simple things

I talked to my mother on the phone yesterday.

Since we live in different states and rarely see each other, 

I'll call her about once a week, and these phone calls are always pretty lengthy.

She, as always, filled me in on about a million things going on in their lives right now, and the lives of my three siblings.

(Biggest news!  My sister is just about to have her 4th baby!!!! Beyond excited!)

Talking to my mom on the phone is always fun...

and such a comfort.

But, yesterday when it came my turn to share about my life...

I didn't have much to say!

Life is quiet and uneventful right now.

I like that.

Just learning about my two kiddos,

and slowly adjusting to life

as a family of four.

Here are some recent photos from the camera...

+ + + + + + +

My limelight hydrangea bush finally bloomed!

These black-eyed susans came with the house...and I love them.

Sunshine in messy blonde hair.

More golden loveliness...

Baking brownies ended up being a messy idea - but he loved it! 

{and I just got that Virginia Woolf quote print - just need a frame!)

And here is my little tummy time princess!

I don't think I could adore that little face more.

"I love tummy time!"

There are those kind blue eyes I love - trying to master the train whistle.

Success.

g

{hydrangea, etc.}

Hydrangeas are by far my favorite summer bloom, so I am very happy they are back in full force in my flower beds this year, as last year did not bloom at all!  Anyone else have this issue with 'endless summer' hydrangea plants?  Also, anyone have experience adjusting the soil acidity to create a different color of hydrangea?  If so, I'd love advice as next year I'd like to try this -- and go for a bright blue hue! 
Here are some shots of my very pink hydrangeas, along with a few other garden lovelies...

coneflower ready to bloom!

one purple coneflower has fully bloomed so far...many more to come!

'may night' salvia is going strong

buddha keeps the perennial peace

What is blooming in your garden?
g

busy, busy, busy

This week is busy.  Therefore, this post is really random.

The kitchen backsplash is in progress...however, Hubby is out of town for several days so it will have to wait.  Believe me, you don't want me tiling anything.  When it comes to home projects, please refer to me as "bright idea girl" and Hubby as "detail guy/actual do-er."   We know our roles.

Here is a teaser of the backsplash, still in pieces, from a food post I probably won't ever get to:

Meanwhile, I've been staining our privacy fence {okay, that I can do} and, of course, planting things in the garden at both houses.  The people at the Lowe's Garden Center know me and my baby by name at this point.  Sad?  No, awesome.

These shots are not from my garden...but snagged then on one of our many walks through the neighborhood:

Halfway through reading the racy bestselling novel Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  Um...I can't decide if it is a good book, or if I just keep reading it because it is just one big naughty sex scene.  Has anyone else out there dared to read this novel?  I need a book club now to discuss this one!

{source}

Speaking of 'shades of gray,' The house we are renovating is in the midst of having the exterior painted {reveal to come!}  This is not the shade of gray we chose.  We actually painted a huge part of the front of the house this color, before deciding on something else.  The painter was loving us, let me tell you.

I'm growing herbs...and they are actually growing!  This is a first for me.  Well, an herb, I should say.  

Meanwhile, Baby Cormac continues in his journey toward walking.  Yesterday he stood unassisted for five full seconds.  Then he fell on his butt and burst into tears.  But it was pretty cool while it was happening!

doesn't my dog look kind of like an angel here?  :)

Yay for almost-walking babies and 

busy, busy, busy 

weeks! 

g

shades of gray : choosing exterior paint colors

Picking exterior paint colors is tough.

It's so much commitment.

Besides, do you have any idea how many shades of gray there are?

There are brown-grays, green-grays, gray-grays, and blue-grays.

There are whites with hints of gray.

There is 'greige.'

Below you can see just some of the more than a dozen colors we painted on the exterior of the house we are renovating.  The house was built in 1859 and needs a lot of work...but we love it.  We want to do whatever work we can while we try to sell our current home.   The first step we decided to take is painting the exterior, as it is currently the pink color you see at the top of the photograph:

But even more important than the aesthetic reason, we need to paint and apply a sealant is because there is evident water damage on some parts of the inside walls due to water seeping in through some areas of the brick exterior.

There are a lot of  historic brick homes in our neighborhood - part of why we love it!

This is part of our rusty iron fence.  We are forbidden to take it down {historic society policy} but maybe someday we'll refinish it.  Very low on the priority list!

Here is Baby hanging out on the front stoop, ready to paint!

 The house came with this beautiful trailing phlox:

 "Hmmm...how can I get the cover off of this brush?"

Cormac's solution to everything:  put in mouth.

All in all, it was a productive day.  We decided on a base color - now just have to pick some accent colors.  I even got some gardening in over there...

with a red, itchy rash all over my arms to prove it!  Eek!

{Clearly there were some weeds or bugs that didn't like being disturbed.}

More on the house painting project to come!

But for now...

Happy Easter!

He is risen!

g

sweet somethings from : the backyard in spring!

It is finally spring! 

Actually, feels like summer.

Gardening is fast becoming my favorite time with Baby Mac.

Each day, in the late afternoon, we don our

gardening hats...

...and check out what's blooming:

 Hmmm...what has Cormac been eating?

Then I lug the hose to the backyard and we water the flower beds,

clean off and make sure the fountain is full, 

and just enjoy the sunshine and spring air.

If it's really hot {like yesterday} 

I use the "mister" on the hose

and cool us both off!

 His first pair of shoes.  Already filthy!

But that's okay...I'd be more concerned if they weren't. 

Boys are supposed to get dirty, right? 

Here's to spring days and dirty shoes!

g

mum overload

While one of the things I like most about autumn is the abundance of mums...I have found that there can be too much of a good thing.

I planted several mum plants that I had purchased a couple years ago in my perennial bed, crossing my fingers they would not die.  Well, they did the opposite.  

They went crazy and grew. And grew.  And grew!

Or at least the purple mums did.  They killed off the other two colors and became so large they were hiding my garden buddha statue and so heavy they no longer could hold themselves upright.

So I had to hack the mums in half.  

Yes, below is after I uprooted half of the plant.

Soooo many mums!

Our dumpster currently looks like a huge, brown plastic mum planter.

I know mums are not really ever used as cut flowers...but I couldn't resist sparing a handful 

for a pop of pink color in our bathroom:

 Love and MUMS!

g

musings of an 'almost mother'

Here I sit in my last few days of pregnancy.  

These have by far been the hardest, because I am so full of anticipation!  I sit and think that any moment I could go into labor.  Sometimes I am scared it will happen that very day.  But most mornings I wake up disappointed that it didn't happen that night.  

I've been focusing so much on the "firsts" in my life for the past nine months...first pregnancy...first ultrasound...first baby movements...but in the past few days I had a sudden bout of focusing on the "lasts," such as:

The last date hubby and I will have without needing a sitter.

The last Sunday I will have completely to myself.

Our last days as "you and me" 

soon to be 

you and me and baby make three!

{four if you count the pup}

Hubby seemed rather unfazed by the dramatic fact that our lives are about to change forever.  He just looked at me stated matter-of-factly, "Didn't we decide this nine months ago?"

I, however, burst into tears over it, blubbering:

"But, but...I didn't think it would go by so fast!"

Truly the fastest nine months of my life.

As well as the slowest last days

of pregnancy.

I'm trying to focus more on enjoying these final days,

before baby and

before I turn thirty!

{yikes}

One way to pass the time?

I painted these clay pots 

turquoise and chalkboard black

to go on our patio,

and planted blue bellflowers, daisies and sunflowers.

Pretty soon flowers {oh, a husband, and a dog} won't be the only things I'm growing and caring for!

Happy 4th of July...

Enjoy every moment!

g