A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. {inspired by amanda blake soule}
Here is our Front Yard Farm, to date.... and I can't begin to tell you how astonished I am by how well everything is growing! Really, astonished! I'm sure I've mentioned that neither my Mister nor I have very much {ANY} experience with gardening, especially on a bigger scale like this! So you can imagine that there was a wee bit of unspoken nervousness that our investment in building materials + plants might be for naught. Would we be able to invest the time? Would we have the green enough thumbs to make our garden a success? I can't help but wonder if these same thoughts have kept other families from embaking on "Farming Life"... 
But alas, I stand before you a believer! Embarrassingly enough, I am reminded of that line from that 80's Kevein Costner movie, Field of Dreams. Costner's character is being told to build a baseball field; "if you build it, they will come", a mysterious voice says again + again. Well, that is kind of like our experience with gardening: If you build it, the plants will GROW! 
Indeed, all of this growth is entirely possible without the use of pesticides or magical green thumbs! Infact, we have done little more than water daily {when it doesn't rain}, deadhead flowers + weed occassionally. In truth, while we are still reading + learning as we go, most of our "work" was done before our garden was even planted; getting advice from friends who are fellow gardening enthusiasts, reading...+ doing some research on ye olde internet on Companion Planting. {This is when you find out which plants grow well next to each other by either enhancing the others growth, flavor and sometimes serving as a repellent for certain insects. For example: Plant Basil near Tomatoes as the Basil repells insects that will eat your tomato plants. Marigolds in your garden, while encouraging bees which help with pollination, are also a repellent; thier pungent smell helping to keep away pests. Who knew!} 
Right around now, you are probably thinking, "Geek!" And so what if I am! What an adventure this has been! We have been able to harvest our first 2 raddishes + some swiss chard. I can scarcely wait to see what Mother Nature has in store for our garden as the season rolls foward!
I'm not sure exactly what the deal is, but it seems that when it comes to throwing a party, no matter how much time I think I have, I always end up running a bit behind! I was left to defer to my Mister to be the photographer...only to realize now that he missed one or two shots from the party that I would have liked to have shared with you! One such photo would have been a still life of the entire kitchen/ great room area; the island decor made complete with sheer sparkle material {in pale yellow from Jo-Ann Fabrics} for a table cloth + center piece doctored up from last year's fairie party. It really was quite lovely. But moving on to what we were able to capture, let's begin with the Buzzy Bee Headbands! I have found that headbands make wonderful "costuming" for at home parties + excellent party favors for guests to take home! 
Let's say that I have a WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION for the clay work done by geniuses like Tim Burton after making all of these bees from crayola molding clay { which is super light when dry, so it was perfect for the headbands}. The wings were made from bits of faux flowers hot glued to jewelry wire...the same wire, incidentally, that we used to secure the suspended bee to the headband {After, I wrapped the wire with floral tape}. Headbands were purchases here on Etsy.
I think special lollipops are such a nice alternative to favor bags filled with random sugary candy...so I made these! Just google chocolate/ candy/ lollipop mold and loads of options should pop up! Yeah, I know. My Mum just shook her head and said, "oh, to be SO OCD", while she watched as I painted each color of chocolate into the molds so that my bees looked like bees...slightly demented, but SO PRETTY!
And what was on the menu you ask? Champagne Sangria {MAKE THIS!!...you can thank me later!}, mini quiche + an endive, artichoke + edamame salad for the grown up folk. For the bee-utiful little girls...strawberries + blueberries with pistachio dip and a variety of finger sandwiches: P-Nut Butter, Cheese + Cream Cheese with Lemon Conserve. They were quite the hit...and I'm guessing that using these Bee Hive + Honey Bee cookie cutters {Amazon.com} didn't hurt!
What would a party be without balloons and plenty of treats? Since I went a little egg + cheese happy with the food, I kept the dessert on the Vegan side: Lemon Bee Hive Cake {Mold + Little Sugar Bees}, Banana Mini Muffins with Vegan Chocolate drizzle and these Coconut Lime Mini Cupcakes. {Cards, letter stamps, bee stickers + cupcake wrappers courtesy of Michael's Crafts}.
And a party should have an activity, correct? So this year we made little bracelets! Here was the one I made the day before the party as a reference for the kiddos.
My Mum + I had presorted the beads into these adorable paper dishes {from Michael's- found in the baking section! These were the most similar they offered online, still very cute!} When it was time to get our craft on, each child was given a dish of beads {purchased from Michael's}, a honey bee charm, a bee hive charm found here and the pre measured wire with toggle clasp already attached. All of this prep made the craft run rather smoothly, allowing us to move right along to cake eating!
Oh, it is so unfair how quickly those little knuckle dimples start to disappear... and what a heart-breakingly beautiful little lady she has become! I might say that I am slightly relieved that she has 2 brothers + a daddy with many a tattoo to keep any boy suiters in check when she is older...but no need, she is as tough as she is beautiful...that's my girl!
Brining us to the end of the party... it seems a rather smart custom that rather than attempting to have a group of very small children sit patiently + watch the birthday little open their gifts; that now, gift opening is saved for after the party has ended...leaving much more time for chatting + PLAYING!! On behalf of the Fif, I have to thank everyone for comming over to celebrate her special day with us + for giving her such thoughtful gifts! Here are just a couple that kept with the bee theme that I wanted to post the links for:
The bee backpack from my Mum was a huge hit: perfect for carrying around all of the Fif's new art supplies, Littlest Petshop + Calico Critter toys her friends gave her! And the Bee Wheely Bug was actually a 1st Bee-Day gift! We now have 2 of these Wheely Bugs in both the large + small sizes and I can;t tell you how much all 3 of my littles enjoy riding them around!
And this last gift {photo above} was for me! Ok, the lovely little Anthro cupcake apron was for the Fif, but the gardening journal was for Mama from a fellow gardening enthusiast girlfriend of mine! I think this is tradition we should all encourage: that the mama's should get the presents on the kids birthdays! What a wonderful idea! Don't you agree? I've been spending lots of time thinking about + watching our front yard farm grow like crazy these last few weeks, so this book will be put to good use as I have a good amount to journal...and many a photo to share here as well!
Thanks for being patient with me until I pulled my act together...or rather, tied-myself-to-one-place-long-enough to get this post written! It can be hard to find a still moment when the weather warms up + you have 3 little folk on the move! I'm glad I was finally able to steal a moment...I DO hope you have all been as busy enjoying the spring season as we have!
Happy Wednesday!
xo.
Another aspect of THREE-NESS that has changed recently has to do with finances. Yes, we all know that having children isn't without cost. New parents-to-be are given baby showers + will think about the expense of diapers, food, clothing + doctor visits. But here's the thing...bringing the 3rd babe to the Doctor each month of the 1st year for well visits + paying the copay is manageable...bringing 3 sick littles {ages 1.5y, 4y + 7.5y} to the Doctor's because they can't keep their germs to themselves...to the tune of $75 in Copays {which is actually pretty good as copays go}...well, it sucks! I used to buy little designer soaps + would shop exclusively in health food type stores...now everyone uses the same shampoo + I shop is 5 diffferent stores to get all of what we use at the best deals...AND I shop in bulk to accomodate feeding a family of 5. Heaven help me when they are teenagers! Yeah, buying little jars of Earth's Best {or milling + jarring your own} baby food + buying teensy little clothes for a babe that sleeps 15 hours a day + whose biggest messes are food or tinkle related sounds like a D-R-E-A-M! I think that mama's should be given a kiddo shower when their kids turn 4; when shoes and clothes cost more and have a ridiculous turn over rate due to outgrowth or damage.
Please, don't get me wrong here, I LOVE being a mama, LOVE LOVE LOVE!...+ I L-O-V-E having a big{ger} family! You see, a few weeks ago, I called my husband on the way home from the shoe store. The conversation went something like this: "Honey, yeah, I just spent $99.67 on rubber shoes...Yeah, 3 pairs of Crocs for the kids....totally mental, I know..." It got me thinking about all of these other changes I've mentioned that I never really paid specific attention to before? For example, this year we registered the Monks for a summer program: $125...but next year when the Fif can go too, the cost will be $250. You know what I'm saying....and those of you that have older kiddos are thinking, "um, duh, you're just figuring this out?" Most of the Mommy Blogs I read don't touch on these things + often are written by mama's of smaller children... You know, I'm just having an epiphany...I think all of my typings here are not necessarily about how many kiddos you have, but about how VERY MUCH motherhood changes as our littles grow older! Just something younger Mommy Bloggers don't write about becasue they have yet to live through it? Yes, there is the cost; the shopping...but there is also the emotional part, the gradual loss of "control": having to work with the external influences of the media, peers, school, hormones {god help me when the Fif is a teen!} Loving these kids {no longer babies, toddlers...little folk} SO MUCH and wishing with all your heart that you could go back to that time when walking the floor boards all night would be enough to soothe away every sadness + hurt. It makes me very thankful to live in a pretty great small town; to have some amazing mama friends to swap hand-me -downs, stories, hurts + joys with. ...and speaking of, there's one of those Mama's a txt'ing me now! I promise this wasn't intended to be such a sentimental-esque, epic rant...but I find they are hard to resist when one of my kiddos has a birthday! Thanks for enduring!
xo.
Yes, this Queen Bee has been list making, baking + crafting away in preparation for the party, which will hopefully be just the bee's knees! Sorry, I just can't resist the bee humor. As for the photos, well, even some of what looks completed still has some finishing touches that need doing...and there are a couple of items that still have yet to be started! Nothing like waiting until the last minute...oh, I think the next few nights will be late ones! I have to give a huge thanks to my Mister...how many husbands would be willing to spend an afternoon cutting faux flowers + wire to make bee wings... or would stay up until midnight painting stripes on clay bees? You rock honey...I'll have to think of a way to return the favor.Have a wonderful weekend!
xo.
Since I'm now finished with work at the college for the summer, I decided to join a gym. Exercising at home in the playroom was getting tougher in the warmer weather, and honestly, I was looking foward to taking advantage of the free daycare the gym offered. I began running and my knee began to feel a little sore...then the opposite ankle {likely because I was overcompenstaing for the knee} started to bother me a bit. I'm still going to the gym + my ailments are ailing me less as I get stronger, however, I can help but think of that expression: No good deed goes unpunished? Yeah, slight injury as a reward for trying to get healthy was a bit of a headache {among other aches} for a couple of weeks there...And speaking of work, during the last weeks, a couple of different college teaching opportunities have reached my ears. Both positions sounded closer to full time {although I'm not exactly sure how FT is defined in terms of hours} + would mean close to an hour commute each way. With all that has been going on, you might think I was completely mad to even consider either of the positions. However, those of you who stay at home {or those working smaller PT jobs} and are living on a shoe string budget {like we do!} know how alluring the idea of another income can be! I'm torn between trying to squeeze in one more year as a SAHMama/adjunct professor + just taking the plunge into one of these jobs and making it work. I'm wondering whether {literally} doubling our income and alleviating many a financial worry will actually make me a better mama than the slightly financially anxious SAHMama I can be at times now? And finances aside, after years of schooling, gosh, how incredibly fufilling it would be to be able to build my resume with this kind of experience! Yet I wonder, will the hours I'm away from home be long + childcare too expensive for it to be worth it...or will the FT/ heavier adjunct teaching load be based on classes taught {not hours per se} and work rather seamlessly into our lives? So many things to consider. I've been reworking my resume to send out and will have to let the universe point me in the right direction on this one..
And last but not least, the icing on the proverbial cake...sunburn. With very little littles, I've spent most of my beach time under an umbrella the last couple of summers. This year, all 3 of my kiddos are on the move, so I thought it might behoove me to get a bit of a body base tan {I always do alot of sunscreen on this freckled face...if not a hat as well}. And what is the expression: "If you can't loose it, Tan It!" I have to admit that I was slightly enamored with the idea of seeing a slightly slimmer me a bit less pasty in the tummy + leg regions. So after being sorely spoiled by a week of PERFECT spring like weather {2 weeks ago now}, it was followed by a week of rain...straight rain. When the sun finally came out again it was instant summerand so I thought I might lay out in my back yard? Growing up, my Irish heritage gave me some cute sunny freckles + my Italian heritage has always done me right when it came to a nice summertime tan. But alas, the sun we have now is a very different sun than the one I grew up with. After just a small window of time in said deamon sun, I had managed to burn the back side of my body so feircely that I was actually sick from it! {Yeah, I think that is called SUN POISONING} I'm usually wonderful about the sunscreen having kiddos + caring for my own tattoos...I just don't know what I was thinking! I suppose some lessons need to be learned the hard way? So right about know in the story, Iceland {forget Australia!} is looking like a really great place to disappear to! I don't like being off my "A-Game" with a sore knee or a sunburn. I don't like being unsure about what the next move should be in terms of these working opportunities; a decision that would mean a big change in the life we've been used to living for many years. I don't like feeling rushed when it comes to doing things that I really enjoy + want to give my full attention to, like planning a party. And I don't like that all of this was likely compounded by the fact that I was deluded into thinking that just because I was done with teaching, that there was some break of sorts on the horizon? Silly Rabbit...
But what I really don't like is being negative. It's good to remember what Alexander's Mama tells him in the story I mentioned earlier, "some days {or in my case, weeks} are like that {slightly inconvenient}...even in Australia". Truth be told, I have what I like to call, "White Collar Problems"... I mean, instead of being bummed about a sore knee or not having as much time as I'd like to plan a party, I'm grateful that I can even afford to pay the dues to go to a gym and to buy all of what I want to to throw a party. Instead of stressing about work opportunities, I'm grateful to even have such options, especially in an economy where so many are without work. My family is healthy + safe. We have a lovely home to live in + good food to eat. I know that life gets much more complicated than this, but I think reminding ourselves of the basics; the things that we really can't live without, well, it can recenter us...ME. Because in the end, all things work out...atleast in these instances I mentioned above. I have been offered another class for the fall semester where I currently teach and have a meeting with another college with the possibility of teaching a class or two with them. This scenario would be just about PERFECT. My sunburn is all better + my knee is feeling good. I ran my first 6mi. in 60 min. in, oh, 5 years!?! Yes, I have brought 3 lives into this world, yet I am totally STOKED over my success with running...? And last but not least, everything is comming together bee-utifully for the Fif's Bee-Day Soiree this weekend. I'm putting together a sneak-peek post for tomorrow + will share the big day next week.
I'm betting that a few of you can relate? Well, chin up friends, things have a way of working out! Wishing you all wonderful things!
xo.
