Progress

It's been a while since I've checked in with my 40 Before 40 progress, so get ready for a deluge of pictures of my yard.  Hahaha.  Number 16 on my list is to develop a new talent/skill this year, and landscaping is what I decided to try my hand out.  (Especially since list item number 19 is to work on the landscaping in our yard.) 

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed learning all about landscaping and then putting it into action in order to bring my vision to life.  {Although -- spoiler alert -- I have a tendency to think REAL big and therefore I only have the budget to implement "Phase 1" this year.}  I did TONS of research, both online and the old-fashioned way with hard copy books checked out of the library, and by the time I started sketching out my dream, I felt like I was practically an expert.  Haha.  One thing I have discovered about myself is that I have a very specific aesthetic and I have no problem identifying what I don't like.  ;)

 (Here's a sneak peak at what I'm planning for the backyard next year.)

(I'm not kidding about the research -- I even made spreadsheets!)

(I found this handy planting pyramid guideline somewhere on Pinterest and thought it was super helpful in creating balance, variety, and texture to my design.  In a nutshell, the tippy top of the pyramid is what you have the fewest of, and as you move down the triangle you should have more and more as you go.  And since I'm sure you can't really decipher what's scribbled in my plans up there, here are the categories from top to bottom:  TREES * EVERGREEN SHRUBS * DECIDUOUS SHRUBS * PLANTS/FLOWERS/GRASSES * VINES/GROUNDCOVER * BULBS/HERBS/ANNUALS.  In full disclosure, I didn't get around to planting anything in the bottom category -- but I do intend to plant hundreds of bulbs this fall.  😉)

Alright!!!  Let's get started, shall we???  I had to dig through tons and tons of older pictures to try and find some "before" shots of the front yard, but I managed to find a few...

The most Before of the Befores.  Taken at the end of March 2018 during our house hunting trip out here during Spring Break.  It was gray/rainy almost the whole time we were here -- plus nothing was really blooming yet -- so it looks much more depressing than it probably was.  Haha.

Move in day!  End of May 2018.  There was lots of green all around, but the bushes in the front were all pretty shaggy and overgrown.

June 2018 -- This was the After of my pruning efforts on the hydrangea bushes and crape myrtle in front of the porch.  Unfortunately, I somehow always forget to take pictures BEFORE I actually start working some magic.

I think this must have been somewhere towards the end of June 2018, when we were prepping the garden for some day lilies and mulch.  To prep for this year's vision, I ripped out everything on this side of the garden bed except for the boxwood in the back and the hydrangea shrub.  And the stargazer lilies in front of them.

July 2018 -- our day lilies were planted and the crape myrtle was in bloom!  This was probably the best the yard looked last year.

Alright!  Now we're getting to the good stuff!!! April 2019 -- my favorites were purchased and waiting to be planted.  

The next few shots showcase what I added on to the existing landscaping:  I decided to wrap the bed around the side of the house and create some visual interest on what was a very blank and boring wall. 

There was so much sod to bust up and prep for planting.  It was back breaking enough that I've been seeing the chiropractor regularly as a result.  Hahaha.  #seriouslythough

So much ground to break.

And ta da!  End of April 2019. We finally got everything planted and mulched last weekend.  And I'm not going to lie -- I'm kind of in love.  Hahaha.  I told Scott the other day that I feel like every morning is Christmas and I can't wait to go outside and see what's starting to bloom!  

I saved close to a thousand dollars by foregoing the purchase of edging stones and instead using all the ones I dug up while tilling the ground and planting.  So you could say I was pretty proud of myself for that.  Hahahaha.

I can't wait to see the progression of blooms as the season goes on!

All the roses have already started to bloom, and one of the peony bushes has as well. 😍

 The Olivia Rose Austins in the front...

And the Golden Celebrations yellow roses have just started to bloom as well!

And there you have it!  My current progress on the yard and my 40 Before 40.  I'll have to devote another post to covering some of the other things I've been checking off the list.  ;) 

May Madness Begins

Forget about basketball and the month of March -- MAY is when the actual madness occurs.  We are full swing into our end-of-school-year shuffle and our calendar has been PACKED for the last several weeks.  With only three weeks left until summer, however, the end is in sight!

In all honesty, I don't even know where to start with all the catch up that needs to happen, so forgive me if this becomes tedious and monotonous.  I'm thinking bullet points and brief recaps are the best way to get this done, so let's start from the top:

• Easter

This year's holiday was mostly the uzh, with one notable exception -- the gig is up on the Bunny for all but the baby.  I was planning on allowing this fact --and the fact that there's been so much going on -- to scratch the baskets for everyone, but there was enough of an uproar when I suggested it that I went ahead and made my magic happen like always.

 Isaac was super stoked to participate in the Ward Easter Egg Hunt the day before.

As for the REAL reason for the holiday, well, I'd like to commend myself for doing a better job than in years past at focusing on the Savior and His sacrifice and including the kids in our attempt to celebrate Holy Week.  There's definitely room for improvement, but it's the striving that counts, right??

• Dates

I've had a few memorable dates this past month, culminating in my favorite date of all -- even if it WAS a super low-key anniversary date at Panera where we didn't even bother commemorating our 17 years with a photograph.  Hahaha.  Yes, it's true.  Scott and I have now been married for a staggering 17 years.  It seems like just yesterday we were starry-eyed newlyweds on Temple Square, posing for pictures as a newly minted husband and wife.

 Jane and I went out for a quick lunch date last week after her dentist appointment.

 And Isaac and I enjoyed a Costco lunch date last Friday after driving 2 hours to get to the closest one.

• Squirm

On Monday, we had the excitement of attending Alex's 2nd Grade Musical entitled "Squirm! A Wiggly, Giggly, Squiggly Musical" and it was a hoot.  Alex had a coveted speaking part as a Hookworm and he's been practicing his lines along with all the songs for weeks now.  I think it's safe to say that we ALL enjoyed the program.  :)

 Alex and one of his best friends, Perry.

 Waiting for the show to begin!

• Testing

It's hard to believe, but with the school year drawing to a close, that means that Ethan's very first AP exam is also on the horizon.  He's been studying almost non-stop for his AP US History test (or APUSH as the cool kids call it) and I know he'll be so relieved when it's all over one week from today.

• Tik Tok

I'm sure none of YOU have been keeping track of the fact that I never made Grace a birthday cake back in November, but she sure has.  Haha.  I was sick with bronchitis that week, and never got around to making one, mostly because she never had a definitive answer on what kind of cake she wanted this year and also because I had no idea that she would be throwing it in my face for the next 6 months whenever she got upset about anything.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to surprise her with a cake on her HALF-birthday, and I had the perfect idea for the theme.  Unfortunately for my surprise, last Saturday -- out of nowhere! -- Grace asked me if I'd do a half-birthday cake for her since I never made a real one.  Womp womp!!! Hahahaha.  I told her I'd be happy to and that I had already been planning one in secret.  I think she was tickled pink by this news, and on Wednesday (May 1st), I had a Tik Tok cake ready and waiting when she got home from school for her to blow out the candles and partake.

Tik Tok -- the app formerly known as Musical.ly

 There are 14 1/2 candles on here in case you were wondering.  Hahaha.

 The theme is mostly an inside joke with Grace because she's always talking about people at school who have become "Tik Tok famous."

 (This nice little Now-and-Then popped up in my Google Photos.)

• Tryouts

She didn't have TOO long to dig into the cake before heading back out the door, however, because Wednesday was also the day of her big Soccer Tryouts.  After taking her and her friend Emma over to the high school, I quite enjoyed sitting on the sidelines and watching the tryouts in action.  Grace was quite certain at the end that there was no way she was going to make the team, but I think she enjoyed herself nonetheless and that's all that really matters, right??

• Fiestas 

And finally, that brings us to last night's entertainment session -- Grace's Language Festival at the junior high.  It's been on the calendar for months, but I guess I never really dug too deeply to find out what exactly it would entail, because once we arrived I was surprised to see what a big deal it was!  Haha.  The entire 8th grade and all the foreign language classes were represented in last night's extravaganza of cultural appreciation.  Tri-fold poster boards lined the hallways and "cafetorium" with recipes and step-by-step pictures for various German, French, and Spanish food items.  And THEN, we were treated to a full on program with skits, poems, songs, and dances presented in their corresponding languages.  And as an extra credit special, Grace participated in a a Merengue dance at the end that certainly entertained us all.  

 We were totally running out of printer ink as Grace was printing these pictures out at like 10 o'clock the night before the poster was due.

 This kid is so studious -- he brought his AP book with him to study while at Grace's Festival.

 Her group did a song about conjugating verbs.

This was the best I could get of her Merengue group and she wouldn't pose for me afterwards.

Whew!  It's been an exhausting few weeks.  Only 3 more to go!  We can do it, we can do it, we can do it!