in bloom...

today i'd like to take you on a tour.

it's a brief little trip around the perimeter of our new house.

these are pictures i took the week ella was really sick.

we'd walk around for a few minutes each afternoon just to get her some fresh air.

so on one of those afternoon "fresh air" trips, i decided to bring the camera.

ella was in one arm...

my camera was in the other.

i think the pictures turned out pretty okay considering the circumstances...

so.

here's a short documentary of:

the good...

the bad...

and the ugly...*wink*

the good...

lots of things blooming/sprouting/growing around here...

these pink roses are on the right as you approach the front door

yellow roses to the left of the front door entry

and i'm lucky to have two rose bushes with one of my favorite shades of pink...

the crepe myrtles are starting to fill in/fill out...can't wait for the blooms...

(i hope they aren't purple...i just don't LOVE purple).

these little lovelies are blooming in the koi pond...

the pear tree is even producing some pears...

we've even got peaches going on around here...

and did i mention we've got two fig trees as well?

(what do i do with figs? fig pie?) *wink*

the bad...

random little nuiances...

a bike helmet left out on the pavement for several days...

an indication that children live in our house...*wink*

part of the yard that sat for over 2 weeks waiting for new sod...

i'm happy to report it's actually finished now...yea!!!

and did you notice the color of our house? it's what i call "pumpkin" - yuck!

this picture actually qualifies for both the "bad" AND the "ugly" categories...*wink*

the ugly....

these are the "not-so-pretty" eyesores located around the house...

a wheelbarrow full of weeds i pulled myself.

would you LOOK at the size of those thorns on the dead bougainvillea...OUCH!

huge aloe plants in a bad location...along the path to the front door...kind of weird?

they looked SO out of place...so prickly and random.

we dug these up and clara planted them in a pot in the back. much better.

this poor little bird bath...it won't hold water anymore.

we're looking for a replacement...

the picture actually makes it look prettier than it really is...

the "weathered" look adds great character though, doesn't it?

and finally....the koi pond.

this fell into the "ugly" category because we almost had this torn out during the sod replacement phase. the girls wanted to keep it and lucky for them...

after some coaxing from the neighbors and the landscaping company...j and i gave in to the pleadings.

now all i need to do is clean it, get the pump running again and figure out how to care for the thing. no. big. deal. right?

(clara actually rescued a goldfish she found in the murky water...it's now in her fish tank. crazy).

i hope you enjoyed the tour.

everyone please grab small children by the hand and exit safely to your right...

AFTER we've come to a complete stop.

(the sound of squeaky brakes and the the puff of air - like when a bus stops)...*wink*

Keeping It Real

Oh how I've MISSED blogging.

My life has not felt complete without it.

Weird?

I know.

Everyone in the house ended up getting sick...except for Clara. (lucky girl).

I feel as though I abandoned the blog for weeks as we all fought our way through it all.

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

And I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day!

Can't wait to share the goodies I've been working on...

digital design projects...FUN. STUFF.