My garden

I love to grow gardens! A few years ago I started a few small flowerbeds at the house where we were living at the time. I grew to love the time I would spend planting, caring, and watering these beds. I planted a few different types of flowers: lavender, Mexican heather, daffodils, hyacinth, English primrose, spiderwort, pulmonaria, bleeding heart, columbine, pansies, iris, and lily of the valley. It was wonderful to see things that you have planted grow and bloom.

A flowerbed in the backyard

Last year we moved and I had to find a new home for my plants. As we were moving temporarily to a smaller townhouse (and I was thinking that having to dig them back out in the wintertime was not going to be a good idea) I asked my parents if I could use a little area for them at their house. So that is what I did.

Iris in my garden at my mother's

I have a small flowerbed at my parents where I planted several of my plants as well as some others I had bought and rooted. My mother had been teaching me about rooting forsythia and I had been attempting to grow some for the past two years. I went by today and low and behold my forsythia plants, all four that survived, are growing! I went over last month to clean the weeds from the garden and they were only about 1 ½ to 2 inches high. Today they were about 6-8 inches tall! This year so far I have growing in this flowerbed: two spiderwort plants, a calla lily (called Naomi Campbell), red lilies, three lavender bushes, cannas, forsythia, iris, a roma tomato plant, strawberries, as well as several different herbs that I bought for my mother. In other areas around my mother’s house I also have my lily of the valley, pulmonaria, and bleeding heart.

Pulmonaria (one of my favorites)

I have also been so excited to see my little container garden here growing! Here I have some similar plants as at my mother’s as well as a few new ones. I have growing here:

Bleeding heart
Columbine (two different varieties)
Hyacinth
Balloon flower
Bee balm
Sedum (two different varieties)
Money plants
Mexican heather
Rosemary
Oregano
Lavender (two different varieties)
Roma tomatoes (3 plants)
Spinach
Sugar peas
Okra (finally broke out of the ground this week!)

A corner of my container garden

Blooms on the Porch

I was reading the Ardwyn Farm blog this morning, with his list of plants in his garden, and I decided to go and check on my plants. If you did not know I have a container garden on my back porch. I have several flowers, herbs and vegetables. The lovely, newest blooming flower greeted me. It is my balloon flower. So I thought I would post some pictures to show the stages.

May 22, 2006

May 28, 2006

May 30, 2006

Crossing Over

Last night we were able to share a very special evening with the Cub Scouts. We had a spaghetti dinner, then we had our very first Crossing Over ceremony for our pack. A Crossing Over is a ceremony where Webelos II (fifth graders) officially leave Cub Scouts and become Boy Scouts. There were seven of our boys that have earned this achievement. So our ceremony started with the raising of the American flag and the pledge.

Next the Webelos were presented with their Arrow of Light patches. Then the two Webelos leaders came forward for the removal of the colours and all patches from the Cub Scouts.

After the leaders were done changing colours it was the boys turn. Our Cub Master, T, removed all the colours and patches for the Cub Scouts. They then crossed the bridge and their new Boy Scout leaders gave them their new neckerchiefs and colours. It has been a honour to see these boys grow in the past three years. They are such wonderful guys and they make us all proud. So to these members of our new Troop, congratulations!

A New Hat

A friend of mine just had a baby, so I decided to make her little girl a crochet hat. I have made about four baby hats in the past using one particular pattern, but this time I wanted to try a different one. It seemed very similar to the other one, but a little girlier. So here I went Saturday evening. I got my Caron Simply Soft soft pink yarn and started to crochet. A few hours later I sat and stared at my completed hat and could only laugh. The hat is about 3 1/2 inches high and has a 10 inch circumference. Defiantly too small for a normal baby. I even tried to use a doll that I have so I could take a picture, but it would not even fit on its head. So one attempt failed. I guess I will see about sending this one to the hospital for use with the premature babies. Surely it would be able to fit a little girl somewhere!

Boyd's Bears

Today I was able to spend the day with my elder son as we went on a field trip. We went to the Boyd's Bears store and all the children built bears (or a few other animals). The trip started by a trek up to the third floor of the store where you will find the nursery and the bear factory. The kids were all given time cards and hard hats before they entered the building area. Next was when they all picked out their animal. They had several different kinds to choose from: bears, cows, bunnies, cats, dogs, monkeys, etc. After picking the kind of animal they desired they were lead to the "Filler up workshop" where they put all the wonderful things inside of their animals. After they were filled and their bellybuttons sewn up, they picked out nametags and clothes for them. There were so many different outfits from which to choose. I think I already have mine in mind when I go back to make my own! ;) The children were all so excited about the whole process. The naming was also VERY serious. It was so much fun to see how happy they were to make these stuffed animals. Touring the store was amazing with so many cute bears! We also ate our lunch there in the store's Willie B. Bacon's Feed Trough. After all that fun we came back to the school where the children all went outside to play on the playground. Almost everyone was carrying around their animals. Some of the girls made sling carriers for theirs.

The Zoo

The boys and I went to the K-town Zoo last week to buy season passes for the three of us. Since they were out for spring break we could spend most of the day hanging out with all the animals. One son just wanted to see the penguins. The other wanted to see the snakes. Of course, the biggest attraction for both was the exhibit of the mole rats (naturally naked mole rats!). They had seen the billboards around town and asked to go to see them. Our younger son will be going to the zoo again next week with his class, so the elder wanted to go see them as well. It was a great excuse to get them out somewhere so we could walk around for a while. When we got to the mole rat exhibit, we learned that there were new babies born on the 5th of April. If you saw them they were very small, only about 1”-1 ½” long. There were several “rooms” that were connected with the long pipes. There were three different “rooms”: nursery/nesting, food, and bathroom/trash. They also had several other animals there that were relatives of the mole rats. We had a good day together and got to see lots of animals. I look forward to going back more this year!

Yorktown Trip: Scavenger Hunt

After our trip to Fort Sumter, we took part in a scavenger hunt. There were several parts to this hunt and it included not only the USS Yorktown, but also all of the other three ships at Patriots Point. There was a sheet with questions about each vessel and the answers were on all in the information plaques on each one. Our Pack Master split us up by dens and gave us each a vessel to search. The webelos broke up into their groups (Webelos I and Webelos II) to do the search on the Yorktown. The bears took the Destroyer (Laffey DD-724), the wolves took the Coast Guard Cutter (Ingham WHEC-35), and the tigers took the submarine (Clamagore SS-343). There was a contest to see who out of the groups (there were about 8 other groups staying on the Yorktown) could complete their scavenger hunt with the greatest amount of correct answers. It was fun to see the boys looking for the information. After we completed our answers for the Clamagore we went to tour the others. When we got to the Laffey we noticed that the bears had two questions that they could not find the answers. When I started to help my elder son look around, I had no idea he would take me around that ship about five or six times! Boy, did I learn how to take the stairs quickly just to keep up with several 9 year olds! It was fun, though. Then after that Joe took our younger son back to the Yorktown while I (along with the torturous elder son) went to the Coast Guard Cutter. He took me around that thing about as many times as we went around the Destroyer. I was just about worn out! Thank goodness he was starting to wear out as well! We then headed back to the Yorktown to meet up with the rest of our family. Later on that evening we learned that our Pack won the Scavenger hunt! We were all very happy to hear that.

Yorktown Trip: Fort Sumter

The next part of our trip was Saturday morning when at 8:15 am we boarded the boat to Fort Sumter. This was my third trip to the fort. I really loved the boat ride, which has an audio historical documentary playing both on your way to and from the island fort.


As you arrive at the fort you are herded together to listen to a park ranger give a speech on the rules of the fort. It was so funny when our ranger started his speech. We all did a double take. We were not sure if he was serious or not. He had a great impression of a drill instructor! He never cracked into a smile, but he did make some funny comments. One was where he was warning about sticking your head into the cannons and getting stuck. "In order for us to fire you out we have to put the gunpowder in first. You can guess which way you will come out. It will be a Kodak moment, everybody laughing at you, don't do it!"


After his talk he asked that anyone who would like to help in raising the flags to meet him on the upper level. Several of our scouts were eager to help. It put to use the wonderful training they have been received in the Cub Scouts.


After touring the fort we all loaded back on the boat to make our way back to Patriots Points and the USS Yorktown.

Date Night

Last night, Joe and I had a date night. Now Hair if you think that this was a typical date (i.e. dinner and a movie) you are wrong! Joe made a great choice and instead we went to a Tennessee Smokies baseball game. Three hours of watching some good ol' American baseball! It was fun and I really enjoyed our evening. We had Pepsi and peanuts while watching the game. To our surprise, since it was the season opener, they had a fireworks show after the game. The Smokies lost to the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, but there were some great plays!

Yorktown Trip: Our Beds

After the Citadel we headed over to the USS Yorktown. Our first stop was at Hanger Bay #3 right in front of the big American flag. This is where we got a rundown of the rules and then we were taken to the berthing areas. The men went in one area and the women in another. To get to our sleeping area you took two flights of stairs (very steep), went on a walkway on the outside of the ship, then into the berthing area. There were three "rooms" that were separated by a slight doorway. The first room was a large sleeping area with about 50 beds. The next room was another sleeping area, which is where our group of females stayed, that held about 25 beds. On the end were the bathrooms. Most of the beds were bunks two deep and three high. There was not much room between them. I was lucky enough to grab a top bunk. My bunk was only 5 feet from the floor. The bottom of the bunk was 6 to 8 inches off the floor. The bed that I stayed in had a few of the support springs missing from the side, which made the mattress sink underneath the metal frame. Luckily I could sleep closer to the wall so I would not roll out. It was not too bad, though the berthing areas you see on tour #1 are much nicer and spacious (see lower picture).

Yorktown Trip: The Citadel

At the start of our Yorktown trip we stopped by the Citadel to see the military dress parade on Friday. It was a unique experience. We were able to see the band, which included bagpipes, and all the cadets parading. During the parade several cadets were honored for outstanding achievements. There was a little boy that caught the attention of everyone there when the band was marching around the field. He was dressed in the same uniform as the bagpipers from the band. He was a hit with many people around him. People were taking pictures of him and ignoring the cadets on the field for a little while.

District Pinewood Derby

Today was the Sequoyah District's Pinewood Derby race. We had ten boys who were able to compete in this race, five for speed and five for design. At the race we had only six of these to show for the competition. After a much shorter race today (which made Joe happy) we came away with one son in third place in speed for our District, as well as another one of our scouts who landed in 8th place for speed and another in 3rd for design. We were very excited that both our boys' cars were doing very well in each race. They were happy to cheer for each of our scouts that were racing and not too over the top when they won. All in all it was a fun day for them. I guess they are out celebrating by heading for the local driving range to hit a few golf balls. Congratulations, Bubba!

I've created a monster

Well, as most of you have learned I love to crochet. My latest projects have been gifts for a friend and her brother who both had birthdays earlier this week. I finished the scarf for SD and I wanted to take a picture to add here and also to my folder of my finished projects. Since SD arrived late last evening and I have not had a chance to see him to give him his present I asked my younger son to model it for my pictures. He did not know what model meant, but he sure worked the camera. This was the first picture I took. This was his idea of modeling the scarf! Where did my son learn that to model a piece of clothing he had to look like an ultra cool dude? I was half expecting him to give me a slight nod and say, "Hey, baby. What'cha doing?"

Pinewood Derby results

After dealing with the overly obsessed Joe with regards to the Pinewood Derby this year, I could not wait for this day to be over. I enjoyed the race and I had a blast! I guess I was just so tired of the whole fierce determination that Joe had for our boys to win. All that aside, it was a great race! Our elder son's car was created to be a speeding monster, while the younger seemed more a looker. Well, our happiness was great when the results were given and both boys were in the top five for speed and can now compete in the District race April 1st. First place went to "The Amazing Teardrop" and fifth place was the Americana car (or Washington, DC car, which ever you prefer). I was happy that both boys placed and that we did not have the problem of what if one did and the other did not.

Mirror Twins

I was watching the neatest show tonight on the Discovery Health Channel called " America's Most Identical Twins Test". On this show they brought on sets of identical twins to see which are the most alike through the same tests. I saw the clothes shopping, eating, and dating segments. It was amazing to see how similar some were. After each commercial break they would come back on with a twin fact. The most interesting one was about mirror twins. It gave a percentage of identical mirror twins where one also has what is called situs inversus, where the bodies organs are flipped or mirrored from normal organ placement. Most mirror twins have opposite features (i.e.: one will be left handed while the other is right handed, mirror dental x-rays, hair parts or grows mirrored). If you would like to see this show it will air again on Sunday, March 19th at 12pm.

That Crazy Woman in the Store...That's me!

Now that I have mentioned a few of Joe's oddities I thought I should admit a few of my own to help him feel a little better. So prepare yourselves for a small glimpse inside the mind of a confessed fanatic!

First off we will start with books. When I was a child and more so in middle and high school you would be lucky to find me reading a book. I had a few favorites, but not much peaked my interest. Then about a year after I graduated from high school I was introduced to Jane Austen (see Janeite Clarification). Since then my list of favorite authors has grown. Some of my favorite books are from the Regency period of English literature. Jane Austen is of course first on my list. Some of my other favorites are Charlotte Bronte, Janette Oke, Gilbert Morris and Jane Peart. Reading is a great thing, but I took it to another level. I then started collecting books. It all started when a local library had a book sale. After that I was a goner! I do have an accomplice aka my best friend, JoJo. She has also picked up this obsession, though I must admit she has more self-restraint than me. Joe was making fun of me while I was planning for another book sale fix with JoJo last Friday. On the computer I opened the list of books I have to see which ones I wanted to find. I then explained to Joe that my list was a good thing so that I do not go out and buy duplicate books. After this explanation he conceded and was very proud of me.

Second is the yarn thing. I have wanted to learn to crochet for a long time, but I finally learned a little over a year ago. Since then I have gone a little overboard. It all started out pretty harmless. I only bought yarn when I was starting a specific project. When that changed I cannot remember. So far in the 16(ish) months since I started crocheting I have completed 21 projects. If I continue at this rate I currently have enough yarn for 2-3 years of work. Now you would think that would keep me from buying more, but alas (and to my poor husband's dismay) no. I still continue to buy even more yarn. I have two projects in progress right now, three waiting and many more in mind. This has become a relaxing hobby, which I greatly enjoy. Then my yarn monster comes out. YARN, YARN!! MUST HAVE MORE YARN!! All I can do is just go along with it! ;)

Further Loss of a Great Mind

As if we needed any more evidence of Joe losing his mind, here is another example! He and I were discussing something this evening and he refused to answer the question I asked based on the fourth amendment of the Constitution. I was confused and asked what was the fourth amendment. He said that it was about incriminating oneself. Guess I learned the wrong amendment for that one! Sorry honey!

The Loss of a Great Mind

We were on our way home after stopping by my parents' house when our eldest son made one of the funniest comments. Joe commented on a bush that is on the side of my parents' driveway. It is in the corner of where you park and the area to turn around. It was once, over 11 years ago, a beautiful miniature wisteria vine. Then Joe and I started dating and that was the poor plant's downfall. For some reason Joe could not keep from constantly running over this poor wisteria vine, even though it is at least four feet from the edge of the driveway (and the vine is 3-4' high and 2-3' wide). Well, our eldest son was informed tonight of his father's inability to avoid trying to kill this plant when he would back up. This started the discussion on who was the best driver, Joe or myself, between our boys. They began to over exaggerate how many wrecks he had by saying thousands or millions compared to my one. Joe tried to correct them by telling them how many he has had. He had counted three times and that is when our son said, "You're old Dad. You're over thirty and when you're over thirty you start slowly losing your mind, so I want to talk to somebody younger!" He then proceeded to ask me how many wrecks his father had been in!

Party Planner Heather?

After a very busy and stressful couple of weeks I was hoping to finally be able to rest. After being in charge of the final stages of our Cub Scout banquet on Friday I wonder if I will be able to do this job by myself next year. I guess that it was good for me to be "in charge" during these past two weeks as it gave me something to focus on instead of our loss. Of course, trying to help plan a wedding for April (the month, not a person!) has been keeping me busy as well. Strange to say, even though I really enjoy the planning and looking for all the little things to make it all come together, I am so nervous about how everything will turn out and if everyone liked my ideas and work in the end. The same goes for Friday night. I felt prepared to go and set up, but when I got there realized that the centerpieces for the tables were not going to be enough. We had such a wonderful turn out that we were going to need more tables than I originally planned. I had planned for 10-12 tables to decorate and had fifteen instead! On the one hand that was very exciting to see that so many people were going to be there, but as the one in charge who had not gotten the extra things I then found I needed was terrifying! I was so glad to have some wonderful friends to pitch in and help out. The people that I am working with in scouts are some of the best people I know. They never once made a comment about my underplanning or once complained about having to help. How can you not thank God for the wonderful people he places in our lives to help and encourage us?

Proud Momma and Tiger Cub Leader

I was very proud of all of my boys last night. I was able to have all seven of my Tiger cubs complete all their achievements in time to receive their Tiger badges at our Blue and Gold Banquet. I was so proud of my own two boys as I watched them both complete another milestone in their life. They are such amazing guys! I have been so happy to be so involved in their early years, school life and their scouting. I could not imagine not being there with them for all these special moments in their lives.