sleepless in Nashville

Yep, that's me. I slept a good solid 3-4 hours before Buddy awoke from his sleep for a 3 a.m. diaper change and bottle. I'm glad I appreciated his big sister's sleeping through the night when I had the chance, because he is not so consistent so far. After 30 minutes of tossing and turning, I came upstairs. I turned the monitor on only to hear him crying in stereo... so now he isrocking in his swing, finally asleep, while I am still sleepless. I love the swing that was a hand-me-down from his older cousins. It reclines, so his neck does not roll forward. He seems to like it, too.

Yesterday was warm enough to go outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Bear helped me plant echinacea roots, shasta daisy seeds, and my butterfly bush. And some cherry tomato plants. The last 2 were gifts from Tech Mom and Dad. Thankfully, they did not die in the last week. Now to keep them alive outside.

My hill is still a far cry away from being my butterfly garden, but it's nice to have things growing on it. The forsythia and creeping phlox are doing well, and the butterfly bush is about 15 feet back, 3 feet up from the wall... just down the hill from the water spicket. It's by itself right now, but I figure since its from a fast-growing family in full sun, it won't be long before it expands. I planted some of the echinacea (coneflowers- pinkish purple-daisies) between the forsythia and the phlox, so that when the phlox blossoms fade, there might be some color popping out of the slope. 4 roots were $5 at the superstore, so I planted one up next to the patio and bay window, one by the mailbox, and two above the phlox (aka thrift, here in the South). I also planted a couple of gladiola bulbs that I had pulled up last fall and did not give away... this should extend the bloom time of my firecracker red glads a bit.

Oh, when I dropped my hostess packet/order back off at gina's, I was pleased to see that contrary to her belief that she has a brown thumb, she has not killed her day lillies, hosta, OR her calla lillies which I transplanted from my flowerbed last May. My callas are not directly under the gutter spout like hers are, so they are not poking through quite as tall yet. Anyway, it's always nice when perennials are in fact perennials.

If you have ever wondered if you should by the $20 rose bushes from the catalogs or fancy nursery, my answer is "no." Wal-mart has them for $6. They might not be as big, but give them a year or so of TLC, and nobody will know the difference. By TLC I mean pruning them back every so often to encourage bushing versus growing a few long straggly stems with leaves just at the top. If you cut some to enjoy inside during the summer, you save your hubby money at the florist or wherever he gets flowers for you (or you get them for yourself), and you naturally tend your rose bushes a bit better. I plan to swing by my local coffee shop for a fresh batch of grounds for gardeners (free used coffee grounds) soon. Last year I put the bag in the basket of our stroller and pushed it uphill... that's not gonna happen this year with both kiddos on the stroller. Buddy weighs a lot more now than he did last April in my belly.

Hubby is off today, and I am trying to convince him that it's worth attempting to take the whole family to the free Sara Groves concert at our church tonight. Well, he's sleeping at the moment. Our church has monitors in the hallway, so even if we have to leave the auditorium, we might still be able to enjoy the show. I suppose I should find a babysitter. But I don't want anyone to see my house in it's normal state, and that would mean I have to clean up for the babysitter. What a travesty. anyway, if you live near Franklin, TN and need something to do, tonight is a great chance to get out for some inspiring and worshipful music!