Gardening Season comes to a close

Well, since I haven't posted since July, you might get the impression that I haven't done much in the way of hobby stuff. Andddd...... you'd be right. Clean up day at the garden plot was fast approaching and I needed to take advantage. I cannot express to you the pain in the ass it is having to haul away your own debris. Not to mention there is a perfectly good patch of woods right next to the plots that could happily store all the organic waste I create. So Friday morning, princess pants and I headed down to do some much needed maintenance.

Things were pretty scary



So I let Izzy run off some of that delightful toddler steam and run around the enclosure. Unbeknownst (fyi, not actually a word) to me, she came across some very exciting mud puddles and in the space of about thirty minutes, managed to lose her sneakers, then socks and ran around barefoot in the 40 degree dew soaked grass. How she did not catch a cold is beyond me.



I know it doesn't look like much, but this is actually a huge improvement from before, and I managed to get rid of four large bags of weeds and dead plants. There's still plenty more to do, but its a start.





Now I just have to figure out what to get in the ground before it freezes!

Adventures in Gardening

So for the past few months I've been trying out my talents in the garden. In the past, I've had what can only be described as a black thumb. Every plant I touch ends up dying. So my expectations were pretty low. But I'd been on the county garden plot list for approximately 3 years now, and it's so cheap to rent space, I couldn't really pass up the opportunity.

Things started out pretty dim, I signed up for the space in late March, with a 10 x 20 foot space that housed a multitude of spring onions, not my favorite. So after pulling those and spreading the wealth to everyone I knew, I met with a long series of personal set-backs so the plot remained untouched until May. But thanks to the kindness of my next door neighbors, Dan and Carolyn, my plot was cleared and tilled in a matter of hours and the planting began. I wish I had before pictures but just imagine a barren landscape, and a very overwhelmed expression on my face.

So here are some veggie and herb shots, not too shabby, eh?

Dill

Basil

Cantaloupe

Tomatoes and peppers

Lord I love this place, so incredibly pretty.

1st Birthday - lessons learned

Well, we made it a whole year and I can't believe how fast time has flown. My little helpless baby blob has grown into an amazing curious and precocious little monster who wants to get into everything she can get her hands on. She has become such an amazing girl, she is sweet and kind and fiercely independent. She loves me, but her daddy's fears of being left out have been unfounded. She is clearly going to be a daddy's girl. She lights up like a Christmas tree when he enters the room.

She has turned our world absolutely on its head, from lost sleep to the adjustment of having to care for someone else's needs above our own (I can't tell you how many times i've had to sit through a feed with legs crossed as I'm dying to pee, but she's got to eat first!)

But its been an amazing ride and I can't wait to see where she takes us.

We had her first birthday party with a gaggle of folks, grandparents and aunts and cousins and friends, and even some baby friends. It was such a great time and she was as happy as a clam.

Since this is a hobby blog and not a mommy blog, I made the cupcakes of course. I wasn't adventurous enough to start messing with fondants or anything, but they turned out ok.

The scrap booking is slow going, I think I like the memory books better, but that would require me actually putting one together! I'll get around to it eventually.

There haven't been too many knitting projects lately, especially after the disastrous baby sock mittens for Nicholas, they probably don't even cover his first knuckles. I am about halfway through a baby blanket for izzy out of the same yarn, it was just too pretty to toss. Nothing fancy, just stockinette stitch.

Alright, since I haven't written anything in here since like october 09 I think I'm going to step away now, wouldn't want to overdo it my first day back!!!!!