I've been a bad blogger this week, right? Whew. I don't even have a good excuse. Oh well.
Here's a look at what we've been up to lately.
So that's about it. Taking trips to the church to exercise the dog, gardening, picked our first 2 tomatoes (they're supposed to be yellow), and not much else.
Oh, here's a pretty funny video of Saul dancing on command.
I have other post ideas, but this is all you get today!! :)
Check out what we found on one of our tomato plants yesterday ...
This is the dreaded Tobacco Horn Worm
This little guy is HUGE. It literally startled us once we saw it. It's probably the most disgusting and interesting thing I've ever seen. Seriously. the only bug that I've ever seen that's larger is a spider that was on the windshield of my car once. That thing scared me to death. I think it had to do with something about being a female; bugs are just too creepy.
Anyway, one of these suckers can devour an entire tomato plant in a matter of days. We suspect he's also been munching on our little watermelons that were growing next to the tomato plant we found him on.
Here it is next to Todd's finger just to show you how LARGE this fella' is.
Also, we found out that having just TWO TO THREE in your garden means you're infested. Holy Moly. I've had Todd searching for any traces of others. My dad said they'll eat your whole garden if you're not careful.
Todd and I were talking about this last night. Over the course of the past two years (mostly, this year), we have learned so so soooo much about gardening. It's so fun learning about things that you otherwise never would have. We already know about a ton of garden pests, diseases, fungi, watering habits, fertilizers, and vegetable growth patterns and cycles. God, in Himself, is so vast. He created everything so intricately and perfect. It's so amazing to watch things grow. It's absolutely glorious.
I'm blessed. Saul eats everything. Literally. I have Todd to thank for that for the most part.
He's eaten things in the past 10 months that I hadn't even tried until I was 21 years old!
Some of the more interesting things he loves include: hummus (any kind - plain, garlic, roasted red pepper), every seasoning and herb known to man, DILL PICKLES(!!!), dove, venison, shrimp, and crawfish, to name a few.
I remember Todd thinking it would be cute to let him try a bit of lemon because Saul was grunting for it when Todd was using the juice for it. The child loved it. LEMONS. I wince just thinking about how sour a lemon is.
If you peel the skin back from a tomato, he'll eat it like an apple.
When something is new, he kinda gives you this face:
Then he chews on it for a minute, then he's back to yelling, "baaa-baaa!!"
The only things he's flat out refused to eat are fish (not fried, not broiled, not grilled, but if it's tuna from a can, he's cool), Beechnut Turkey Baby Food, and any sort of "3rd food" type baby food with pasta lumps it in.
That's really not bad; I don't think.
And he also doesn't waste food. If you give him bits off your plate, he loves to feed himself. If he drops a piece, he won't even take the next bite until he locates the fallen morsel and eats it first.
As a sophmore gardener, I thought we'd have just as much luck this year as last year.
I was wrong.
Although not all our plants are dead, it's been a rough season on the garden front. Here's a few things I've learned so far this summer.
1. Container gardening is for the birds. It has been the main reason for the troubles we've encountered thus far. Skip the pots. Dig a hole in the ground, add some soil conditioner, and call it a day.
2. If you have to container garden, use good potting soil. That's all. You don't need to mix a million different types of soil and soil amendments. Dirt is dirt (kinda). We've burnt up plants, over/under fertilized, added too much of this, too little of that; it's all bogus. We would've saved a lot of time, money, and nail biting if we had just bit the bullet and purchased good potting soil.
3. Don't get overexcited like me and buy your plants too early. Yeah. Someone please remind me of this next March when I'm itching to go buy a bazillion transplants from Home Depot. Todd had to throw out about 5 pepper plants. The weirdly cold snap we had stunted them and made them all shades of UGLY.
4. Plant lots of beans. Seriously. Lots and lots of them.
5. Growing from seed isn't as hard as some may lead you to believe. I don't know that you get tomatoes any sooner, but my basils, cucumbers, purple tomatillos, and and beans were/are doing great! I think it makes you a more seasoned gardener, and it saves on costs!
6. This is my own personal opinion, but FORGET ORGANIC!! Everything we've touched with anything labeled "organic" has gone to poo-poo. The most recent mini-crisis was using organic fertilizer pellets, only to realize that flies are really into that kind of stuff, and pushing back mulch to reveal tons of MAGGOTS! Super Yuck. Fungicide. Pesticide. It'll be okay. It's still better (if you do so appropriately) than the hormones they pump into the cow's milk you drink. :) At least I have some sort of idea what's on them, how long it's been since Todd's doused them, and how much.
I'm linking up with one of my new favorite bloggers. Becky of Baby Making. She is probably one of the funniest people ever.
I'm supposed to write about myself. But I'm not sure I want to do that. It's my blog; I do what I want.
Fact: I think I found my niche in not having one. I like having craft/hobby ADD.
Yesterday, I spent the day sewing, and you know what, it was fun! I didn't give up. I didn't get bored. I didn't get frustrated. I didn't follow a pattern, and I made it up as I went along. I'm happy with the outcome. I made 2 tote bags for the farmer's market.
I then moved on to photographing my child and dog, as any good mother does.
To be such a girly-girl all my life, I sure am surrounded by a lot of boys.
I also used to think that my son looked exactly like me when I was a baby. I went through old photos today that needed to be sorted. I've come to the conclusion that he looks nothing like I did. Nothing. Not even a little bit.
I think next week I'll try to write more about myself and actually give you factual information about myself like Becky does, but I'm too scatterbrained this morning.
I think if you talk to any old, wrinkly couple, they'll tell you that laughter is one of the keys to having a successful relationship for all their years.
Well, Todd, nor I, are very funny people. I mean, I think he's hilarious, and I keep him laughing pretty good, but most people wouldn't really classify us as "the funny couple."
However, we laugh together a lot. Over really, really stupid stuff.
Which brings me to my point. For Saul's birthday, we decided to get him some bath toys. Every kid needs bath toys, right? And it's like a right of passage for a kid to have those foam alphabet letters that stick to the tile when they're wet, right? Of course it is.
Saul is more interested in sticking them on his chest and squealing with glee about that.
Todd and I LOVE THEM. We have so many games that we play with these little letters.
One game is to try to toss them at the wall and see if they stick.
Another game is to stack as many as you can on top of each other and see if they float.
Our FAVORITE game is what I'm about to share with you. When either of us takes a shower, we try to leave words or phrases for the other on the wall. That may seem easy, but it's not.
I only take out a handful of letters and change them out weekly for Saul. I mean, what is he going to do with the entire alphabet?
We absolutely die laughing every time we go into the bathroom. The phrases are so stupid and make NO sense, but for some reason, it turns over our "giggle boxes" a-la-second-grade.
Here's some of the messages we've shared this week.
It's the little things, people. Little things can make or break your relationship. I'm telling you! I hope that today, you do something silly with the person you love and laugh until your stomach aches.
And the Air Conditioning Thing. He bumps his head toward the end. I know it seems cruel, but we don't say anything about little bumps like that unless he's really upset. This one wasn't THAT bad, but I could tell it hurt, so I turned off the camera and cuddled him. It's alright, though. He was fine.
Let me start off by saying that I've had my first comment by someone I don't know.
Dear Sarah, the fact that you stumbled across my page is a blessing in itself. I have only been blogging for a few months, so the fact that anyone I don't know has found my little corner of the interwebs is awesome. I am so honored that you decided to leave your comment. Isn't that what blogging is about? Sometimes, it feels good to hear a, "Me too!" You're not obligated to ever say another word, but thank you.
Also, reader in Germany. I see you. That's awesome that you regularly check to see what little words I throw out into space. I don't know who you are, or if you even really live in Germany, but I think it's so cool that you like what you read. Thank you.
This is not a post for self-glorification, but to say hello and thank you to those who like what they read. Just like any other blogger, you write for readers. If I wanted a private journal, I would have one. I kept journals/diaries for 8 years, and I love them. That is not where I am in my life now.
As I said, I write for advice, an outlet, and the "me too's". Being a new mother is exciting, energizing, tiresome, and sometimes downright terrifying. It's new to me. I am not the first, nor the last "new mom" in the universe. I get the hang of it more and more each day. I don't know that I have more or less to say than any other mother out there, but I love having a place to share.
I love your input, and I love that people may keep that input to themselves. It's alright either way. I'm just glad that I have a place where some people want to visit sometimes.
I've written and rewritten this entry in my head a million times.
How weird is this - I don't know what I love to do.
These days, everyone is an artist. Everyone is a blogger. Everyone loves thrift stores, antique malls, and flea markets. Everyone's home is decorated interestingly.
Well, you know what? I don't know where I fall.
Now that Saul is at the age where he is in constant need of correction and needs to really comprehend that just because he sees Mommy doesn't mean he has to be on my hip incredibly self-reliant, I have been trying to figure out what it is that I like to do when he's napping, the house is clean, and dinner is waiting to be cooked.
I have no idea. Usually read blogs and think about writing a post.
I like painting ... but I'm really only good at copying something someone else has painted already.
I went through a jewelry-making phase ... but then feather earrings went out of style, so I became uninterested.
As weird as it sounds, I really, really love paper mache ... but since when has that ever been a useful craft? I mean OTHER than the 4th grade science fair when you make the volcano replica with baking soda, vinegar, and red food coloring?
I crochet ... and I can make a mean beanie or scarf ... but that's about it.
I have absolutely no interest or know-how to do any sort of graphic design.
I draw and doodle a lot ... but I always draw the same stuff.
Photography is really, really, really neat, but I don't have a DSLR camera or any fancy editing software.
I sew occassionally ... but it's really hard and usually get discouraged halfway through the project and just forget to finish it ...
Basically, I'm stuck. I'm trying to find something that I really LOVE to do. It makes me feel lazy. I'm not particularly good at anything.
It's frustrating.
But you know, I'm really good at being pregnant and having a baby. I know, I know. Seven feminists in California somewhere just spontaneously combusted. But seriously. I loved that.
However, I don't think Todd will go for being the next Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. In fact, I'll be lucky to get one more.
Oh well. I guess I'll just keep trying new things. Crafting is a must (seems) for stay-at-home-mommas. I think maybe I should detach from other blogs for a while to try to cultivate some deep-seated creativity, rather than compare and downgrade my own ideas to other women out there who, seemingly, have rainbows of creativity pouring out their ears, nose, and rear.
Everyone in this house knows that I sing. Like, all the time. Even before Saul came along, Todd would laugh at me because I make up these stupid songs about absolutely anything and will sing them full scale in funny vibrato around the house, yard, it the car -- anywhere, really.
Well, today I finished up typing 200+ pages for my job. Now, I have no work for the week. Well, Saul got up from his nap, so I decided to sing about it.
I guess Colston, my dog, got a little tired of it. Poor guy hears these songs nonstop. I guess his thought was, "Well, if I can't beat her, I'll join her."
I was fortunate enough to have my camera close by. See for yourself!
I don't want you to think that my life is perfect.
By all means, it's not. My life is not all kisses, rainbows and butterflies. Although it's not quite the opposite, it's a fair balance of kisses, tandrums, giggles, and crying to no end.
I know a lot of bloggers out there would love to have you think that their house is always immaculately cleaned, they always serve their family organic, gluten-free, no-sugar-added, "whole food" meals blessed by their loving hands, their children always get along and are never disrespectful, challenging or messy, and their marriage is straight out of a romance novel. However, I will never lead you to believe such a thing about myself and my family.
But you know what? We are happy. Really, really happy.
This time last year, life was a haze. I don't mean that in a dark way, it's just that I had a newborn. I was running on hardly any sleep (even though Saul was a really good sleeper) and my thoughts were consumed with this new, squirmy infant that was now in my complete care. I didn't garden with Todd. I didn't go places. I didn't enjoy spring and summer, but with good reason - I had an newborn to enjoy!
Right now, I'm TOTALLY in my element. Saul is a rough-and-tumble kid, and I'm loving every minute of mothering him.
I can't explain it. I think it's because of my own childhood summers, but I feel like a SUPER mom when I get to put Calamine Lotion on his bugbites. He is just too cute with those chalky, pink/white dots all over his arms and legs.
I love making ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and cutting them up for him to enjoy. Watermelon. Strawberries. Apple Juice. All the flavors of summer. I can't wait to let him take a bite out of a good, sweet, juicy tomato sandwich.
As I mentioned last week, we took him to the park a couple times and let him yell at the ducks while we threw the ball with Colston. He wasn't the biggest fan of the baby swing. That's okay, though.
Yesterday, we took him to a splash & play water park in my town. I cannot express to you how much that child loved being absolutely drenched with chlorine-water in his hair and eyes. He was squealing his wonderful little squeal as I ran through baby waterfalls with him.
Although my little life is far from perfect, I think that makes it pretty perfect. As summer begins, I am absolutely overwhelmed with the love that is and the fun that is to be had. As much as I want to add another little one to our family, I am so glad to be present in this first taste of summer with my son. I am so thankful for every single moment I get to watch him experience the wonderful life that God has created for him. Everything is so new and exciting for him, and I guess it's the same for me.
See that man right there? That man is one of the best men you'd ever meet.
He lived a life full of love, affection, compassion, sacrifice, intergrity and strength. He is the absolute model of a real man.
He filled his days with loving Jesus for real, fishing, risking his life for others on a daily basis (firefighter), growing tomatoes, and loving his children and grandbabies with every fiber of his being.
I could talk for days and days about how wonderful my Grandpa Joe was, but I'll leave it at this: I hope that my son is a lot like Joseph M. Scarborough. This world needs more men like him.
I pray daily that Todd and I are leading him down the right path.
1. We are unpacked from vacation. That is so wonderful. Last vacation we went on, I allowed us to live out of our suitcase until we had worn and washed everything in the bags. It's true.
2. This guy. He's awesome every day.
3. This guy. His love makes every day awesome.
4. I think we might've found our church, reception site, and picked a date for the wedding. Three decisions down, only 4,283 to go, right?
5. Saturday is the Firehouse Fish Fry to honor my late Grandpa Joe. It's going to be so special. I can't wait to party as he would have us do. I miss him.
6. I busted the garden hose today. That's awesome ... ?
7. Saul got to watch the ducks swim at the river yesterday. He screamed with excitement.
8. I have done no real elbow-grease/gut-busting house cleaning this week. What's awesome about that is that you can't even really tell! Light upkeep is where it's at.
9. I've got another Rogue Petunia, 2 Sunflowers, a Cosmo, about 8 tomatoes and countless Cayenne Peppers.
10. Oh, and it looks like we've got a Certified Walker on our hands.
