My Gardening Confession

On facebook I have the best garden ever.

Mid May to early June, I went through a phase where if we went somewhere that had flowers, we’d pick some and plant them in the garden. I’d post updates to my facebook and eventually everyone, including my husband, assumed that I have this really diverse and flourishing garden.

Then the lillies bloomed!With over 192 bulbs, my garden truly was a sight!

 

“I can’t wait to see the garden you’ve been working hard on” ~ Mr. A

 I get really passionate about gardening when spring hits. I sketch up ideas in my head of all the pretty flowers and how one day I’ll find a photographer from HGTV at my doorstep who wants to photo my award winning lillies.

After awhile though, weeding, watering, and lily beetle hunting becomes easier to push off and ignore. I have more important things to do like go to the beach and sleep in! I think my desire to garden is more like a spring time sickness where I spend lots of money on things I don’t expect to keep alive.

 

Every so often though, like when it has just rained and the flowers are all dewwy and bright, I grab my camera and post on facebook a photo of my garden. And I get an influx of comments about how beautiful my garden is. And for awhile, I think that maybe I am not that bad at gardening after all.

The only difference between my gardening skills from last year to this year is that I know a lot more about digital photography. I learned all about angles and cropping photos so you can accentuate the good in a shot and hide the not so good. I also really haven’t invited anyone over, so…… no witnesses….

It’s time to be honest though, I have a yellow thumb at best with green thumb ambitions.

I don’t have the gardening stamina to truly be a great gardener.

Most of what survives and thrives in this garden was planted by the previous owner.

 

Here is a front shot of my garden this morning:

 

It is not the perfect garden that everyone on my facebook thread assumes it to be. It’s not overflowing with fauna, in fact there is more empty spacing than flowers.

Isn’t that just like social media, though? I decide what the world sees and for the most part most people assume it’s the truth. I can spin the perfect life for myself, but that extends only to the digital world and maybe in chance encounters in the public.

Come home with me and you’ll see that not everything is perfect. And that’s ok, because despite all the gaping holes where things died in my garden, I always learn more each year.

For the moments I capture, my garden becomes the most beautiful garden in the world to me. And since I am the one that looks at it everyday, I am the only one that matters.

Sometimes, when your life feels like a sparce garden, it’s necessary to stop and capture the beautiful moments. They may feel far and few inbetween, but they can be found. It’s just a matter of learning how to look at things from a new angle and crop to accentuate the good and get rid of the not so good 😉

 

 

Here’s to all the beautiful flowers I bought that did not survive Faithie’s lack of a green thumb:

 (my kids claim that a rabbit ate these)

 

 

 

 

 (these are perrenials, so they might appear again… )

The Break Up…

Dear Summer,

You are the highlight of my life. When I think of happiness, I think of all days I got to lounge at the beach, soaking up the sun while drinking iced coffees. 

I think of warm nights together laying in bed reading books with the hum of the fan as ambient background noise. 

You are everything I could ever want in a season. We have been through some hard times and your sunshine and warmth got me through when nothing else could. 

But I must confess that I have been unfaithful. You see, Fall has been eyeing me for some time. And you know I cannot stand Fall. It’s when leaves rain upon my property and drown the ground until it suffocates it, and in chilly weather I have to try to save the yard like some rake weilding super hero.. 

But then I got to know Fall last year. The football frenzy, the apple picking and pumpkin spices everywhere. I admit that although you have my heart, I have grown fond of Fall despite the pain she brings me. 

I learned that Dunkin Donuts had their pumpkin spice coffees out.. and although this is still most certainly your time, I indulged. That’s right summer, I CHEATED on you with fall. There’s no excuse for what I did. Things were just so crazy with everyone starting school again. I lost my head… 

Once I tasted Fall again.. I couldn’t hold back. So I went back and got another coffee the next day… and the next….Hell, I’m even wearing a sweater right now as I type this.. 

I don’t want to hurt you anymore summer. I loved the time we shared and will always treasure it. I just think it’s for the best if we both just moved on…

Respectfully,

Faith 

 

 

 

1000 baby!

 

Today is a day to celebrate!

Woah! It took a little over a year, but NinjasInStitches has 1000 followers! That is super impressive in my book! I am elated!!!!!!!

Thank you all for your loyal support of me rambling like a madwoman!

~

In other news, I am ready for June to be over. It will forever now be named the cursed month of family DOOM.

First, my son developed a rash on his face that no one is quite sure where it came from. He was put on steroids which made him as moody as a teenager. <~ But I was out of town for the initial part of that fun!

We had a bonfire night at my house, where my husband had to save one of my friends from falling into the fire…. only he ended up stepping in it and getting 2nd degree burns. He was in pain, life sucked for awhile but he got of work for a week and half so he chalks it up as a you give a little to get a little.

My mom has been shirking going to the doctor for weeks now.. I’m pretty sure my Aunt Debbie threatened to fly down and drag her by the ear if she didn’t go on her own. She’s been in the hospital for 7 days and just got released.

As a result I’ve been working night shift after night shift after night shift as there’s no one available to work them.. But it’s kind of a you give some to get some deal of my own. I was able to sit and stitch for the first time in 2 months and have absolute peace and quiet.

Picture from DailyHit.com

Oh Drop Dead Diva.. you have been my therapy as I go through this horrid week. It’s the one thing I look forward when I come and get tons of overtime and lack of sleep.

 

Rewind…..

August 22nd 2013 I had left the hotel to pursue a college career.

This week  I officially rejoined the hotel work force.

Maaaan… You can’t get away from this place for too long. I used to kid about that. How my Uncle would never let me leave.. I worry sometimes the truth to that statement. I’ve been here here twelve years. TWELVE YEARS! Longer than I’ve been out of high school, I’ve been associated with this place. I dunno how long I plan on staying, as there was some contention between my mom and uncle (and therefore myself) about if I would get days or nights. I decided to work nights for now because during the summer I can spend the days with my kids. Then when summer ends I’ll either go to days or just bounce… Keep my options open and whatnot 😉

One thing: people haven’t changed!

“I know I shouldn’t ask this since you work there and all, but is your hotel clean?” I’m in sales dude.. what do you think I’m really going to say?! My job is to make this place sound better than even your own home! Actually I always tell the truth. Check our reviews online, words from previous guests will always speak louder than what I say because you already assume my opinion is going to be bias… This is also in relation to asking me about crime in our area, pricing due to location, and if I know what the weather is going to be like during your stay six weeks from now…  

I no longer have the ability to play my clueless former clerk entity. I used to play this naive girl who is sweet and sociable, but has no control over anything.. You don’t yell at the sweet girl at the desk who has no control over anything right? <~ Well sweet naive Faithie passed away during my first year of college to be replaced with Hotel Faithie 2.0. According to our night auditor I now use big fancy words that confuse our guests. (one day I hope to sound as educated as the graduate girls from the conference I went too) My mom laughed when a guy asked for a razor and I gave him a white one that had a yellow tip. He started to hand it back and asked for one for a woman. I apparently gave him an “are you stupid?” look and informed him that it was a gender neutral razor. He paused for a second, unsure of what I was saying so I had to inform him that it meant that both males and females can use the razor….I’m not even gunna add a snarky comment here…

So to sum up my summer work plans:

Wacky Wednesday folks!!!!!

Caution: This post is going to be so chalk full of awesome your eyes might explode…… 

It has been a week since the Mister left for an underway. Usually the first week is the WORST. It’s when you’re struggling to deal with being partnerless for a period of time and trying to figure out that groove again.. 

Fortunately? I was beyond sick the past 13 days (Gah!) that I was pretty oblivious that the first week had come and gone.. Score one for team Faith!

We had one awesomely jam packed yesterday. 

First of all… We declared it Monster Day:

 

The fun was getting to play outside, the marker smearing and spending forever reapplying.. The kids were just about every type of monster yesterday…..

I did a little upkeep in the garden…

I have really big plans for next year’s garden…. I learned a lot this year!

And if you can believe it: I finished another page in Starry Night!!!!

So close to be done…. I dunno what I’m going to do when this is complete.. I’m going to feel like a stitchy orpan… 😦

 

Last night we went to the local speedowl place.. As monsters of course:

The kids had a blast…. 

 

My fun was ruined when the youth division had a major accident that resulted in one or two of the kids being rushed to the hospital.. For all the people that gave me dirty looks about my kid’s faces – You support a sport where kids whose voices hadn’t even changed never mind being old enough to have a REAL driver’s licence race at high speeds in cars going way above the speed limit on the highway… Don’t judge.. I really hope those kids are ok and I’ve googled my little heart out and can’t find any information 😦 

The kids had a really good time!! Fortunately my son hasn’t dared to ask to be a driver after that accident 

All in all though.. it was a good day!

 

Summer is here!

It’s going to be really hard to top this as my favorite summer pic. Good thing I have the entire summer to try.

Yesterday kicked off summer in our household! No more second grade! No more going to the bus stop to be ignored by my old neighbor who thinks I’m the plague or something. It’s dirty toes and wild adventures! Concerts in the parks, speedbowls, camping trips and lots and lots of ice cream from the little farm down the road.. 

Can you tell I LOVEEEEEEEEE summer????

Yesterday the kids and I enjoyed some grilling at the dojo. Laid outside talking to my Kyoshi for a bit. It’s every bit feeling like my kids have another grandfather in their lives and who couldn’t use some extra patriarchal love? Then we headed off to the first concert in the park, where my daughter boogied on the basketball courts with a bunch of girls. My son was testing his new found freedom to go a little farther than I used to let him. I curbed the woman inside who freaked out at letting him so far. He was still in sight. He ended up taking his shoes off at some point and slicing his toe open. Then he said he had a headache so we left earlier than expected. Only for him to vomit at home. So we snuggled and watched  a movie before I realized it was 10:30! My daughter had put herself to bed before then. My son wanted to stay up as late as possible so I let him lounge on the couch while I went to bed. He crawled into bed maybe 15 minutes later. 

I think all in all it was still a successful first day of summer!