Sunday, February 8, 2009

A weekend of dancing, basketball and brunch...

Mom was here this weekend and we had a really nice time. The kids LOVE having their Me-Me here and so do I!
We started the weekend with a sock-hop at Kyler's preschool. Yes, I said preschool. There was a live band, pizza and even poodle skirts and monogrammed sweaters were seen. Our little "life of the party - Kyler", wasn't too sure about the band and the big crowd on the dance-floor so he spent most of the evening wandering around looking at everyone and trying to snag a balloon. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I'm glad we went. Oh, and YES, he is wearing shorts. It was a balmy 72 degrees on Friday.



On Saturday morning, we went to Kobe's basketball game. He did great! He and the other kids are still learning the concepts of the game and some of the plays are really interesting, to say the least. The best part is when one of the kids makes an error and the referee stops the game and tells him what he did wrong and how he could have done it differently. It's a great way for the kids to learn the game in a non-competitive environment. However, even though the officials don't keep score, the kids DO! Kobe is sure that his team won...ummmm...I'm not so sure about that! (-:









On Saturday afternoon we headed to Moberly to go to Randolph's Mercantile. This is the best store anywhere! Really! I have never found a place that I like better. It is the perfect mix of flea market finds, primitive items and reproductions. The prices and the quality of the items are fantastic. I ended up getting a distressed primitive ladder, an old milk box and a cute reproduction easter egg dye box. I plan to put the milk box outside and plant flowers in it. A few years ago I found a small pig feeder there and I plant impatience and vinca in that every year (see my previous post). If you're in the area, I highly recommend it. I have also posted a picture of the clock I picked up at a local consignment store earlier this week.










Today, we had brunch at Bleu. This is a unique and upscale restaurant in town. Not our usual dining experience!! The food is good and the atmosphere is great! My brother is a bartender there, so after we ate we got to take a tour of the attached old Tiger Hotel. It was built in 1928 and is in remarkable condition. It's not in use much right now except for weddings and receptions and other events. I think the plan is to open it back up as a hotel sometime. It would be a shame if they didn't do that. Unfortunately, my camera was in the car and I didn't get any photos of the hotel. The lobby is beautiful with original Tiffany chandeliers and other neat details. The best part is the view from the 9th floor parlor(?). You can see clear across town in 3 directions. After doing some research, I also found out that Rose Wilder Lane (Laura Ingalls' daughter) lived in the hotel at one point. I hope to go back one of these days with camera in hand. Can't believe I've lived here 20 years and have never been in there.

A good weekend but I'm tired and, as usual, there is LOTS of laundry to do today!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Ready to Garden...












I am SO ready to get into the garden! I LOVE to be out in the fresh air digging, planting and re-arranging my garden. I've posted some pictures here of the garden in the early stages from last May. A lot of the plants will be in their 3rd or 4th year this year so I expect some beautiful flowers this season. I also planted, which you can't see, a couple of peonies. I hope they bloom this year! I have great memories of the peony at my Grandma West's old 2-story house. It was so beautiful every year and smelled wonderful. I miss that old house!! Grandma and Grandpa are still with us (in their 80's) and I am thankful for that!

I have, what I call, a cottage garden. It doesn't look exactly like what I see in the gardening magazines with the white picket fences and all but I still like the look of it. I usually have tomatoes, zucchini and herbs planted right in with the flowers. This year though, I am going to build a raised bed for vegetables. I'm really excited about this and can't wait to get started.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Halfway to Spring...

When February Sun Shines Cold,

There Comes a Day When In The Air,

The Wings of Winter Slow Unfold,

And Show the Golden Summer There.

Philip Savage, American Poet (1868-99)


According the Farmers Almanac we are halfway there. We have reached the point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. I feel that we are more than halfway there because once we reach March 1st, I know that Spring is just around the corner. I'm ready to smell the fresh air, do some spring cleaning, paint some rooms in my house and, of course, plant flowers and veggies. It's about this time of the year that I just feel that everything is really shabby at my house and not all that clean either. My house is in need of some serious spring-cleaning. I'm tempted to go back to the fly-lady schedule that I did (or tried to do) when I was a SAHM, but it just doesn't seem realistic with young children and a full-time job. I need to figure out some sort of cleaning schedule to get it under control and I'll take any suggestions....