Our Garden

I love our house. It has quirks, like the 11" tall lazy river-flushing toilets that we are replacing one by one, and the questionable duct work for the dryer under the house so that we have to use a small water-filled lint-trap that sits on top of the dryer until we can fix it. And the "in-house vacuum system" that doesn't seem to do anything but take up a corner of our garage. And the state of the house when we moved in was . . . kind of gross. The showers had such heavy hard-water buildup they reminded me of some of the mineral geysers at Yellowstone. And we have a water-softener so . . .? My mom and sister spent TWO DAYS on the kitchen when we moved in. And guys? It's a little kitchen. The carpet has some stains, and buckles in the upstairs hallway. And for some reason which remains a mystery, the kids' bathroom door smelled like an old cinnamon bear.

But with a lot of elbow grease and help from my parents and sister, we've scrubbed out the layers of age and neglect. Some of the improvements have to wait until we come back from the adoption, but that's okay. Because I love our house. We've lived here for almost two years now and I love waking up here. Especially in the spring, summer, and fall. I love it when Brandon opens the bedroom curtains and our slider door to let in fresh morning air and sunshine. A dozen birds are singing in our trees and the leaves of the birch trees dance and play in our view. I love the green front door. I love the yellow walls in most of the house, and I love the light that comes in from the tall windows in almost every room. I love that our TV room is small and our family room is big. I love that I have a staircase with a wall to display family pictures as it winds up. I've never had that before. And though our kitchen is small, it's cheerful and cozy, and I do have plans for updating it someday, but it's a good size for me. It takes minutes to clean and I don't cringe thinking of the back pain I might have afterward. The house has a front "formal dining room" with a bay window. We don't need a formal dining room. But it works pretty well as a library and piano room. And maybe a little writing desk?

So the house has its quirks. But it came with gardens. Gardens I've only dreamed of. Gardens I missed in Wyoming's harsh climate. So while I love the character of our house, if I'm honest, the gardens are what sold it. The brick and ivy. The mature trees. The arbors. In the warm seasons, this is my writing room.

I feel so blessed to call this home.

In The Meantime

The last two weeks have been slow on the adoption work. We have a packet due at the end of this month but a large portion of that needs us to already be in Washington. We are feeling the pressure to get this house sold. I wish I could just start packing things up, have the yard sale, and change our address so we can put our new information on the adoption docs. We are also waiting for our physical exam appointments, the police reports saying neither Brandon or I have a criminal record or anything, and since I am self-employed I need to have a CPA write a letter saying I'm an author and I make a little money doing it. The birth certificates, marriage license, Brandon's employment letter, and passport copies have been taken care of, and I've composed our application letter to the Chinese government asking for permission and approval to adopt from their country.

Everything else, including the I800 A form, needs us to be moved. So we are praying hard.

We have found a house! We love it. We have made a contingency offer and it's been accepted. We are so close.

While we are waiting I've done a few projects outside in the warm summer sunshine. And in some wind. And briefly in a sudden thunder storm.

PAINTING THE PATIO FURNITURE

This was a big project but I gained some courage from Pinterest and my mom and sister. They are super-encouragers. If you ever need encouraging, find them. My mom will feed you baked goods. She's a dangerous woman.

This is what our old set looked like:

I liked the black when we first got it, but it had faded and begun to rust.

I scrubbed the rusty places away with a wire brush. You don't want that under your  new paint!

Nobody wanted to sit on it because it looked dirty.

So I found some pics on Pinterest and pretty much thought I could handle the job. I was right. 

Rustoleum Ultra Cover Primer, white. 1 coat top and bottom.

I primed in the garage. Priming day was WINDY.

I laid down large drop cloths and covered the bikes. Any overspray swept up nicely.

I was glad one of the sites I studied recommended spraying bottoms first. Definitely the better result.

Maui Blue by Rustoleum. Gloss Enamel. 2 coats.

To cover the mesh I made sure to spray moderately from every direction, moving around the table. 2 coats.

Ivy Green by Krylon. Gloss Enamel.

And I'm so happy with the cheerful results! I'm very impressed with the adherence of the paint and covereage. 

I look out my back windows all the time.

Maren and I planted the flower bowls in a surprise thunder storm. We hurried.

This patio set has two matching benches over by the firepit, and I'll be brightening those up as well. 

I'll be doing this sun-faded wooden planter box in my favorite red next:

 And this old weathered bench desperately needs some white paint: 

And with just a little patience and elbow-grease, I'll have some great updated outdoor furniture for the new house. If I can't get to them before the move, I'm fine with that. It just means we've sold this house and get to pack it all up.

Which means we can get on with the adoption.

Comments From The Car

Well, the reunion is over, the beach was beautiful, and the last Harry Potter is read. Check, check, check. My summer checklist is dwindling, but that is just fine...so is summer. I feel so fortunate to have had such a full holiday! I have several ideas for blogs, so I will have to spread them out a bit.
We came home to a garden that had doubled its size. Unfortunately, I am referring to the weeds. But after clearing those out, the tomatoes, onions, turnips, and sunflowers, hollyhocks, and daisies are looking quite alive and well, so that is exciting to me. Planting a garden in a new area is a little like trying a new kind of firework on the 4th. You know what should happen, you just don't know if it will. And sometimes it is a dud (remember the little black tablet "snakes"?), but sometimes it is so much better than you thought (like the one we tried that said it would "hover and spark", and it hovered at about 3 feet, then shot 100 ft. in the air and exploded and landed in the neighbor's yard and we all scrambled to bed right then.) So, I am just hoping for somewhere in between and I will be just fine. Gardening is a challenge I face with a smile.
I have to make a note on Harry potter and the Deathly Hallows (no spoilers). It was so satisfying, and I have to say my instincts were right on. I love it when that happens. I am a Harry Potter nerd, I know. Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for some escape time.
A portion of our trip to Washington was spent in the car (36.5 hours total) and as we drove along, I jotted down some amusing quotes to share with all of you (there are about 7 of you, right?). So, there will be more thoughts of summer to come, but for now, I will leave you with a smile.

Chelsea, 14, in Seattle traffic inching along: "That guy looks like Brad Pitt."
Krista: "What's he doing to his nose?"
Brandon: "Looks like he's Brad Pick."

Maren, 5, to boys not getting along in back: "Stop arguing guys...RIGHT NOW!"... stunned silence, followed by her intake of breath and, "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!" (I guess the first yell got her going.)

Chelsea, being silly: "I'm telepathic. I can read minds, ooohhhh!"
Braeden, 12: "Well, I'm a psychic, so I can tell the future. But, only every 2 weeks."
Jacob, 9, perplexed: "But...I only get deja vu!"

Maren, sad: "Why is Chelsea being mean?"
Krista: "Chelsea is grumpy because she had to stop putting her finger in her nose (a gasp from Chels and giggles from Maren). Well, the Dr. said if she stopped putting her finger up there, she wouldn't get so many nose-bleeds." Followed by more giggling and Chelsea trying to put her foot in my face from the middle seat, laughing.

4:50 A.M. Spokane,WA
Krista: "Why are there people out this early?" (referring to traffic in town)
Maren: "Maybe because they have somewhere to go, too."
Krista & Brandon, impressed with her answer: "Yup, I think you're right. They have somewhere to go, too."
Maren: "Yup, like McDonald's. People have to go to McDonald's all the time."

Brandon, quite jovially: "Oh great! Just what I wanted to hear, my oldest daughter complaining."

Maren: "Mommy, I want a mint."
Chelsea: "Mommy is out of mints."
Maren: "NO, there's mints in the purple bag. See? They're in the green bag in the purple bag."
Chelsea, half looking through things: "There aren't any mints!"
Maren: "I want the mints in the PURPLE BAG."
Chelsea finally hands her the green bag from the purple bag.
Maren, exasperated and pointing: "SEE, it says 'MINTS' on...the...bag!" (It doesn't say 'mints'.)

Maren, clearly: "See, Dad, I am being VERY good." (as Chelsea is getting pummelled by Mom for poking, and tickling, and pulling Mom's hair through the back of her seat. She was given ample warnings.)

Happy traveling!

EMERGENCE

It is finally here... Spring. I feel like Cody, WY has been in a cocoon. A snowcovered, quiet, protected cocoon, and now it is happening: The emergence. The signs were small at first. Kids could be seen outside, riding bikes, running to a friend's house, ok, building snowmen. Then we heard the birds! One morning, waking up. "Ah! Do you hear the birds?!" They sounded SO good. Like heralds assuring our hopes. Some daffodills speared their way through the cold to brighten up the white and brown surroundings. Then a few days before Easter we had a "small" blizzard with 2 feet of snow, followed by brilliant blue skies, snowball fights, and sunburned faces. The snow melted and greened everything up. Willows around town began to leaf out in that color called "spring green". The deer appeared again on the streets of our town, and the antelope could be spotted again off the highways. Yet, I heeded the warnings that this was not it, and I had noticed no tulips blooms or tree blossoms. Sure enough, we woke up to 4 more inches of snow 2 weeks ago. But again, the sun came out and warmed everything up and deepened the pale green. A rabbit hopped across our street. So, in just the last few days, with 70 degree weather, I have delighted in seeing flowering plum, cherry, crabapple, lilac buds, tulips, the greening of the hills and mountains. I have taken a class on how to garden in Cody (it was a short class, haha) and have made my designs and budget. In the warm sunshine I have stomped on my shovel, turned up warming earth, pulled up sod and planted a tree, 3 shrubs, 2 small plants, 7 bulbs, and wiped my forehead with the back of a muddy glove. I have a farmers tan, and a red nose. The kids threw on their swimsuits, grabbed their water guns and squealed. Brandon spread the lawn with fertilizer and we took a walk hand in hand around the neighborhood, picking up landscaping ideas along the way. Of course, the laundry was late getting done, and the fridge needs to be cleaned out, and I didn't check my email for 4 days, but how can I resist the desire to go to the window and feel the sun, open the door and step outside, breathe the fresh air deeply, return the greetings from neighbors out doing the same thing, search for what can be next on my gardening to-do list, and work my muscles to exhaustion, preparing my own plot to resemble a fraction of that first garden, Eden? Welcome, Spring. We're so glad you've come.