More gardening

The pink impatience are finally starting to fill in.
The blooming hydrangea. . . a nice light shade of bluish/purplish
A daylily my friend Marilee got me for my birthday a few years back has bloomed.

Still going strong. . .
The hanging baskets are getting huge! (well, except for the bocoppa. . . those are dying.)
My new plant stands to complete the set. . . i got these with my birthday money from my aunt carol and uncle mike. They were 70% off. . .i was waiting! They are two tiered and made of slate. (thank you Antie Ca Ca and uncle coupon!)



The alien looking hen & chick is getting ready to pop!

The creeping jenny is really starting to creep. Look at it reach out to the glass ball. I should probably stop it!

The first shasta daisy bloom of the season.

This hosta is getting WAY too big. It must be moved this fall.

A wee little clematis. Love the deep purple.
Where i daily spend part of jaely's nap. . . watering, deadheading, and weeding. I love it.

The List

Every now and then, TJ and i make a list of wants/needs. Recently we made such a list. Here it is in no particular order.

• Shed
• Finished Basement
• Stairs of Deck
• Cement Driveway
• Tiled backsplash
  
• Hutch
• Trees cut down (some dead and some alive)
• Big girl furniture
• Fixed snowblower (this is no longer necessary thanks to Steve & gail!)
  
• Big screen TV
• Play structure
• Pond

It is so nice to dream and to plan these things. TJ made a quick drawing of plans we had talked about in finishing the basement. . . we would like a booth (we love sitting in booths), bathroom, guest room, kitchen, built-ins (don't get me started on that one!), fireplace, etc. . . .

I asked TJ to pick his top three independently while i did the same. Thankfully we had the same top three. . . just in a different order. :)

Although this is NOT one of the top three. . . look what i found on the internet. . . a stunning cherry hutch.

Mid June Garden

My new plant standsThe geranium i got on clearance in the beginning of spring is doing awesome!

The wood chips still need to be spread and the azaleas still need to be planted. . . and the gardens need to be weeded. Always things to be done!

We planted a variety of ground cover a couple of years ago in between the stepping stones. . . this stuff is called Buttons. I love how bright green it is and how nicely it is filling in.
Clematis
Lily
A daisy getting ready to pop!
Hardy Geranium
This little guy found a home in the crack of the stones.
The creeping Jenny has creeped around the sitting stone and then blossomed with its yellow flowers.
The hens and chicks are having babies and blooming!
I took this two days ago. . . today there are a ton of orange flowers.
More of the creeps

Little Umi

I ran across this precious creation while clipping coupons. . . this is a must have. Just read on and you will want one too. . . .(she is worth every penny of her $139.00 price).The most incredibly lifelike baby monkey ever!

A masterpiece of amazing realism!

For the first time ever, here's a masterpiece of sculpting that truly rivals Mother Nature- to create a little sweetheart of a baby that you'll want to cuddle and nurture the moment you see her! Introducing Little Umi, the very first baby monkey in our world-famous So Truly Real baby doll line. Little Umi is a newborn orangutan by reknowned animal artist Wendy Dickson, and she is precious and perfect in every detail. Little Umi's head and limbs are collector quality vinyl that recreates every realistic detail of her face, hands and feet. She's covered with wispy hair, rooted by hand for a natural look. Her gentle eyes, with thick dark lashes look lovingly and trustingly right into yours. Offer Umi her pacifier, and she'll feel totally loved by you!

A collector FIRST at an incredible value!

Available for a limited time and demand is expected to be great. so order NOW. Wendy Dickson's one-of-a-kind animal babies sell for thousands of dollars, but Little Umi is only $139.99*.

Actual size is 14'' long, the size of a real baby! This baby orangutan is not a toy; she is a fine collectible to be enjoyed by adult collectors.



I couldn't get all the pictures of baby umi. . . they are protected, but i thought i would share a glimpse of what i saw in the ad. . . the other ones are a tad more creepy.


(warning: this is a sarcastic post. . . please do think i am seriously encouraging those of you who read this to order Little Umi or to purchase Little Umi as a gift for me, for it may be one of the most frightening things i have ever seen. . .including my bump boil butt thing that exploded and oozed this week)

The Garden

Some things are blooming, and others are just coming up. . .



It is so exciting to watch.
The bottom level is an absolute mess, due to the standing water last month.

Declaring my love for TJ. . .

Maxx.

I know, i know. I do love my husband TJ, but i have declared that a number of times. I don't think, however, that i have ever put my love for TJ Maxx into words. I love that place. Their children's books are super cheap (although, i am not supporting local bookshops when i buy there). I love their shoes and their kitchen things. And i can always find a baby gift there. Their clearance prices are unbeatable. They have never let me down. That, my friend, is why i go there only a couple times a year. Dangerous. Dangerous. Dangerous for a one income family. I do save money when i go there, but on stuff that i don't need. . . just want.

Today i did get something i need. . . a case for my mac for when it is in travel. But, i also got books for jaely, a dress for her that i couldn't resist, a candle, a father's day gift, and a pillow to match jaelynne's big girl bed stuff (yes, i already purchased stuff for her big girl room. No, we are not expecting, but i did have a dream that we were. It was just such a good price and adorable cute that i had to get it.) That was way too much to include in parentheses. Sorry.

Previous Post

If you read my previous post, you will notice that i mentioned losing sleep over worrying about things in first grade next year.

Looks like i will be getting more peaceful sleep.

My placement just got changed to third grade. I can do that and still be a wife and mom!

Next Year

I don't know how i feel about next year. Emotions come and go, high and low, in and out, a swirling mix and sometimes isolated- stuck on one moment or one fear or one detail. I look at jaely and my eyes well up with tears. I think of how much of jaely i will miss next year and how much i have had to witness this year. All the little moments. The quick phases. The tiniest change. The wheels turning and the learning constantly occurring. Will i notice as much next year when i am swamped with papers to be corrected, buried with curriculum to be taught, overwhelmed with lesson planning, stretched in so many directions as i learn how to teach and what to teach? Trying to be the wife, mom, teacher, friend, and Lindsey that i want to be.

Other parts of me are getting more and more excited to return to society, to laugh with my friends in the lounge, to be challenged, to learn, and to impact students. I will return as a different teacher, i am sure. I think i will view each individual child a little differently. They are someone's daughter or son. Their parent(s) are trusting me with their child. I will spend more waking hours with their children than they do. That is both amazing and scary. Maybe i will hug longer, listen more, and try harder.

I feel kind of guilty for looking forward to going back to work. . . and i don't even completely want to go back. Some moments all i want to do is stay home another year so i don't miss a moment with jaelynne. I dread returning to school. But other moments, i catch myself excitedly daydreaming about what my classroom will look like and what i will be teaching.

Next year is going to be so different. This year was so good. No wonder i am having problems falling asleep. Thoughts race through my head of doing lunch count next year, or running centers, or teaching counting, or zipping up pants. If i was in third again, i would definitely be getting more sleep!

I know i might really like first grade, but the amount of time and money that this change takes is going to be crazy. I feel like i won't even see jaely next year, if i want to be a descent teacher for these kids. Too much change all at once. Back to work. Different grade level expectations. Different aged kids. TJ down to part time. Different classroom. Different teachers to work with.

Now that TJ is part-time, it isn't like we could just switch roles. He can't do all the housework i currently do and work part-time. Something has to give! Our house is about to get a little dustier! Will you still love us??!!

It helps to get some of these mixed-up swirling thoughts, emotions, and fears out. :)

I do love blogging. . .and eating.
Maybe a piece of Texas Sheet Cake would help. . .

Man, i miss my mom

I spent a little time outside today during Jaelynne's nap. I watered the hanging baskets, the shade garden, and the back garden (except for the lower, soggy part). I filled both bird feeders with seed and suet. I was dying to weed, but knew i didn't have time. I looked at the four bright peony blooms, the pure white sweet woodruff blooms, the two huge bleeding hearts with blooms dangling from many branches, and the pink impatience. I thought of my mom.

When my mom was still living, we didn't haven't gardens yet. TJ and i were still renters of an apartment. We didn't have blogs yet either. The only one who i knew that had a blog was my brother jason. My mom loved it. She could listen to recordings of him singing on it and read about his life in San Fransisco.

If she was still living, we would have had so much fun exchanging pictures of our blooming flowers, dividing and sharing our plants, and helping each other decide where a new garden and new plants would best be planned.

And, of course, there is Jaely. Oh, Jaely. My mom would have loved spending her summers off visiting and watching her grandbaby. We went to the park yesterday. . . and i thought of my mom then. When we go to the beach, to the farmers market, on walks. . . she will be missed. But when i am out in the garden. . . it hurts the worst. I want to point out that my Hens & Chicks are huge compared to hers. I want to know what her tip is for mums and how to make them look so full in the fall, instead of lanky, like mine. I want to know what suggestions she has for the lower garden. I want her to crawl down our hallway chasing jaely and to scoop her up from her crib when she is waking up from a nap. . .my mom appreciated naps like no other. I want to the three of us to hang out on the deck together. . . play in the grass. . . go shopping.

I want to have a deadheading party with her. . . where we visit each other's gardens and talk and deadhead the blue chips, the petunias, and whatever else we see. . . and then maybe go shopping for one new plant to add to our gardens this year.

Man, i miss my mom.

And Let the Deadheading Begin!

Okay- so today in the beautiful sunshine i walked around a took random pictures of things blooming and happenings in our yard. I neglected to take a picture of the sprung mole trap because i was so excited that tj finally got a mole. . . i later found out that while TJ was doing his nightly rounds (checking the pumps and tubing for leaks and cloggage) he tripped it. Ha! oops.

We got our hanging baskets last weekend. We normally get other plants to fill about 8 big pots, but we had other things to spend money on. . . like pump rentals, and a sump pump, and a new dehumidifier, a new shop vac (our old one broke), etc. Anyway. . . i am digging the flowers- they are so nice when you drive up or when you look out our windows. They make me smile and there will be a lot less upkeep now that we don't have all the pots to take care of too. Deheading, here i come!
When i was at meijer, this cute little baccopa nad geranium arrangement was on clearance. . . 50% off!We got our poop (and maybe even some of yours) pumped out of our septic. . .what a fun thing to spend money on!

Bleeding heart in the shade garden
The day lilies along the garage.
Things are drying out so much that i had to water the top two gardens! But notice all the tubing pumping water from Lake Ellis.
The flowing phlox falls over the edge of the fabulous field stone
oh, what a wee little gnome have we. . .
Chicks & Hens or is it Hens & Chicks. . . .they might be my all time favorite plant. I remember them in my mom's garden- planted in a stump from a tree that we got chopped down. . .
Last year with birthday money from TJ's grandma, i got a clematis vine. This year i got a new trellis for it. I cannot wait until it blooms. :)
The peony bud. Another favorite that i enjoyed in my mom's garden when i was younger. I remember watching the ants crawl all over the buds. . . i guess that is what they do. My friend at work got this peony for me when she was an aid for a student in my room.
My cool glass ball that i got from my hubby. This is not its permanant home, but i needed to get it out of the basement for obvious reasons.
Creeping jenny- you can step on her and she doesn't mind. She is making her way around our homemade stepping stone that says "Sit & Relax"
Our "life is good" stepping stones. . . because life is good.

Just when i thought it couldn't get any worse. . .

We woke up this morning after a night of bad storms to find 8 inches of water in our basement. . . again. And then i found out i am teaching first grade next year. I have absolutely no experience with the little ones that need their shoes tied, actual reading instruction, and are cranky because it is the first time they are at school for a full day.

Our backyard is like a lake. . . i had to take these from our deck because i was keeping my eye on jaely. . . just to put it in perspective, tj was up to his knees in water when he was on our patio. The deck shoots out and overlooks the lake on every three sides.

Thanks Jaelynne!

Look what Jaely got me- a purple punch Vera Bradley hipster!! Now i can have my hands free when we are out and about. Thanks sweetie!I LOVE being your mom.