Do you ever have those oh Sh*t Moments?

Today was a crazy day at work, as usual no big surprise that I had to work later than expected (got home around 8 pm - boo) but once I did, and had a chance to bring in my purse and laptop, I went back outside to see what my husband was up to.

Half of my driveway is gone - well raked to the side of what was once my my driveway.

Needless to say, I will no longer be working late at work.  I don't believe my husband should have that much "unsupervised" time alone.

And I will be charging my work for a new driveway. 

And that was my "oh sh*t" moment of the day. Can't wait for Wednesday.

My Husband is a Lumber Jack and He's Okay...

Okay, I was going to title this blog "My Husband is a Mexi-Can, not a Mexi-Can't" a line from Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a movie by Robert Rodriguez with Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp... But Bryan told me I might lose some followers since they might not understand my humor.... FYI... I am almost always inappropriate and say the things that most others want to say but don't.  Both a good and bad quality ;)

Any ways, he is definitely a Mexi-Can, a Lumber Jack and a Master Gardener this weekend.  And now he is tired.

 In this set of pictures you can see Bryan confidently pointing to where the tree/over grown weed that became a tree, would land.  My mother and I just shook our heads knowing where the tree was going to land.  On top of my porch roof... Not a terrible thing if it did since it needs to be painted all one color (we currently have 4-5 since it is a great area to test colors).  But needless to say the goal was to avoid all structures including my car...

 You'll notice in these set of images, a dog leash has made its way into our strategic planning... if you are cringing right now, wondering why the hell we get ourselves into these situations, I don't have a super great reason to give you except when we want something done we initiate.  I am going on the record here and stating it is in fact a good quality to have... maybe just not when you are going to cut down trees.

Oh, and just to let you know my husband was going to use wire to wrap around the tree to pull it in the right direction till mom came to save the day with the dog leashes that happened to be in the car.  Yay Grandma Barb. Also note she is a responsible pet parent - there are doggie bags attached to the lease in a snazzy bone shaped holder... so stylish.

I have also realized that my kids will never have pinatas since Bryan is not as skillful as he thinks with throwing rope/leashes over tree limbs... sad day for the Vargas family.

And in these set of images you'll notice a man super proud that he cut down a tree, even though it landed on the roof and we had to pull it off the roof so he could pose with it.  Also, please notice that both my husband and my mom are alive after this feat.

And these are the "action" pictures that Bryan wanted me to post showing that he took down these trees with his "bare hands".  May I also mention that my husband had to hold up his leg in the middle picture...he will tell you that is was one "fluid" motion and his hand was really no where near his leg - it was the angle of the shot.  For all that know my husband, we all know he is not that flexible...

So now I have stumps.   Might not be an "instant" improvement but I do have stump rotter on them and 1-6 weeks they should be a hell of a lot easier to pull out of the ground.

That was all on Sunday....

Today we conquered my flower bed in the back....

 This is how it started - Bryan mulched the back wall of the house while the guys installed our new window on Thursday.  this was huge since we had a slight drainage problem and the grass never grew up to the house - so we had mud and old landscaping fabric everywhere.  Fugly to say the least.  Well, that improvement lead to the confidence to do another (believe me I am not complaining).  Now our grass seems somewhat lush (this has become our favorite word of the month... say it with me LUSH).

   So with a few new additions to my now larger than expected garden... a double red peony... white bleeding hearts to complement my hydrangea bush and tree my garden is off to a good start!

My mom also brought along a cutting from her hydrangea bush and promised me she would split her's next spring and bring it to me to add to my lovely garden... I am so excited.  I just love the color - and I love free plants!!!

And this is a lovely little project Bryan decided to take on while I had my back turned planting my new hydrangea... Yup.  That is part of my driveway.  I currently have two driveways since I have two garages.  I have the attached garage which I am fine and dandy with, and then I have a second in the back of the house that leads to our double garage aka. squirrel love nest.  The garage to say the least is not in the best shape and is a great place to store all my half projects.

Bryan now has it in his mind that we are going to make the garage into an "outdoor dwelling" with half of it being a workshop and the other half a wrap around porch... all great and dandy... but I am sure you are wondering why the hell is he digging up the driveway?!?!

Because he is Bryan... and because we would gain a lot of our yard back for Emily and #2 to play in.  Why he doesn't just wait and rent a bobcat?  I don't know - self satisfaction?  or maybe he knows there are great worms to find under the concrete/black slab...

So yes ... my yard was on the up and up and we were looking like good neighbors, all until B decided to dig up the driveway.

I would really really like his drive to focus a bit on the inside... but I did get the white fireplace.  And beggers can't be choosers....

Hope your holiday weekend was fabulous.  I am going to go soak my dirty self in a tub and try to get as much dirt out from underneath my nails as possible...

P.S. Big shout out to Grandma Barb for coming down to visit aka. watch the kid.

• Bubbles huge hit.  

• Watching How to Train Your Dragon 3 times in a row = Gold Star for Grandma. 

• Running outside to help me find the injured crow with me when my husband wouldn't = Awesome Mom. 

Love you... and yes I am still keeping an eye out for the crow... cause that is how you raised me.

The Great Worm Hunters at it Again

So yesterday, after my new window was installed and Bryan was still in project mode (yay for me!!!) he continued to play in the yard. an continued to find more worms for Emily.  I am totally fine with this because she is outside.  He is outside and we are making so much progress out there.

My mom is coming into town tomorrow and I am thrilled to show her what I/Bryan has done with the landscaping.  And she is providing some much needed babysitting...

Did I mention that Bryan lets Emily climb around in his car to keep her busy while we complete some of our projects?  Yeah today she pulled off his rear view mirror.  He was angry I saw it in his eyes, but he knew it was his fault, knew he could only blame himself.... I being the super smart wife also knew not to mention this.

And what did I do today minus trying to manage two Dr. appointments - fixing my work laptops internet connection and trying to actually do my job?  I planted liatris!!!

I am slightly concerned about how big they might get and how close I planted them... but the little bulbs or what ever were small - and I want a real saturated look.

Did I also mention that I had to google how to tell the top from the bottom of the bulbs - and then decided plant them on their side for a 50/50 chance.  I just might not award myself with a master gardener award this time...

We shall see what pops up... but I did do really well with these guys:

and then I stole these from my neighbor's bush that was growing over the fence - thank you very much:

So I am ending my day on a good note - flowers everywhere!!!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!  And yes I am quite jealous of all of you who can drink and really enjoy their holiday with a cold beer... oh so jealous.  Did I mention I was jealous?

Pink Eye or a Battle with the Stuffed Animals?

I believe my husband has a good strategy.  He leaves to work by 6 am every morning, leaving me and Em to fend for ourselves.  Usually we manage quite well, brushing our hair, looking cute after a few outfit changes and off to Nae Nae's we go (Nae Nae is my lovely Aunt who has a fabulous in home daycare that Emily is so lucky to get spoiled at day after day).

Not today.  Either my child had a rough and tumble time beating up her stuffed animals last night or she has come down with pink eye.  This is where Bryan's strategy is genius.  He doesn't want to wake her up so early and so had no way of noticing his child could not open up her eyes.  Point Bryan.

So after texting my boss that I will be working from home today, I try to connect my computer to our internet.  Obviously working since I am blogging to you - but no. I just was upgraded with a new laptop at work and now cannot get the darn thing to connect....

So that glorious hour I was hoping to use while my child slept... spending it on the phone to the help desk.

Did I mention that I have to fit in my own doctors visit today, oh and now have to fit in an appointment for Emily while trying to do my job....

Fun times I tell ya.  But I am looking out my gorgeous new window - so life can't be that terrible :)

“If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade.”

Guess who got their new window? That would be me!!!! I don't know if you can tell by ll my exclamation points but I am very pleased. Why, cause I got to go to work and then come home to it completely done- who can complain about that?

Bryan had window duty today - which worked out extremely well for me, and he even surprised me with a little more landscaping in the back - but I will stay on topic for this post!

 I know what you are thinking - measuring- measuring is for professionals!  And that's right it is.  We went the smart route on this one and had Hoffman Weber measure, create and install a custom 3 pane window for our kitchen.  The window for being a day old, is awesome.  It even does magic tricks that I wasn't able to catch on camera due to the day turning into night but I will load those later tomorrow.

They were in and out in and hour and a half, took all our left overs (old window/plexi-glass insert) away and entertained my husband for a good hour and half.  Well done boys!  They didn't even laugh at our bird's nest... At least Bryan didn't tell me they did...

 Yes, I still have my window by the window.  That is where the old AC unit used to live...now a lovely robin has made a lovely home for it is eggs in the little cut out Bryan did not cover from the outside.  This will soon be found in the lessons learned section. 

That is the nest.

And these are the lovely blue robin eggs.  Momma robin is none too pleased that we caused a bit of raucous but the nest remain in tacked and not disturbed.  Bryan's patch job is going to have to work around the nest until these little guys fly the coup.

Most men would say the heck with it.  My husband, surprisingly when he first realized the nest was being built, felt horrible and was going to set up a bird feeder to make it up to the robin if he had to move the nest.  Needless to say the nest did not move hence the 4 eggs.

But back to my window... I am so pumped.  I was a little leery of the color swatches when we first ordered the window - but I am so pleased with the turnout.  It almost matches all of our trim exactly and since we are planning to replace all our windows, very slowly mind you - we are so not made of money so this will be a long process, it shouldn't be a big deal at all!

Outside view.... there should be a before picture....but to tell you the truth I am so ashamed of what it looked like before I am kind of glad the hubby forgot to take it...

But in all seriousness, this window is awesome.  We will be continuing with Hoffman Weber which is a relief since windows are such a huge investment.

Tomorrow it is back to landscaping I feel - that is if it decides not to rain like the lovely forecasters are predicting... let us hope...or else I see green interior paint in my future ;)

Add this to my Wish List

I am in love.  Plain and simple... I want this bad.  But it turns out it is $$$$ and then I think to myself oh, hmmm how hard would it be to make?  Then I realize that I don't have a Mango Tree Grove in my backyard or any type of wood working skills...

So I must drool and dream for now....

ThaiSlabFurniture @ Etsy for all those who can afford to live my dream :)

It almost looks simple to make... but I am guessing there is a lot more behind the scenes work to this other than cutting up logs and fitting them together with a bit of glue... can you even imagine what kind of mess I could find myself in if I even attempted?!?! I can just see Bryan's angry eyes now...

But even he loves... sigh.

But on to some good news - the new window is now "T-minus 24 hours" not as exciting (to me) as this coffee table but it will definitely give my kitchen a face lift... and will allow me to start the makeover process :)

but oh that coffee table...

How Was Your Morning? Mine Was... Well...

So my morning started a little rough.  I am at that point of being large, massive and not cute pregnant...However, in my mind I still think I can fit into some of my summer dresses. Nope.  I have this one navy blue eyelet dress that I stole from my sister, and I thought - perfect I will throw this on with a little cardigan and we are good to go.  I had even shaved my legs the day before - so no worries there.

There was no throwing on.  It was more of a "squirm into" over the massive boobies, and that is where it stayed. So after trying to put everything where it belonged (out of breath of course)  I realized that I looked like a blueberry... and belonged on the floor scrubbing with a bucket and a mop.  Not the look I was going for.

Then, my heart quickened.  If it was that hard to get the sucker on (it was a weave - with no side zipper - not a knit) how was I going to get it off?  Seriously I was almost to the point of tears and a heart attack... and in the back of my mind I was trying to locate the ever elusive pair of scissors that we have in the house...

I am sure I looked humorous - thank god my daughter was still asleep.  Thank god my husband had already gone to work.  After much body manipulation I got out of the damn dress.  No longer a blueberry but a bright red angry and upset pregnant lady.

I went to work in jeans after that.

Looking for a bright side of life right now...

Defeated and it is only Monday

So my Monday started off fantastic.  I stepped on the scale.  Should have known then that it was all down hill from there (I was trying to disprove my lovely neighbor who told me that I was huge compared to when I was pregnant with Emily...).

So yeah.  Had a lovely day at work.  It was really one of those days where you know the bus is coming to get you... either you are on it or under it.  It was my day to play speed bump.  I am at that point where I am about to go screaming down the hallway... but that might not be the "sane" thing to do.  It might not also help my desire to get a promotion.

So running down the hallway screaming is a no go...

Next best option? Can't think of one.

It might be that I am an over emotional crazy pregnant lady - most likely - I have no doubt about that... but I have this thing....

If I am asking for help, and I have followed all the rules aka. time-lines and somewhere there was a disconnect... maybe just maybe you could help me out this once.  I understand the need for process (mind you my house projects don't show that) but I really hate having to escalate things to the upper ups.

I also hate being thrown under the bus to "smooth things over" but fine fine fine... in the end I got what I needed all the teams are happy and I am home to pout it out.  Sometimes you just need to.

Yay for Mondays.  At least I still have one more scandalous vampire book to read tonight.  Escapism at its best.  Thank you Jenna Sawicki.

P.S. Tomorrow is Tuesday... I have never been so excited for a Tuesday...which means it is no longer Monday.

As it turns out it was not Dooms Day...Just a Project Filled Rainy Day

Whew... dodged a bullet with that one!  Is it slightly funny that the master mind behind this whole dooms day has not been seen before or after the failed prediction?  Maybe he is holed up in a bunker some where.  However, I do feel bad for all the followers that have been disappointed and that donated or had been suckered out of their life savings for those billboards, just devastating when you look at it from that point of view.

But on the the good news, it was just a rainy day yesterday...which turned into a beautiful sun-filled afternoon/evening.

My husband, knowing I needed a project caved into a green living room...I had the paint swatch picked out and everything.  When we got there (Menard's) we started to backtrack - $45 in paint or just finish up a few project at home that we already had supplies?  We went the smart route and decided to head home and finish sanding my Grandpa's desk, my kitchen chairs etc.

Well, that was the plan.  I was even going to get the primer out... Until the Sun came out... and Emily decided to be a wonderful child and take a nap.

Then suddenly my project day turned into Bryan's project day... not that I am complaining at all (however, I would have loved my green living room).  But in all honestly, I will take any help I can get from Mr. Vargas...esp. physical labor help...

So yes... we were outside landscaping again:

 This is what we accomplished... Monday?  Tuesday... can't remember.  Last year I had split some of my Hostas that were in the front garden and replanted them around this tree.  Well they got mowed over about a dozen times by the kid we hire to mow the lawn.  Even after asking him not to, and showing him where the plants were.

Well, we showed him.  We dug out all the weeds and the extra grass that was crowding my Hostas and then laid down landscaping fabric around them (it is much easier to plant after you lay the fabric down - but again - do we do things the easy way - oh no no no - we find the hardest way possible).  And Wall-a I have a pretty tree and pretty Hostas that are going to love me.

We will also be adding edging to the Emily Tree - where Thomas the Man Cat has now claimed as his own.  I am pretty sure he likes to play jungle kitty in my plants...

Then on Saturday, when the Sun decided to show up we went after the backside of our house:

It was a mess back there.  Bryan asked me to take "strategic" pictures so it didn't look quite as bad...  Again we pulled out the old landscaping fabric (from eons ago) that no longer kept weeds etc out.  Dug out all the mess around my dollar bushes that I got last year at the end of the season at Menard's.  Yeah - each a buck!!!! And they made it through winter!!! So that lovely white bush in the lower left hand side of things - yeah my three bushes will eventually be that beautiful.  I am excited to say the least.

And the real reason as to why this weekend was a success:

I got to sneak a peak at these quite a bit.  And that booty is not too shabby either. 

Funny fact of the day:  Bryan is an identical twin.  It is true.  I have been able to tell them apart for the longest time, but from behind they look very similar except for a few scars on the back of their heads (I think they both fell out of a tree at some point - but at different times...).  Anywho, the one and only time I got them confused was way back in high school when I snuck up behind Ryan, thinking it was Bryan, and grabbed a little ass.

It was not Bryan.  And I was mortified.  Did not make that mistake again....However, the one major benefit about dating/being married to a Vargas boy is that they do have mighty fine behinds.  Just my personal opinion, but I believe Ryan's wife also agrees ;)

But back to my projects - yeah - I am sure you are wondering how that desk is looking - and that darn kitchen table is looking....

It is looking like Choas:

But it is getting there... I sanded a bit more...removed some cushions and getting my load ready for priming.  No I do not want to prime by hand.  I plan of using my Wagner Paint Pro - however, the primer I want to use is oil based...needs to be thinned out and then there is the clean up process.  So I want to get all of the items I would ever want primed ready to go in one attempt thus one clean up.  We might be using Memorial Weekend for that project.

And I still have to decide on what color to actually paint it all, so time is actually my friend right about now.

Also, have you noticed my new skill?  I know - professional college maker... took me about half the day to actually figure out how to do it - but I figured it might make my blog a little bit more readable and a little less long... What new skill awaits me next week - who knows - but know this - I will add professional to the tittle!!!

May 21st Dooms Day or Just another Rainy Day?

Well, I woke up this morning not to a major earthquake... although I do have experiences with hiding under dinner tables, standing under door ways, and falling chimneys - thanks to my lovely childhood growing up in Burbank, CA.  But no - no earthquake so far.... I guess I have a few hours left in the day to wait for it to show up...

But the thing is, it is national garage sale day.  And I would love to go dig and see if there are any treasures to be found... And dooms day would just get in the way.  I am going to have to reschedule.

And plus, my new window that was suppose to show up in "T minus 2-3 weeks" well yeah...after 4-5 weeks, it it showing up next Thursday so this who world ending this is not going to work out for me.

But I do appreciate all the billboards and public announcements for my safety.... really I do.  I think the flames are a nice touch. 

So on my rainy Saturday -- I have a few options....

1.Shark Tale marathon (the only movie Emily wants to watch at the moment, I am sure I will never be able to watch another Will Smith movie ever again).
2. Clean the house - top to bottom - yuck so over that.
3. And that is where I get stuck.... I have so many half projects but a lot of them need to be finished outside... and I believe the husband has fallen out of "project mode".

I blame this all on the rain.... but there is always sanding... in the garage...cold and alone...

Will keep you posted. 
 

IT is FRIDAY...

After a little store visit in the rain, yes it is raining again and plans to do so for the entire weekend (boo), and finishing up a few things at work... I am planning to do a major overhaul of the house.

We have been focused on the outside landscaping (focus - what focus?!?!) and my house is looking like a disaster zone.

I have a half dismantled kitchen table in my kitchen, I have kitchen cabinet doors propped up on a wall in the kitchen and mud tracked in from every entry way possible.  Let's not even get into my bedroom.

My house needs some love... so it is a good thing that it is raining... I guess.  I am also trying to see this as a positive - and wondering what fabulous thing I can almost finish - Bryan is still in project mode (we cleared around our large tree and mulched last night - another score) so I am going to try and take advantage of it while I can.

On the parenting side of things... potty train is not going super well. Yes we are in the "naked period" but that also means she is naked outside... and outside is a great place to poop.  Image me horrified grabbing my too cute daughter and running inside saying "HOLD ON!!! HOLD ON!!!" and plopping her down on the big girl toilet aka. the Dora insert that is obviously pink, obnoxious but again saves my daughter from falling in booty first into the toilet.

We had a nice discussion about how we go potty on Dora, and not outside... discussion continued this morning as well.

So not getting a gold star in parenting.

Today's Parenting Lesson Brought to you by the color Grapevine

Do not for one second leave your child with/near a bottle of nail polish.  No matter how tight the cap is, it will come off.  And your child will try to paint his or her nails plus anything that she or he might come into contact with.

However, I am quite proud of Emily's color choice... a perfect transitional winter-spring purple color called Grapevine.  

And now, after learning my lesson the hard way, I am off to work!!!

Did I mention that I might not be in the running for parent of the year anymore?  Just waiting on the official notice that kicks me out of the good mother's club.  Should be here any day. 

Too Tired to Carry On...but I Have a White Fireplace...

So Friday I worked from home, luckily Emily decided to be wonderful and napped a bit so I actually was productive!  Bryan, knowing that I needed out of the house decided that we needed a trip to Menard's for more mulch.

Fabulous.  As we were loading up the mulch - we had a brilliant idea.

So off to Gerten's we went in search of our very own Royal Star Magnolia bush!  We had success.

And it is now anchoring my front garden!!! YAY us... Now we just need a few evergreens and some color and we might actually have a garden!!!

So that was just Friday... Did I mention that my Husband had a case of insanity on Thursday - where he removed the ugly brass fireplace - glass thing?  Yeah it is gone!  And what was on his mind?  To paint the inside of the fireplace black so that it looked nice....

A few befores to wet your taste-buds

Yeah, I don't know if you know this, but I can smell weakness from a mile a way, and I knew if I let Bryan paint the inside - he was much more likely to cave on painting the fireplace white....

He did.  And this is where he would say "his project turned into mine".  He wants credit for helping me...

So here is the process in images:

 This is where we don't tell my mom, or Donya at work who is pretty sure I can't and shouldn't do anything thing since I am pregnant...  Yes, I am sweeping my fireplace. Goodbye dust, soot, and god knows what else.  Much easier than a rag I tell you.

 Oh yup, a nice belly shot.  Notice we were not smart enough to move the shelves, electronics books or toys.  A smarter DIYer might have done that....but us on the other hand, just go when we want to go and think later... yea...might need to improve on that strategy...

 The last shot of the tan brick that I could not stand any longer...I honestly had no other ideas on how to improve this brick.  It is tan, not a pretty red, not a white but a "aged" tan...

 And here we go, we got ourselves the nappiest roller advice taken from Young House Love  who I would say are professional DIYers, unlike B and I who are more in the class of amateurs... And then we have our bucket of oil based primer since our lovely fireplace was soot stained to the nth degree.

 Oh the grout, the death of me.  I started to try and paint it with a paint brush and started to wonder why Bryan always gets the easy job when Mr. Vargas himself came up with the most genius idea.  SPRAY PAINT PRIMER!!!!  yeah, much easier....may not have been the cheapest route - but who can put a price on sanity?!?

 Almost done.

  This is where I started to thank B for entering "Project Land".

And he said "Don't get use to it, this is like a full moon."

  I said "no a full moon comes once a month, this is more like a blue moon, a very rare happening".

 And when I was about to give in, I found a recruit.  Yes, she is quite handy.  Good thing I am going with a pair - many more hands in project land....

 So detailed oriented...meticulous to a fault...but she does good work I tell ya.

And here it is.  Minus a mantel - which I am currently scouring Craigslist for.  Cheap fixer-upper is good...Free is better.  But overall I am in love.  Mr. Vargas is in love. And we are very happy with the updated feel it gives the living room.  A few updates, such as a new TV and a Soundbar minus a few wires are all it needs - so close but I feel the TV will come a little (a lot) later in the year.. till then I am still a happy camper! 

And that was just Saturday!!! Since Sunday decided to actually be a Spring day, instead of the cold Winter days it has been - we finished up the other side of the house.

 My Hostas, and the Allium - minus weeds.  We laid the weed barrier, tacked it down, cut out holes for the already planted plants...oh and then added the edging and laid mulch.  I must have been a sight - trying to get up and down and up and down, but we did it. And now the front of our house is somewhat decent!!! No longer an eye sore!

 Did I mention that our neighbors who have lived across the street never noticed that the house had brick before we painted it.  They have lived across from our house for over 20 years... They are also the ones that came over and told us they like looking at our house so much now!  Score.

 Now I have to be patient, let my Hostas grown in and see where we can add some color.  But obviously I am slightly worn out.  Just a tad tired to say the least. 

But I am so happy with what we got accomplished this weekend.  B deserves a gold star for sticking with everything, and actually helping me finish these projects...I am slightly famous for half finished projects if you haven't noticed by now....

Also, major shout out to my cousin Melissa who just graduated from college with a teaching degree!  She is one of those lovelys that was born to be a teacher and just passionate about it.  Sending much luck her way, and hoping her perfect school finds her!

Oh, and I have already done two loads of wash today - I am a machine...

A tired worn out machine....I am going to go an enjoy the rest of my day - hope you do too!

So, it is raining-Again. What does this mean???

Indoor Projects!!!  Yes, we must take a break from B's new endeavor (another big word - still don't know if it is being used properly) of landscaping.  But this means we can get back to MY projects

My kitchen table...
My kitchen walls (want to at least sand and prime the walls)
Maybe recover the kitchen chairs - depending if I continue along with the previous fabric I chose...
Cleaning out the fireplace and painting the inside black (with high heat specialty paint)

And oh yeah there is that darn nursery... I have 8 wks.... that is what I keep telling myself.


Wish me luck - I am guessing maybe one of those projects will get done... To be continued.

A Man and His Dirt, and a Girl and Her Worms

So this week has been an extension of Mother's Day, so says my husband.  In all actuality he has found himself a project.  A home improvement project.  He has gotten the bug.

Guess he likes his "finished" projects better than my half finished projects.  Go figure.

Remember these ugly bushes?

They were once in front of my house, until my neighbor gave me the bright idea of pulling them out of the ground with a little chain and my massive SUV... he supplied the chain.  All Bryan could do was watch...

Now he is trying to fix my mess, after a year and a half of no real landscaping in the front, unless you count a "rock garden" a garden (okay okay it was black tarp and landscaping rocks mixed with dirt) he is tired of it.

So on Tuesday Bryan dragged me to Menard's to buy some (a lot) of mulch, edging and landscaping fabric...even after I told him that I had had a headache for the whole day...guess that excuse only works for him.  Needless to say, on Wednesday I came home to this picture.  My man with a shovel and a whole lot of dirt.  I was pleased.

But I thought he needed a little help....

 After showing B how it is done, Emily moved on.  She now has a major fascination with worms.  Her father would dig them up for her and she would go on her merrily way letting us know that they "loved her".  I am not quite sure if I believe her, especially after she cried out "Oh no! Broke-y Head!!!" Yes she decapitated the worm.

Bryan then informed me that one worm does not equal two worms when you split it in half, I honestly thought this was true.  So much for my Retail Merchandising degree... guess his Bio/Chem major trumps me on this topic.

And just to prove his point... He asked me if I beheaded a snake, did two grow back in its place?

I love my husband.

Emily searching for worms.

 So yes, my husband has a project.  And it is amazing when it is his project it moves along much more quickly than mine ever do....

They do look a little sad right now - but they went through a lot... they look much better today!

But just to brag a little on my projects:

Yeah - they are my free craigslist hostas.... looking good right?!?!

More proof that I am on a growing spree...

 Okay, okay I believe most gardeners consider these little purple flowers weeds, but I think they bring a little whimsy to my yard ... dandelions maybe not so much... but my real accomplishment is below:

Yes, that is my Allium or decorative onion plant actually growing!!! In my rock garden no less, a lot of the rocks had already been removed before I took this picture but believe me it was covered!!!

But if you are concerned about my dandelion infestation- don't worry I have a great strategy - just send this little one out!!!

Obviously, again I am one of those parents who is not afraid of a little dirt, and a few worms (that came inside with Emily and now I am not sure where they ended up).  I am just glad she had fun digging in the dirt with her dad.  The naked thing we will have to work on, especially since she likes to stand in our bay window and dance - naked.  Not something we totally want to encourage, naked sure, dancing naked in the window, not so much...


Now Emily and I must get ready, B is picking us up for another trip to Menard's to pick up some more mulch for the other side...

Did I also mention that he pulled down some ugly paneling in our kitchen (which means painting is sooo soo close) and he also pulled out the ugly brass fireplace fixture?  Yeah I have almost broken him - I will have my white brick fireplace sooner than he thinks!

Gold Star for B.  Glad he has finally caught on that projects are fun!