Nothing like a little landscaping to rid your front step of skinks.

Its a proven fact that I am horrible at blogging about our house projects, as I nearly always forget to take a before picture.  So let me paint you a word picture of what this area in the front of our basement window looked like, for those of you who haven't been over for cookies yet.  It was a giant rock garden.  Oh, so many rocks.  Some that were quite large and heavy, all the way down to gajillions of little pebbles filling in all the little spaces.  So, so many rocks.  And then there were some really nice, old wagon wheels.  And then this metal silhouette thingy of maybe a cowboy and a horse?  I can't even remember.  We threw it away really quickly.

So over the last couple of weeks, Brad, Willa, Mom and I removed alllllll the rocks.  And pulled all the grass that was growing in the rocks.  And then dug up the weird brick border thing that was buried halfway underground.  Then we put down some of that black fabricy stuff to hopefully prevent the grass from growing again and planted 2 very pretty azalea bushes, threw on about  7 bags of wood chips, and made a nice border out of some edging stones.  It looks so much better now and as an added bonus - the weird family of legged snake creatures has moved out of the area now that there aren't all those rocky crevices to hide in!  Granted, we weren't aware of the creatures until we started the project and disturbed them.  But its nice to know that they are gone:)  During the project, Willa also discovered a love for worms.

Men who can pull off tank tops. Few and far between.

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned him before, but I just so happen to have an imaginary, gay-man, best friend who has a blog and whose life I would like to live for a few weeks.  Maybe months.  I guess he isn't technically imaginary since he is a real life person but he seems imaginary since he lives in a magical sounding place called Hollywood and he has a magical job, which is being Emily Henderson's assistant.  Nonetheless, he is real.  I usually catch up on his blog every few weeks or so, and I just did and was especially impressed with what my best friend had been up to since the last time we "talked".  The most important post was the one on treehouses.  I read this, and it made complete sense to me that Orlando and I befriended one another.  Then I saw this picture that he snapped at the pool, with our other friends, where there is Red Stripe and pink H&M sunglasses and I got really sad that we live so far away from each other.

Don't be scared for me.  I have always had an over-active imagination.  And don't be scared for Orlando.  I can't afford to stalk him.  But for love of my eyes in the summer, someone go to H&M and buy me those sunglasses.  I'll get you my mailing address.

She wants to be all big

The time has come.  Willa has requested a big girl bed.  Pardon me while I go find a box of tissues.  Okay, all better.  I will distract myself from the sadness by...shopping for a big girl bed!  I refuse to put her in one before her 3rd birthday.  Mostly because I want her to stay little, but I suppose the reasons could be somewhat financial.  I am quickly realizing that my taste in big girl beds is more caviar and champagne than pringles and coors light:)

Here are 3 catagories that I am pondering.  The first, a daybed from West Elm, might be my favorite.  Its compact enough to fit nicely in her room, while still allowing lots of room for toys.  Even though it is small, it doesn't really scream "young" to me, so it would transition well to a more mature bedroom.  Maybe a bed she could get use out of for years.
The second bed is fun.  Kind of trendy.  Its a platform from CB2.  I can see it with some really fun bedding, maybe paint the walls back to white and get some awesome prints on the wall.  The smallest size it is available in is a queen though, and I would worry that a few years down the road it may not seem as "in" as it does now.
The third bed is a toddler bed from Ikea.  Surprise!  The only one in the current budget.  I think it is adorable and Willa would love it, but don't you think I'd just be buying yet another bed in just a year or two??  That doesn't seem very smart, even if it is less than $100.  It also doesn't seem like it would be quite as cozy as the first two.  I guess that all depends on our mattress selection.

And bedding?!?  So fun!  Keeping in mind that these are just a few that I took from the 3 or 4 websites that I am looking at right now, during my preliminary shopping stages.  I think the top two sheet sets are my favorite, paired with a solid colored quilt or duvet cover.  On a white bed.  Awwww.  I think if I was letting Willa pick, she'd go for the fox comforter.  I'd be ok with that.  It will be interesting to see where we end up!

Wishing we were all free to love

There it is.  And it is beautiful.  The idea that all people, no matter who they love, should be treated equally and given the same rights.  I'm sure it is quite clear that I am in a committed, heterosexual marriage - so why should this even matter?  It matters to me because I now have a child.  Hopefully someday I will have another.  There is nothing saying that one, or even both of those children WON'T be attracted to members of the same sex.  And if they are, as long as they find happiness, it will make MY heart happy. It kills me to think that they would be made to feel like less of a human being, less deserving of that happiness than anyone who is attracted to the opposite sex.  In my mind, this whole topic shouldn't even need to be discussed.  It shouldn't have had to be from the very beginning, but I guess its just how we operate.  I guess as long as there are any inequalities, racial, gender, religion...we will also need to consider the topic of same sex marriage.  And as long as there are churches, Christian churches, which are perpetuating the idea that homosexual individuals are not welcome in the church, much less in heaven, there will be uneasiness in my heart.  I have decided that if there IS a heaven where gay people are not welcome, then I don't want to be there, either.  But I very firmly believe that this is not the case.  I know there are those who will open a bible, and point out verses to me which they feel back their opposing point.  And good for them! If I'm not mistaken, we could find verses to support slavery, prohibit wearing more than one type of cloth at a time, and I'll be darned if a lot of people I know today shouldn't have been stoned to death three times over for things that we just don't consider illegal any longer.  I admit right now that I do not know the bible that well.  I've read most of it, over the years.  I'm not so good at remembering specifics and verses, as some people have a knack for doing.  Its just not the way my brain works.  I like to take away general ideas from what I read.  Overviews.  Good feelings.  What did I take away from the bible?  Love one another, as God loves us.  Where in that can I interpret that a race, a gender, a sexual orientation is superior?  I cannot.  What I can do is be free from judging others, I can love, and I can hope for a better, more accepting world for my daughter.  (I'll save my wishes for her to be able to make her own choices about her body and reproductive health for another fun-filled day:)

A few articles I read this evening that I really enjoyed, related:  How to win a culture war and lose a generation and A challenge to both sides of the Amendment One debate and Ask a gay Christian

Just a few of her stories

On a lunch date with my mom, at Lazlo's, after the first farmer's market.

Willa is kinda smart.  Maybe more than kinda.  Maybe I'm biased.  But we do have some really good conversations that seem a little beyond a 2 year old.  Its weird how when you sit down to recall the awesome things your kids do, they seem to slip away though.  I need to be better about recording them somewhere as soon as they happen, so bare with me if this is the place where I do that:)

This morning in the car:
Me:  What kind of tunes do you want to listen to?
Willa:  The monster kind
Me:  Hmmm. What are the monster kind?
Willa:  Um, like, the kind where I can rock out.

The other day, while having a snack:
Willa:  Mom, you have big boobies.
Me:  Well, thanks Willa!
Willa:  You have big ears, too.
Me:  Willa, go to your room.

One night, while packing away all my wine and whiskey into a box to send to my mom's (long story, for another post.  Maybe, if you're lucky.  But I swear its NOT because I am pregnant and can't keep myself from drinking it, as I am realizing it probably sounds:)
Willa:  Grandma, don't take mommy's wine!  She NEEDS it!  And please don't take my vitamins!

Getting ready to leave the house:
Willa (to Brad):  Dad, you need to shave.  No one likes your beard.

Garden inspiration (via what else? Pinterest.)

Isn't that just a perfect garden?  This is how I would like for my garden to look...eventually.  Maybe when I am a little bit better at gardening.  Like, when stuff actually grows and I don't kill it.  I planted things about a month ago.  Maybe a little less.  Things like tomatoes, jalapenos, Brussels sprouts, rainbow chard, zucchini, carrots, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, sweet peppers, basil and cilantro.  Some of the things that I planted as plants are looking ok, but the things I tried to start from seed are disappointing me.  I have friends who are already eating salads from their gardens, and they didn't plant much earlier than I did.  Its the curse of my black thumb.  But I won't give up.  I will plant another garden this week if I have to.  On a happier, plant-related note, my mom and I spent some time with the strawberry patch today and it is doing very well.  Lots and lots of little green strawberries that will be ready to pick in the next few days or so.

Picture and recipe here

And also related to food, Willa and I made these muffins the other day.  She is a big fan of cracking the eggs when we bake together.  The muffins were very tasty and incredibly easy, with common ingredients that you probably already have in the pantry.  They don't require you to grow anything from a seed...Can you tell that I am a little frustrated with my own lack of gardening abilities?!?

Which tv show would YOU like to live on the set of?

I gave Brad season 5 of Mad Men for his birthday last month, so we watch an episode before bed every now and then.  Every time the gang is all together in Roger's office, I find myself just staring at that wall with the dots.  I love it.  I think I tell Brad every time how much I love it.
My favorite character changes every time I watch the show, too.  I mean, you have to love Don Draper.  For all of the mystery, intrigue, handsomeness and talent.  But then I go back and forth between Joan and Peggy.  Joan is beautiful.  Quite possibly one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.  Peggy is not, but she can really hold her own with the men, is actually more talented than most of them.  And she is often seen with a scotch in her hand.  Goodness, its a fantastic show.  I believe when we are done with season 5, I will go back and start over with the first season again.  Does anyone else have trouble choosing a favorite?  And if you say Pete, we may never be able to be friends again.  He's mean and whiny.