Catching Up

A lot has been going on around here lately, hence the lack of posts. Now that we're headed into Fall, it doesn't look like it will be slowing down much. But I promise to try to post more than once a month. In the meantime, here are some highlights of what we've been up to:

We FINALLY got our first harvest from our small garden attempt.

EVERYONE was excited about it. (Still no tomatoes, thanks to the squirrels!)

A lot of summertime fun, before...

Little Miss started preschool!

Her "BFF" from church is in her class, and they are quite the pair.
They marched off to class hand-in-hand on the first day!

Most recently, we celebrated Little Man's second birthday!

Yes, I know there's only 1 candle...we were going for celebration, not accuracy.
(He did get two candles on his cake, but we didn't get pictures of it!)

The event warranted a trip to great-grandma "G"s house...and more cake!

And presents!

A boy can never have too many trains.

Of course, he would have been happy with just the box.

I just had to throw this one in because I love it...my boys!

Happy Birthday, Little Man! I love you!!

The One that Got Away

For those of you following my saga of the Tomato Bandits, you'll be happy to know that I returned from Chicago to find some new little tomatoes plumping up nicely on the vine. Apparently my mother's advice concerning the aluminum pie tin was working!

I was so happy to see them and took great care in nurturing them. Until a few days later when I went out to find this on our deck railing...


It's as if they were just waiting for me to return. I can almost hear the little squeaky chatter now,

Wait, that's not her watering the plants. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her out here in a few days.
Maybe we should just lay low for awhile and see what happens.
[a few days later] There she is! Everyone in position; we move in at dusk.

OK, so that might be a little extreme (maybe even obsessive), but it's really starting to feel personal. So I decided to take things to the next level and follow my neighbor's "scarecat" advice. Since we didn't have a stuffed cat who was willing to be used, I adopted my daughter's stuffed donkey "Mo" to sit watch over the precious tomato plants.


Before you send me blazing comments about what an insensitive mom I must be to offer up my daughter's precious stuffed animal as a sacrifice to the tomato gods, let me be quick to add that she offered him willingly and enthusiastically. (She's taking the attack quite personally, too. I don't know where she gets that.)

But Mo only lasted till sundown. I couldn't bring myself to leave Little Miss's treasured friend out in the elements all night, especially since it was supposed to storm that night. (I'm not sure she really understood the fact that he wouldn't return in the same condition in which she offered him to me.) When she saw Mo inside the next morning, she asked with deep concern, "What happened? Now the squirrels will get the tomatoes!"

I assured her we would figure something out, but honestly I don't know what. I can't bring myself to endanger any other beloved stuffed animal. And I can't, in good conscience, spend money to purchase an animal that will only be left out in the heat and rain at the mercy of these cruel bandits. I may simply have to chalk this year's tomato experience up to just that...experience, and possibly console myself with the fact that I've kept the local squirrel population fed and well-hydrated this summer.

The good news is my pepper plants are doing well, and we will hopefully be enjoying some fresh, homegrown peppers soon!

The Case of the Tomato Bandits

Calling all gardeners!!

Remember my post a few weeks ago about how well my rookie gardening experience was going? Just as I was anxiously awaiting the taste of that first, ripe, juicy, homegrown tomato, a gang of bushy-tailed bandits struck and left me nothing but empty vines. I had been warned about the bandits by my neighbor who has even sacrificed her granddaughter's stuffed animal to create a scare-cat for her tomato plants. But I was naive; I did not heed her warning.

Hubby first noticed the bandits making off with their booty on Friday as we were preparing to leave for I Love America. He quickly rigged together a make-shift fence to salvage the few tiny fruits that remained.

I went out on Saturday to water the plants and estimate the damage, only to realize that an innovative rodent had somehow shimmied through the fence and made off with the last of my tiny little tomatoes! So, now after much hard work, here I sit, tomato-less.

For all you gardeners out there, how do you keep your precious plants safe from these furry little thieves? I'm desperate for any and all ideas!

I May Have a Green Thumb Afterall

This summer I took on an enormous task. I planted some vegetables--eight tomato plants and two pepper plants, to be exact. Now, before all you seasoned gardeners begin laughing and mocking my timid attempt, let me explain. I do NOT have a green thumb. Some might even say it's more of a blackish shade.

I have killed every houseplant I have owned (all of which were given to me as I know better than to spend my own money on something that will inevitably meet its demise). Once I was given a cactus, and the giver even said, "it's so easy...you won't be able to kill it." They underestimated me.

But I figure now that I've managed to keep a dog alive for eight years, a daughter for four, and a son for almost two, maybe it's time to give plants another shot. Since we will hopefully be relocating in the next few months, I opted to try just a couple different plants in pots. I also purchased some flowering plants to spruce up our deck and front porch.

It's been almost two months and I'm happy to say, they are doing well. I was so excited, I had to share some pictures...

My Cosmos plant, blooming nicely in spite of my blackish thumb!

My tomato plant doing pretty well so far!

And the best part...my first homegrown tomato!

I can't wait to taste that first tomato. That is, if I can keep Little Man from picking it before then...he's so anxious to pull one off the vine.

You'll notice I didn't post any pics of my pepper plant. I'm afraid the bugs have made a buffet of the leaves and while the plant itself seems to be doing OK, there are no peppers showing up yet. I need to do some research and help my poor little pepper plants. If any of you gardeners have any tips or hints on getting rid of leaf-eating bugs (or anything else that might be the cause) I'd appreciate it.

I will keep you posted, and I'm sure I'll be posting what becomes of that first tomato...stay tuned!