Birthday Girl

Hello, dear blog readers! In addition to spending Blossom's birthday in the ER due to her having a high fever, and with packing boxes and getting ready to move, I have not posted decent pictures in some time. We celebrated Blossom's birthday a couple of weeks ago when Aunt J. was in town. (I made my very first cakes and attempted to frost them. It was a complete/near disaster, but they tasted great!)

Here are some photos of Aunt J's visit and the fun we had:

Ok, PERHAPS they don't look like they're having much fun in this particular stroll, but believe me, fun was had. The weather was beautifully sunny and smelled of spring. We all enjoyed going out for a walk!

We also went to the beach. After months and MONTHS of begging to go to the beach, we managed to make it there on a day when the breeze was warm and soft, the tide was (WAY!) out, the waves were not big....And for some reason, poor Lem decided he was absolutely terrified. We couldn't conceive of an explanation of this, but here are also some birthday fun photos.

Having her cake (and eating it too)!! (I cannot fathom that my baby is a year old!!)

 ...and slowing down...

 The Birthday Cake(s)!

Climbing the dunes to get back to the car....

 Checking things out to see why poor Lemmy was in tears...

 Lemmy finding some comfort with Auntie J.

 The Birthday Girl herself having LOTS of fun at the beach (on a perfect day!) and playing in the sand. (And trying to taste it a little. Actually, trying to taste more than her fair share of it.)

Happy (late) Easter to you, dear blog readers! Bear with us over the next 10 days are our postings might be more scarce during our move.

Packing Day #2

Hello, dear blog readers. Today was very eventful, and productive. I managed to sell several things (hooray for funds for me and reused items for a good home!). I also had family friends over to help pack several of our kitchen items and book, two of the things we have a hard time living without.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed until I began cleaning lighting fixtures and windows. My VERY first thought was to wonder why I hadn't participated in this MONTHS ago. I should clean more regularly. When I don't have to, I can't seem to work up the motivation. When we're moving (and I don't want to clean), then I seem to have all SORTS of energy for cleaning.

Until about the time that one of the light bulbs broke apart and corroded into the socket, that is. Lovely. This was a bulb that was here before our time, so I'm not sure if it has water damage to the electric circuit or not. I DO know one thing: I'm not going to try to find out. I do believe I'll call in the experts on this one.

Since I'm up late packing and thinking, and since I can't seem to turn my mind off, I happily wandered outdoors to smell some fresh (cold!!!) air and to look at the almost-full moon. (Or perhaps it IS full and I just don't know it.) I love nights like this and am going to cherish the next eight nights of it while I still can. Currently, it is COMPLETELY quiet, save the road noise about a mile away. (Yes, on a perfectly clear night, it DOES carry that far.) Not even the bugs or critters are making noise. The moonlight is so bright that I can see the tree line in the far distance.

What might a gal do on a night like this, you might ask? Well, it's pretty simple. Time for a clandestine meeting with a free sample of an organic dark chocolate candy bar under the complete stillness and moonlight. What more could a girl ask after a day like today?

Happy Tuesday, dear blog readers!

 I tried to capture the aura around the moon because it was SOOOOO cool. Alas, this photo does not do it enough justice.

For those of you wondering about my ability with my camera: the previous photo was the first one I took of the moon, and it was by sheer dumb luck that I managed to capture the aura. This was my last attempt. (Yes, it actually got WORSE as I went along.) For any photography know-it-all types, I would be more than happy to receive suggestions about how to set my camera settings for night-time photos.

It's Not Easy Being Green (If You Are A Weed)

Hello, dear blog readers! Ten days and counting until we load the moving truck. After running errands all morning and getting some furniture out of the house, I decided I would brave the cold winds and go outside to pull some weeds. There is something about working deliberately outside that I find completely calming, even though my cheeks are raw and my fingers are dry. I know this is going to sound like a rather odd thing to say, but some of the greenest, most vibrant plants in the yard are the weeds. I worked on pulling several of them since we are moving away, but I have to say now there are brown spots where the green had been.

And then, there continue to be the spring blossoms burgeoning on the trees, and the day lillies (which I thought had perhaps keeled off due to moldy roots from all the moisture) have come back to visit us this year! Now THAT is a vibrant green I can love without having the hate relationship.

Happy Monday to you all, blog readers! May you find some spots of blossoms and green in your lives and yards today.

 The Green Weeds

The day lillies have returned!

The Whirlwind

Hello, dear blog readers! I thought I might post this in honor of those of you who are March Madness fans. After all, it incorporates lots of cool things: basketball, women, vintage, and lemons! (Ok, so really the only thing you sports fans have in common with me in this particular list is that this photo has a basketball.)

The reason we haven't been watching any games? Hubby had two face-to-face job interviews (both for the same position) this week in Virginia. We spent a very whirlwind few days driving up there, interviewing, looking for a place to live, and driving back down to our current residence.

The GREAT news in all of this? HUBBY GOT A JOB OFFER! We are SO very relieved! This means there will not be a lag between his current employement (which ends next week) and his new employment (which starts in April). The area also has several hospitals that have top-notch NICUs, so I will be eventually be able to go back to work on a part-time or casual basis.

The very overwhelming news? We have a mere TWO WEEKS to move. I do believe this is the shortest notice/shortest time frame in which I have had to prepare for an interstate move. This will be our fourth interstate move in seven years, but will fortunately be the cheapest since I have sold off a lot of our furniture. And, I'm not pregnant or having a new baby with this move, so I'm really hoping it won't be as overwhelming our move a year ago.

Side note to any of you who might have very small children: we did NOT officially realize until this trip that (at least for our family) one needs to add about an extra 50% of travel time to what Google Maps tells you is the case. It took us a full 10-hour day to drive up due to kids and traffic (and getting lost finding a gas station or a place to eat), and another 12 hours coming back....All for a 5.5 hour drive! The upside? Since traffic was so bad between DC and Fredericksburg, we opted to drive all the way around Quantico. This allowed us to feel like we were on the move instead of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the kids got to take decent car naps, and we saw some beautiful Virginia countryside!

While we will be missing the friends we have been making here, I know that we will love the area there. If my attendance and posting is spotty over the next two weeks, dear blog readers, you'll know exactly why that is.

Happy Saturday! Lemon Lover signing off.

Job Hunting

Hello, dear blog readers! As some of you know (but perhaps not many of you), Hubby was informed that his job is going away at the end of this month. This has spurred quite an emotional roller coaster in our household to say the least.

The good news is that over the last week and a half, Hubby has had a job interview in Virginia. The process culminated today in his final two face-to-face interviews, and as far as he can tell, they went well! I cringe in some ways at the thought of yet another interstate move (this will be our fourth in seven years), but the upside is that we're THRILLED at the prospect of not remaining jobless (which would most likely result in me going back to work full-time nights).

For those of you who have been following us in our various stages of our journey and have kept us in your thoughts and prayers, we really do appreciate it. Having the support of family and friends during a personal and family crisis like this helps in more ways than you know.

Signing off, dear blog readers! Happy Thursday to you all!

Ups and Downs of Ground Cover

Hello, dear blog readers! While on the road today, I had a few thoughts about the challenges of weed control and ground cover. (Or perhaps, I'm such a gardening amateur that "ground cover" isn't the proper term?)

Anyway, as renters, there is very little we can do to the existing grounds other than to try to pull weeds on a regular basis. I have to add a caveat before I say anything else: our landlords did a GREAT job designing the landscaping of their yard themselves. The only criticism I have is the use of pulverized tire.

Now, I will be the first to say that I appreciate "reduce, reuse, recycle" when and where possible. I think that there are ways to use pulverized tire in gardening that maintain an eco-friendly appeal. It maintains its color and looks great.

The downside: unless you have it contained with garden hedging/stonework/etc, it floats away or blows away in the rain and wind. We have seen it washed down our driveway, down the street, and into the water drainage. When it leaves bare ground in its wake, the weeds strategically plan an overnight coup. I could say that I think the local spider populace has possibly formed an underground crime syndicate and is wandering away with the pulverized tire at night just to spite me or sell it on the black market to the snake locals, but I have no proof.

(This was Fiona, who was SO big and SO intimidating to me--the arachnophobe--that I ceased to be terrified and let her eat several bugs in our yard until she disappeared in the fall to run her underground syndicate.)

I digressed...Back to topic. We also had some difficulty with tire bits getting thrown by the weed eater and lawn mower, and our neighbor has had the same complaint.

The upside: at least I have the benefit of learning from the curve of another gardener.

Happy spring and happy Wednesday to you all, dear blog readers and blog friends everywhere!

One Step at a Time

Hello, dear blog readers! I am writing to say that our big milestone of the day is that Blossom is starting to pull herself up on the furniture! This usually involves the impetus that she is following Lem around and trying to grab whatever toy or snack he has in hand. I guess it means he's going to have to start searching for higher ground! All in all, they do play very nicely together, as evidenced by the pictures below.

Happy Tuesday, dear blog readers!

Springtime

Hello, dear blog readers! If you're anything like me, you roll out of bed in the morning with all sorts of goals for the day. This is how ours might look in an ideal world: feed the kids, change their clothes, run errands, get home and feed them some more, they nap beautifully (during which time the house gets clean), dinner gets made with minimal interruption....

And then there's the REAL day. When everyone wakes up, you realize both kids have loaded their drawers and one of the beds is soiled. The day starts off with a kiddie wipe down and/or light bath while the other howls for their breakfast. Laundry becomes the name of game. After getting both kids changed, you attempt to feed them breakfast. By the time the cleanup is done, you realize you don't have time to run any errands and get beds made before nap time. Nap time also includes two more nasty diapers with more bedding change, and little sleep is gotten. During dinner, one of them barfs all over your leg. While cleaning them up, the other proceeds to dump their dinner all over themselves, the floor, and any other surface within a three foot radius. The day progresses as such: poop, change clothes, add to the laundry pile, repeat.

Fortunately, I was able to change my morning plans (after not running errands) to include a beautiful walk outside with the kids. I love spring time. It's intoxicating, no matter what else is going on during the day. I set a timer and tackled some weeds in the sun, and it was the best therapy I could have had for the day.

Happy spring time to you, bloggy friends!

The weeds! A welcome break in the day.

 The roses have survived the winter and some disease after all the rain we had last season.

 The trees are starting to bloom, as are a few of the bushes!

 A free pick-me-up to add to my counter!

Becoming a Big Person

Hello, dear blog readers! Among other victories lately, our little Blossom is eating "big people" food and LOVING it! Having had a colicky premie that had some difficulty learning to eat, this is a new (and cheaper!) ballgame for us.

Some folks have been saying that kids love bland food and are adverse to stronger flavors. This has not been the case with us. Ours love foods that have flavor. Like many cultures in the world (except for the Dutch--which I can say, because I grew up in the Dutch heritage), our kids like the taste of TASTE.

Favorites? Whole cloves of roasted garlic, hummus, and (you guessed it) LEMON wedges!

The other small victory: I am starting to figure out how to really use my camera, which I've had for about three years now. This might seem like a small victory for some, but for me, this is HUGE!

Here are some shots of learning to eat from this past week.

For those of you who were wondering about what I ended up doing in the face of my laundry conundrum yesterday, here it is. I was sorely tempted to leave the laundry in the washer until a morning when I could wash and dry back-to-back. Since I thought that might make for some very stinky clothes, I ended up staying up late washing and drying, and as a result, I had something nice-smelling to wear today. Perhaps there is something to be said for "bloggy accountability?"

Have a happy evening, dear blog readers!

Inaugural Post

Hello, dear blog readers! Welcome to my new blog about the ins and outs of everyday life! This week's hurdle: we are still in the midst of Hubby going through the various stages of interviewing and getting a new job since his is going away at the end of this month. The good news: he has his LAST in a series of four interviews with a particular company coming up sometime next week! Hooray!

The other hurdle for the day: I just realized that I left a wet load of laundry in the washing machine for the last several hours while I was blogging. It now smells like Eau de Mildew. Time for a survey!

Are you the types of readers who:
a) jump right on that, stay up ridiculously late, and completely finish washing, drying, AND folding the load before you go to bed at the sweet hour of 2AM,
b) have to think about it some, but you'll probably wash it tonight and hope it won't stink in the morning,
c) compromise by washing the clothes, throwing them in the dryer, and contending with the wrinkles in a day or two, or
d) just forget about the whole thing 'til tomorrow, because if you wash without drying, it'll still stink like Eau de Mildew in the morning, or if you dry tonight, you'll have wrinkles in the morning.

Good night, dear blog readers, and Happy Weekend to you all!