Hostage

I have been a bad blogger. Not so clever, and not so funny. As with most things, it is not my fault. I am being held hostage by my yard!

Who knew that having a graduation party in July meant that you needed to start yard prep in March??

I have had lots of help.

Lots of good luck as well, and our veggie garden is doing quite well already.

We have some new additions like swiss chard and broccoli, as well as tons of peas.

Shelling peas is when I am glad I have given birth to so many helper slaves!

I told my sister that I thought our strawberries were on their last legs. I would probably pull them up and start over. Well....I think they heard, and now I am overrun with berries!

Waiting in line at Ikea for hours to purchase rain barrels was well worth the money I will save on my water bill!!

Can't wait till the point when I can relax and just ENJOY the garden. Oh, who am I kidding?? I will always be able to find something to do in it!

Field Trip

In my almost (but not quite) 40 years of life I have never been into the city of Philadelphia.

Into RFK Stadium to see Pink Floyd, yes. Into the convention center to see Finding Nemo on Ice, yes. But into the city? Not until this week. And never with over 100 5th graders!

The weather was as chilly, and rainy as it could be.

The puddles morphed into small lakes, and the many open parks available for lunching were drenched.

The Liberty Bell was great to see.

A few days after our trip it was evacuated because of a suspicious white powder. Wouldn't THAT have been a field trip to remember?!?

We got to see the actual chair George Washington sat in.

Benjamin Franklin's grave.

It was a field trip that inspired a lot of thought....

And was a lot of fun!!

Besties

They bicker like old women.

Best friends one minute,

Mortal enemies the next.

The other day Janey 'fired' Julian as a sister.


At the end of the day they are still 'Best-ies'

the good and the bad

Took my biggest boy to visit a University/College he is considering. The first time we ever visited, he was 3 months old, and we were visiting a friend. Still seems like yesterday as I drive him down once again. About campus life, all I have to say is WHY? Why can't I go? The food, the lounge, the beautiful campus.
The pergola dripping with wisteria older than me or my kid. The color AND black and white darkrooms. The digital photography editing rooms, the washing machines that automatically dispense detergent and text you when they are done. WHY can't I go?

The good? It is 2 hours away.

The bad? It is 2 hours away.

The good? A beautiful, small school that, if he chooses, Teddy will thrive at.

The bad? It is 2 hours away.

The good? It is 30 minutes away from the beach in Ocean City.

The bad? 30 minutes for the college kids. Not the Mom at home!

After our campus tour we headed right to the beach.

The empty parking lot at the inlet.

The deserted boardwalk. The absolute silence of no rides, laughing kids, blasting music, and summer life was both awesome and strange.

No one around but some hungry seagulls begging for some goodies.

A beach empty of anything except treasure to find and birds to chase.

Skies clear without the haze of humidity.

The Atlantic Ocean calmer than usual, waiting for someone to impress.

We spent some time at the Ocean City Fishing pier.

One of our favorite spots ever. A lucky find a few years ago.

An unpretentious shack. Best fishing ever.

Horseshoe crabs were abundant,

and some were, um....really, really enjoying each other.

A really nice day. A bit of a balm to ease the fact that the first baby is leaving the nest.

Haiti

There are several sites that I have been following since the Haitian earthquake.

They are amazing people who have been, and continue to bring change to Haiti.

The Livesay Blog and Heartline Haiti have been inspirational eye openers.

Recently on the Heartline blog I can across the store run by the Haitian women.

The Women's Program they have established is amazing.

I ordered a purse, and it came today!

I am excited because it far exceeds my expectations.

I will definitely be visiting the HaitianCreations store again!

My favorite part? This inside is signed by the woman who made it!

Sprung

Spring has Sprung. We are all full of spring fever.

The first nice weekend all our family

spent time cleaning up the yard.

All.Of.Us.

No whining, no complaining.

Helpful, considerate, hardworking kids.

A small miracle right there!

Nothing like the beginning of a new season.

Playing outside in your pjs.

Swinging all day long.

Watching new life bloom.

Watching as Janey re-discovers her

bug/bee/insect-of-any-kind phobia.

This week we will try thunderstorms.

Smile!

How can you not??