I Love Landscaping

There are times that I dread yardwork. Like when it's in the upper 90s and the humidity is high. Or when it's going to involve removing trees and/or tree limbs. Or mowing (not usually my job, but I help out sometimes).

Honestly, it's a bit of a love/hate relationship. Generally, I hate getting started, but once I get started, I get into a zone of just completing physical labor, and I begin to enjoy it. And I love the way things look once I've completed a task.

The exception is when we're planting new stuff. I just plain love doing landscaping! And we planted a lot of new stuff this weekend. Take a look:

These gloves

I am so proud of these gloves. That sounds a little silly, perhaps, but they are symbols of my hard labor. Before we moved, I had to go out and buy my little ladies gardening gloves every couple of years. They were more than sufficient for protecting my hands while pulling weeds from mulch beds, or planting perennials & annuals, or the simple gardening tasks that I needed to do. And they were really cute!

I had to buy a new pair of gardening gloves after we moved because the old ones were a little ratty, so I figured "new house, new gloves." Let me tell you, those pretty ladies gardening gloves did not make the grade. The prickers that seemed to grow all over our wooded areas poked through the fabric, I would get blisters from pulling out the stubborn undergrowth that had taken hold over the years that our lot was a pine forest, and within several weeks they had holes in them. I tried a few other ladies gloves, but none of them fit the bill for the type of labor I was now doing.

So I bought these small men's leather work gloves. And after a year and a half of clearing undergrowth, hauling branches, cutting down small trees, pulling up kudzu and poison oak (and all the other vines that grow around here), removing all the stickers, planting shrubs and trees, raking leaves, and myriad other types of yardwork these gloves are still hanging in there.

They are dirty. Filthy, really. And the leather has molded to the contours of my hands. They are stiff each time when I first put them on, but are soon relaxed by my sweat and the moisture of the earth. And they symbolize my hard work.

Last weekend while doing some more clearing of undergrowth on the north side of the house, I noticed that one of the prickers poked through a part of the glove that has gotten thin with use, so I may be retiring these gloves in favor of a new pair next season. But I will always be proud of what I accomplished while wearing these gloves, because the amount of labor required these first few years will never compare.

I want to know

who the monstrous children are whose measurements are used by Rubie's Costume Company when they make children's Halloween costumes. Seriously. The sleeves on the girls' costumes are nearly 6 INCHES too long. 6 INCHES! If their arms were that long, their fingers would be below their knees. Yes, the costumes are size 4-6, and my girls are petite in the weight category, but sleeves on size 6 shirts and dresses generally fit them.

Oh, and the belt for Ryan's Clone Trooper costume is 32 inches. 32INCHES! My full grown husband who is nearly 6 feet tall has a 34 inch waist. The costume is for BOYS, size 8-10. And the smallest that the belt can be made without covering up some of the "gadgets" is 28 inches. The costume fits him quite nicely through the body, but the belt won't stay up even if I attach it around his shoulders. And this has been a problem EVERY SINGLE YEAR with these types of belts. Even on the smaller sizes.

So I would like to see these 42"-46" tall children whose arms dangle below their knees with waists the diameter of a grown man. Seriously. What were they thinking when they sized these?!

Time to get Spooky

I got a pretty good coupon from the company that we've bought the kids' Halloween costumes from the past few years, and it expires soon. So even though Halloween is a long ways a way (relatively speaking), we've ordered the costumes.

The kids are already starting to hound me about "when will they be here?!" Even though I have a STRICT policy that other than trying the costumes on for size (and to see what needs to be altered by me), they don't get to wear them for play until AFTER Halloween. I guess it's just exciting to have them here. I actually can remember that kind of excitement about my costumes as a child.

And I have discovered a down side to having a son before having daughters. Especially a son who is as revered by his sisters as Ryan is. I was excited by all the new fairy and princess and fairy princess costumes in the catalog this year, couldn't wait to see which ones they'd choose. But Ryan is going as a Clone Trooper from Star Wars:

















So the girls want to be Princess Leia. Both of them. Think they'll get it if I call them "Princess LeiA" and "Princess LeiB"? I think it's kind of funny...

Let's Go.... Hokies!

As someone who grew up in a home where football was not a big deal, who went to a high school where the football team was mediocre at best, who went to a college with NO football team at all, I never developed an appreciation for the support. Until I met Kevin. His enthusiasm about Virginia Tech football is contagious.

It started out small. I'd watch an occasional game or at least sit in the same room as Kevin while the game was on (that counts, right?). And then I would buy him his Hokie gear as gifts. But over the past 15 years, I have gradually become more interested in the game. I actually enjoy watching VT games with Kevin, which surprises me as much as it may surprise those who "knew me when."

And while it can be exciting to watch a game on TV, it does not even come close to being there. I LOVE going to the games. Really! We're even making plans to start getting season tickets for all 5 of us when the girls are just a bit older. The tailgating is right up my alley, and the cheering and excitement of the fans is infectious. It is such a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

We got to go see VT play Eastern Carolina this past Saturday with some friends and neighbors (and former neighbors--long story, but Julie who used to live next door is from a VT family and they had tickets but weren't going to use them since the game was in Charlotte, so she and Stephanie came down to the game (sans kids!!!)).

We left the house at 7:15 AM (ugh), and had our tailgate set up by 8:15. Lots of yummy food, mimosas, Baggo, a little beer, and great friends all made for a fabulous time (even though the Hokies lost in the last few minutes). I can't wait to go to my next game, although I'm hoping the kickoff will be a little later...