May Flowers (and tomatoes and basil....)

This weekend brought a lot of activity, mainly the horticulture type.  :)  A while back, in support of a fundraiser at work, Rick bought gift certificates to a nursery.  We waited until now when the weather was warm enough to use them. I took along my mother for her expertise (I also bribed her by sharing one gift cert) as to what should go in my 3 pots this year.
Yes, that's the extent of my gardening.  3 pots.  Everyone who claims to know me knows that I AM NOT a fan of working in the dirt.  Gardening is not for me at all.  The stooping, the hauling, the weeding,the tilling, no thank you. But I have my 3 pots.  Erika likes flowers, you see. 
So off to the nursery I go, mother and daughter with me.  20 min PAST the south perimeter.  It took me 1h 5min door to door.  Crazy to think that I could have bought almost the same thing at Costco and enjoyed a hot dog at the same time, or at the Safeway parking lot down the street.  :)  But, I had gift certificates, so I went. Did I also mention it was POURING?

I have to admit, Glenlea Greenhouse was bountiful of every type of flower there is, in every color. The prices were reasonable, for a greenhouse.

There were 7 types of basil to choose from for Rick (among other herbs...) and here's 4 that I went with; Italian broadleaf, sweet, cinnamon, and a red variety.  I also got 6 beefsteak tomato plants for $2.35.

 Not bad.

Erika with the Italian Broadleaf Basil.  :)

Loading up the cart with flowers for the pots.  We went with peach geraniums, a spiky grass, an ivy and 2 other smaller flowers in purple and pinks.  My mother was in charge of picking the varieties, Erika chose the colors, and I pushed the cart. 

Admiring the smaller flowers we chose in shades of pink.

All through the greenhouse Erika was told not to pick the blooms, only to look and smell.  She was so good about it one of the owners came over and gave her a geranium bloom. 

She was tickled to have one of her own.  :)

I wasn't able to get the flowers in their new home the same day, but it all came together the next with some cooperation from the weather.  It still needs to fill out a lot, but the end result looks great.  :)  Now I only have to remember to water them.....
$75 plus dollars for 3 flower-filled pots, much basil and 6 tomato plants.  I'm still not convinced, but Erika loves them.  



On being a Mom.

I love being a mom.  I love the taking care of her, I love the feeling of being needed, I love the emotional fulfillment, I love picking out clothes and dressing her up, I love the exchange of affection, I love her.

I don't always enjoy getting up in the 6:00am hour every weekend day....but it's a small trade-off. 

Being a parent gives me patience, it gives me a reason to get out of bed, it allows me to look at the world though the eyes of my 3 year old and discover it all over again, it makes me happy.

Happy Mothers Day to everyone.

Earned it.

Crazy, crazy week!  I so earned my weekend this week.  This work week was full of spring-influenced testy adolescents that fought, argued and were defiant any chance they got.  The 31st student was added to my class as well this week, and 31 is a tough number to get a full grip on at the best of times.  I have a great group, they're just very diverse and very needy.  Right now I'm in the middle of teaching family life...gr6 topics include teaching about puberty, fetal development, and family structures.  It's very enlightening for the students, and enjoyable for me to see them squirm in uncomfortableness every time I straight-up say the words "penis" or "vagina" among others.  Priceless!
This time of the year is especially crazy at school with next year staffing shifts, spring band/choir and drama performances and other disruptions to the usual school routine that makes teaching "dividing with decimals" and poetry all that more tough!   From what I know, though, the rest of the school year will fly by.  I've ordered the copies for my last units to teach for the year, the students are well aware of routines and patterns in the class and for the most part follow them, and there is much to look forward to in the next little while. I'll get though just fine.  (I just might whine and gripe about it along the way....) Summer is really just around the corner!!
In addition this week, our car was entered late one night and rifled through.  They didn't take much (there was more they could have) but they did take the entire ashtray with minimal coins in it.  Yup, the ashtray as well was gone, leaving an uber-attractive hole in my dashboard.  Really?  Of what use to you is my ashtray?!?  And really, if you had any any forward thought, shouldn't you have kept the ashtray there for me to once again collect coins in for you to take at a future date?  :/ Seriously.

Bring on the weekend.

Nice weather is here in full force and I'm loving the time spent outdoors grilling and eating, garden exploring (my mother's, not mine!), and generally playing.  It feels good to breathe the fresh air and be less sedentary.  My favorite series are finishing for the season (Amazing Race, Grey's, Survivor, etc) and that gives less excuse to sit and watch TV...never a bad thing! I'm really enjoying wearing capris and t-shirts. Pretty pedicures with sandals make me happy.  Oh, the simple pleasures of life.  Love it.

Swinging.

  Rick and my Dad.