Um Is It Spring Or Is It Just A Tease?

Hi everyone! Rumor has it that there are parts of this wonderful continent that have bragging rights to actually seeing Spring in March! People are getting a chance to rake their lawns & get their gardens ready at least a month a head of normal. I must say I hate you all. Ha!!

Where I live it was an extremely mild winter and I certainly wont complain....much!  We hardly had any snow and only a couple real cold snaps. And even those were short enough I could bundle up with my dogs and and hide by my wood burning stove and wait it out.

My Niece & Nephew Discovering The Mud Puddle 

But now this is just not fair and is ridiculous! Balmy mid 20c weather out East and here we had snow storms and received 4" of snow! Arghhhh! I neeeeed Spring!!! I need to play in my gardens and plant stuff and sit on my deck and get some color on my face. I look in the mirror and I'm sure Casper the ghost has more color then I do!!

I hear the chickadees chirping in the trees, and we found a lady bug on one of our windows yesterday. I have my trays of seeds started in my living room. (and sorry kids...no wacky tabacky in there for you!). All I'm missing is the heat and sunshine and SPRING!!!

And for all you folks out East...do you think its really safe to start your gardening? Or is Mother Nature waiting to pull a fast one on you?

Oh I get so excited this time of year...the new plants...new containers...new ideas for out side! And our season is so short I have to cram as much as I can into it. I guess thats why we all get so crazy once the snow finally lets go of our yards and we finally catch a glimpse of those first green shoots peeking through the warm dirt.

So Mother Nature, even though you have been really kind to most of us this past winter, I for one am more then ready to to get my shovel and rake out...paint brush and stain for my deck ( I need to finish that project from last year...yikes!) I want to have supper on my deck, sit around my fire pit and get sun burns while sitting with my Bestie drinkin our slushies! (Yup...another summer goal my friend!!!)

So Happy Spring to everyone! Here's hoping you all have a great mud puddle to enjoy!

My Niece in her puddle =)

ORGANIZE!!!

Hi everyone! Happy belated Pi day to all of you who celebrate it....to the rest of you who have no idea of what I am talking about, its ok, it just means you have a normal house hold with out geeks, Ha! Also want to say Welcome back home Bestie!!! I missed ya!!

This one is for you Alex! ;-)

                                           






 So it must be Spring because for some really really weird reason I have been bitten by the organize bug. I know...its supposed to be the cleaning bug, and be rest assured...along with the organize bug, the cleaning bug is right behind.

For instance, I shared with you all how I had a few unwanted visitors staying in my house. (which I believe we have gotten a hold of!! woohoo!) Well, I started going on a cleaning binge after that, well, because, hey....I found mouse poop in my kitchen!! So   I scrubbed and cleaned and moved things around (this bothers the men in my house hold very much FYI) and then as I moved the microwave to clean under it I hit a mother load of mouse poop. Welll...now the microwave is going.

So within a week, I sold the microwave, scrubbed entire kitchen, bought new microwave, cleaned livingroom, sold dining room set, replaced with a fabulous new one we actually sit at and spend time as a family. And as I clear out a room I see new possibilities for the next one...hmmm...sell this piece, move these pieces, clean this up, throw this out, finish this project up...organize my important papers! (this I started last night! fancy binder and everything!!) Phewwww!!!

So I'm hoping to get lots of this inside stuff organized before it gets really nice outside because I have big plans for outside this summer. I have a deck I need to finish staining, I have some new gardens beds to be built as soon as the snow melts so I can get my herb and veggies growing, I need to get my yard cleaned up and my flower gardens tidied up....and....and...and...

Geez what is wrong with me?? Why am I sitting here? I have a huge list to burn through!! See you this Fall! ( oh...after I get the kids off to school...and the gardens cleaned up...and the patios all tidied up for winter...and...and....)

HeeHee!! Enjoy your day and I hope you have warm Spring sunshine shining through your windows and not too many chores to get done!

Where Does It All Go?

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you are enjoying an afternoon break with a warm cup of something yummy. I also want to wish my Mom a super happy, slightly belated, 65th B'day!! WooHoo!!She is officially a sexy senior and counting down the days til she can retire. Wish I was there to help count down and celebrate Mom!! I Love You!!

  I am sort of finding the closer I get to needing my infusion for my R/A next week, the later my day is starting and the less I have been getting done. So I apologize for not blogging lately, but I'm backkkkkkkkkk and here we go! heehee!!

I can not believe it is already MARCH!! Holy Moly!!! When did that happen?? It barely seems like we were putting Christmas decorations away. And this past solid week we have had snow and it looks more like Christmas out there then it did at the holiday itself.I wish I had taken a before and after picture of the house. The amount of snow out there is crazy. Ugh! And my 8yr old nephew from out east gleefully told me it as 16c over there. Grrrr.

Oh well...summer shall be here soon enough! I even ordered seeds yesterday, been lingering in the gardening sections in the stores, mentally planning new garden layouts, out door  projects, summer escapes...sigh! Melt snow!!! MELT!!

These last few months seem to have been rather expensive months also. It almost seems like every time one of the boys walks in he has a sheet from school asking for money for some trip or camp. My youngest alone has a ski trip ($300) Spring Break trip with Cadets($200) needs a deposit for summer camp ($200) and I just saw his glasses last night...YIKES...the middle one needed glasses($300), some fancy calculator($125), football registration ($300), and thankfully he works so he pays for a lot of the extras like his clothing.

 My husband looks at me after every paycheck and says "where did it all go??"I always feel so bad because he does works so very hard and he makes a good wage, it just these things just are so incredibly expensive and the schools hand out these forms and expect all the kids to participate. I felt horrible telling my youngest he couldn't go skiing. Thankfully there were 3 of them not going to we are not the only rotten parents in the class.

I look back to my childhood and some of these kinds of opportunities were offered to us but I don't remember that the majority of the school went on the trips. And travelling out of country?Ha!! Not a chance! Our family didn't have the money and it didn't bother me. That was just the way it was.

 I was chatting with my mom the other day and she said to me that she had to wait til she was in her 60's before she got to travel, why should I feel bad if my kids don't get to travel before I do? Why do we, as parents, feel compelled to sign up for everything their little hearts desire? Why do we need to get bank loans just so little Johnny can run around in some fancy pair of cleats and fancy sports wear (in our house, Under Armour is the only thing they will wear!) and you know the following year they will have out grown it all and you will have to buy it all again.

I'm fortunate as my boys are finally working and buying their own special stuff and not growing so much any more. Its still hard to say no or I'm not sure to an anxious kid who desperately wants to do these exciting opportunities. Argh! if only I had that money tree those kids seem to think we have...

Have a great afternoon!! I think I hear a nap calling me....