Seed Update

It seems a little soon for an update on our seeds, but check out what they have done in the past 2 days:


I think we are going to have to think about transplanting them into larger pots...

Green Thumb

On the way back from Quebec City last week, we made a pit stop at a very big and very nice garden center. It was such a beautiful day and seeing all the flowers and plants made it hat much nicer. Arabella was so excited to see all of the colors and kept smelling every single flower she could, it was adorable!


We looked at herb plants and also at all of the different seeds that they carried. I was amazed at how many there were. Arabella wanted to pick out some seeds to plant with the pumpkin seeds that Grammie had sent to her. So we let her pick some out and we also purchased a seed starting greenhouse. I was planning on waiting a little while before we planted the seeds, but as soon as we walked in the door, she had to plant them!




We checked on the seeds on Tuesday and were amazed at what we saw...


Arabella is checking the progress on a daily basis...and they are growing and growing, much fast than I thought they would. Stay posted for more seed updates!

Summer Scenes

We have the most beautiful hydrangea plants in our yard. I am amazed at how large the blooms are! I was out in the yard over the weekend and I captured these shots. I think I may go and cut some since they would make a beautiful arrangement on the dining room table.



We also had a serious thunderstorm one afternoon earlier this week. The clouds turned quite dark and the thunder rumbled for a long time before the sky opened. The storm was quick moving, but it was very loud and the clouds were ominous. I was surprised that Arabella slept through it since it hit right in the middle of nap time.

Busy, Busy, Busy

So I know that I have been slacking in the update department and I told myself that I would try and play catch up on the blog today. Part of the reason is that the weather has been nice, it finally stopped raining and we have been outside. We also had a houseful of guests for 2 weekends in a row so I have been catching up on things around the house. But since it is a beautiful, sunny and warm afternoon, I decided to enjoy quiet time out on the patio while Arabella naps...and so there is so reason for me not to catch everyone up on what we have been doing!!

I am not too sure where to start, but a shopping trip to Costco is as good a place as any right?? Why you might ask? Well, first off it is seems like I am there at least once a week. And there is always something new and exciting that we think we need to buy. And so on the particular trip in question, Arabella wanted to see the lobsters. She loves to watch the lobsters in the tanks at the grocery store and was very excited to see the large tanks at Costco. So since it wasn't too busy of a day, we went over and checked them out. The man behind the case took out a huge lobster for Arabella to look at and she even touched it...after I did first of course. I couldn't believe how big it was. And normally I would have just walked away. After all, Jay has all the fresh lobster he can eat when he is in Nova Scotia on business and really he is the only one who eats it. I used to eat lobster when I was little and my dad had his own lobster pots...not sure what happened to my taste for it, but I am OK with not eating it. Anyway, the man proceeded to tell me that they were flown in fresh this morning and the price was right, $7.69 a lb. Once of the claws was a big as my hand. Arabella started asking if we could get a lobster, so I called Jay and asked him if he wanted one...and so we ended up with a lobster in out cart! I swear Arabella thought we were going to take it home and have a tank for it, like it was a pet. She started to call it Mr. Lobster and I started to feel sick about his upcoming demise. So when we got home, I took him out of the bag he was in and let him walk around a little on the kitchen floor, Arabella seemed to enjoy that part and then we put him in the largets backing dish that I had and put him back in the fridge.



Arabella wanted to keep seeing him...seriously, she thought he was a pet and we were going to keep him. I kept telling her that she and Daddy were going to eat it for dinner...at the time it didn't seem to bother her. Making matters worse was that every time I opened the fridge, he was right there staring me down. Honestly, I started to feel worse and worse about the whole thing. Later that night, Jay got home from a customer dinner and I was telling him about our day with Mr. Lobster and so he wanted to see it. As soon as I opened the fridge, he says "OK, now that is freaky"...and I ask him "What?" and he replies "Seeing the lobster in the fridge like that is freaky, good thing I didn't open it in the middle of the night" and then I say, "Serious, Jay you eat them, does it really freak you out" and he replies "But they are already cooked and not moving around like that, you can shut the door now." So at this point, I feel horrible and can't wait for it to be cooked and out of the fridge! So the next night for dinner, I get the pot full of boiling water, and I just can't bear to put the lobster in the water. I used to watch my dad do it all summer long growing up, but now, I am sick to my stomach. So Jay finally has to step in

And then this was Arabella's reaction when se tried it:

Jay enjoyed it, but, this will probably be the last time that I buy lobster for a while!

Arabella has been making awesome progress with her swim lessons and she loves that 2 of her best friends, GiGi and Allyson, are in her class with her! She loves to be in the water and we are looking forward to our pool being open soon!



On a bright, Springtime note, the Cherry Tree outside my kitchen window bloomed. When it blooms, it is beautiful and the pink is so bright, it is hard to not smile when you see it. My only issue with the tree is that the blooms don't last longer than a week. But while it is blooming, it is a welcome sight!


In between the rain drops, we have been trying to plant and spend as much time in the fresh air as possible. Arabella planted the sunflowers that Grampy sent to her and also a bunch of tomato plants. She loves to garden and take care of the plants by watering and she watches closely to see how they are growing.




Sometimes she just lounges around like a lady of leisure, rides her tricycle or has a fun time playing in the hammock!

My Garden Helper

It seems that Arabella has caught the gardening bug and has a budding green thumb. This morning, she helped me plant 3 hibiscus' for the back patio.



I bought a huge bag of potting soil at Costco for $10.75, but didn't realize how big it was until Arabella was standing next to it! It is, or shall I say was, as tall as her.


She had a lot of fun and even watered the plants when we were finished potting them.




Now we are off to buy some herbs and veggies and the back yard will be complete!