What I'm Working On Today

It's been too beautiful a day today to do only indoor chores.  So, while the boys played outside, I decided to tackle my little semi-circle rock-framed garden I've neglected the last couple years.

These pictures are from after I've pulled & dug & yanked weeds, debris, grass, & ivy vines that had overtaken my little flower garden area.  I've been moving the rocks to clear the stuff growing up in between.   I don't have a before picture to show you.  But, trust me, even though I'm not finished yet this is 90% better than it was.


I used to have sage & columbine planted here.  I'm not sure if I dug them out along with the grass & weeds.  I guess we shall see soon.

What's a good way to keep ivy under control?  It's planted in a section of the yard above, but it always creeps down.  You can't see behind the vines, but there is actually a rock wall there that is about to crumble down because of the vines growing in the cracks and crevices.


I'll be sure to show an after once I get the rest of this jungle under control.

Happy 7th Birthday Edison

Happy Birthday Edison, my spirited son!

My Son Has a Dream

Wyatt, my 8 year old, said to me this evening, "Mom.  You know what I'm gonna do when I'm old enough to buy my own food & live in my own house?"


"What are you going to do?"  I asked.


"I'm gonna buy pickles in pickle jars & I'm gonna sit in front of the tv & watch it while eating pickles out of the jar.   That's what I'm gonna do."


My son has a dream.

To Continue to Have the "Followers" Gadget Or To Let It Go

Most of us bloggers have it....the 'Followers' gadget on the side of our blog where people can click the 'Follow' button & then easily access our blog again.  Or is that why?  


I will admit that I love affirmation.  Don't we all?  But, some of us seem to need it more than others.  I guess I fall into the 'need it more' category.  And, that 'Followers' feature definitely feeds into that need for affirmation.


I have watched my 'Followers' slowly grow over the two years I've been blogging.  I can still remember the surprise and elation I had the first time I saw I had a follower that I didn't know personally.  How did a stranger find me?  How exciting!  And, they like me.  They really like me.


My heart has jumped with joy each time I've seen a new follower has 'joined' my little corner of the blogging world.  Eagerly I'd go to their site (if they had one) and usually I'd follow back (if you're reading this, and somehow I missed doing that for you, I'm sorry.)


And, every time I saw that I lost a follower...and oh I noticed!...my heart sank.  What did I do wrong?  Why don't they like my blog anymore?  Am I boring?  Too serious?  Too fluffy?  Not an appealing enough blog design?  Not enough pictures?  Too many pictures?  Too much personal stuff?  What?  


To make matters worse for this affirmation-junkie I noticed other blogs, that I knew had started around the same time as mine, just explode in the area of followers and commenters.  I tried not to let that bother me.  I cherished each and every follower and commenter on my blog.  AND, I feel like I've formed relationships with some of you.  Like I KNOW I'd like you in person as much as I like you in blogland.


Here's the thing.  Just last week I had a new follower join who brought my numbers up to 60.   She was actually one of 3 who had just recently joined in the last couple months.  Before that there had been no activity in that way for a very, very long time.  I was so thrilled!


Then early this week, I noticed I was back down to 59.  Somebody left?  Oh no!  Why?  It brought me down, but I tried to remember that it really isn't personal.  Probably they were just 'cleaning house' of blogs they don't really frequent.  


Then today, I noticed the number had dropped, again, to 58.  And, I kid you not when I tell you that my heart plummeted.  I literally felt a physical pain & as though I was going to cry.  I walked away from the computer depressed & unable to focus on what I needed to do in my house.


Writing all this down makes me feel like I'm being quite melodramatic here.  But, I guess that's the point of this post.  If it bothers me this much then perhaps I should do away with that feature.  On the one hand, I enjoy discovering new blogs when I discover new followers. And, it lets me know there are people 'out there' reading what I have to say.  But, on the other hand, if envy (of other blogs) & an unhealthy attachment to 'numbers' is going to effect me, then perhaps I should let that feature go.


I enjoy writing.  I enjoy blogging.  It's been a wonderful outlet for me.   And, I enjoy forming friendships with other women who otherwise I'd never meet.  And THAT is more important to me than numbers.


So, I leave it in your hands dear readers...what are your thoughts on 'Followers'?

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

"...When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad."


I had so much fun working on this post....AND it put me in such a good mood, I may need to make this a weekly feature.


Here we go with this week's edition.  Some of my favorite things.....

My first cup of coffee in the morning

Morning sun coming in the windows...

Making school lunches....with help

 An inspired breakfast (thanks Pinterest)

Bagel w/ onion/chive cream cheese spread & topped with avocado bruschetta

A made bed.  Even if the rest of the house is trashed (it was) I can find some peace in this.

Offerings of love left on my dresser by my precious four year old.

A bag of socks waiting to be paired up with its 'matcher'. While matching socks isn't necessarily my favorite chore, this overstuffed bag just says 'family' to me.

NOT a favorite thing....finding surprise messes

DEFINITELY a favorite thing....the Mess Makers

Signs of spring

Would anyone like to join me in listing some favorite things?  If you do, leave me a comment so I can come check out yours!


Have a blessed day!

Slightly Random

So tonight I finally sat down and took an honest to goodness look at my Pinterest account.  I signed up several weeks ago, but hadn't really taken the time to explore the site or figure out how it worked.


And, after spending some time on there tonight, I now understand why everyone else has been talking about how addictive it can be.  I'm hooked.


I found out that one of my friends reposted my recipe for Baked Oatmeal that I included in an old blog post on one of her pin boards.  I feel honored!  


Now here's the thing.  When I went back to look at that old blog post titled "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" it really made me smile.  I had included pictures of 5 or 6 things that bring joy to my life.  They were simple (like fresh herbs & my baked oatmeal recipe) &, of course, I included pics of my family.


I've been feeling grumpy dumpy lately & after seeing that old post the thought occurred to me that I need to make that type of post a more regular thing.....These Are My Favorite Things Days.  


Stay tuned.  I may even start tomorrow.

True Love

I read a letter in the 'Dear Amy' column of the newspaper 


today that was really neat. A reader talked about what a 


successful marriage really is. His wife of 42 years (a Japanese


woman) said that Americans equate love with a burning fire.


But fire burns out & becomes cold ashes.



Instead this is how she described love: 


"True love is like flowing water. It runs in rivulets down


hillsides and joins creeks that become rivers. It gains in 


strength & intensity through these travels until it flows into 


the sea." 




I thought that was beautiful!