Sunday, May 15, 2016

We Have May Flowers, Despite the April Showers Overrunnething Their Month, TToT 151

8:11.

Plenty of time to get a thankful post in...

First and foremost, I am most grateful for my lovely husband. He's awesome in general, but last weekend the man went all out. Since Mother's Day happened to be the day after Turken's First Communion, we had a crowd. Besides me, there were three other mothers here to celebrate and pamper. Bryan got the kids up early to set the table, including vases of flowers at each place setting. They made waffles with hot cinnamon apples and whipped cream, giant cinnamon rolls, eight different fruits, freshly squeezed orange juice, and skillets made to order, with hash browns, eggs, and all the veggies. I have never been more impressed, and the mothers (and my dad, who stood in for my stepmom) were thrilled to be treated to such a feast.

Star finished his first year of track with a great finish. He had so much fun throughout the season, meeting new kids and trying a new sport for him.

Phoenix's volleyball team is going strong. They just won Regionals quite handily, sending them to state quarter finals on Friday. For the last three years, the 7 seniors on the team have made it to state finals but have been unable to win. Always close, always going to all 5 games, twice losing by less than 5 points. THIS has got to be their year. Do us a favor and cheer them on Friday night at 8:00 from wherever you are.

The weather has basically been miserable for the last many days. I am so glad Phoenix plays a sport that takes place in a gym. Bryan got to be the one sitting in the cold for most of the soccer and baseball games this week.

Speaking of baseball, Turken is loving the sport again. Back in November, he told me he didn't want to play baseball again. He was still riding the high of soccer season and couldn't remember how much he liked baseball. I didn't listen to him and signed him up anyway. The other day he told me, "It's weird how when I'm playing soccer, it's my favorite sport, but when it's baseball season, that's my favorite."  Phew.

The animals have seemed to come to an agreement. Kinda like Zootopia right in our own backyard. The chickens are all over the property, but as long as they stay more than 10 yards away from the house, the dogs don't bother them. The cat is basically allowed anywhere he wants if the dogs are lying down, seeing as how they don't find it worth the effort to chase him anymore. If the dogs are already standing up, they might put on a half-hearted show of chasing him for a few feet, but there's really no fear of them catching or hurting him. It's quite pleasant around here these days.

The rain stopped long enough for the ground to absorb most of the water. Everything but the driveway has been mowed. The driveway is still quite squishy and must continue to grow unchecked.

The spiderwort my friend Donna gave me last summer is blooming beautifully! The spindly little plant I put in the ground back in July now looks like this...



I have also found a way to ensure that the dogs don't dig up flowers in the front of the house anymore. I don't know why I haven't thought of this before.

Flower pots!!



Even better when the flower pot is in a cute flower pot holder I found for $15.


Turken was home from school on Friday because he was up for much of the previous night coughing up a lung or two. I am very happy to say the cough is gone and he is back to normal. 

It's 9:11. 

My hour is up.

Gotta get this sucker posted and added to the link up. Feel free to join me!

Have a lovely day!




Ten Things of Thankful


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29 comments:

  1. I know your driveway is long, and mowing must be a chore, but there is something just so bucolic in the thought that the driveway needs to be mowed. Your flowers are lovely. The reference to Zootopia made me smile. Rooting the volleyball team on from California!

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    1. Now that I have looked up bucolic...
      The mowing wouldn't really be a problem if it weren't for the trees lining it. They are osage-orange and have inch-long thorns on the branches. Branches that hand down, far enough to touch the ground when the hedge apples are at their largest. Oh, and the mud during the rainy season. Otherwise, the driveway would be a cinch to mow. :)
      Thank you!

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  2. The flowers all look so lovely. No longer a spindly one in the entire bunch. We had that rain about a week ago--and for about a week. Now it is dryer, but unseasonably cool. Fine by me. It means I am not paying for A/C.

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    1. I am amazed by the plants we put in the ground last summer. I didn't think half of them would survive, let alone thrive!
      I am thrilled that we don't need the A/C, but I would like not to have to use the heater either. ;)

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  3. My dogs don't dig up my flower beds, but the do eat the plants I put in pots if they get the chance. I still need to put up a fence of sorts on my flower bed because Louie hates getting his feet wet walking in the grass - even though he doesn't hesitate to run through ditches - so instead he walks down the flowerbed and poops in it.

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    1. Ha! It doesn't matter what we do. Dogs can always find a way to muck things up for us and our plants. :)

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  4. the rains have finally stopped 'over here' in New England and we have had a couple of nice, sunny March days.

    'spiderwort plant at your house?? no.fricken.way*

    * well, maybe, and I can relate a little to the logic (yeah, don't hate the messenger...hate the message) by have the plant, maybe the more mobile namesakes might give the house a miss!

    "Goooo!!! Player of a Sport!!!!" (no, I don't think your Readers need to be reminded of my personality type)
    lol

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    1. Ha! I almost wrote "I'm glad someone is having some nice spring weather" and then I noticed the word "March". Then I laughed. :)

      I can only hope. Really, really hope.

      hahaha!! Well done. and thank you. :)

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  5. We used to ground plant extensively. We've cut back a lot on the annuals we plant, substituting perennials and some awesome pot arrangements. (This year we haven't planted a thing yet, late to the party because of the knees, but we will). That spiderwort looks similar to the lirope we plant around. It multiplies and makes a nice border around trees or in beds. Anyway, hope the rain stops, the flowers bloom and the driveway gets mowed. I give Bryan an extra pat on the back for enduring the outdoor venues in the weather.

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    1. I am a big fan of the perennials. It makes me happy to see them pop up every year. They're like a calendar. A super-pretty calendar.
      I have never heard of lirope. I only heard of spiderwort because Donna told me what it was. :) I'm looking forward to this getting bigger so I can break it up and put it all around the yard. Lots and lots of trees I can put it around!

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  6. What a cute little bicycle pot! That breakfast was IMPRESSIVE! What a husband! The weather has been horrid, hasn't it? It's sunny today but unreasonably cold for mid-May. It'll rain later. Of course.

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    1. Horrid is a good word for the weather lately. And for the foreseeable future. Rain is on its way to rejoin the cold temperatures.
      The breakfast was shocking. And delicious. I ate every bit of it. So much so that I didn't eat anything else until about 5:00 that night.

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  7. Your husband rocks. He really does. I got stuck on him. He kind of out-shined everything else.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    1. He really does. I was going to say more wonderful things about him, but I didn't want to go overboard. :)

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  8. Your flowers are gorgeous. Love the cute flowerpot holder you found.

    You've been nominated to receive the Liebster Award. Hop over to my blog to accept it. :)

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    1. Thank you! My new favorite past time is looking at the flowers in my yard. :)

      Thank you!!! I'll be answering those questions asap!

      Delete
  9. Ah well done and the flowers (and pots) are lovely.
    Your husband is a gem. Definitely.
    I was just thinking yesterday that we've had May showers rather than April. I think it's rained more days in May than not and perhaps more than in all of April! I love a good rainy day, but I'm a bit tired of getting drenched. :D

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    1. Thank you!
      He most certainly is.
      This was supposed to be my year! My yard was never going to get overgrown. The garden was going to be completely weed-free. The flower beds were going to be immaculate. With the kids at school, I have plenty of time to do the outside chores. Unfortunately, I didn't factor in the never-ending cold rain.

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  10. I'll do the wave on Friday night at 8pm. hope they win
    wow that breakfast was a piece of art -
    weather was miserable here to then I got nice now it's cold - we're at 59 degrees - and in the 40's morning and evenings brrrr
    flowers are lovely - great idea with the flower pots

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    1. Thank you!! I'll let you know!
      It was sooooo good. So good. He has set the bar high for next year! :)
      Basically, the mild winter has just continued right on into spring, hasn't it. I'm so ready for warm weather!
      Thank you!

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  11. The breakfast feast sounds fab, I wish I'd been there to sample some of it.

    The flowers are lovely, and the flowerpot holder is really cute.

    Bryan is one in a million :)

    Glad the animals all seem to be in harmony and that Turken's cough has gone. I've had a cough for over a week now, and though it's better than it was it really seems to be lingering.

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    1. I would love to have you here. I'd make a feast regardless of the day! :)
      Thanks!
      He certainly is. I'm glad I hung onto him all those years before we married.

      Oh those lingering coughs are miserable. I hope it clears up very soon.

      I saw you posted something new recently. I'll be over to read it asap!

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  12. A most incredibly successful hour, and wow...your mother's day breakfast sounds DELICIOUS! I'm just thinking about cinnamon buns now, and hoping (somehow) there's a vegan version out there. I do think cinnamon might be one of my very favourites.

    HOORAY for all the animals getting along together, and for your ingenious solution to plant-protection :)

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    1. It was. So, so delicious. I ate and I ate and I ate. Stuffed myself. Surely there is a vegan version. I don't know why there wouldn't be. Cinnamon is delish.

      Hooray!

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  13. The planter you found is darling! Violas are one of my very favorite flowers.
    I TOLD you indoor sports are the way to go!
    Bryan is da bomb!

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    1. Thanks! And thanks for letting me know what kind of flower that is. :)
      This spring, indoor sports are the best invention ever.
      He most certainly is.

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  14. Best of luck to the volleyball team!!

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  15. It was the BEST Mother's day breakfast ever!! Even though it was only my 2nd monther's day ever! Thank you for including me in the breakfast celebration!! Bryan and the kids all helped out and worked together to make it a very special day! Plus the food was delicious! I loved spending time with my sister and her children!! So happy I was able to bring Lilly to play with her cousins and God parents!!! We will have to come back and visit soon!! I show Lilly the video of her chasing the chickens and she makes a cheep cheep noise and cracks herself up!! :)

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