The Good, the Bad, the Messy and the Leafy.

 It has been a productive and frustrating week all at once. Mainly work-related details that I shan't bore you with, but either ends of the spectrum are well represented by the happenings at home as well.
Frustrating is accidentally launching a glass of red wine across your couch. Discouraging is not learning from your mistake and spilling a cup of coffee in your bed a few days later. The cleanup operations have been considerable, and the boys have capitalised on my clumsiness, taking full advantage of some temporary rearrangements around the house. Cuddletime, anyone?

Productive is getting our hands dirty around the garden, combined with some glorious rainfall and ambitions for growing every single salad leaf that I care to eat this Summer. Some people dream of fancy yachts and champagne and white sands. I dream of salad. (Also, I'm fairly sure I'm supposed to be the artist in this family...but behold if you will Forrest's spray-painted potato bin. F+L 4Eva. Guess he's not just a pretty face!)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Our little garden experiment is certainly keeping us entertained this Spring. We have experienced our fair share of disasters...watching our potato bed float down the hill in a rainstorm, all seven sets of asparagus proving a total no-show, and the rhubarb that fell asleep and never woke up again. Let's not forget the growing number of unsuspecting seedlings that have met an early end courtesy of two curious canine mouths....

Garden-time has become a cherished daily obsession; weeding, inspecting, and accidentally poking terror-inducing spiders with my bare hands. Jump 10 feet in the air from a sleepy, idling crouch? Yes, yes I can. Scream bloody murder at the hairy awful thing, in a manner that befits a 5 year old having a tantrum? I have become adept at that also. Spiders. Shoot me.
We have harvested a grand total of three strawberries so far, and I'll share the gossip: Tastiest strawberries on the planet. True that. 
Start-up costs for this little garden venture has left us eating noodles for the final week of every paycheck lately, but things are looking greener, if you see what I mean. Pretty much excited for our Summertime menu!

Rudy is a Hot Dog.

As is well documented, I have a soft spot for dogs. Especially my own pair of Fluffies. As such, they are spoiled rottenest, and just recently we purchased some flashy new collars for them, expertly crafted by my wonderful friend Brianna at Tied and True Paracord Creations. Here is my handsome RudeDog, giving us his best 'male model' impression. Beautiful, Darling! Anyway, that is all, just wanted to share with you the talent of the collar-maker. Pretty clever if you ask me. Thanks Brianna!

All Things Spring

Spring has gotten to me. I have become wide-eyed and tail-waggish over seeds and peat moss. Sunshine mixed with cut grass and BBQ-ing and dog dates.

This is the first time Forrest and I have tried to grow a garden. I have planted asparagus upside down, accidentally paired plants uncompanionably and battled nights with unexpected frosts (at the expense of a closet full of bedsheets. boo!). The learning curve has been steep and fraught with missteps, but my enthusiasm lives on. Luckily there is a green-fingered husband who can be relied on to mend my disasters.

I have lately been working feverishly on illustrating a children's book which will be going out into the world later on in the year. Soon, I will share :)

Hope you are all enjoying the sunny Spring mornings as much as we are!

Tidy and things.

Working on a portrait of Tidy the cat, 19 years old!

Perplexed by 80 degree sunshine during Winter.

Having a t-shirt tan and a sleeveless bridesmaid dress to wear in a couple of weeks (oh no!)

Putting Felix's crate in the attic because he has grown up enough not to eat my running shoes. :)

Relaxing during a trip to Florida with wonderful friends. bike rides. cocktails. beaching. (aloe gel)

Loving the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy, that I cannot put down.

Recovering from a BodyPump session. Triceps, I'm sorry.

Celebrating my rediscovery of sake. Chin chin!

Happy March!

What a difference a Year (or two) Makes

The boys have had birthdays

Rudy Sharkface BooBoo Strudel Pooder BigBum Neumann has turned two.

Felix the rat the bat the cat, Fluffy Fifficus Toodles Neumann has reached the ripe old age of one.

Happiest Birthdays, boys! High five, shake hands, roll over!

First post of 2012! (I'm fired)

We entered a whole new year, you say. Uh huh. Well, I'm just catching up. Hello!

Nashville. Fireworks. Boom.

25th January boasted the high point of my year so far. Ft Campbell, rain and cloud, 2am. In marched my husband (and his team) to much fanfare and a sleepy wife. This- in a nutshell- makes me happy. And busy. My recent absence has been duly noted.

Illustration projects have also been in full effect and the current issue of 'Taste of Home' magazine, features some printed work that I can proudly put my name to. Page 65. Don't mind if I do.

(and there is nothing like drawing Italian wedding soup for a week to give a girl an appetite!).

Valentines Day came and went, in an explosion of chocolates and surprises. The dogs baked cookies for their girlfriends (hopeless, hopeless romantics).

Rudy turned two. Felix turned one. The mischief continues. My patience walks the tightrope. My walking shoes are oft employed. My heart is full to the brim.

So far so good in 2012. Happy belated!