two green thumbs up

I really want to start a garden this year. One that I can make fresh salsa from. One that I can decorate the house with beautiful bushels of hydrangea.

Truth is, Ive never really had a garden before. Ive dreamed of lush pumpkin patches and fields of sunflowers. Suburbia doesn't really allow for those sorts of things though.
My mom gave me a copy of farm anatomy for christmas. It makes an adorable coffee table book but is also full of beautiful illustrations and some really good gardening advice.




Im hoping to start planting this weekend. We have not had the early spring that Jimmy the groundhog predicted. I dont want to plant a whole lot of stuff just to have the ground freeze and have all that work go to waste. Hopefully the ground wont freeze anymore after this week. I mean come on.



you can find farm anatomy by Julia Rothman here.

P.s. any green thumbs that have any practical advice for a first time gardener please feel free to comment!

Thanks a lot Robert Frost!

I was shown this video by one of my professors. That was on tuesday and I have watched it at least 10 times since that. I smile every time. Im sure some of you have heard of the kid president. This is him. An 8 year old boy with an amazing message.

"We can cry about it or we can dance about it."
So if you have 3 minutes to spare please watch and pass it on.




I think its absolutely amazing that a boy as young as 8 can have a better outlook on life than some adults do. I think his message is one that everyone can adopt. We can all dance, we can all laugh. Those two things alone can make the world a better place.

"Two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the road less traveled." AND IT HURT

I want one.

I would like to introduce you to Baby Benjamin Asa. My cousin popped him out after an exhausting 13 hour labor that ended with a C-section. That big ol' baby just wouldn't come out. We wanted to meet him so bad and his poor mama was exhausted. So at 3:00am they finally decided that C-section was the best option.


I honestly cant get enough of him.


Pretty sure my mom wanted me at the birth to scare me from having a kid anytime soon. I may be slightly scarred but holding that little man in my arms made all the screaming and pain and agony that I saw my cousin experience seemed to slip my mind. I squeezed him tight and everything in the world disappeared.

Dont worry. Im still not planning kids anytime soon.


My mom wants to quit her job and stay with little ben forever. I didn't think that sounded all that bad. Im thinking about doing the same. Nah, but maybe for the summer.

Cant wait to tell you more about this little guy. I sure am in love with him...

Our Weekend.

when it seems that all is wrong in the world

When it seems that all is wrong in the world I must remember to take a step back. The sun will shine again, the hurt will subside, the tears will fade, the wounds will heal, and love always wins.

We warmed our souls with Moonshine and Jager Bombs

This sequence of pictures reminds me of one of those flip books where when you flip through the pictures they make a moving picture. I held the button down on my camera and captured the boys creating a polar plunge of their own. doesn't quite seem like an spring break activity but in Wisconsin, you never know what weather to expect over spring break. Snow some years, sunny and 80 some years. we deal. Taylor and I held the towels and cameras while the boys jumped in one by one and one by one they jumped back out. (Not without a picture for bragging rights, of course.)

((I like people who smile when its raining))

Today there is a high temp of 48. I have my jeans cuffed up and my converse on.
Tomorrow there is a high temp of 57. This calls for bikinis and flip flops. Just kidding. But really.

Wisconsin is known for truly having all four seasons. Its one of the things I love about this state. Even though I am a little bitter towards winter, I really do appreciate each season. But when spring starts peeking its head over the dirty snow piles, everyone and their mother brings out their beach bags and longboards. We all have serious spring fever.

Things that spring gives us to be happy about include but are not limited to:

Rolled up jeans
Sock less days
Ranunculus from Trader Joe's
Iced Latte's
Hunter Rain Boots
Splashing puddles
Thunderstorms
Brandi Carlile Pandora stations
Brisk mornings and light evenings
PB&J's in a picnic basket
Rolling the windows down in the car so the dog can hang his head out
Forgoing the jersey sheets and down comforter for cotton sheets and a light throw
and lets not forget the remaining weeks of school. Im not mad about it.