Apr 28, 2012

Oh Mother Nature...


Oh Mother Nature... you win again you shady lady you! 

I should have prefaced my previous post by saying that the arrival of springtime in Vermont generally means that the minute everyone whips out the flip flops (which is at about 35 degrees) and pastel prints, we are hit with at least one more  snow storm. It's a cruel joke that nature likes to play on us every year. We fall for it every time, always hoping that this year will be the year the snow will melt for good in March. And I must say that this year we feel particularly hard after the 80 degree temps in both March and April!

Ahhh well, We shall go back to pinning barbeque ideas on Pinterest and continue our garden planning inside ;-)

Apr 26, 2012

Here Comes The Sun...

...doo doo doo doo. Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all riiiight! Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces. Little darling, it seems like years since it's been heeeeeere!Here comes the suuuun! Here comes the suuuuunnnn, and I say, it's all riiight!

Hello World! Long time, no type... I will spare you the boring details of how busy we've been being...well, human.
Spring at the homestead

Any old who... my dramatic and song-filled intro is in honor of the fact that the sunshine and warm-ish weather has arrived in this beautiful Green Mountain State of ours, and I am over the moon! To say that my family has ants in the pants due to the onset of slightly greenish grass and spreading of manure (oh wait, that one we could live without) is an understatement of gross proportions. In fact, my daughter has been so anxious for spring that she made a "birds nest" out of glow sticks and plastic Easter eggs, which she placed in front of the sliding glass door so that the sun would shine on it. She invited me to sit on it to help the eggs hatch, but I politely declined.

Getting back to why I'm actually writing... the sun has arrived! Time to make some warm-weather plans! One thing you should know about both Kiki and I is that we love to plan. We love lists, calendars, spread sheets, agendas, checklists, timelines, carefully color-coded day planners (okay that one is just me), you name it, we've likely labeled it and filed it alphabetically somewhere ;-) We're not uptight or anything, we just find that half the fun is in the planning stages, so this will likely be the first of many, many lists to come

For lack of a better term, we'll call this my spring/summer bucket list. Or since it's spring would it be a bouquet list? Ha! I slay me... I really do... ;-)

1. Make a small garden: I can't claim to have a green thumb, but have always wanted a garden of my own and decided this is the year! The closest experience I've had to having my own garden is having taken part in making one at work with some of the kiddos over the summer. It was a great experience, which I can't wait to replicate with my family. I haven't yet mentioned to the hubs that I would most graciously appreciate it if he would rototill a small area of our lawn, but I suspect it will likely go a little something like the scene in 'The Secret Garden' where Mary asks if she "miight have a bit of eeeaarth."

2. Beee-Beee-Quuee!: That was my awesome Bill Cosby impression, couldn't you tell? One of my fave things to do in the summer is barbecue! The food, the iced tea, the proceeding bonfire- and of course, the company. Is there a better way to relax and spend time with friends on a summer evening? The look forward to many, many laughter (and kabob) filled gatherings this season! I cannot explain the joy I find in having my child run around playing with the children of my dear friends. Viv and Kiki's eldest (2 months apart) have declared each other 'besties' and I would like to find every opportunity possible to get them together this summer.
Um, and can I just lament for a minute,\ that I searched for a Cosby Show B-B-Q photo and could not find a.single.one? What's a broad gotta do to find a pic of 'Combustible Huxtable' in his chef hat and apron? Yeah, I know #thirdworldproblems.

3. Prep for a 5K: This one is daunting. And by "daunting" I mean I'm "scared shitless." The department I work for is hosting a 5K fundraiser in the early fall, and I need to spend the summer learning to run farther than the mailbox without getting winded. Hey, I love to work out, but running is a whole different ballgame! I feel like you can work out with a personal trainer 6 days a week, but still not be able to run a mile! Please, send beginner running tips my way! I'm determined not to look like a total a$$hole the day of the race! Um.... and if you're in VT/NH and interested in running a 5K for an amazing cause, contact me!

4. Go to Storyland: So, I recognize that to many folks, having to spend the day somewhere that is full of wildly excited, sometimes over-tired, sugar-filled kids is their version of hell, but I'm pumped! a. fried dough abd b. how great is the smile on your kid's face when you've planned something super fun? Or as Dallas Royce ('Suburgatory') would say: "Ruhl fun! Ruhl fun, super fun, ruhl fun stuff!."

5. I like big BOOKS and I cannot lie: It's no secret in our household that we're all a little book-obsessed. I love finding series of books that leaves me feeling as though I have made a new, true friend. I want to spend copious, copious amounts of time reading this summer... in a hammock...with an iced tea. 
Needed:
Copious amounts of time
Hammock
My husband is a cabana boy uniform serving me iced tea
That's doable, right? ;-)
6. I just got a new camera so now the hubbster and I each have a nice one. Admittedly, Mike is an excellent photographer- much, much better than me, but I think it would be fun to work on our photography together. Eventually I would like to be able to take a really nice family photo. Here's a shot I took of our daughter this week:


So, what's on your spring/summer bucket list?