~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
{pretty}
So technically these are weeds that have taken over our lawn, but let's just focus on the sweet little purple flowers and beautiful spring day, shall we?
{happy}
Much of what we planted in our garden last spring didn't survive the hot, dry summer, but some of it did! Every time I walk past that side of the house, I delight in the green things popping up, and say to myself in my best Monty Python voice, “Not dead yet!”
We're definitely leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year, which was an inherited bed of tall, thick weeds. Right now is our window of mild weather and (hopefully) a bit of rain, so anything that we want to grow needs to get established in the next few weeks if we want it to have a chance!
We also finally cleaned up the big planter outside the kitchen window (formerly known as the Dirt Box), and Pippo and I are starting a little garden in there, too. We even quickly painted it using the leftover exterior trim paint that was in the garage when we moved in. Very fancy.
{funny}
Every so often, the kids will decide that it's time to do some push ups, and drop whatever they're doing to pump out a few.
It's safe to say they didn't pick up this habit from me.
{real}
I'm not sure I have a {real} photo this week — I haven't been good about taking photos in general, lately. (All the ones above are from the same day, which is the one time in the last two weeks I've picked up my camera, apparently! For shame.)
But as I head into the end stretch of this pregnancy (I'll be 39 weeks on Saturday — can you believe it?), and get more and more questions about when this baby is going to get here, I thought I'd let you in on the details. You see, my official due date is April 4, Holy Saturday. But so far we have one baby born (a little bit early) the day after Christmas, and another born (a little bit late) the day after the Assumption.
So we have a very clear liturgical trend: the day after the major feast day.
Assuming I make it through the day after the Annunciation (aka, today. I was also on alert last week, right after the feast of St. Joseph…), I'm betting on an April 6 baby. (Auntie Leila would be seriously displeased if the baby got here before she does next week! We do have a nearby friend on call, though, just in case that does happen.)
If this baby decides to buck the liturgical trend, then I can only assume that I'll end up going a week or two late again (I had Molly at 41 weeks), so that I'll start encroach on Deirdre's due date, a few weeks after mine. You know, just to keep things interesting.
I know all this is super rational. What can I say? I'm super pregnant. I specialize in rational.
[inlinkz_linkup id=509458 mode=1]
Tacy Williams Beck says
Aw, they are *so* cute!
Lisa G. says
Those pigtails are a scream!
Kathy@9peas says
Beautiful Spring day! The weeks before have been pretty dreary and not nearly as camera worthy, so I wouldn’t beat yourself up too much about not snapping photos.
Pippo and Molly are darling sitting in their purple flowers! Saying prayers for a safe and speedy delivery and that Leila gets there first.
Michele says
That picture of Molly and the window box is too precious!!!! Praying for you in this final stretch of pregnancy. 🙂
Annalisa says
They’re only weeds if you don’t want them there. Call them very tenacious wild flowers. What could be more desirable?
katie says
They’re only weeds if you don’t want them there. Call them very tenacious wild flowers. What could be more desirable?
Elizabeth says
Had to laugh about the juxtaposition of super pregnant and super rational. 🙂 I’ll pray for blessings on your final week(s) of pregnancy.
Amy Caroline says
I look at this and long to be one of those people that don’t kill plants with one touch. Sigh.
Rosie says
Oh, our thumbs are far from green, I assure you. And our clay soil and drought conditions don’t help. But we’re trying!
Laura says
hi rosie! one tip for watering in dry conditions is to use ice cubes. In the evening, place a few ice cubes around the plants (not touching them of course). They melt slow and soak in slow and can be placed carefully for maximum absorption 🙂 and kiddos can help easily. and for a small garden, a few trays is plenty.
Charlotte says
We too have been enjoying the bounty of our weeds, um… I mean… incredibly herbaceous lawn. Now I want to make a window box garden!
Mrs. B. says
I’m sure your mother would love to be able to bilocate, with all of these grandchildren always due more or less at the same time!
The push-up photo takes the prize today…. 🙂
Gemma says
6th April is a good day to be born. That’s my Mum’s Birthday and Blessed Pier Giorgio’s. He’s a favourite saint of mine 🙂
Kate says
My kids loved picking those weeds to present to me as the first “flowers” of spring. One thing I’ve learned from gardening in a hot, arid area is give the plants some shade during the hottest parts of the day. I know lots of tags say “full sun” but I’ve found that annuals do better in dry areas if they get some partial shade in the day; otherwise they get too stressed and you are going to be watering a lot. A thick layer of mulch also helps. Gardening rules for the east, definitely do not apply in the west. When I first started serious gardening 15 years ago, I wanted to plant what I wanted to plant, despite the environment. I wanted to grow blueberries and hydrangeas despite our highly alkaline soil. Now I’ve made my peace with drought tolerant and native plants and seek out plants suited to our soil and climate.
Rosie says
So true about gardening rules in the east vs west. It’s a completely different ball game! Drought tolerant” and “thrives in poor soil” are my go-to plant descriptions these days. 🙂
Melissa D says
Our red clay in ATL is impossible to dig into — so it’s raised beds, all the way. Gardening was always my “nesting” activity of choice, not sure why!
I have a little bouquet of those same “weeds” on my windowsill. I remember giving them to my own mom as a child, thinking the blooms were so tiny and beautiful!
🙂
Laura says
date palms??
Kari says
I love those weeds! We lived in OKC when we were first married and had those everywhere. I call them wildflowers, because of course, a weed is anything growing where you don’t want it to (and with thorns/stickers…when you have small children). Since those have no thorns and a lovely green color with lovely flowers…you have a native wildflower lawn!
(April 4 is a good day to have a birthday! It’s mine. I was born on Palm Sunday and had 2 Easters before I was 1, just because of the strange timing of Easter.)
Sully says
the teeny tiny pigtails!!!!! oh I cannot wait for my 19 month old to have enough hair (and the ability to stand still) for pigtails.
Anastasia says
Aaahhh! Your two are so adorable. I love the stop, drop and do push-ups routine. Also Molly suddenly looks so much like Pippo!
I can’t wait to hear the new baby news. Our number 4 came 3 weeks early and is 3 weeks old today! The other 4 waited til after their due dates, so to say I was surprised is the understatement of the year 🙂
Maurisa says
Bwahahahahahaha! The push-ups! Hilarious!
Jennifer says
Honey, at 39 weeks with two little ones, you needn’t apologize for anything. I can’t believe you’ve been gardening and painting! Can’t wait for the big baby announcement!
Susan says
I don’t know. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are pretty big days, too. I’d say you’ve got a whole window in there. Our upstairs neighbors had their first baby on Good Friday last year and we sent various food packages to the hospital each day so they could kinda-sorta get in on all the food traditions.
Stephanie says
Wow! You just walked a powerful LENT to end it with a baby…I love it, so holy beautiful. The push ups photo is awesome, bet that makes daddy proud 🙂 God Bless You!
ES says
We had a pattern going; first baby on July 3rd (three days late), second baby on Oct 31st (8 days early). Clearly the third baby would be one day after a secular holiday! Instead she came on her due date, Jan 23.
You seem perfectly rational to me!
Betsy M says
Love the photos Rosie. I really had to laugh about your baby due date calculations. My sister and I were always due a couple of weeks to over a month apart but God delivered them so they were very close “twins”. Funny how that works.
Say, a words about those plants (that you probably already know). Don’t forget to mulch! Put down a couple of inches of wood mulch once the soil is totally warm. A tree service may even have a free pile that you can haul from, if you call and ask.
Valerie says
I love the “push-ups” picture…including the little lines drawn on the table. :o)
You forgot April 1st…one of mine was due the 2nd of April…but decided to come a day early…much to my trying to hold out until the due date.
Tamara says
My first child was born one day before her due date, the next was 3 days before due, the third child was 5 before… I was certain the 4th baby would be born 7 days early. And that was Michealmas which I thought was a great feast day to be born on. He decided he would set himself apart and was born five days after his due date! He skipped over all of those good feast days in early Oct too. Silly kid 🙂
I hope all goes well for you in this last part of pregnancy!
Ashley says
I love the pig tails and push-ups! My daughter will “do” push-ups if she sees us doing them. But she won’t keep anything in her hair for longer than a few seconds.
Jane says
My oldest was born on Good Friday and we got out of the hospital on Easter Sunday. It’s nice the years that bring Easter close to her birthday to remember that first birthday and the celebration day bringing her home!
Woman of the House says
I love Mollie’s little pigtails. So adorable! And, oh, how I miss being given little fistfuls of flowers! With my youngest 18, it’s been quite awhile, but I now have grandchildren who I hope will do the honors one day. 🙂
Robin says
My first came 11 days after her due date; my second, 9 after his! So when the third showed up ON his due date instead of 7 days late, I was NOT READY! And my mom got there the next day. Praying for a timely, healthy baby and that Auntie Leila is there! (#s 4 and 5 each came within a day of their due dates…go figure!)
Our Kansas neighborhood is fairly carpeted with those purple flowers and I remember them too from growing up in Southwest OK. I love them! Definitely native wildflowers, not weeds. Have your kids figured out there’s a drop of sweet nectar in each one, like honeysuckle?
Jennie Cooper says
Love the little tongue sticking out in that second picture. 🙂 praying for a safe and happy delivery!