Spring is FINALLY here!

FINALLY!  The first day of my kids' spring break they went to Nana's house to sled ride.  The last day of their spring break, it was snowing.  FINALLY, they got to play outside without coats yesterday!  I worked in the yard and got all the beds ready for mulch (except edging, still have THAT to do) and started the monstrous task of picking up all the branches our willow tree drops over the winter.  I filled two and a half trash bags and you can't tell I did anything.  Being outside with the kids, Abby sunning herself, working until my muscles hurt--I didn't realize how much I missed it!  I always thought I liked spring the least, but now that I enjoy gardening, I think I've changed my mind.



As I said before, I've been on Pinterest a lot lately, and I'm getting some great ideas for gardening and outdoor decorating (painting stepping stones with glow in the dark paint).  I've read a few articles (oddly enough both emailed to me by each of my parents) on the benefits of gardening and raised beds. So I'm ready to really start.  It's a race against time to see if I can get my pepper sprouts outside before Meg eats them all.

Each square USED to have a pepper plant in it!  BAD CAT!

I'm ready to start tiling my soil and planting my crops.  I found a really cool website that will help you map out where to plant your crops in your garden and makes sure you rotate your crop placement so as not to deplete the soil.  I learned about crop rotation in school, but for some reason, it just didn't really click that it could be an issue in my garden.  Noted.  Moving plants around this year.

Below is my yard.  Or part of my backyard, rather.  This is the part I want to put the raised beds in. I was thinking about doing them the size of the sandbox (off to the left, you can't see it here) but when I really took the time to LOOK at my yard, and LOOK at my kids, I realized that this big open space I've been saving for them to use to play football and baseball when they get bigger--it's really just wasted space.  I don't have sporty kids.  They dress up like Mario and Princess Peach and reinact video game scenarios.  They ride bikes.  They swing on the willow tree or play on the swing set.  They just aren't going to one day decide, "Wait, I LOVE soccer!  I need a huge area in my back yard to play!"  Plus, there's always the front yard to use as a big open area to play in.  Until I decided to join the new wave of people turing their front yards into vegetable gardens...or I get that cow I was talking about.  So this big area is going to soon be the site of two big raised beds.

Stones I want to paint with that glow in the dark paint.  Probably toxic, but it will be outside so at least we won't be breathing it!

I still have not given up on the hope of raising chickens though.  So this spot, beside the swing set and under the shade of the willow tree, is where I'm planning to put the chicken poop, I mean coop.  I'm hoping that the willow will give the birds protection from the hot sun in the summer and a little shelter from the snow in the winter.  I'm also hoping it will serve as protection from swooping predators.

So that was my weekend.  Planning for the warm weather coming.  If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you will find that my followthrough is sometimes lacking, but I have good intentions.  I'm doing the best I can.  There's only so much you can do with an 8 month old who refuses to be put down.  I now know first hand how pioneer women felt.  I did most of the work in the front yard beds with Oliva in a sling.  Raking was significantly more difficult.  As was bending to pick up the leaves and put them in the bag.  It's also hard to find time to blog with a child who doesn't like to be out of my arms and also likes to grab the keyboard.  Which is why this is the end of this post.