seasonal

My in-laws are stealthy dropping off bags and bags of apples at our door.

 

At least one zucchini has gone unseen in the garden, and is almost larger than my baby girl when it is found.

 

I need a sweatshirt for a good part of the morning. 

I do love this time of year, like a lot.
Even the name of this blog comes from a poem about it.
(Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus).

And you, how are you settling into the new season?

checking on the peaches

Maybe when we get back from San Diego they will be perfect and juicy. 

They have another week or so to go, so the timing might be perfect.

See you then!

Solstice Strawberries

The strawberries are in full force in the back yard right now.

The boys love to go out and check on the plants, pick the sweet red berries before the birds can and water them in the evening

I usually don't get a taste since the kids eat as they go, but I spotted this sweet little gem last night and had to take it's picture before I put it in the bowl to be washed and enjoyed.

The light was perfect and long last night as the first evening of summer set. I am looking forward to things this year.

Last summer was so sad and stressful. Even though I had half of the season off from work, it wasn't exactly a vacation- more like an emotional roller coaster.
Look back at it now it is hard to believe so much change occured.
It looks like it started off in a beautiful light (and look at how much has stayed the same, and how much has changed from then, just a year ago)

I have a feeling this year will be much more relaxing and enjoyable.
Here's to a beautiful-bountiful season!

212:365, promise

There is hope in these little flowers. Ripe, sweet fruit that is much more candy like than healthy treat. I am finding glimmers of promise in everyday pieces of my life right now. Maybe it's just the simple things like seeing the garden swell with food or bigger things like watching my girl learn to walk and my boy balance on his bike. There are also the phone calls and emails I have been getting. Some from friends and family showing support and love and other calls and emails with hints of good news and new beginnings. I am keeping my fingers crossed and my hopes high for the road ahead.

 

picking flowers.

The plants are going crazy out front, I am sure the bees won't miss the few I cut for inside. I wonder what lavender honey taste like?

20-20

Here I am, finishing up on the 20th week of my second pregnancy, twenty more weeks (plus or minus) to go. I don't feel that much bigger than when I posted a picture just two weeks ago- but I do feel like my belly looks more like a 'pregnant belly' than a "hmm, did she have a big lunch or drink too many beers this winter" belly.



I can hardly believe that we are half way through this baby building process again. Maybe it is because we didn't share our news as soon as last time. Or maybe it is because it is the second time around and I feel more comfortable, confident and 'in the know' about what is going on in the process. Or maybe it is the fact that I have a 1.5yr old to chase around, a crazy work environment to deal with and all those other things that make up life to really focus in exclusively on the pregnancy as I did last time. Not sure.



Don’t get me wrong, I am by all means totally excited about our growing family, tear up when I hear the heart beat at the doctor's office and can hardly wait for next Monday to roll around since that is when we get to have a peek at this little one again via ultra sound. (I will scan those and the first ones in after we get them) It's just that this pregnancy has been much mellower than with O. I like that mellow stuff, a lot.



I started to really feel the baby moving about 2 weeks ago. Little flutters and flips that made me smile. But over this past week the movements have gotten really strong and can be felt from the outside now. I got totally punched on Wednesday when I pressed on my belly, it startled me and I think I laughed out loud at the force and strength Deuce-baby has already. This baby is also all about stretching out and I feel the kicking and moving a lot more internally than I remember with O. As in let's play soccer with Mom's internal organs sort of thing. There is also a lot of length wise stretch that happnes- pushing down on my cervix and up into my stomach. lovely! I don't remember that with O and it is funny and a weird feeling for sure.

I am definitely a lot more sensitive this time around. I often find myself feeling the need to fight back tears when something overwhelms me or when certain commercials come on the TV (SPCA and Sarah Mclaughlin, you kill me every time). I am certainly way touchier when something goes wrong, or when I precive something to have gone wrong- I lost it last night when I attempted a new recipe and the chicken curry salad came out totally in-edible (making my own mayonnaise when I realized we were out wasn’t a great idea). I cried a few weeks ago for a good half an hour (at least) when someone cut me off in a parking lot and flipped me the bird (um, guy could have killed me in his giant suburban cutting thru the parking spaces and not looking where he was going- but what’eva).

I am so glad to be feeling more energy these days. I still feel a little icky at times but haven't hurled lately- woot! It totally helps that O has been sleeping thru the night more often and Daddy-O has been helping to put him back down when he does wake up in the wee-hours. I have had some wonderful girl time too and that always makes me re-energized and happy. We are getting back into our morning swimming routine and I have hit up my prenatal yoga class on Saturdays when we are around.

This weekend we hope to get things moved completely out of the ‘craft room’ and transform it into Mr O.’s big-boy room. We have paint to pick out and a new bed to buy. I am excited about how we are going to decorate (some inspiration from here) and I am going to use these prints (I have three of them in his room now) as further inspiration. I love these wall decals too! However, I am sure it will be a mixture of stuff since we have super artistic friends who have painted him a couple small canvases that I want to keep in his room. And while we were in Death Valleywe found a mobile that we loved with white cranes. The baby’s room will remain the same, save for a few touches for when he/she arrives to make it more personalized.

Happy Friday everyone! and happy spring too, as you can see things are starting to get colorful around here.

I cus, you cus, we all cus for ASPARAGUS!

Look what's popping up in the garden! We planted the asparagus last summer and were crossing our fingers to see it pop up this year. I hear you get one harvest the first year, and consecutively more the following- anyone up on their asparagus gardening rules?

The other leafy greens are volunteer broccoli and in the top left corner is garlic or onions (we have a ton of both since it too went to seed). I am sure there is some cilantro in there if you look really hard- it always comes back and is such a great herb to have on hand in the back yard.

We need to do a bit of thinning so we can make room for some other veggies- I would love to do snap peas and cherry tomatoes this year. But, we are waiting for the weather to settle down. It can be 70 one day and snowing the next...

What about you? Anything growing in your yard yet?

something sweet for friday

have a great weekend friends!

onion blossoms

Corner View, Out my backyard

Here are a few views from the front and back yard plus a bonus video of the crazy rain we have been having lately.

When we moved into this house there was a GIANT pond with two waterfalls coming into it (we wound up having hundreds of goldfish in it, literally hundreds-but that is a different post). We drained and filled it in dubbing it a huge drowning hazard with all the kids around. We also had a "putting green", which was astro-turf with little holes and flags. Although this didn't need mowing or water it did need to be vacuumed of leaves and dirt (yes vacuumed) and you couldn't really sit on it, the 'grass' was scratchy and hard. Not to mention totally weird. So last summer we (I say we, but really I mean Daddy-O) started the transformation.

The pond was filled in, a retaining wall and small 'upper patio' were installed. An addition to the existing patio was poured and sod was layed. Daddy-O also built two veg garden boxes, he says there are more to come but they take time to build and fill so maybe not this summer. This year we have broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, chives, garlic, and onions (I am sure I am forgetting something) all growing out there. I love being able to walk out and pick part of my dinner from the yard!

We found a nice table and chair set on Craig's List. It was a little rough around the edges but just need to be sanded and re-sealed. I made cushions for the seats and now we have a nice little dining area out back. We also ordered couches from Overstock.com, they are perfect for lounging in or napping in if you have the time and two weekends ago Daddy-O finished installing the shade-sails for much needed shade this summer.
The backyard really is turning into an oasis- now if it would just stop raining... oh well, the rainbow sure are pretty!

(do you see the bird flying towards the rainbow??)

enjoy.


Oh and don't forget- to swing on over to Jane's blog for the complete list of all the Corner Viewers!

and it was all yellow

Erin from House on Hill Road is doing 'yellow' week next week.



I am in. Are you?

washed up

Washed and ready to go in a pie. Which I ate half of, not in one sitting mind you- but how can you resist an apple pie made with apples that were picked fresh that day from one of your good friend's back yard?
you can't. you just can't.
Unless, you are my husband. He doesn't eat apple pie. I think something is wrong with him when he reminds me about this.
Really, who doesn't like apple pie?

We are gearing up for a little get away, although the rainy forecast has me worried and I might have to talk the mister down from his camping frenzy. He bought a new tent to fit the three of us and is just aching to use it. Maybe we can just set it up in the backyard and do smores in the fire pit instead?
I don't blame him for wanting to get out of town though. And to San Fran and Santa Cruz,it just sounds like fun. Not to mention we had such a great time last year on our camping trip over Halloween weekend.
There are photobooths that will be missed out on if we don't go,

oh sigh.

mason jar and basil