56 Years Together/It's a BOY!

Today my parents celebrated their 56th year of marriage. FIFTY-SIX....wow. They have lived together for over half of a century. It boggles the mind.

I took the folks to Rusty's in Decatur for a steak for lunch, then to the flooring store so that mom could browse through the millions of vinyl and carpet samples. It was a challenge...I'd like new carpeting throughout the entire upstairs, and the basement definitely needs new flooring due to the floods we have had. The "I wants" was definitely nagging at the back of my mind. But the day wasn't about me, it was about mom and dad. Therefore, I resisted the urge to purchase.

After a quick stop at Cubs, I drove the folks around in the country to admire the view. We ended up at Fairies Park, watching deer graze at the edge of a field. How beautiful.

The BEST news of the day was from my daughter. Alana's sonogram revealed that she is DEFINITELY having a baby boy!!! "Baby Gabie" (Gabriel will be his name) is exactly 21 weeks along today. I'm SO excited that we now know that we will have a little boy. I've been putting off major shopping because we were unsure of the sex, but now...LOOK OUT! Grandma is going shopping!!!!!!! The little prince already has lots of clothes from garage sales, friends, and relatives, so I will concentrate more on the nursery aspect. I can't wait. Alana & I are going to have SO much fun! The biggest honor will be that I will be in the delivery room with her. It will be tough to see my baby in so much pain, but wonderful to help the precious baby into the world.

After Alana's class tonight at Richland, she came over and we watched "My Mom's New Boyfriend" (I think that was the name) with Antonio Banderis and Meg Ryan. We played rummy, drank Coke and drooled over Antonio together. It was a nice day with an even nicer evening.

shel

Fertilize, Fertilize, Fertilize

Notice to my family members that may want to read my blog:
STOP! If you're not interested in fertilizing, don't waste your time. Call me instead and we'll have a chat about the latest craziness in my household.

Notice to garden fans:
This may bore you, but it's important!

The standard procedure for fertilizing lawns in central Illinois is to haul out the old broadcast spreader and purchase lawn fertilizer and weed killer four times a year. The first week or so of September (remember Labor Day) is one of the most important times for the fertilization. Grass, especially our Kentucky Blue Grass, is back in it's full glory of brilliant green since the weather has become cooler and the rains have started again. Keep in mind that you don't have to buy an expensive name-brand product; instead, compare labels. I happen to be running late this year, but I will definitely do my lawn soon.

Be sure to also fertilize around Thanksgiving. This will allow a good root system to develop for your lawn to help hold it over the winter.

If you have a score to settle with a bad neighbor, sneak over in the middle of the night with a bag of fertilizer and use a scoop to pour out fertilizer so that you spell something, like "My dog poops in your yard." It's almost like writing "wash me" on a dirty windshield. (I'm just kidding here, although I considered writting a bad word on a neighbor's lawn when we lived in Bloomington...but really, don't do it!)

When the time comes, we'll talk about the spring fertilizing.

shel
p.s. I try to not use a lot of chemicals, but I do take good care of my lawn. There's just something about walking barefoot on a velvety lawn that makes a person's heart happy. (Just ask my brother-in-law, Rick. Happy Birthday, Rick! Happy Lawns to you!)

It's raining, it's pouring.......

It rained again today. Bummer. Normally I wouldn't mind the moisture (my yard has been dry and cracked for quite some time) but I had high hopes of getting the hardy primrose and hydrangea planted, as well as getting the lawn fertilized. Brandon was also supposed to work on my car today (oh, how I love my little Honda Civic!) so that I could stop driving the gas hog van.

I had planned on having a Thanksgiving in September meal for lunch, but my electric oven has decided to play games with me. The poor thing just didn't want to cooperate and cook my bird. Instead, Pizza Hut got a big order, and the turkey, pumpkin pie, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, baked apples & cranberries, mashed potatoes with sour cream & shredded cheddar, and fried biscuits were served for dinner. Luckily Erin and Jaden came over to help chow down. Most of the leftovers were sent home with them as husband Max isn't thrilled with leftovers (plus the only things he would eat would be the turkey, apples, and mashed potatoes.)

What turned out to be rainy gloomy day ended up being a foggy, damp night. My gardens appreciate the moisture but I'm ready for some sunshine!

shel

Fabulous Day

Oh, what a spectacular day! The weather started out a bit gloomy but it turned out to be a perfect autumn-like day.

My sister Shannon came over to spend her birthday with me. We had Christmas Cookie coffee (sweetened with sugar, vanilla flavored creamer, and topped with whipped cream...it gives me a cavity just thinking about it), turtle biscotti, and chocolate elcairs while we played two grown-up games of Scrabble. NOTE: Grown-up Scrabble is when you use more than two or three letter words for every single turn, which is opposite of my English-poor but extremely intelligent husband.

After a lunch of four cheese lasagna, garlic bread with cheese, a yummy spring greens salad, and corn, we took a half-mile walk down our country road. On the way back to the house we stopped at my friend Becky's house. Her gardens are so beautifully perfect that they should be featured in a magazine. Shannon and I enjoyed the tour that Becky gave us, then Shan had to hit the road. It was a wonderful day.

Miracles DO happen. My husband decided that we would go to the Boondocks restaurant at Weldon Springs, and then watch "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." DEFINITE chick-flick, and definitely not his type of movie. It was great!

Days like this happen only a few times a year, so I savor every second of them. Life is great!

shel

Bryan's Special Day

Recently my grandson Bryan turned 3 years old. His mommy & daddy threw a wonderful party for him in their new back yard. Bryan got many wonderful presents, but his two favorite were the child-size red wagon (he pulled it around the yard and cried when he had to give it up in order to open more presents) and his Lamborghini. All of the kids had a great time playing on the new swingset (thanks to Papa Max for putting it together, and Wal-Mart for marking it down to $25.00!)

Bryan is coming over to spend the night. I will have a surprise for him...the kids' room will be cleaned of clutter and rearranged! Erin & Jaden came over yesterday to help me pack up the crafts from the captain's bed drawers, and we took the bed to their house. Maybe this surprise is not as exciting as a wagon or battery-operated car, but still pretty cool. Guess that means I need to hang up and get busy organizing!

shel

Townwide Garage Sales

Oh, how I love when Clinton has townwide sales! Usually I am on the lookout for anything that will hold soil or water, but yesterday I was nose-to-the-grindsone in search of baby items. (Which was a very successful search.)

Today I will go back out to a few more, including one just a mile from me, on a garden hunt. Wish me luck!

shel

The Worx Weed Whacker

A few weeks ago my husband saw an infomercial for "The Worx" series of yard equipment. It was advertised as being very lightweight and easy to use since it is run by a large rechargable battery (no extension cords to trip over or heavy gasoline motors to start & lug around). He strongly suggested that I order it. At the time, I was skeptic and said I'd check into it.

The same informercial was on again a few days later, and I was able to catch most of it. I was sold. I called the toll-free number and was talked into also purchasing the two other tools that were battery-friendly, the hedge trimmer and the leaf blower (we already have two.) It cost an additional $100, making my total order over $200.00. I anxiously awaited for the garden equipment to arrive.

I was immediately disappointed upon opening the box. The tools were made of a very cheap plastic. I plugged in the battery and set the equipment aside, waiting to pass final judgement by tackling the weeds.

Unfortunately, the Worx did not stand up to the hype. It is definitely a "citified" weed whacker, intended to cut off tender grasses and other small, easily destroyed weeds. The big country weeds, with stems 1/4" in diameter or more, were only insulted by the string. I had to remove the battery and place it into the hedge trimmer to cut the ragweed and other countryside weeds.

The Worx also touts the fact that you don't have to bump the head of the stringholder on the ground in order to feed string. Supposedly, it feeds itself. I found that the string would go down to approximately 1 1/2" long and wouldn't feed itself, so I'd have to push a button and pull the string out by hand. This is definitely as pain, as I have poison ivy lurking everywhere in the yard, and am highly allergic to it. (Steroid shot in the butt, here I come!)

To summarize, pass on the Worx yard & garden equipment unless you live in town and want to simply trim the grass. I need a more stury, harder working model for my country home.

shel