Resurrection and New Life

Hello friends! Happy New Year!
I'm resurrecting the blog (again) but with new purpose. John and I are completing a home study to become foster/adoptive parents! While we have spent much time in preparation for this, we realize that many of our friends and family may be still in the dark about this new adventure in our lives. It is daunting to think about becoming parents overnight or showing up at church one Sunday with a new child(ren). I can imagine the questions and funny looks...... So this resurrection is a small attempt in keeping loved ones informed of our growing family life. We are incredibly thankful for the love and encouragement family and friends have showed us thus far. Here's to 2012 - we expect it to be a great adventure!

April Showers

I've been trying to learn from my husband who is much more disciplined than me in his morning routine. He rolls out of bed and immediately showers and gets fully ready for the day. Me, I like to lounge around in my pajamas, drink coffee, watch morning news, etc and then get ready for the day. But I realize I am much more likely to waste precious morning hours.

So today I got up at 6:30am and immediately showered. Then I decided to go out and work in the garden - just some light work. By 8am I was drenched in sweat and went inside to shower again. Then I realized I would shower for a thrid time after being in the pool tonight. And this afternoon I have an appt for a haircut which will include another washing. This what I get for trying to be more disciplined in the morning.

The good news is that the garden is being primed for May flowers.

D-Day for the Bakers

Many of you know that John works for the US Census Bureau and is supervising census operations in Manhattan for the 2010 Census. Yesterday was the official start of the 2010 Census (though he has already been working on it for 2 years). Sunday night we were laying in bed at 11pm and I said "Well it is march 1st. D-day has arrived." John stared at me and said "It's not March 1st yet." Typical response from my ultra-literal husband!
John is amazingly gifted for this census work yet he is being stretched beyond belief right now. We expect the next few months to have a lot of ups & downs but thankful that come fall, life will start to get back to "normal" for us. Whatever that is.

More about my life changes later.

Favorite New Movie

John and I went out last night to see Julie & Julia (the story of Julia Child and and a woman who works through her cookbook in a year and blogs about it). I was soooo looking forward to this movie and as I learned more about it I had an inkling I would "connect" to the main character very well. Guess I'm just feeling like I need some inspiration in life like she did? My sweet husband will often caress my arm or hand during a movie to communicate something - it means different things at different times. But it is a point of connection for us, communication without words. John does not like to talk or be talked to during the movie or even the previews (even when his wife gets upset during a very scary preview). So as we were sitting there watching the movie first something happened and John gave my arm a little rub to say "That is something you would like." The next time it turned into a little slap on my knee. The next time he flat out said "That is so you!!!" I wasn't the only one feeling the connection. Unfortunately, I think John said that when the main character was having a melt down over not getting a recipe correct and was laying on the kitchen floor in emotional turmoil. Not like me at all!

My Nemesis: The Reappearing Yucca Plant

This spring I wanted to tackle a "small" garden project in our front yard. There is one corner of the front yard that has the best light in the entire yard and I very much wanted to clear the very old yucca plant, weeds, vinca, and no longer flowering bulbs and give it new life. I hacked, and hacked, and hacked at the yucca, eventually creating a hole about four feet long, three feet wide and two feet deep, pulling out all of the exposed root. Yucca roots run deep. I called a gardener friend and he said it was probably fine if I left the rest of it in the ground.

I only half finished that corner garden project because of more pressing yard projects and then vacation season. Sometime in the last couple weeks I realized the yucca had grown back strong and healthy!!! So today I went to the local garden shop and asked for help. They gave me a product that I had to paint on the remaining the roots deep in the ground (knowing it would be impossible for me to pull it all out). This afternoon I opened up the hole again, cleared out the new growth, sat inside the hole and painted poison on every bit of root I could find. I'm so stinkin' sore. And John reminded me that last time I wrestled with the yucca I was sore for two days!

Before our landlords bought this house a couple years ago (unfortunately they spent one year working very hard on making the house "livable" before moving overseas for work), the house belonged to an elderly woman who had let most things go, including the yard. The Kropps did TONS of work in the yard before moving including taking out a big tree in the backyard. We tenderly cared for the new grass put in its place and planted a raised bed full of perennials. But every time we turn around there are new overgrown weeds trying to establish themselves as small trees. I'm scared to even enter the back left corner of the backyard! Weeds taller than me.

Good news is that I scored a MAJOR bargain on end of the season perennials and now I have plenty of flowers for next year for front and backyard! My hope is that I can give the house back to the Kropps having defeated the weeds and with beautiful full (low-maintenance) gardens.

Backyard before tree removal.

Backyard after tree removal. That is the flower garden. I just purchased creeping flowers to plant at the top of the wall to creep down and cover it. I think I actually have to plant them in the neighbor's dirt. Don't tell them, OK?