Fiona's adventure with flowers.

Today on our way home from daycare I stopped at our local hardware store with the girls. I was looking for a little rake for Fiona because she loves to rake leaves but my rake is much too big for her. Of course once we were in there we also picked up some Patchmaster (best product name ever!). And Fiona asks if she can wear my "garden mittens" every day, so once we saw some little Dora gardening gloves we had to get those. Then she spotted the seeds and I thought it would be fun for her to plant some and watch them grow. Then we needed a pot to put them in. And soil for the pot. And sidewalk chalk. Anyway, loaded down with outdoor goodies we headed home.

Adele was tired so she took a nap and Fiona and I got to work with planting some flowers.

She told me on the way home that they were her flowers and she would do it herself, and she wasn't kidding. First I told her we had to put some stones in the bottom of the pot to help the water drain. She hurled a little stone in there like it was a meteor and I asked her to put them in gently so the pot didn't break. The second one was hurled in. Reminded her to be gentle. The third. "Fiona, I said GENTLY. The pot could break if you throw them in like that". Hurled the fourth. (Gritting my teeth) "Fionaaaaaaaa! GENTLY!!!" Fiona: "oh, gently? Ok Mummy". Places the fifth stone in more delicately than I could have believed. So the first four were some kind of test of my patience. Toddlers.

After that she had to scoop some of the potting soil into the pot. Getting over enthusiastic she dug up a big scoop from one of the bare patches in the lawn (hence the patchmaster) while I was trying to get the bag of soil open, but I convinced her the special soil was better for flowers. If grass and weeds won't grow on the patches, what chance would flowers have?

I told her to be careful because the flower soil was special (i.e. not free!) but who am I kidding? A significant portion was spread merrily across the path by the time she was done.

Then came the seeds. She was really excited to add the seeds because it brought her one step closer to flower planting nirvana... watering!

Then finally the dirt was there, the seeds were in, some more dirt was in... it was time to water!! Fiona loves watering my plants, and was really excited to water her very own flower pot.

Then what do you do after a long afternoon's work? Eat two bananas of course!

I really hope these seeds grow into something, it would be so fun for Fiona to watch them grow. Historically my yard has been a place where green things go to die, but maybe Fiona's excitement about watering will help these little things survive. Or send them to a soggy grave. Either way, we had fun trying!

Dandelion Update and "Not Me" Monday

I think I've almost done it. Almost every single dandelion in our yard has been eradicated. Almost... because every time I go outside I notice two or three that I've missed. I guess they like to keep me on my toes.

As a reminder, here's what it looked like before...

(you can click on the pictures to see the dandelions in all their glory)

And here's how it looks now (Ben even mowed the lawn!!)

In other yardwork news, something in the back actually produced a flower! I'm so excited!! I don't know what it is, and chances are it shouldn't be there, but it looks nice, and it's got purple flowers on it! Also, my super hardy hostas are coming back. Yay!

(L-R mystery plant, hostas)

And that is not all! My lilac bush has green leaves and does not appear to be dead! Sadly, it's not flowering, but maybe it will feel up to that next year. I've been talking to it encouragingly and thanking it for sticking around for another year, so hopefully that will help.

The back yard still needs a lot of work though, so I'll update again later.

I'm sure you'll all be happy to hear that "Not Me" Monday is back again! Here are my confessions things I would never do for this week:

I did not give Fiona a handful of cheetos, which I'm sure are full of chemicals and artificial colours and are not remotely good for babies, just to keep her occupied for long enough for me to eat my lunch sitting down rather than while chasing her round the house. I only ever feed her the most natural, wholesome, nutritious foods. 

I was not complely unprepared for the epic diaper leak that happened at the mall which completely soaked Fiona's trousers and stroller seat. Like all good mothers, of course I had a spare set of clothes with me. I certainly did not use said leak as an excuse to buy not only a pair of emergency trousers, but also two dresses and a really cute top. Not me!

I am definitely not the kind of person who would put all her daughter's bibs in the wash, forget to dry them (for three days) and end up just wrapping her poor baby in a dish towel at meal times instead. No way! Not me!

And finally, I did not get so completely obsessed with dandelions that I seriously considered buying a pocket-sized dandelion weeder so I could dig up dandelions that I spotted in other people's yards when taking walks. That would be totally crazy!! 

Have a good Monday!!

Secret Tulips

At first glance you might think that all there is in our driveway is a trailer full of rubbish from the basement...

But if you looked a little closer, you'd be wrong... hiding behind the trailer are super secret tulips!

Ginger (Ben's Mum) planted them sneakily one time when we were away, and then luckily she pointed them out to me recently, or I would never have noticed them behind the trailer. I've been checking on them every day to see how they're doing, and now they are blooming and look beautiful!

I think not knowing they were there for so long is the only reason they are still alive... I seem to have something of a 'death thumb' when it comes to gardening, and everything I touch turns to twigs. This year I'm mourning the loss of two hydrangea bushes and I think I'm finally accepting that my rhododendron is not going to make it either. 

When I was younger I had a little African Violet plant. I told my Mum that when I could keep a plant alive was when I'd be ready to have children. The African Violet is still alive, but only because my Mum nursed it back to health and thereafter remembered to water it for me... things don't look so good for Fiona!

So if anyone else would like to stop by and plant something in my garden, please do! But whatever you do, don't tell me, or it's sure to come to a sticky end. Also, keep an eye on my baby... if she looks like she could do with being watered, please remind me!