbing if I didn't admit that I had an answer for the "No" too. Sometimes we are so careful to project outward all the fun & what we deem to be the things that others in our social circle will deem interesting & light. Who wants to be around a downer?!

As the washing machine & dishwasher slosh & whir while the tea kettle whistles - I think of everything I should be doing besides writing. 

But at least for this 5 minutes I was able to take my mind off of all those things that remain undone for work, for this home & for me.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Rituals

A rare weekend without kid sports is coming to an end. Last weekend was the finale of a really fun & busy kid hockey season so I didn't find time to do any free writing.  I'm back - once again at the end of the day when I should be logged into work right now, but I'd much rather chill for just a few minutes more...

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...

Rituals.

Our snow is almost gone... a bit early for Minnesota but we're not complaining. Everyone has seasonal rituals. Call it New Year Resolutions, Spring Cleaning, Fall Back whatever you prefer, we all have certain things we do when the change of the seasons come along.

The want-to-be interior designer & personal shopper craves changing things up in our home for the Fall, the holidays & now for Spring. It started out as something for my kid, to create life-long memories & traditions - but now I realize it's exactly those things, but for myself. Often times we wish for things we saw other friends have but didn't...and for me it was family rituals & traditions. 

So when the forecast called for sunny skies & temperatures in the 60's, the rest of the winter decor had to go. Out came the bunnies, the Easter eggs, the linen pillows, a lighter throw for the living room couch and the gardening decor. The look is fresh, much lighter, more crisp, a bit eclectic but still warm. I planted my second tray of seeds & did a little shopping... incorporating a few new pieces of decor into the mix. 

My favorite go-to places for the finds are HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Zulily & sometimes Marshalls. Check out my Tumblr blog & you'll see a few of the fun things I spot.

Overall it was a great weekend, it actually hit a record 70 degrees today - but I'm curious if I'm the only crazy mom who lives for the seasonal switch?

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Under The Wire

It's late on Sunday night & I could just as easily skip this task and chill. It's been a busy but a productive weekend, but 5 minutes of writing will do my mind good. So here it is:

This week's 5 minute brain dump...

When you're a working mom, you can find yourself living for the weekends. All week long you are racing against the clock. It's not easy to work an extra hour or two here & there anymore in the office. You squeeze as much as possible into each day, then drag your laptop home at night or for the weekend & using whatever little bit of energy you have left, usually in the wee hours of the night, you try to focus on what there wasn't enough time for.

But it's hard, so hard to squeeze that time away from my child, the housework, and all the other family obligations that we all have. I was a very productive mama this weekend - mountains of laundry washed, folded & put away, floors vacuumed or swept, bed linens stripped cleaned & replaced, grocery shopping done, bathrooms cleaned, plants watered, family time - lots of it with an outing on Friday night, hockey on Saturday & church activities Sunday morning. 

Meals for the week have been planned, the kid has started his homework for the week. It's going to be Spring soon, so I started planting a few seeds. My hubby asked if I intended to start my entire garden from seed this year & I hope to be able to get a good portion of it started from seed vs buying starts. Every year there is so much more to learn about the art of gardening.

So I didn't blow this off - I'm finding time to do the things that matter, the things that re-charge me & make me relax a bit more going into the next work week, even if it means getting things done under the wire.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Volunteer Society

Every time I get through an exceptionally stressful week, it feels like there should be a break where I don't have a ton on my plate, but that never happens. Being a parent presents you with so many additional responsibilities...those things that no one tells you when you are discussing starting a family. 

It's been both good & bad that we have only been blessed with one child. Given that between work, church & personal agendas there are an amazing number of opportunities available to give of your time for charities of your choice. But when kids are in the mix, you come to realize that things seem to have changed significantly since we were school-aged.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...

They start you out easy with kid sports. It all seems so low key - relatively inexpensive and manageable. You fill their preschool days with as many activities as you can, wanting them to try everything & figure out what they really enjoy. There's swimming lessons, t-ball, soccer, gymnastics, tumbling, skating lessons and here in Minnesota, there is hockey. The list goes on & on.

From the first open house for elementary school you figure out that not a lot happens in the schools unless parents are available to give of their time & talents. The long table of sign-up sheets was so intimidating. Looking at the names of the events, you have no clue what any of it is, or what you are getting into if you volunteer. 

The easiest route to take is to volunteer in your kid's room - that you can handle, knowing that you'll have to bite the bullet & find at least a couple more things you can take time off to help with in the course of the year.

You feel guilty after the first year of school when you figure out that the majority of the go-to volunteers are the stay-at-home moms - and that doesn't work for you - a working mom.

Then comes the sports leagues, where they have you write the checks up front - one for the fundraiser & the other for volunteer hours.  There is a minimum & your motivation for getting all your volunteer hours in is the threat of that enormous check getting cashed. You are after all a parent living in a volunteer society and they have you at hello.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Late to the Party

It's Sunday evening & I'm not the least bit stressed for a change because it's a holiday weekend & I know I get to spend tomorrow at home with my family. I have some work to do from home, but knowing I don't have to rush my child out of bed, off to school, then race through rush hour traffic to get to the office is a rare treat. So here we go.

5 minutes seems like an eternity & a heartbeat - all at the same time. Finding 5 free minutes to write shouldn't be difficult, right, but it is. My 2 boys, the big and the little are both fast asleep napping, so continuing making dinner can wait. 

I admit it, Fadra, I miss the writing prompts. So many things racing through my head as I sit inside the warm house, thankful this Minnesota winter has been crazy easy so far. A shortage of snow & bitterly cold days makes me appreciate why we love to live here & not the East Coast given the hell Boston has been delivered in the past several weeks.

I worry about the fact that we can see the grass in our yard & the days it warms up I'm afraid the tulips that I planted in the backyard might get a bit confused & start to bloom way too soon. Spring planting is not that far away.  

Last year I started with quite a few plants from seed, but I was a bit late to the party & could have started that process much earlier.  Excited to get planting in only a few short weeks this year, I have a wonderful collection of "Grow Journey" seeds from South Carolina's Tyrant Farms.  Google them if you're curious. I'll be blogging quite a bit about my gardening adventures in the months to come.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Letting Go

So, technically it's not Sunday yet here in the Central Time Zone, however I'm pushing hard to get back into the habit of blogging at least once (or twice) a week. It's been an eternity since I was in a writing groove, but I'm determined to let the words flow once again. There's no better way than this to oil the gears, so here it goes.

The office. 

It's always been my downfall, my Achilles heel, my torture chamber of disorganization. It's the dumping ground for mail, catalogs, magazines, crafting supplies, wrapping supplies, scrapbooking supplies, mountains of books, gifts, Munchkin school papers, etc. I could go on for hours. It's the one place I toss things in to be dealt with another time, were I shut the door & say "don't go in there." 

There is sentiment, worry, doubt, fears, fabulous memories & not so fabulous ones. Old photo albums, old cards - all those things which I am afraid to let go of. But it's time... beyond time for a cleanse, a massive purge, a new start.

Before I can change my mind, before I have time to question if I'll need it someday.

Three bags of shredding & garbage taken out in the past couple of days. It's a small start to letting go.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

A Minnesota Blogger Conference 2013 Q & A Session with Greg Swan

As a member of the event planning committee, about a month ago I had the pleasure of doing a remote interview for the Minnesota Blogger Conference website. The post highlighted one of our Closing keynote panelists - Greg Swan. I finally had the opportunity to meet Greg face to face on the day of the conference. Below is a link to that post. Please take a few moments to hop over & check it out.

http://mnbloggerconference.com/2013/10/07/q-a-with-mnblogcon-closing-keynote-panel-speaker-greg-swan/

Greg is below on the far right wearing the Google Glass

  

Gateway to Change

Releasing fears...the gateway to change. I have avoided blogging about my determination to continue getting back into shape over the past few months. Back in April, I signed up to do a 90 day BeachBody fitness challenge at the prodding of a friend who had recently become a BeachBody coach. I wasn't thinking of it being a transforming process at the time, but surprise, surprise that's what it has turned out to be. 

I wasn't compensated to try this 90 day challenge. I shelled out some hard earned cash & ordered Brett Hoebel's Rev Abs program. He's easy on the eyes & figured that counts if I'm going to be working out with this dude 6x a week - right!

Most of us don't believe in overnight miracles when it comes to achieving fitness goals. There is no such thing. Sweat, consistency, persistence, pain, they all need to be in the equation to see any progress. But it is totally worth experiencing all of those things. Maintaining a higher level of fitness is something we all struggle with. As we age, it becomes an even larger challenge. 

From the Arnold Sports Festival Facebook page

One of my biggest fears throughout this challenge has been the scale. It was one of the requirements to participate to get on the scale & weigh-in, plus take measurements every Monday. Not only did we have to chart the progress, but we needed to post in a private Facebook group, sharing with people we didn't know, but who all shared this goal of conquering this challenge together. We signed up to be open honest & to offer each other encouragement along the way. It worked for me.

The gateway to change - an important place to pass through if what you crave is uncover the you that used to be. So just because the 90 days is up today, it's not the end. 12 lbs & 18" gone from my body in the process - a great result. I'm satisfied. It's so incredibly motivating and pressure-filled at the same time. The workouts must continue at the same intensity & probably more so than before. Once you move forward it becomes that much more difficult to take steps back because you know what you can achieve. You remember what you are capable of, plus you can't bear to lose the "me time."

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: Life's Lessons or Stream of Consciousness Sunday: 90 Days to Success

Long Time No See

Holy smokes it's been over 3 weeks since I blogged last. It's been such a stressful few weeks - like nothing we've experience before as a family, but we are adjusting as we go. A roller coaster of celebrations, goodbyes, new beginnings, emotions & experiences.

---> Preschool Graduation

---> Saying goodbye to the old teachers

---> New School Age Summer Care provider w/ fieldtrips

---> Making lunches daily

---> Adjusting to the new teachers

---> Birthdays

---> Father's Day

---> T-ball Lessons

---> Swimming Lessons

---> Wedding

---> New schedules for everyone

---> Volunteering

The list goes on. All in the last 3 weeks. I can hardly fathom getting through it all, but we have. Everyday is a struggle. Like an amusement ride that never ends. The strength starts from within but from where I'll never know. No time to recharge the batteries, no time to second guess. Just go with it. Follow the schedule. It's just about all I can do.

I've been squeezing in some "me time" too. A girlfriend talked me into joining her Beach Body Challenge group - remember? We are on day #62 of a 90 day program. I chose Brett Hoebel's Rev Abs. Even with this crazy schedule I've made huge progress for me... 8 lbs down & 14 1/4" gone from all over my body. I've dropped a clothing size & overall am feeling more like my old self. They goal is to be down 2 sizes by the end of this & to continue what I finish, meaning I choose a new program to do at the end of this one to continue the progress.

My garden is taking shape & babies are everywhere:

Gives me some peace & joy to see them taking shape, plus it's a great daily reminder for Munchkin that patience reaps rewards. So hopefully it won't be quite so long before I blog again. Time will tell.

Oh! Guess what?! I pulled the trigger & ordered an iPad (version 3) today. Our family's first. I can hardly wait to pick it up. The badly needed new PC will have to wait ; )

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: May Flowers & New Experiences or Stream of Consciousness Sunday: 90 Days to Success

Blink & You Just Might Miss It

Where are the noise makers, balloons & confetti?! This is post number 200! Do I get a virtual high five for that, because it's been really difficult to get motivated to write lately. My theme for the near future is "Back to Blogging" at least until the words begin to flow freely again. 

It's already June 1st & the older I get the faster time seems to pass by. The month of May was very productive, leaving me feeling blessed.

We took a couple of big leaps toward getting our Master Bedroom in shape. The 80's wallpaper is gone. Here's a swatch so you can appreciate how hideous it really was in there:

It was coordinated with this equally obnoxious print adorning the walls of our Master Bathroom:

 

There! See what I mean?! Totally gross! I gave some hints in my last post, but no photos so I'm including a couple now. 

The Master Bath mini update was the first thing we tackled years after our then two year old Munchkin started the job of removing the wallpaper from the wall, my hubby finished the job. Some new mirrors, vanity lights & fixtures make a big difference.

 

I loved it & was excited for another big change. Almost 7 years after we moved in and our Master is light years more cozy, warm, grown-up, & serene.  My hubby now calls it "the hotel" & wonders if room service is a possibility. (Not a chance!)

Kindergarten preparation tasks topped my to-do list. We needed to finish the enrollment process for our school year child care & get Munchkin's assessment completed. After two attempts full of angst & disappointment, he finally decided that he was up to the task of sharing exactly how much he knew with the assessor and stopped resisting. He talked faster than she could keep up with. The assessor kept saying "Wow!" and "Slow Down!" He floored her with his knowledge base & remarked that my son had taught her something in light of how successful he was, despite the results of the prior visits. She thanked me for my patience in bringing him back. I was beaming from ear to ear. Munchkin had made me so proud that day.

Munchkin's first fishing trip with hubby was this past weekend.  This child was not only stoked to go, he wanted to be prepared, so he practiced his casting in the front yard not once, but twice after he got his new fishing pole.

In no time he was casting his line very well...

And reeled the line back in like a pro...and it paid off. The little guy caught eleven fish! Who would have imagined. Munchkin had quite the fish tales to share with his friends on Tuesday at preschool.

Over the Memorial Day holiday, I finished planting everything I'd found for the deck garden this year, eleven pots in all. I have to say I did a great job : D

This Summer will prove to be one filled with new experiences for the entire family. I'm afraid if I blink I might miss something on the schedule I should have remembered. So I guess it's time to buckle up... off we go!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Another Big Milestone or Two Strikes

May Flowers & New Experiences

Looking back to see the last time I blogged & it's a little embarrassing. Once a week used to be my absolute minimum, but life's been a bit over whelming & every time I sit down to write, you might say my mind is overflowing. So much so that I can't decide what to focus on.  Spring has been a lovely one but one that has been full of pending transitions.

My only son is going to be a Kindergartener in the fall & I'm not sure I am ready for all the changes to come in his little world starting with a daycare provider change in less than a month.  It's a huge deal for me - not so much for my husband.  

Sometimes it makes you wonder - all the things that we as women process differently in our day-to-day lives.  The things that give us wings when we feel like we can't make it another day & calm us down when things get hectic are very different. I would care less about a cold beer, I'd rather relax with am extra large mug of hot Chai tea. As much as I love golf, my hubby loves it a lot more. My passion this time of year has become setting up & tending to my gardens.

The first few strawberries plants are in, using a different "pot" than I've used in the past. I've got about six more plants to load into this, but it's a start.

Two tomato plants are in their new homes for the season - I plan to find 3 more varieties to add to the mix...if I can find more of the pots I need to grow them properly. As much as I love my wooden pots, they aren't wide enough or heavy enough to stay upright in a good wind or as the plants grow really tall.

I love to take photos of the arrangements I've planted to give color to the front of our home until the fall.  The plants always look so meager at first but as they grow, they always fill in the posts so nicely. The after pics are a joy to look back on - giving me a huge boost of confidence.

From year to year,  I try to change things up. I'm not very predictable, at least in my opinion, even though my shade to part shade varietal choices are few.

My Mother's Day gift from my sister-in-law made it into this pot - a red Gerbera Daisy - the color Munchkin chose - his favorite.

We are finally getting our Master Bedroom together after almost seven years, which energizes me like you would not believe. It's always been the one room in our home that I didn't want anyone to see.  The horrid 80's poorly coordinated wallpapers drove me nuts & made me very sad. I never really felt rested in that space with all the "honey do's" swirling in my head.

With only our new headboard left to install along with a few more pieces of art to hang, most of the things on my Master Bedroom list are checked off as complete. The room has the feel of a fancy hotel room rather than an old run down motel room. I am at peace & feel calm when I'm in the space now. ( I promise to post the "after" pics when the last few elements are installed.)

The Master bathroom got a phase one facelift, which will be complete once hubby installs my new faucets. Phase two will have wait for a big windfall - I have such plans to make that space a retreat. One day...it will be.

My favorite thought for the day was: 

"Sometimes you take chances in life, not because you know it's the right thing to do, but because it's the only thing to do in that moment."

There have been so many actions taken lately where I've felt like I was shooting from the hip - choices that perhaps seemed bold for me, but they needed to be made. I refuse to regret or second guess those decisions. This life is an evolution - a web of paths traveled & consequences; joy & pain. I pray all the new experiences ahead in the coming months are worth every ounce of anticipation.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday: 90 Days to Success or Wordless Wednesday - Patience Reaps Reward