Recent Lovliness

Ya'll, I want to do less recap-ing and more writing. To that end, I'm going to try to do fewer posts that are just blurbs about daily life... after this one. I have some pictures that I want to share :-)

Lily Ruth is heading toward her third birthday at top speed and her head down in a 'get outta my way or I'll mow you down' posture - figuratively. Things have gotten HARD. I got off easy as far as Terrible Twos, but we seem to be gearing up for Volcanic Threes. While she remains an amazing, smart, funny child, a lot of our day-to-day is absolutely exhausting. Between my resolution to be more active and her seeming resolution to throw an out and out tantrum at the drop of a feather, we are worn out every. single. night. That has translated into less posting, but you were probably tired of seeing pictures of my garden anyway... well too bad :-P

Everything is sprouting! I thinned the rows last week, and it broke my heart:

But I used a handful of sprouts on my sandwich the same day, and that made me feel pretty good :-)

 The flamingo - who's name is either Ray or Gray depending on Lily Ruth's mood - has settled in to life in the Doyle garden.

He wears glow-in-the-dark necklaces during late evening play sessions and moves at will (or rather, Daddy's whim) from garden bed to garden bed. This morning, he was in the corn, and when Lily Ruth returns home today, he will greet her from the sunflowers.

The bean teepee is growing at an exciting rate! Some of the tendrils grow several inches a day - no lie.

The rest of the plants are doing their part as well, but there's nothing like a pole bean for exciting growth progress :-)

Enough about plants! How about more Lily Ruth antics! She has entered a phase of constant interrupting. Sometimes for attention, but usually for clarification. 'What did you just say? Are you talking about Miss June?' 'Who did you call? Was that my daddy?' 'Did Daddy say he's coming home now?' OI! If she'd let me finish a sentence, she'd have her answer!

We are still trying to be as active as possible in the mornings before the weather gets so hot here that all we can do is swim or be real still... that ought to happen pretty soon :-/ So here is my interrupting angel playing with cascarones (confetti eggs - a spring time tradition in these parts) and having a picnic with her dog (and her mama) by the river:

We had a wonderful Easter weekend filled with family, food and fun. The church egg hunt is a big hit every year. This year was her probably last as a 'little one' with the eggs 'hidden' every 6 inches on flat grass. Next year she'll likely join the big kids as they swarm like locusts down a steep hill toward the springs in a winner-takes-all for the Golden Eggs. It was nice to savor some quiet time while we can:

Nanny's lap has healing powers

'That's enough eggs! I all done.' - after finding about 10...

Lily Ruth and Lola dance with flowers

Beautiful face paint!

a contemplative moment by the fountain while waiting her turn for the face painter

Easter Sunday was beautiful and cool-ish. We had a lovely lunch on the back patio. Lily Ruth is the only one young enough to hunt eggs. She likes it that way. She was more interested in the hunt when she was alone, and didn't believe me when I told her that she'd found them all!

She helped me choose the ribbons and trim for her basket handle - I absolutely love the way it turned out. Just a simple basket that is light enough for her to hold and beautiful colors cascading off the top :-)

There's not a lot else going on. Just trying to take each day bird by bird and be present in each moment. Not an easy task when a lot of moments are filled with tantrums *sigh* but I'm working on it.

I'm also working on a new project. Lily Ruth's beaded mobile inspired me to try something else. Today I began wiring a set of olive/avocado/tan beads with neon green 20 gauge copper wire:

I'm going to string them in my garden. Short strips of a few beds each across corners or dangling from the teepee. The idea of something completely unnecessary and whimsical suits my mood. The wire shapes remind me of growing tendrils and roots.

OH! My essay will be published on Baltimore Fishbowl next Wednesday (4/18/12). I'll post a link then. For now, I must return to reality. I need to make a spreadsheet for my plants. My nerd-brain demands it.