Garden Update

My little garden is coming right along.  I'm always amazed at how much it can change overnight.  It seems like one night I had little green plants, and the next morning they were all covered with blooms.  One night I have no tomatoes, the next morning I have SIX little baby, green tomatoes!  It's still going to be a while before we can eat them, but I was glad to see them just the same.  (Now if I can just keep a certain fireman from picking them before they're ready...)

 

 

 

And look what else we have---cucumbers!  This is my first time to successfully grow cucumbers.  The last time I tried it, my zucchini plants completely bullied them out of their space.  I actually picked my first two cucumbers Friday night.  Sam and I are going to eat them this weekend.  Judging by the number of little yellow flowers on my plants, we are going to have A LOT of cucumbers.  I will now be accepting all recipes that use cucumbers.

 

I made pickles once before.  They tasted pretty good, but when I canned them they got soft.  Any ideas what I did wrong?

 

I also have a couple of blooms on our watermelon plant.  I have no idea how I'll keep Sam away from it once he figures out what it is.

 

My mint from a couple of years ago came back on its own.  And it is back with a vengeance.  That stuff is everywhere.  I hate to pull it up because it smells absolutely heavenly, but it is starting to crowd out my other plants.  In hindsight, I seem to remember my mother telling me that mint would spread and take over if given the opportunity.  I'll probably try to do it in pots in the future.  But for now, I'm going to freeze some leaves in ice cubes for tea.  I've never really put mint leaves in tea before, but it seems like a very proper, southern thing to do.

 

And I've been witness to a garden miracle!  Remember how I planted one tomato plant and a few tomatoes from seeds?  I also did carrots, zucchini, rosemary, parsley and lettuce from seeds.  Pretty much everything but my zucchini died.  Yes...I was shocked, too.  Anyway, I was okay with my tomato seeds fizzling out because I had bought one mature plant.  But a few days ago, I was pulling weeds, and I noticed something sprouting up in front of my tomato marker.  (It's a good thing I still had the marker there, otherwise I would have pulled the plant thinking it was a weed.)  I've been keeping an eye on it, and I think it's actually going to make it.  I know it's running a little late, but I wouldn't expect a tomato plant of mine to behave any differently.

 

While I was celebrating my tomato plant's narrow escape from death, I noticed a little something in front of the carrot marker.  Could it be?  Dare I hope???  I'm still not sure about that one, but I think I might have a carrot plant that is fighting the good fight, too.

 

I'm tickled with how my cucumbers and squash are doing in their little cage things.  I wasn't too sure about it, but they're staying contained really well.  I will definitely have to remember to do that or some kind of climbing arrangement for them next year.

Swimming Lessons

It looks like we've got another water-bug in our house!  Sydney took her first swim in the pool a couple of weeks ago, and she loved it!

 

 

Unfortunately, smiling for the camera just can't compare to eating one's toes.  Priorities...

Lazy Yard Sale

Happy First Day of Summer!  In honor of my favorite season, I thought I'd post about a very summer-ific activity---yard sales!

Our neighborhood yard sale was a couple of weekends ago.  They have one every year, but for one reason or another, we have never participated.  When I got the email a few weeks prior, I kinda mentioned it to Shawn, but neither of us were overly enthusiastic about putting forth the effort that a yard sale requires.  So, we just kinda tabled it.  That Saturday morning, we both woke up rather early, and we laid in bed for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet.  As we were talking about our plans for the day, I almost jokingly said, "You wanna get our stuff together and have a yard sale today?"

"Well, sure--if you want to," was his reply.

"For real?!" I stammered.

"Yeah.  Why not?"

"Well....I haven't priced anything.  And I don't have any change.  And..."

"Oh, don't worry about all that," he argued.  "Let's just see what happens."

So we jumped up and headed to the basement to grab "just a few things" to set out.  Our "just a few things" ended up being an entire trailer full of stuff!  When it was all said and done, we had what I would call a pretty successful yard sale...for absolutely minimal effort.  

Note:  Success can mean a lot of different things, I suppose.  To us, it meant getting rid of some clutter while making a little bit of fun money.  I had a neighbor tell me that she once made $1300 at a yard sale.  That kind of return requires A LOT of planning and effort, I am sure.  This was not that kind of yard sale.  There are plenty of websites out there that have tips for having a successful yard sale, and they tell you  how to maximize your profit.  But they recommend ironing all of the clothes, hanging them up, cleaning dried food off of highchairs, blah, blah, blah.  Seriously, I hardly ever iron the clothes I wear; I'm sure as heck not ironing something I'm going to sell!  So here are my tips for having a successful, LAZY yard sale.

1.  Things will be easier if you already have your stuff pretty well designated as "yard sale."  I keep a box in our closet specifically for this.  Whenever I come across a shirt that no longer fits quite right or a purse that I've grown tired of, it goes in the box.  When the box is full, that stuff gets taken to the basement, and I start all over with an empty box.  Don't go getting any crazy ideas thinking our closet is super organized.  It's totally NOT.  

2.  As you collect things over time and your boxes fill up, SEAL THEM.  Tape them up.  Do not label the box other than to say "yard sale".  If you can't look through the boxes, you'll be less likely to have regrets about getting rid of that electric potato peeler that you got from Cousin Roy three years ago.  

3.  Agree going into the yard sale that nothing will come back in the house.  Anything that doesn't sell gets immediately taken to a Good Will (or similar) drop off.  Even if it's that oh-so-cute pair of black pumps that you totally forgot about...get rid of them.  They really weren't all that comfortable...that's why you never wore them.  

4.  If you have small children, bring them outside with you.  It saves you from having to line up a babysitter.  Also, some people will stop simply to chat with your cute kids and end up buying something before they leave.  

5.  Don't worry about pricing anything.  If someone is interested in buying something and you don't know how much to charge, just say, "Make me an offer."  Remember---your primary goal here is not to see how much money you can make.  Your first concern is getting rid of stuff.  The money is just icing on the cake.

6.  Don't worry about having change.  If you happen to get to the bank beforehand, great.  But if not it's really no big deal.  After you get a few customers, you'll have change.  Just tell the first few people that you need them to pay with exact change.  Offer to give them a little discount if they can.  (This would be a perfect time for one of your cute kids to pop over...it just leaves everyone in a more giving mood.)

7.  Along those same lines, be sensible about your prices.  If you don't have change, don't charge a quarter or odd dollar amounts for a bunch of things.  Stick to whole dollars as much as possible.  

8.  If you do price something and the person looks like they don't want to pay that much, instead of lowering your price, offer to throw something in at no charge.  For example:

Buyer:  How much for this coffee pot?

Seller:  $5

Buyer:  makes a face and puts it back down

Seller:  I tell you what, why don't you grab a couple of coffee mugs to go with it for the same price?

That saves you from having to lower your price by a whole dollar (remember--no change), and you get rid of more stuff.

9.  If you don't have tables to put your things on, use whatever you have.  We ended up spreading a couple of large blankets out on the ground.  Also, Shawn has a little trailer that we used to move stuff, and we left some stuff on it.  Some things we just left in the boxes that we had stored them in.  We just opened the boxes and that was it.  It seemed like a lot of people liked poking around in the boxes and seeing what treasures they could find.  (Personally, I don't enjoy that.  I like for things to be visible, but to each his own.)  As the day went on, I would occasionally rearrange things to make them more visible.

10.  This might be the most important tip of all:  DO NOT YARD SALE ALL DAY.  We got started right around 8am.  The kids and I were back in the house and Shawn was on his way to Good Will with the items that didn't sell by 12:30.  You want to call it a day right around the time it starts getting really warm outside.  Or when your kids start getting hungry and whiny.  Whichever comes first.  As we were gathering stuff up, we had several people stop by looking for end-of-the-day discounts.  Give them one.  Even if they buy a whole box full of stuff for $2 (really happened), that's a whole box of stuff you don't have to haul off.  

So there you have it---laziest easiest yard sale ever!  Do you have anything to add to my list?  What are your thoughts--pro-yard sale or no-yard sale?

An Announcement

First off:  I'm not pregnant.

Now that that's out of the way:  We've had something in the works for a while around here.  I haven't said anything about it publicly for a couple of reasons:

1)  For the most part, I don't talk about work on my blog.  It's just a good rule of thumb.
2)  I was almost afraid to mention it for fear that it would fall through. 

But now it's officially official, so I'm going public:  We're going all part-time up in here!  Starting this week, I have cut my hours  to around 25 hours a week.

The timing has been perfect.  Sure, I would have loved to have gone part-time right after Sam was born, but for several reasons, it just wasn't right for us.

I've mentioned here that I went a little bit (okay...a lot) crazy after Sam was born.  I started talking about cutting back my hours then, but Shawn didn't feel good about it. I'm so glad he was wise enough to see at that time that I needed to work outside of the home.  I needed the schedule.  I needed adult friends.  I needed a job besides being a mommy.  And after a while we got our routine down, and things felt right.

Then I got pregnant with Sydney.  And, DUDE---I was just. so. tired.  And although I'm sure it was partly hormonal, one day out of the blue it occurred to me that our kids would spend more days a week at the babysitter's house than at their own and I just totally lost it.  I couldn't imagine keeping things the way they were.  And for a while I had a lot of guilt about that.  Other people did it.  (My parents did...)  Other people DO IT.  I mean---realistically, two income families are very common, if not the norm.  I wondered if maybe Shawn and I just weren't tough enough.  But it just didn't feel right to me.  I talked to Shawn about it, but he still didn't feel good about my cutting back.  And it was for a lot of reasons...not solely financial.  So, I did what any mature, loving wife would do about it.  I pouted.

Yeah...not real proud about that...

But I finally decided to just give it to God.  It wasn't a do-it-and-done thing.  I had to do it over and over and over again.  I just kept asking for Shawn and me to be of like mind---WHATEVER that was.  As my due date crept nearer, Shawn and I agreed to treat my maternity leave as a trial run and just see how we felt at the end.  About 4 or 5 weeks into my leave, Shawn came home one night and said, "Okay...I totally get it."  Sam  seemed so much happier.  We felt more relaxed.  We were being nicer to each other.  It just felt good.

So I decided to have a talk with my employer after I came back to work to just see if a part-time position was even a possibility.  Shawn and I agreed that if it wasn't, I would start looking for another job.  I didn't want to leave.  I love my job and the people I work with.  I just wanted to spend a little less time with them.  I honestly didn't have a lot of hope.  I had had a similar conversation with my supervisor a couple of years prior---just a hypothetical conversation---and I was told at that time that it was not possible.  Thankfully, when I asked her this time, though, she agreed to give it some consideration.  We talked about ways to make it work and came up with something we felt like we could both live with.

This is where I feel like another God thing happened:  Our prior CEO was a fine man.  He did a lot of good things for our organization.  But, according to a few other employees (I don't personally know), he was the one who was opposed to having part-time employees.  Right around the time Sydney was born, however, he took another job and we got a new CEO.  This person is a woman---with young children.  She is the one who ultimately approved my part-time status.  I feel like if she hadn't been in the position she is in now, it probably would not have happened.

So the part-time thing was in the works, but it was going to take a few months to iron out all of the details.  Shawn and I set some financial goals for ourselves, one of those being that we had 2 loans that we wanted to have completely paid off by the time my hours changed.  We prayed that we would make wise financial decisions, and we began throwing every spare penny we had at those loans.  A couple of weeks ago, I realized that we would fall short of having the second loan paid off.  For a few days, I was disappointed, but then I remembered something.  As a part-time employee, I will not be eligible for paid vacation time.  So any vacation time that I have accrued up to this point will be paid out to me at the end of my full-time work.  Interestingly enough, the after-tax amount that I should get paid is ALMOST EXACTLY  the amount we still owe on the second loan.  Seriously.

If I needed any confirmation that this is the right decision for our family--that the timing is right---to me, that was it.

I'm so excited about this next chapter.  I feel like we've struck a good balance.  With this arrangement, I will still have the structure and the schedule of working outside the home (and that's good for me), but I will have a little more freedom to be with the kids.  I'm excited to do story time at the library.  We're starting Bible school this week for the first time.  (My hours have just never allowed for it before.)  I'm excited to cook for my family again.  (Shawn has been the primary cook since he gets home first.)  And I've been making lists of house projects that I want to get accomplished for weeks.  (Can you say Pinterest?)  And maybe...just maybe...we can master this peeing in the potty thing now.  (Lord, help us.)

Strategery

Every now and then I catch him in the act.  I see the wheels turning, and I know he's getting ready to push his boundaries.  It's during those times that I like to hang back and watch a little bit.  Give him just enough rope to hang himself, so to speak.  It's also helpful in showing me what areas I need to Sam-proof.  (Notice I didn't say childproof.  Our house is pretty childproofed.  There is a difference.  I am learning that Sam-proofing is much akin to booby-trapping.)

I keep extra boxes of diapers and wipes in the garage.  I saw him peek out of the garage and come sneaking out carrying a box.  He made a point to walk away from me.  I pretended I didn't see him.  He looked back over his shoulder a time or two to make sure he had made a clean escape. I followed at a distance.  

He walked around to the pool.  See the green life jacket hanging on the left?  It's our rule that you can't be in the fence unless you have a life jacket on.  I don't even unlatch the gate until the life jacket is securely on.  So every time we go in the gate, he's standing right beside me.  Waiting.  Dancing in anticipation to get in the water.  Watching as I open the gate.

It looks like he's been taking notes.

I sent this picture to Shawn at work, and he texted back, "Stopping on the way home to get a combination lock."

I wonder what we'll do when he figures out how to use bolt cutters?

Cuppa Joe...With Pictures!

Come sit and have a cuppa joe with me! If we were chatting over coffee (or tea...or Diet Coke...whatever your poison is), I would tell you:

Sam has discovered the lawn mower.  Now he insists on helping Daddy mow the yard every time.  Apparently mowing is pretty relaxing work.  Last weekend, I let him mow instead of taking a nap.  He fell asleep in Shawn's lap.  Bonus points for Shawn for operating the lawn mower with a sleeping child on his lap.

We've been working in our garden.  Shawn brought home a water melon plant a few days ago on a whim.  (Possibly because Sam ate four...yes FOUR...pieces of watermelon at a cookout recently.)  I'm not sure we really have room for a watermelon in our little garden, but we planted it to see what happens.  As I was placing the plant in the ground, Sam asked me what I was doing.  Since we were getting ready to go in for the night, I told him the watermelon was going night-night so it would grow really big and I was tucking it in.  And now he has to go dig around it and tuck it in every time we're outside.  I'm afraid it can hear the Plant Heaven angels singing already...

Sam got a Power Wheels jeep thing for his birthday.  Thank you, Nana and Bap!  He loves it.  Fortunately, he hasn't quite mastered driving yet so he pretty much only goes forward and backwards in a straight line.  Hey...if he's having fun doing that, who am I to show him how to use the steering wheel?!   I wonder how long it will be before I see two little bottoms in that seat.  

I finally finished my little Thanksgiving project.  Completion time of just over 6 months for my craft projects? Yep, that's about right.  

We're still potty training.  Honestly, Sam is doing a pretty good job.  A better mom would probably already have her son potty trained, but I'm still kinda lax about it.  Sometimes I remember to take him, sometimes I forget.  Eh.  Needless to say, we're spending more time in the bathroom than I'm used to right now.  I thought I could put Sydney in her little tub while Sam and I took care of business and she might stay out of trouble.

Yeah...right.

One morning, Sam woke up wanting to go outside.  I was in the middle of something and told him we'd go outside in a little while after we got dressed.  He disappeared into this room then returned a few minutes later presenting me with this.  Shirt, pants, dress socks, and mismatched tennis shoes from the too little box.  Can my boy put together an outfit, or what?

We went home a couple of weeks ago and made a quick trip to the new miniature golf course in town.  At first, Sam needed a quick lesson in how to play.

But then he was ready to rock it on his own.  And check out his form!

Dear Sydney,

Today you are 11 months old.  I can't believe we're in the home stretch to your first birthday!  You amaze me each and every day with something new you've learned.  Right now you will wave hi and bye, blow kisses, give kisses and play patty cake pretty much on command.  You play peek a boo like a boss.  You will put your hands on top of your head and take them off over and over until someone realizes what you're doing.  When we respond with, "Where's Sydney?" your face lights up and you clap your hands like you're applauding us for finally getting a clue.  Your favorite foods are Cheerios, yogurt, Cheerios, peas, and pretty much anything else you can feed yourself.  And also Cheerios.  I have learned to never be without Cheerios.  You can sign "more", but you usually prefer to just scream when you're out.     

You're talking like crazy.  I mean, you are a little chatterbox.  You love to talk about Dadadadadada.  Sometimes you say Mommmm, but it's mostly if you're hungry or tired.  I think you're trying to say "dog" too.  You keep yelling something every time you see Molly.  It's not quite dog, but it is a "d" sound so we'll run with it.  And you've discovered the "l" sound.  That's pretty much all you say now:  lee-lah-lee-lah-lee-lah-lee-lah.  Sometimes you stop long enough to stick your tongue out at someone until they stick their tongue back out at you.  Then you laugh like it's the funniest thing ever and continue your speech:  lee-lah-lee-lah-lee-lah.  I could listen to it for hours. 

You are crawling everywhere.  Ev-er-y-where.  You're getting pretty fast, too.  You love the dog's water bowl.  When I catch you crawling towards it at breakneck speed, I will say, "Sydney, no NO!"  About half of the time you will sit up on your bottom and look at me all wide-eyed and innocent like, "What?  I'm not doing anything."  The other half of the time, you stop and look at me with your pouty lip out.  Your face crumples as you reach to be picked up, and you start to wail.  Your heart is broken.  Sometimes you actually make it there before I realize what you're up to.  You splash your hands in it happily while you look very proud of yourself.  You're also pretty obsessed with shoes.  And while it probably isn't all that unusual for a girl to be interested in shoes, I do think most girls want them to wear on their feet...not to chew on.  I've never seen anyone more determined to put every single shoe that enters this house in their mouth.  I think we're going to have to start hanging them on the wall just to keep them away from you. 

I know I've mentioned it before, but you have such pretty hair.  You get so many compliments on it.  I'm learning that being a redhead is like being part of some elite club.  When we see other redheads while we're out, they always joyfully greet you.  "Oh look!  A pretty little redheaded girl!"  It seems just being related to or knowing another redhead grants one entry into the club as well.  "Oh!  She has red hair!  You know, my granddaughter is a redhead..." 

You're a biter.  Not so much in a mean way..rather, I think it's a sign of love for you.  When you're playing, you'll often grab my hands and stick a finger in your mouth.  When you give hugs, you will often chomp down on my collar bone.  And every now and then when you're sitting in Daddy's lap, you'll lean over and take a bite out of his belly.  What's really hilarious about the whole thing is that after you bite someone, you always give them the sweetest smile.  To my knowledge, you haven't bitten your brother yet, but as crazy as you are about him, it's only a matter of time.

As we expected, you're a total water-dog.  We've had you in the pool a couple of times now, and you've loved it each time.  The first time, I wasn't too sure about putting you in.  The water was still a little cool in my opinion, and I had planned on just sitting on the edge with you.  Yeah, right.  You were lunging and bucking, trying to get to the water.  I finally stuck your toes in, thinking that would satisfy you, but after that it was a lost cause.  We were getting in.  You loved it and cried when it was time to get out.
 

My Sydney, I love walking into your bedroom and seeing you peek over the crib at me as you say, "Hiiiiiiii."  I love how you giggle from the back seat every time we hit a bump in the road.  I love how you're obsessed with the dog's tail and you're constantly sneaking up behind her and trying to get it in your mouth.  I love how you crawl but sometimes use your left knee and your right foot so you're crawling all lop-sided.  You are the perfect mixture of sweet and spunk.

Mommy