Grandma's 80th Birthday

My mom's mother celebrated her 80th birthday the other day.  Well, actually since her birthday is February 29th, this year really is only her 20th true birthday.  That is a technicality.



 We celebrated at my parents' house, with good food and awesome cake.

 

Have you ever seen 80 candles on a cake before?  I have.  I put them there.

 

The great grand-kids helped blow them out, and thank goodness they weren't trick candles.  Do you remember trick candles?  So fun back in the 90s.  I wonder if they still sell them.

 

My niece and nephew played in the backyard while Lucy napped.



It's a fantastic backyard for kids, complete with a trampoline, pool, and swing set.  

 

I don't know where he picked it up, but Jack kept calling Papa a maniac.  "Swing me higher, you maniac!"

 

Lizzie informed me that she had a "baby baby" at home just like Lucy.  James (of whom I somehow didn't get a picture) asked me, "So how are you liking your baby?"  A rather sweet conversation-starter, I thought.



We made sure to take a generational picture, with 4 generations represented.  The above would have been an excellent photo, had Lucy not surreptitiously been pulling on a tiny handful of poor Grandma's hair.   



Isn't my brother a cutie pie?  I had a man tell me the other day that people's constant commenting on their facial hair is as annoying as strangers commenting on the size of a pregnant mama's belly.  It was sort of an eye-opening statement for me.  I had never considered it.   



Lucy is beginning to think about pulling up on things.



 My aunt is visiting from Iowa.  We like it when she visits because she is lots of fun and cooks bacon like it was going out of style.  The Edstroms are in love with bacon.  And butter.  And cream. 



This was part of a bouquet on the table. Kind of random, I know.  But I thought it was pretty.  It's as close to a macro shot as I'll probably ever get. 

And on that strange note, happy birthday to Grandma D!

Play Date at the Park

 

On Friday Lucy and I ventured across town for a park play date.

 

Although I see these moms every week during our Mother's Heart Bible study, I very seldom see their kids!

 

So it was fun to put faces with names.  I didn't want to be that girl, forcing everybody to face the camera... so all of my shots were candid. 

 

Err... most of my shots.

 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  I had worried when it was in the 40s that morning, but by the afternoon it was just perfect.

 

I was only given a small amount of grief for not having socks on Lucy's feet.

 

I feel really guilty when people point out that Lucy should have socks on.  Or a hat.  Or a coat.  Like if I were a better mom, I'd have thought about that.  Part of it is my own hypersensitivity.  But it's a vulnerable place to be in life, figuring out how to be a mom and having others chime in with their observations.  

 

My feet are always cold.  So I guess it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me.  She had a coat on.  Just no socks.  She survived.

There was so much activity at this park!  It made me sort of intimidated about Lucy getting older. 

The two of us are just in our own little world most of the time, and thinking about her getting older and interacting with dozens of other little kids is sort of overwhelming.

I'm glad that--like everything else in life--it's just one day at a time.   

One day at a time.

Fun Photo Shoot and Randomness

AAHHHH!!!  Usually the sound she makes when she's waiting for more food.  We try to teach her "more" with sign language.  But as our friend Joe pointed out--why would she try to sign "more" when she can just make this noise and get more food almost instantly?

This photo makes Daniel and me laugh every time we see it.  It's the essence of Lucy - when she's tired and/or demanding.



Sweet feet.  This photo shoot was a spontaneous when's-Daniel-getting-home/we're-bored photo shoot.  I take a lot of those kind of photos.  It's one of the only activities Lucy and I both really enjoy, since she's not a fan of her stroller.  Or car rides.  Or playing by herself.   

 

She loves these measuring spoons.  I think they're Amco stainless steel, and at $10.68 on Amazon, they wouldn't be the most expensive baby toy out there.  But these are actually mine from the kitchen, and I use them all the time.  But she just loves them.   



She's been doing this thing lately where she sniffs really forcefully and scrunches up her nose.  It's so cute. 

  

Blank, tired stare. 



This hat is ridiculous.  It's so cute.  It was a hand-me-down, so I don't know where it's from.  But it looks so stinkin' cute on her little head.



We had a nice weekend.  A play date with my Mother's Heart Bible study girls at a park on Friday.  A birthday party for my Grandma on Saturday.  And lots of time in pajamas in front of a warm fire with Daniel.  



Hah.  Look at that little tongue. 



Here she's doing that scrunchy nose sniffing thing.

Okay that's all for now.  On Monday Ginnie and I are gonna get us some free manure for the garden, so I'll be updating about that soon.

Another Chance for Gardening... DIY: A Raised Garden

Here is your sneak peak at the garden frame. I'll tell you how to make it in a second.  



It's difficult for me to write a post without a few pictures of Lucy. 



She is so darn cute. 



She and her cousin Jack played the other day, while my sister and I worked in the back yard.



Do you remember my first attempt at gardening?  It was 1 rosemary plant, 2 basil plants, and 2 tomato plants. 

I'm happy to say the rosemary plant is still going strong.  Turns out it's a tough little plant, and good thing, too.  The basil and tomato plants didn't make it.  Sad deal, but life goes on.  Gotta get started on this year's bigger and better garden! 



This raised garden was my sister's idea.  For about $50, you too can build this simple, raised garden. 



Start with 6 cedar fence posts, 1"x6"x6', 4 corner brackets, and some screws. 



Cut 2 of the 6' boards in half, and screw the resulting 3' pieces together, stacked on top of each other.  Do the same for the 6' pieces. 



The result will be 2 double 6' boards and 2 double 3' boards.  The "double" feature acts to fortify the garden bed walls, while keeping the costs much lower than they would be if you bought 2" thick boards instead of 1" thick.



Screw the boards into a rectangle, using the brackets.



Now you have your raised garden bed frame!  Three feet across by six feet long gives you 18 square feet of planting possibilities! 



In my garden I plan to grow a bunch of herbs and a few of the more expensive produce vegetables, like bell peppers, fennel, and onions.   



The bed is currently empty, but I'm going to acquire some free horse manure from a stable down the road, and that will be the base of my planting bed.



On top of that, I plan to layer in this organic landscaper mix, and that way the manure will have some time to mellow out under the soil before the roots reach it.  I'll update with more photos once I get the bed filled in. 

 

Big thanks to Ginnie for doing most of the work on this, while I took pictures!  And big thanks to Jack for keeping Lucy entertained and letting her pull his hair! 



Enjoy your weekend!