::ten years ago::

Ten years ago today I got married.

In my back pasture.

I was a fool.

Immature for my 24 years.

A spoiled brat.

But I had some potential.

And thank the lord - I picked the right man.

 And the right dress and flowers.

I still have those shoes.

 

 Doesn't Josh look like he is 12?

He was 28.

 I have to say that I vividly remember this moment.

He had said something funny and cute.

He still says lots of things that are funny and cute.

 He can still pick me up like that, but he really shouldn't.

We are getting too old for that sort of craziness.

I loved my cake.  

I had bought that cake topper when I was around 14.

It was the perfect touch of Disney.

I hope Lily uses it. 

Josh and I often talk about how stinking lucky we are to have found each other.  We didn't even know or understand how perfect we were for each other when we got married.  I have no idea why Josh married me.  I was not someone that I am proud of now.  I was vain and spoiled and obsessed with the wrong things.  But ten years, another college degree, four pregnancy's, and 20+ pounds does a great deal to change a person.  I could stand to get rid of the extra poundage, but the rest of it has been a glorious ride.  I love this life we have created.  This next year stands to have many changes in it.  The sale of this farm, buying a new homestead, kids growing and developing.  But I am excited to see what the next ten years brings us.  We still have lots of potential to grow into :) 

Where would I like to be in ten years:

Still crazy in love with Josh.

Living on a farm in our new town, that is set up for kids and fun.

Working as a nurse and still loving it.

Debt free (minus a house payment)

A master gardener.

Going to lunch with Emma at Purdue

Getting Lily ready for college

Going to football games to watch Max play 

Still treating Q like a baby

I can't wait to see what happens next

 

::600::

This is my 600th blog post~~~  

That is so insane.  

How can I have had the time to write 600 blog posts?

...but I love this little blog of mine.

I don't think I could have gotten through Zack dying without it.  My mouth didn't work then.  I couldn't make eye contact.  I was a totally mess - but my thoughts were still going 100 miles a minute and this blog helped me get it out.  Its all so blurry now that I am glad I have it written down some where.  Even though I haven't re-read "the day of" blog post since I wrote it.  See infant loss label for details. 

I feel like we live such an abnormal and bizarre life out here on our little farm that I am glad I have a place to chronicle it.  I want Lily to be able to tell her great grand children that they should have seen the family homestead back when her parents lived there.  Then she pulls up the blog and they see what I hope is the coolest childhood a kid ever had.

I am a little embarrassed when someone who I am not that close to tells me that they read my blog.  I feel like I am an ego maniac for thinking the anyone is interested, but then I really just write it for me and the kiddos.  I am so blunt on here that I feel like I let someone read my personal diary.  I often regret my really honest posts as being too personal.  But I have a rule that if I posted it I can't take it down.  Josh is a private person and I am sure he finds it invasive.  (He never says a word about it if he does, but he is just humoring me.)

What happens now:

More of the same

Gardening

Parenting

Living and loving

Goats 

Monthly headers

No pressure, blog four times a day or once a week, what ever fits

Zip lines and art projects and pictures and emotional out pourings

Having no real set goal for this blog, just what ever topic strikes my fancy that day

What I want to change:

I like run on sentences a bunch a bunch a bunch.  I speak in run on sentences and fragment sentences.  I am not going to change that in my writing.  But I really want to improve my grammar.  If I am using incorrect grammar I want to do it for affect (or is it effect?), not out of ignorance.  Any idea's on how I can work on that? 

  

 

::new china cabinet::

 Look at this pretty mid century modern china cabinet that wanted to be my friend.  

All three glass shelves and both glass doors were intact.  

Plus it is very solid.  

It looked so sad at Salvation Army - I had to have it. 

 

I brought it home, unscrewed the doors and put it up on saw horses.

I gave the whole thing a good sanding. 

Then primed up those crazy doors.

 

And the crazy cabinet.  

Then began the three coats of green on the outside and three coats of white on the inside.  

Lizzie was too tired to help. 

 

I think it turned out pretty well.  The glass front will help protect the inside from dust and dirt and little brothers.  And the cabinet on the bottom is a good place to hide all the doll clothes and accessories. I hope it works well in the girlie master piece that Lily and I are working on for her new room. 

Cost: $30 for the cabinet

$10 for primer

$15 for green paint

$5 for a new roller

I had the white paint already

Total cost = $60

::outdoor remodel::

This is the side of my house you see as you drive in the drive way.

When we moved in it was covered the HUGE evergreen bushes that were out of control.

We ripped those out and I slowly planted roses - which is what I was into at the time. 

But I felt that it was looking somewhat unloved lately.  

I love that cottage garden so much - its all I see. 

But I needed to give this area some TLC too.

Above is the before.

Here is the after.

I widened the flower bed, redid the edging and mulched the area (with cardboard as weed mat of course)

Removed a rose that never did take off.

Added that willow frame for a new clematis to grow up.

Near the hose I added a rosemary and an oregano.  

They are still little but I but two foxgloves at each end of the wall.

I really am leaning toward edible landscaping, but part of me still loved roses. 

For next year:

Window boxes on each of these windows.  With a nice combo of food and flowers.  Think lettuce and zinnias. 

I still want a blue rose and a bright yellow rose.  

I moved the corner area out and made the mulch area wider.  The dogs were killing the grass there anyway so I just gave in and changed the angle of the edger.  More cardboard and mulch. 

Now this is a really odd little area.  The porch in the right hand corner is what you want on to enter the house.  The dogs insist that this is "their area".  The kids try to claim it as an impromptu play area too.  The well cover in obviously an issue.  Plus it was all filling up with weeds. 

Here is the after.  Weeds are gone and area is freshly mulched.  The wire fence was a temporary way to keep Luna out of my stargazer lilies.  It did not work.  There will not be any this year.  She also ate all the plants out of the red planter.  THAT dog.  But I remember the lab doing the same kind of crap her first year, so I will just try again next year.  

I was forced by some short people into leave the yellow hand hooks and red rope in the left hand corner.  They LOVE IT - and can not live with out it.  Ok.  They win.  

 

Max felt that they skateboard was essential in the overall design. 

For next year:

A big window box under this main window.  I want to fill it with spinach and lots of cool lettuce.  

Then around the red pot I want smaller pots with parsley, cilantro, and lavender.  If Luna is over eating them by then.  

And of course I would like my lilies back for next year.  

Any other idea's for me?

Remember that I can't plant anything near the dog houses - they will destroy it. 

::the start of the alphabet wall::

 

This photo comes from here.

I like it.  All the multi media appeals to me.  

I am going to build one in the play room.

Slowly.

 

I took a little cash and went to Hobby Lobby.

I got these to alter and play with.

 

And these to use as is. 

 

I like the texture.  

 

And the price worked for me. 

 

And I knew just what I wanted to do to this U.

 

I wrapped the ends in yarn and tape.

Then wrapped over them with yarn.

LOVE IT!!!

Now what will I do to R and G.

I might leave R.  I love that craft paper look.

But G needs something cool.  

Like sprayed with silver paint?

Ideas for future letters:

E or Z - made out of old rules

F - from a wrench

O - an old Beatles record

i- lower case with half a tennis ball as the dot

M - made out of Pez holders

L- made out of fallen timber

What idea's do you guys have?  What can make non-traditional letters? 

  

::max's new room plan::

I am putting together my new plan for Max's room.
Peak at the old plan here.  

Still going for a very modern room with no true theme.

 

Looking at some green wall colors.  

They look more minty in the picture than they actual are. 

 

Found these are craigs list.

LOVE THEM!

If he still has them I just might buy one set

They are 60 inches long and 36 inches high

I want to paint them pewter and put shelves in them for Max to use them as a dresser.

My dad is making me this bed.

He is right in the middle of a project so he said it would be about two months till it would be ready.

I love the white bed and the dark wood trundle drawer under. 

One wall will have 2-3 rows of these for artwork.

 

I want shelves like this above the lockers for display.  

 

Then I still have to use this idea somewere

Maybe on the bottom 1/3 of the curtains.

 

By his bed I will put in one of these to try and control his nightly reading books.  

Once I decide for sure on the lockers I will post a floor plan. 

::flower bed remodel::

My parents have a monster of a house.  Which they are trying to sell to move into something more manageable for empty nesters.  We have been going down every Monday to help them sort through the 30 years of stuff that has accumulated.  I have been amazed at the progress.  

This guy is staying.  They bought him in China.  Isn't he cool?

The interior is finally done and is staged and ready to sell.

But this little flower bed looks a hot mess.

The property was professionally landscaped and is stunning, but this bed had gotten crazy over the years.

So we cut the lower limbs off the pine trees, cleared the weeds, and planted some hardy mums.

The planting season is ending here in central Indiana so we couldn't get too crazy.

I just wanted something to last till spring and then I will plant some hardy things to add curb appeal.

So here is is after.  

The mums will come in and make a ring and the frog in the center was hiding under all the weeds.  

And here is my adorable mother who never planted a plant in her life.  

Could she be any cuter?