6
May
Picking Pride
My absolute favorite day of the year in Ludington is not July 4th, like the vast majority of people who live here, it’s not Gus Macker, the annual outdoor basketball tournament on the beach…… No, my absolute favorite day of the year is the last Saturday of April, Ludington’s annual Spring Clean Up.
I first learned of this local phenomenon last year, when the move from New York City was still very fresh. I was 7 months pregnant and out for my daily walk when I noticed obscene amounts of trash piled up all over town. Almost every house had a trash pile out front. I noticed people driving or walking around going from pile to pile, inspecting and selecting items to take. Trucks and vans packed with collected street trash. Ludington is a pretty quiet town, but on that day there were people all over the place… driving or walking. Kinda like an annual sidewalk sale, but nothing is for sale. It’s all free… because it’s all trash. My friend Jamie, who grew up in Ludington, told me the locals refer to this as, “Going picking.”
I have never seen anything like it in my life.
This year, the day was marked on my calendar.
5
May
Baby Steps
My baby girl started walking yesterday evening. When it happened we didn’t quite comprehend what had occurred.. so we had her do it over and over and over again. Back and forth between us. After the 4th or 5th time, it’s safe to say, LBD is walking. Baby steps for her, leaps and bounds for mom and dad. Or maybe it’s the other way around? Nonetheless, we are so proud.
Maybe I’m suppose to feel a bit of remorse, lamenting over her fast-fading baby days, but I don’t. I feel pure joy. I can’t help but celebrate the independence gained, each facet of personality revealed, each step she takes towards becoming her own little person.
When did you grow up, baby girl? So eager and willing to take on the world?
1
May
Decisions
This painting has nothing to do with this blog post. But I like it. I like Jermy Miranda’s work. It’s dreamy.
In the upcoming weeks my posting will be more irregular with the impending move. Bear with me here.
Decisions were made last week.
A couple days ago I was offered a job as a part-time youth librarian in Kansas. An incredible opportunity that I’m *really* excited about. Not only will it allow us a small extra income while Will is in school, but it’s a job I’ve always wanted to persue. The decision was made that I would accept the job and we would all move to Kansas at the end of May.
Which leads us to decisions that still need to be made.
We have to be out of our house in the middle of May but can’t move into our new house until August. Where do we live in the interim? How are we going to move down there? Who…? What..? Where.? When? How?! It’s a process.
“My basic principle is that you don’t make decisions because they are easy; you don’t make them because they are cheap; you don’t make them because they’re popular; you make them because they’re right.” -Theodore Hesburgh
22
Apr
Good As New: Container Garden
In honor of Earth Day, I thought I’d round up a few of my favorite upcycled container garden ideas. The snow has almost melted away from the other day, now we’re just waiting on some warmer, sandals and sunhats, move my seedlings outside, spend the day at the park type of weather.
22
Apr
Remember
Take care of it.
Happy Earth Day!
20
Apr
House & Home
Sorry for the lull around here. The last few days have been busy ones with all the traveling and the after-travel settling that takes place after being gone for almost a week. Needless to say, the baby traveled *extremely* well and slept like a champ the entire trip. This was improvement by leaps and bounds compared to when we were in Texas.
Finding a place to live in Kansas made the move very real. And I love our new house. It’s a little over one hundred years old with the quirks of an older home, but all the charm. It’s the perfect for the three of us. Will also had his new student orientation at the college. Afterward, he told me, “Honey, I’m so excited about this. Not just because of school, but because of our life here. It feels so right.”
I’m excited too.
15
Apr
Good Morning, Good Morning
Took this photo before our trip to Kansas this week. Glow worm was up at the crack of dawn.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!
14
Apr
Teenage Seedlings
Due to a mischievous cat and freakishly large cucumbers, I did a little transplanting of my seedlings over the weekend. Zydeco has been caught nibbling on my garlic chives and stepping on my zinnias and cucs, some have survived some have seen their demise. To save my now teenage seedlings from their nemesis, I moved them into larger containers…. Read More
11
Apr
A few noteables…
Ever since my husband decided on Kansas for where he wants to go back to school, the whirlwind of preparations commenced. While we are busy making plans, life continues on. A few notable details over the past few days….
We found a place to live in Kansas. I cannot tell you how much of a relief this is.
LBD is standing all by herself. She’ll be walking any day now.
The cat got into my plants. Again. I’ll be lucky if they make it another week. He obviously doesn’t take any of my threats seriously.
Yesterday, I took the baby for a walk. We didn’t wear coats. First time all year. Spring is here. Today, I had to put a coat on. That’s just how it goes.
I’ve been getting prepared for our trip this week to Kansas. We’ll be there making arrangements for our move while there visiting a few familiar faces in the interim.
Feeling a little overwhelmed, but also full of energy.
Lots of new.
Lots to do.
8
Apr
Baby Hangover
LBD didn’t sleep the entire week we were in Texas.
She didn’t sleep the week after we returned either. It was the worst she has ever slept in her entire nine months of existence.
Then I got sick. And then the baby got sick. And then the husband. We were a cooped up bunch of overtired sickes.
She’s back to sleeping full nights now. (REJOICE!)
In light of the situation, I thought I’d put together a guide for myself of “How to Stay Alive After An All-Nighter: Baby Edition”. After a week of no sleep with a sick and teething babe child, life gets pretty interesting. And it’s nothing like those one-too-many late nights during the pre-baby days. Recovery was cake compared to this.
Remedy for a Baby Hangover
1. Sleep whenever you have the chance during the day. DON’T do the laundry. DON’T answer the phone. DON’T catch up on missed Castle episodes. DON’T do whatever it is you think you have to do. (I’m still learning how to do this step.)
2. One cup of coffee max or none at all. I usually make myself a weak cup of coffee in the morning, but when I was sick I didn’t have any and I felt so much better for it. The experts were right about this one. Imagine that? Weird.
3. Jellybeans. Jeallybeans makes everything better.
4. Fix your face. Take a shower. No matter how tired or grumpy or worn out I am, I take a shower. I even (gasp) blow-dry my hair and maybe even a apply a little mascara. I swear it’s like hitting the “refresh” button, even if it’s a temporary facade of being well-rested.
5. Laugh. One of the best parts of being overtired are the bizarre giggling fits when everything is funny because you can’t even construct complete sentences. Because you put your cell phone in the freezer. Or when showering you shampoo your hair three times because you didn’t remember the first two.
6. Remember it will all be over soon. Baby will go back to sleeping eventually and you in turn will sleep again.
Promise.
