This and that...

Today was a fun day!  My friend and co-worker, T, and I have this running game of winning tickets to concerts from the only radio station that comes in at our office.  So far, I've gone to see Lady Gaga (we've won tickets twice...we are seeing her May 18th), U2 (A & I drove to Pittsburgh for that!), an acoustic, three song meet and greet with Fitz and the Tantrums.  Today we (A, L, and I) saw a similar set up with American Authors.  It was really fun.  They are very personable, asking the crowd if anyone had any question.  Their music is mostly upbeat and positive.  A, L, and I went and saw Fitz as well.  It was the first "concert" L had been to, so this was his second.  He was a little more excited today and spent most of the time sitting on A's shoulders banging his head like a drum! 

I have been sort of slacking about starting my seeds.  I have everything set up and ready to go, I just need to get dirty!  I think I will try and get it done tonight.  I did set up my greenhouse shelf the other day.  Since there is still a pretty decent chance we might get snow one more time, I set it up in my house.  Hahaha...A was super jazzed about that...oops!  I figure once the temperature gets a little warmer and more steady, I'll move it onto the porch.  I also bought a few new succulents (bad Maggie!!!)...I got a really cool clearance pot full of succulents at Lowe's (it was originally $18...I got it for $5)!  The only downside is that they have a thick layer of rocks all glued together on top and to remove the dead plant (the reason it was on the clearance shelf), I have to literally chisel the rocks off.  I'm sure I'll figure it out!

Lately, it feels like my head has been spinning a bit.  We have two important doctor's appointments for L this month, registering for Kindergarten, my normal doctor's appointments (potentially scheduling a surgery), Easter, swim lessons (A's parent's gave L private swim lessons to him for his birthday...such a great idea!!), and A has been having some health issues as well (he has been testing really high for liver enzymes lately)....we almost have our April and May calendar completely filled.  Don't get me wrong though, we do have a lot of fun things happening, including Easter, swim lessons, a class at a local garden center making mini gardens, and a trip to the Zoo with L's preschool class.  It's just amazing how fast time is flying!!!

Here are a few pictures:

 American Authors

 

  Here's our picture with American Authors!

 

 My clearance succulents

 

 Everything is all set up and lined up ready to get planted!!!

 

 Two of my succulents have flowers!!! YAY!!!

 

 Some of my best growing babies

 

 A few new succulents

 

 

 

My seeds are here!!!!

My garden seeds came in the mail today!! 

Now, because I was lazy last year or because winter came really fast last year and didn't really give us enough time to clean up and remove bulbs that shouldn't stay in the ground (I think that sounds better than just being lazy), I'm beginning to look for new dahlia bulbs (tubers).  I enjoyed my dahlias so much last year.  I made tons of awesome bouquets and my house (and even my desk at work) were covered in flowers.  I definitely want to plant more dahlias.  So, now I am doing a little research to see if I can find some fun new colors for this year!  Here are a few sitting in my cart to buy....should I??  :)

 

Last post of the day....

I realize this is my third post on my blog today, but I have a lot of catching up to do.  This post is going to be short.  Basically, I wanted to show the latest craft project my mom, L and I have done.  If you're friends with me on Facebook, I apologize for the repeat pics, but these are too cute not to share.  I got the idea from something I saw at Pat Catans. 

One of my many current obsessions: SUCCULENTS

I want to say it was 2 years ago for Mother's Day was when I first started my succulent collections.  I am by no means an expert on this topic (ask my poor cousin who I text relentlessly with questions!!!), but I have really started enjoying watching these little beauties grow and collecting some really fun plants.  A friend of mine and I decided that we would take a go at propogating the succulents we have and then we could share the babies and have a better variety.  In the meantime, we've also both gone crazy buying more succulents too!  Anyway, since I am super proud of my little babies and my awesome planters, I am going to share them on my blog!!!



Check out this guy!  He's already sending out shoots after only a few days!

 

 

I found these really great owl planters at Pat Catans.  I bought them all out (clearly!!)

A few of my babies!!

I'm also including a few pictures of L's new plants.  He has also enjoyed all the new plants.  This is a Pitcher Plant.

This is L's Venus Fly Trap

A view of my FULL bay window seat!

My orchids!  I have a tendency to rescue clearance orchids!  This is the first year they've all bloomed!

This was my first succulent planter!

More babies!

Garden 2014

Each year, I take one step closer to having an all organic garden.  This year, I am also working on using all recycled materials to grow my seeds.  This is kind of a fun challenge for me.  I don't really see myself as being super green or earthy, but I like that sometimes, being earth friendly also is money friendly.  Yup...basically I'm cheap first, earth conscious second.  Anyway, I have Pintrest-ed a million and five different posts about different ways to reuse every day items for your garden planning.  I will be using toilet paper rolls (empty of course!) as my seed starting cells, salad/ cookie containers to keep the toilet paper rolls in so I can water the plants, and bio-degradable egg cartons if needed to plant seeds in as well.  So far, I have about 75 toilet paper rolls.  I have quite a few plastic salad/ cookie containers and I plan to cut those in half as well.  I think I may need only a few more.  I think I may be starting my seeds a little later than normal, but in Ohio, the weather has been so terrible it's really hard to focus on Spring.  Add to the nasty weather and my growing plant collection in my bay window seat....I don't have any room to put all my recycled goodies.  I purchased a little greenhouse shelf this year for $25.  I haven't decided if I am going to start out in the house with it or outside, but I think once I can safely move it outside, it's going to be a really smart purchase.  I've also spent a good deal of time talking to friends and family/ researching seeds.  I really want this garden to not cost me an arm and a leg, but I want to buy quality seeds.  Currently, I am just beginning to understand the difference between organic and non-GMO and made a decision to buy non-GMO seeds this year.  I got them from a really cool website and almost all of their seeds were $0.99 a pack.  Some may have a little less than seeds than normal in the package, but frankly, I just don't need that many (I will sell the rest of my seedlings on facebook like I did last year).  I haven't gotten the seeds yet (probably today or tomorrow), so I really can't comment on the quality yet, but so far, I'm pretty happy with the what I've ordered (I spent $20 for anyone keeping track of the cost of my garden!)  The website I went to was www.seedsnow.com.  Check it out.  I'll give you a better review on how everything turns out a little later.  Next up in my little process....cutting a million and two toilet paper rolls in half in anticipation of my little seeds coming! 

I have also started reading up on seed saving.  I'm in the beginning stages of researching the topic, but my interest is piqued.  If I can save seeds from my produce this year for next year, that means FREE seeds next year.  I will know the produce I grew this year is non-GMO and organic.  I love this stuff!!!! 

Oooh....I almost forgot....I am also taking a stab at composting this year.  Since this is so new to me, I've decided not to spend $100+ on a spinning compost bin and bought a 30+ gallon trash can that A is going to drill holes all throughout ($20).  I also completely accidentally came across a small, indoor compost bin at my favorite surplus store.  I was so excited...the day before I was looking at buying one on Amazon for $20 plus shipping and found the same one for $4.50!!!!  SWEET!!!

Anxious Mind

Do you ever have days (weeks) that you just feel so anxious you can't sit still, sleep, concentrate?  I don't know exactly what is bothering me lately, but I can't seem to get my crap together.  I take that back.  I know what kind of crap I am struggling with.  Things with L have been especially frustrating and difficult.  I've been hurting a lot lately.  My shoulder seems to have decided it was going to start and flare up more than normal.  I've also started having more severe problems with my right hand/ thumb.  I don't really want to spend my time complaining about this stuff, so I've kind of just let it go and hoped things get better.  I have no real desire to go to a doctor about my hand bothering me, but I don't know that I have much of a choice.  The idea of more pain, injections, meds, waiting, and most likely surgery is so daunting to me.  Anyway, because I feel like I'm ready to jump out of my skin at any moment, I've been channeling that energy into obsessions.  I know that what I'm doing is out of control and probably not super healthy to my mental well being, but it gives me a little relief, so I succumb. 

Right now, I have about a half dozen or more ideas/ obsessions floating around in my head.  Here are a few: a spring wreath (I bought all the materials at my MANY stops to Pat Catans), succulents, mini gardens, starting my seeds for my garden inside, string art, macrame, organizing and printing years and YEARS worth of pictures, terra cotta mushrooms and turtles as garden art, preparing for Easter (yes, I know it's crazy early but I can't stop)....I think that's it...hahah that's enough.  I'm actually to the point of not having enough room for plants or craft supplies! 

This post has taken me forever to finish.  Since I've started this, I went to the doctors and he confirmed my fear that I do need to have the thumb joint of my right thumb replaced.  Boo.  I knew it was coming and I appreciate my doctor not forcing me to go thru all the steps when the inevitable is surgery.  Ideally, I would like to wait until next year to do it, but quote frankly, it's going downhill very fast in the hand dept. 

We've started back with therapy with L.  We hadn't gone all winter (does anyone do anything during the winter??), but the time had come to revisit therapy.  The first session went alright.  We have another one next week.  The therapist made a lot of references to aspergers.  I feel like I am finally understanding why they like to wait until the child is a little older to diagnose.  As he gets older, L is showing a lot more signs.  Also, something weighing heavy on my mind is L's heart appointment.  He goes April 15, so we should know more at that point.  It's killing me not knowing! 

 

New Year, New Attempt at Blogging.....

I do this every year....I'm a fair weather blogger.  Which really isn't any way to get your blog read...but whatever.  A lot of times, I do this more for myself than for anyone else.  It's a new year and I should have some resolutions, but this year I am saying "screw it" and start the year off feeling good and not ending 2014 feeling guilty for not achieving all my new year goals.  So no false promises of being the next blogging queen.  If I get to it, I get to it.  :)

As I sat watching the ball drop and the strike of midnight of 2014, I got this little nagging feeling of anxiety.  For my little family, 2014 could prove to be very interesting...for the good and bad.  This is the year that L is supposed to have his heart surgery (aside below explaining in case I haven't explained before).  Also, in the summer of 2014, there is a very good chance we are going to be welcoming a new child into our home!!!  No, I am not pregnant (or planning on getting pregnant), but my cousin from Germany is going to be an exchange student and live with us for the whole school year!  Growing up, my parents had two exchange students/ cousins (from Germany) come and live with us.  One when I was a freshman in high school and one when I was a junior in college.  It is an experience I'd never trade for a million years.  There were definitely some bumps in the road along the way, but overall, we all became so close and it was so wonderful to have that connection.  I am very excited for the challenge.  Part of that challenge includes finding a place for her to stay, so we are having to make some adjustments and are making the basement her living quarters.  I keep my main floor of our house spotless, but admittedly, I am terrible about keeping the basement clean.  It's a freaking pig pen...don't judge!!!  We definitely have our work cut out for us!  Even with with all the work we have to do to get ready, I think we all are pretty excited! 

L is most likely going to be having heart surgery this summer (hopefully EARLY summer).  He has had a fairly decent sized hole in his heart (Atrial Septal Defect) since he was born.  It hasn't closed up yet, though last time he was checked was early last year.  At that time, the Dr. basically told us that the chances of it closing were pretty slim and that he was planning on doing surgery on L the summer before he goes to Kindergarten.  All this time, I have been fairly low key and not stressing at all, but for some reason as soon as the calendar changed to 2014, it dawned on me just how close it is to surgery time.  Yikes!  It should be a fairly simple surgery, no open heart surgery or anything like that....but somehow the idea of keeping L down and quiet seems almost impossible!  I am sure whatever needs to happen will and everything will be alright.  He has his appointment in April to check and make sure the hole hasn't miraculously closed on it's own.  From there, the doctors have a meeting and review their options and then they schedule surgery. 

Alright....so first blog in 2014.  It's taken me almost a month to finish this!  We will see how things go!