my "vision"

I'm not talking about some kind of mystical, philosophical goal. OR my eyesight. This is, or should be, much simpler and attainable than that. After almost 6 years in this house, 3 since we finally got the wall up, give or take a year (I've lost track), I think I know what I want to do with the cliff. I want a butterfly garden. Now, the plants I put in today are not really butterfly friendly. But we have all this slope, it's a pain and an eyesore because we can't get the grass to grow nicely on it. And while I am pleased with what I did today, in my mind it says, "just the beginning."

If I were to admit that aloud to hubby, it would translate something like "be afraid, be very afraid." (I could go crazy buying plants.) Although I think it SHOULD mean, "less to mow."

See how the grass STILL hasn't filled in very well along the retaining wall? Hubby has worked very hard to make the grass grow every year. It already looks better this weekend than it has since last July or so. But I can't help but want to try to grow something else there. I planted what I bought yesterday in the worst patch; lots of slumping going on there. My hope is that the roots from the plants will help reduce the slumping. Eventually, the phlox should grow closer together, ast the instructions said to plant them 15-18 inches apart. The forsythia should grow to be 6-8 ft. Eventually.

My vision is still a bit cloudy, but it includes a big butterfly bush placed down the hill from the patio. And butterfly-attracting flowers, grasses, and/or ground cover of some type in between. Perhaps some cascading petunias or ivy hanging over the wall.

I haven't told hubby about my vision yet. I think I'll just suggest that he read the blog.

Spring shopping

Last week, Bear and I visited a nursery down the road. Fortunately for our bank account, they only take cash and checks, and I only had my cards on me. I loved some of their flowers, but decided it's a bit early to plant annuals. We could still have a frost.

I had some time to kill while waiting for our prescription to be filled at the grocery store's pharmacy. They had some pretty spring plants out front. I bought a forsythia bush and 3 lavender carpet phlox, much to hubby's chagrin. The forsythia was at least 30% less expensive than at the nursery. The phlox were reasonable, too... 3 for $10. I tried planting seeds last year, they never took. Hopefully we won't kill these.

in case you wondered...

the 5k training is not going so well... it seems the only time i have to run is before dark. i may have to start getting up and running before hubby goes to work...

one day the wii said i was 28, the next it said 40... i think my score depends on which balance tests they randomly select for me. i have lost about 25 pounds in the last 7 months (since buddy was born), and seem to be holding steady where i'm at.

my new year's "resolution" of trying a new recipe per week has not gone so well overall. however, last week I did make a new soup, and today i roasted a whole chicken in the oven for the first time. it was on sale for 79 cents per pound at publix last week, and i could not resist. i was not a big fan of fishing the bag of innerds out of the cavity. both my cook book and the bird specifically reminded me to do so, so i figured it must be somewhat important. i did not make gravy, just poured the juices back over the meat after it was cut. here's how i seasoned it... it was really good, IMNSHO (in my not-so-humble-opinion).

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c finely chopped red onion
3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Penzey's tuscan sunset italian style seasoning
1 tbsp kosher salt
several grinds of pepper

mix all seasonings in bowl. after basting/rubbing melted butter into the bird's skin, rub the seasonings all over the bird outside and inside. bake uncovered. after dinner, i boiled the carcass in water to make soup stock, which i will freeze for future use.

Training has begun!

I've been doing my Wii Fit somewhat consistently since I got it, but my weight loss has plateaued. With the arrival of Spring-like weather, I have decided to get out as much as possible. So far, that means I've gone for 2 strolls with the kiddos, 1-2 miles each, in the past 3 days. Tonight, I jogged/walked about a mile in 15 minutes. Not impressive, but progress. Two neighbors asked where the kids were as we passed eachother. :)

During college, I would take breaks from studying by jogging on the fitness trail or the Quad. Sometimes, it was simply a means of procrastination. When I came home for the summer, I sometimes ran down my parents driveway and winding street, or went over to the local fitness trail. I've never been a distance runner, but I have always found jogging and walking to bring a sense of accomplishment to my weak body. And I used my inhaler before I left as a preventative measure. I think it helped. A lot.

So now there is a goal in place. Do a 5k within the next 6 months. Try to run/walk 2-3 times per week and do Wii fit, a video, etc... at home in between every day for at least 15 minutes.
Running a 5k will be tough, but I don't mind starting slowly and doing a combo of walking/jogging if I must.

In case you missed it on Facebook's heinously confusing "improvements"... here's my attempt at being a "domestic diva" as a very dear friend who sang at our wedding dubbed me on my wall. I wish! ;P

Click HERE to see the play-by-play of my soup experiment.

A while back, I posted that my friend Don Hoesel's first book, Elisha's Bones, was being published in March. Well, it's March, it's been published, and I highly recommend it if you like reading something that could be made into an Indian Jones or National Treasure type movie someday. Excellent characterization, and I'm assuming a lot of research went into it, because the details sound believable. Great job, Don!

Are you looking for tips on cutting your food budget?

Faithful Provisions is a blog dedicated to just that! Kelly spoke at our A Mom's HEART meeting today, and I thought my blogging buddies would like to peruse her site.

Have you run a 5K? Would you?

So, a few weeks ago I told hubby we should try to run a 5K together. This was before he pulled a muscle and also before I had actually gone for a jog without kids this season. I have at least 3 good friends that I know of who have run 5K's... 2 in the past couple of years.

I'm borderline asthmatic, and have used that as an excuse not to run for years. I LOVE walking, but running and I, well... have never seemed like a good fit.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I want to add some outdoor "me" time.

I went on our church's women's retreat and found out that a woman I barely know but became a little better acquainted with is a runner. She mentioned starting slowly but consistently, but unfortunately that's all I remember from our conversation.

Anyway, I googled 5K for beginners and found this link:

Couch to 5K

Anyone want to join me in the elusive quest to get fit, or offer feedback? Have you attempted to run a 5K? Would you? Why or why not?

I haven't convinced myself that I will do this yet, but it's a possibility...

Wouldn't you like to meet... my neighbor?

http://sarcasmasawayoflife.blogspot.com/

back to life...

so, i made it 12 days on the wii before going away for a retreat this past weekend. i've exercised about 30 minutes since i returned. the jeans are feeling a tad tighter already. :(

i'm anxious for Spring to arrive. Flower catalogs which I ordered have come from Breck's and Spring Hill Nursery, and I am trying to decide what to order so I can get my 50% off or $25 off. I figure if we can't get the grass looking decent, I might as well strive to have pretty flowers all Spring and summer. The hyacinths are peeking up in front of the mailbox, but we are still waiting for something to bloom other than the crocus. Some of the daffodils were frost bitten and never bloomed, and the tulips are a bit behind the daffs (aka "buttercups" here in the South). I'm wondering if I transplanted some of the daffs in my friend's flowerbed along with a calla lily last year, because one area which normally has several daffodils has one lone plant sticking out, and it's very close to my calla lily patch. Or maybe I just killed them.